Garrett propointer question

[deliveryboy]

I bought one for my birthday and was excited to get out and try it after using my bounty hunter pointer for quite some time. Well I went out and everything seemed fine until about 1 hour into my hunt I hit a target and went to turn it on and got a weeee oooooh weeee oooh sound(like an ambulance) the first time it happened I removed the battery to check it and blew out the case then replaced the battery and it was back to normal for a short time.

Then another target hit so I turn it on only to have it do the ambulance again but this time nothing would stop it, removing battery etc. so in frustration i marked the target and went to get my $40 BH pointer and retrieved my target. Pissed off at the quality I came home to call Garrett and the lady there could barely speak English but was at least helpful, in the end they are sending me a new one.

Honestly my first impression is negative for the price of these things they should be built with quality. Also the battery it came with seems to have some zip to it when touched on my tongue so I doubt it is low battery also since I only used it about an hour, would the battery life be that crappy?

I experimented by putting a known low battery in and it gave the same ambulance tone, so I assume this sound is the low battery indicator, but does the propointer just become completely inoperable when the battery is low? My BH pointer can run till almost no juice at all.

Is it possible it would overheat?

Anyone else have these issues?

pretty frustrated and may just buy 2-3 $40 pointers instead

 

[MNCoinhunter]

The "ambulance siren" sound you heard is the low battery indicator. I guess that you have to assume that there is bound to be an occasional malfunctioning unit amongst the thousands that they produce. Garrett's customer service is second to none in my opinion. And the fact that they are sending you a new one is testament to that. I am sure that the new one you receive will work just fine. They really are excellent pointers ... still better than Minelab's Pro-Find, which costs more. Good luck !

 

[5900_XL-1]

Everyone should own at least one cheap multi meter. If not, just assume you have a weak battery and go to the store and buy a good brand named alkaline an slip in into the component for a sanity check. Seriously though. A meter is so cheap these days. the tongue test doesn't impress many bench techincians ;-) martin

 

[deliveryboy]

Thanks for your reply McDave, but can you or anyone confirm that the propointer is rendered useless with low battery or is it supposed to just beep a few times warning you the battery is low then keep working? I find it silly that there would be no prior warning to the battery dying, and just having to carry 5-9 volts with you all the time. I just tested the battery it came with and it shows 9.5 volts so to me it should not be signaling "low battery"

If the battery life is that horrible I will most likely send it back.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Everyone should own at least one cheap multi meter. If not, just assume you have a weak battery and go to the store and buy a good brand named alkaline an slip in into the component for a sanity check. Seriously though. A meter is so cheap these days. the tongue test doesn't impress many bench techincians ;-) martin

I used a multimeter as well and it read 9.5 volts a hair under actually but barely, guess my tongue was pretty accurate lol

 

[5900_XL-1]

Good battery reading, that is for sure. Personally I have never drained even one of the batteries I have in the two Pro Pointers I own to the point you experienced for an alarm. Just for grins, put a quarter inside the battery cover lid to compress the battery a tad more. martin

Btw, there should already be a square patch of black material inside to press the battery down. If that is missing entirely, it could be your immediate problem. Otherwise, Garretts will get it right, fast. You will look back down the road and hardly remember this experience today once you get the PP 100%. I love my ProPointer.

I tongue-test also. They are actually very accurate after years of doing no other tests ;-)

 

[MarkCZ]

The Garrett Pro-pointer is a very good unit in MOST all cases! but its not impossible to have gotten a defective one.
They are built to military specs, O-ringed sealed.
My only complaint is no real means of knowing when the battery is getting low.
Three little colored LEDS Red, yellow, and green for battery condition would be a plus!

I have a Pro-pointer,
My brother has One,
My Co-worker has two,
Countless post on this forum with members that use the Pro-pointer,
If Garrett has ever made a good thing, its their pro-pointer.

I had the Fisher F-point, they come free for a good reason!
When you get your replacement if it comes with a cheap-o free battery, throw it away and put in a real battery.

Mark

 

[Goldstrike]

Here are a couple of tools I use and as you can see, I have a Garrett Pro-Pointer. Out of all the pointers I have owned, the Garrett Pro-Pointer is the best and has served me very well. I think your initial problem was either a bad battery or a connection problem. I'm positive Garrett's will see that you are happy with their products!!

