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Fisher F5 Help Me Please!

N

northwoodslivin

New member
Hey gang!

I am new to metal detecting, used to go with my father as a child and thought it was pretty neat. I have been reading this forum for the last 5 day's or so trying to learn the F5 as I waited for mine to come in the mail.

Ok, I got it today and set it all up.. but I am having some trouble here and I am hoping the unit is not defective :(

I ground balanced the unit in all metal mode holding down the phase lock button and pumping the coil until the numbers evened out, ok that was done.. now my issue.. no matter what I set the gain or thresh hold at it will beep all over the place.. for example... if I am sweeping the ground, it will beep anywhere... I even set the disc all the way maxed out only to detect dimes,50c etc and it will still do it... what am I doing wrong here folks? Does it sound like this unit is defective?
 
This is very frustrating... My father is out there with his 179 dollar bounty hunter picking off pennies and dimes in the ground, and here I am with mine, and no matter what I set it to, even the lowest settings "lowest gain, thresh hold at 0" it still beeps every sweep I make... what am I doing wrong? :S I even tried different freq settings and still can't shut it up or make it work :(
 
Some possibilities:

Make sure the coil cable is not so loose that the cable moves as you sweep.

Make sure the coil connector is not loose.

Replace the batteries with new ones. Perhaps one of the batteries you are using has failed or is defective.

Turn off your cell phone if you have one.

Try a different location as you might be next to a source of heavy emi.

If the problem still persists, might be defective.
 
The cable is tightly wrapped up the rod, batteries are brand new, no cell phone. The store I bought it from told me to try a new location, however... my father's little bounty hunter doesn't have this issue. I will go over everything again and report back. Gosh I hope it isn't defective!
 
Different detectors can be susceptible to different types of interference. There are some places I just can't search with certain detectors. Even if they are new batteries, might try swapping them out anyways in case one is defective or check them with a battery tester. Maybe some others have more suggestions. Hope it starts working right for you.
 
Ok, I managed to find some things with it! :)

If I go in all metal mode no matter where I scan it will beep, so I canceled out a couple of things. It will still make little beeps but when I hit a target the beep will get much more high pitch and loud. I had the gain at 80-85 and thresh hold at 0. Could all those beeps be little pieces of iron or what not in the ground? It doesn't do it with my fathers bounty hunter, but his unit is a basic unit and likely has that canceled out ?

If anyone has any tips or pointers I would be happy to hear them!

I found a real old dinky car, a nickel, an old pull tab and an old belt buckle thus far lol
 
Just wondering.... does this unit alway's make little beeps regardless what the gain or thresh hold is set too? I would think you could make it silent until you hit a target? Or is it possible that the ground I am scaning on is just to dirty with minerals or iron?

any advice would be greatly appreciated, this is my first detector and although I am new to it and know it is a more advanced unit and know that it will take some time for me to master it, I would like to have some better understanding with it... I have been reading up on the unit, just would like to make it so that it is silent until it hits a target.. but again, could be the ground I am scanning on?
 
Every location is different, but if you have much mineralization then your sensitivity seems a little high. Try dropping the sensitivity down and try some negative threshold settings. You will still likely hear some falsing as it is a sensitive detector. A positive threshold will pick up and increase the audio response on the smallest items which are abundant in trashy areas. You might want to wait on using the positive threshold until you start to get a feel for the sounds of good targets. Find a playground to search since it will be easy to dig and there will likely be a lot of items to examine and focus on the differences in sound and id of good items versus bits of foil.
 
Hi there northwoodslivin,

All the new guys go through this to some degreee so don't feel bad or get upset. :surrender:

Lets run through the basics first.

Unwrap your cable and take the coil off your rod.
Plug the cable in and make sure the connection is good.

Sit down in your favorite chair and prop the detector up beside you so you can see the face plate.

Turn it on, put it disc mode. Set your Gain to around 40 and the threshold at a -3. Put it in the 4 tone audio mode. Set your disc to 8.
Hold the coil in one hand away from the lamp or the detector. It should be quiet. By quiet I mean that it will not beep unless you pass metal over the coil.

