I think there needs to be a clear definition of what an "iron infested site" is, and also understand what our opinion is of handling iron trash.
Tom Slick said:
Monte,
The Fisher does so well in the iron infested sites that I'm probably going to sell my modified (Mr. Bill) IDX Pro. The IDX has been my long time favorite Iron infested site detector but I think the Fisher F-19 discrimination is a little more quiet in the iron ...
Quiet? I have found the White's Classic series, especially a Classic ID and IDX Pro I use w/6½" or 4½" Concentric coils, are very quiet in dense iron nail sites. Most of the Tesoro models with ED-120 Discrimination are also very quiet in iron, and on them I prefer a 7" or 5¾" Concentric coil. Matter of fact, I have long relied on the Tesoro and Classic models as the detectors by which I compare all other detectors in an iron test.
Naturally, I use my
Nail Board Performance Test in my evaluations, and have for over twenty years now, and I use it in the manner that is the more logical approach to hunting in iron. That is, to just barely reject the four iron nails, then use an Indian Head or modern Zinc Cent in the centered #1 circle to check for good target response. It calls for a slower sweep to better deal with the iron rejection, and TID/VDI models are not likely to produce a 'proper' ID, but it can surely hint of a non-ferrous target in that iron trash mix.
I used F19's on my NBPT, but also took the first one to a few older sites, to include an 1881 townsite and a few homestead sites up to 150 years old. All of them have trashier areas, some dense, mainly with iron nails. I compared the F19 to my own arsenal and a couple of borrowed detectors. They ranged from a Fisher Gold Bug Pro w/5" DD, F5 w/5" DD, F75 w/5" DD and 11" DD. Tesoro Bandido II µMAX w/7" and 8" Concentrics, Teknetics G2 w/5" and 5X10 DD's, Omega w/5" and 5X10 DD's and 8" and 10" elliptical Concentrics, and White's Classic ID and IDX Pro w/4½" and 6½" Concentric coils MX5, M6, MXT All-Pro w/6½" and 9" spider Concentrics.
On the NBPT, the F19 w/stock 5X10 and 5" DD coils outperformed all of the other Fisher and Teknetics models. They did make some improvements. However, it fell short of matching the Tesoro or White's models I used. In the old town site and homesteads, when some of the iron trash was spaced a little farther apart, I found the F19 to work 'OK' except I didn't care for the brisker sweep speed required to eek a bit of depth and performance out of it. Now I am not talking mega depth because they don't do it, but just to try and com close to the depth on smaller-size targets I was getting with other models. That I was aware of because I made it a point in evaluating the F19 to use it with other detectors so I could get more side-to-side comparisons made.
I didn't find the F19 to be 'quieter' when using similar rejection levels, other than using the lower volume on ferrous range targets. I do like the F19's 'package' and even the camo outfit it wears, and some of the features and definitely ther iron handling compared with the Omega and G2 I had used a lot. It's improved in that respect on the NBPT.
Tom Slick said:
... and I like the ability to set the set the tone break where I want it when hunting in iron. I can set the tone break just below coins and it's very easy to pick out the non ferrous targets like coins and tokens from all the other junk iron sounds.
Personally, I like a '40' Tone break setting and would never run it to "just below coins" as there are too many various coins and tokens and even gold jewelry that I would like to find. All I like to know is if there is iron present or not. If not, then that's good. If there is, then it keeps me reminded to make slow and cautious sweeping an and amongst the iron to try and pick out a hint of a signal that might be non-iron to recover. That's why when I hunt I usually use either r NO rejection to hear-it-all ands use a 2-Toine audio ID to help classify ferrous fro non-ferrous signals. I know how dense the targets are, be them desired or not. If it is especially iron littered, then I only use barely enough to reject Iron nails and that's it. No more.
Tom Slick said:
The IDX is the best "Nail Board test" detector i've owned but the F-19 is for me, in my hunting environments, the best machine.
My Classic ID/ODX P{ro and Tesoro's are the best on the NBPT, and the MX5 and MXT All-Pro come close, but I do like the F19 in some ways, but not enough to bump any of my current use detectors. Matter of fact, I have a buyer for my demo field evaluation F19 and have a new F19 I only assembled for display at a meeting that I am going to sell or take a detector and cash in trade. The problem is trying to decide what I want.
Tom Slick said:
I also have the Fisher Gold Bug Pro but the added features of the F-19 put it a step above the GBP.
The features and the improved performance on my iron tests put the F19 ahead of the G2 or GB Pro.
Tom Slick said:
I'm so pleased with the F-19 that I've decided to sell a number of my other detectors. The F-19 will replace my Fisher Gold Bug Pro and WHite's IDX Pro for Iron infested home sites, Ghost towns, railroad sidings and it's now my go to dry sand beach machine. I'll also sell my White's GMT because I can use my F-19 and White's TDI SL for nugget hunting.
've used the one I got in side-by-side evaluations in test scenarios, as well as ghost towns and homesteads. I was kind of hoping I might want to keep the F19 in my arsenal with the sub-5" DD coil just to replace my Classic ID w/4½" coil to hunt in the densest iron trash. It failed to outperform or even match it in performance so, it was cut from my arsenal.
Tom Slick said:
Other detectors in my stable are the Tesoro Tiger Shark (freshwater hunting), White's V3i (coins & Jewelry), Minelab Sovereign GT (wet saltwater beach sand, along with the White's TDI SL) and a pair of White's M6's for when my wife and son want to detect (usually only at competition hunts using the 2" x 8" hotfoot coils).
We all need to have detector arsenals that work for use, and that's the important thing.
Monte