 

[deliveryboy]

Again I appreciate the replies, but could one of you please answer this "Does the propointer normally make the ambulance sound repeatedly when battery is low or is it suppose to just do it a few times then let you continue on til the battery drains?" Also could you give me your estimates on battery life, in your experiences?

Thanks again

 

[MarkCZ]

Again I appreciate the replies, but could one of you please answer this "Does the propointer normally make the ambulance sound repeatedly when battery is low or is it suppose to just do it a few times then let you continue on til the battery drains?" Also could you give me your estimates on battery life, in your experiences?

Thanks again

Not to my knowledge!
Or to say mine never has!
And if its supposed to I would think it should be stated in the owners manual.

Mark

 

[deliveryboy]

@mark thanks

 

[Steve O]

I've had one many years and never heard the ambulance sound.

 

[deliveryboy]

I've had one many years and never heard the ambulance sound.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43j9wPUC-Zg[/video]

 

[MNCoinhunter]

In my experiences with a low battery, after the first alarm my pointer will allow me to continue using it for maybe 3 or 4 targets. Then two ... then one. Until it simply won't function because it is in this "alarm" mode continuously. I have never continued running it down until the alarm quits. I change the battery before that.

 

[Goldstrike]

"WHEN THE BATTERY BECOMES LOW, THE DETECTOR WILL SOUND AN ALTERNATING DUAL TONE ALARM. THIS SOUND INDICATES THAT THE DETECTOR'S 9V BATTERY SHOULD BE REPLACED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE"........this is taken from the Garrett Pro-Pointer's owners manual. To be honest, I do not let my battery go down that far. It's not worth the frustration of using a critically important tool and maybe missing a gold or silver ring or a nice coin. If your concerned about shelling out for 9V batteries and AA's for your detector, get rechargeable batteries.

 

[WIHawker]

I love my Garret propointer. Battery lasts for a long time. I normally go thru 2 sets of batterys on the AT before I replace the pro pointer battery. I have also have got mine soking wet a couple of times. It was like there was a penny stuck to the end of it. I let it dry out for a couple of days and it works fine.

 

[deliveryboy]

@McDave thanks for that answer,was what I was looking for,so most likely mine is defective, since the battery tested approx 9.4 volts when it occurred.
@goldstrike yeah as stated it was brand new with new battery, although now I look at the battery it's an Eveready but I don't think it's an alkaline, do you all use alkalines for the pointers as well as the detectors? Im surprised they wouldn't ship with recommended battery type if thats the case, regardless I have a new one on the way so i think ill take that one to assure no problems.

I still feel for the money you pay for it, it should have a better low battery notification..

 

[Elton]

Or some other interference.......

 

[spiral]

I've had mine for a couple of years and have never ran down a battery.I change them when I start noticing a lack of performance.With a fresh battery I get about 2 -2 1/2inch detection.When it gets to around 3/4 of an inch I change the battery.I used to hunt without a pinpointer but now I couldn't hunt without it.I ALWAYS carry a 9volt and 2 AA's for my headphones everytime I go out..Just in case..Sometimes you may get a bad battery but I always use either Energizer or copper top..

 

[GeorgeinSC]

I purchased my pro pointer in July and have had to replace the battery twice. I have used it extensively since I purchased it. Mine will alarm. I turn it off and it may not alarm for a time or two of use and then go back to alarming. I keep spare batteries in my vehicle so that I am usually not too far from a fresh battery. I can usually go detecting two or three times per week and a short day is six hours. I have found some areas along the street where people park to go to the beach and they are loaded with coins and trash. Lots of Zinc's but also quite a bit of clad and the occasional wheatie. Even found a couple of silver rings in the trash. I would be lost without my pro pointer. Might just be the best thing that Garrett ever made.

 

[deliveryboy]

Thanks again for the responses,as an update I have since put in an alkaline battery and it seems to run much longer without issue, I am loving it. I am puzzled why they would ship it with a non-alkaline battery(other than cost) to people. you would think they would want to make a good impression on first time customers, they almost lost me. Guess I will be sending back the replacement, but will also include a note to them about shipping with non- alkalines and how it represents their product.