Do the air tests in the quick start section of your manual. Air test different stuff. Play around with different gain and threshold, disc and tone settings. All you are doing at this point is getting familar with it. This will help you. You need to do this. Trust me.

Now after you have done the air tests, you know that your F5 isn't broken (or is broken as the case might be). Mostly likely not broken, though.

After the air tests, put the coil on the shaft and rewrap the cable, tight but not too tight, and plug it in and make sure its firmly connected.

Now take it outside. Turn it on. Set the Gain to 55 or 60. Set the threshold to the highest point it will go and still be quiet. If it is quiet at -3 but noisy at -2, back it down to -3. Next select your tones and your disc setting. Now ground cancel by pressing the phase lock button and bobbing the coil until the numbers stablize. You don't have to go to all metal mode to do this. Make sure you are not balancing over metal.

After all this, your detector should be quiet if you just stand there. If you got this far and the detector is quiet you are home free. Again, you want a stable detector that is not making ANY noise if you are just standing there holding it still.

There are some places where I detect that I have to lower my gain to 35 and my threshold to a -3. Some places are just full of interference. If you get into a place like that, you just have to turn it down.

So now here you are sweeping the coil over the ground. Its going to beep over any metal in the ground. You will have to put in some time to learn what all that noise means and the only way to do that is to use it and dig it.

Let me know that you get to the point of a stable detector while air testing and that you get to a stable detector on the ground holding it still. That is what I want to hear.

HH
Mike
 
A shot in the dark but if you have a coil cover take it off and clean both coil and cover. I had this problem once before with an SE, turned out to be a very small piece of metal wire jammed in-between cover and coil..
 
Wow thanks for the wealth of info there Mike, much appreciated!

I think I might just have my settings far to high. I was using 85 and 0. I am going to go outside and try those settings!
It won't beep when I am not moving it, just when I sweep it will beep little beeps "then a much louder beep when I hit a target" it IS working, just not silent, but likely due to my settings being to high for the ground I am on. I will try those settings, and if it still isn't silent after trying those settings "and I will go lower just to see" then I will remove the coil and do what you suggested. Very much appreciate you taking the time to write that for me =)
Thank you!
 
Great!

Yeah...those are hot settings to start out on. That 0 threshold is wide open so you are going to hear little thing. You can leave the gain up there but turn down the threshold just a bit to kill the little blips to you get accustomed to it.

Sounds like you are having fun though.

HH
Mike
 
Thanks for all the help so far!

I did what you suggested Mike, removed the coil and did the air test with your settings. Put it back together and went outside with your settings, it will still do little partial/quiet beeps with the gain at 40 and thresh -3 when I move the coil over the ground... and I also put a quater on the ground, dime and it is telling me that it isn't what it is on the ID screen most times? Does this sound normal to you? could it just be that my backyard is loaded with crap everywhere "like everywhere because it will give off those little partial/quiet beeps anywhere I go in the backyard" With the settings you gave me "Gain 40, thresh hold -3 dis 8" it doesn't do it as bad but it is still there.
 
Like the unit does work, I found stuff with it today. it will make a high pitch beep if I am over something, but when I sweep it will make little beeps. even on -9 thresh hold and 45-50 gain @ 8 disc...I am stumped.

Maybe it is just the ground? I can't get away to try another spot until tomorrow. But you would think -9 on the tresh hold would shut it down totally quiet? Forgive me, I am new to this.
 
Mike,

I seem to have quieted it down much then what it was.. I just found a 1960 Canadian silver dime down a good 8 inches with a few other old pennies right around it.
Pretty happy about the dime! =)

Thank you for your help!
 
What a great example of the power, knowledge, and intent of this Forum! Nice job everybody!:clapping: Congrats on your silver dime Northwoodslivin!
 
Silver dime? Eight inches? No stopping you now. Seeing silver in the hole is addicting. You will never be the same :stretcher:

All that noise you get when sweeping the coil over the ground is stuff in the ground. Might be minerals, but mostly will be trash metal in the ground. You will be amazed at how much crap is in the ground.:surprised:

Anyway it sounds to me like you are off to a very good start!

HH
Mike
 
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