HELP!! F5 Will Not Respond To A Silver Dollar:ranting:

[Hightone]

I called again. I asked the receptionist to send me to someone that might help me with this issue (other than Dave. He may have been too busy). She transfered me to a guy named Art. When I explained the problem, he said he wasn't aware of it elsewhere. I may be getting the same run around as the other guy. He took my number and said he would find out more and call me back. That was an hour or so ago. Still waiting.

 

[MarkCZ]

I called again. I asked the receptionist to send me to someone that might help me with this issue (other than Dave. He may have been too busy). She transfered me to a guy named Art. When I explained the problem, he said he wasn't aware of it elsewhere. I may be getting the same run around as the other guy. He took my number and said he would find out more and call me back. That was an hour or so ago. Still waiting.

Please keep a list of names and contact numbers and extensions at FT, because as this rolls along others like you (me) will also be wanting to contact them as well.

Mark

 

[mudpuppy]

Ouch! I bet you are wondering how many silver dollars you have had under your coil! I'd say at least 20, probably all in the same yard in a scattered cache masking some 10 dollar gold coins!!...think about that!
Mud

 

[WV62]

Hightone,
Before you go the EBay rout, you need to find a silver dollar around there that you could borrow for 5 minutes and see if your detector will hit on it. Maybe you could take the detector down to the local pawn shop they may let you run a silver dollar in front of the coil. We are still not at a 100% to say it is broken or a bug yours could be okay.

Ron in WV

I agree, Mark. I hope Dave calls me back. Otherwise mine is off to EBay.

 

[MarkCZ]

Hightone,
Before you go the EBay rout, you need to find a silver dollar around there that you could borrow for 5 minutes and see if your detector will hit on it. Maybe you could take the detector down to the local pawn shop they may let you run a silver dollar in front of the coil. We are still not at a 100% to say it is broken or a bug yours could be okay.

Ron in WV

The guy that has been sending me PM's on the subject said he used a one ounce Silver Commemorative coin and it wouldn't respond to that either.

Mark

 

[WV62]

That is a good thought they are about the same size, just a little thicker.

Ron in WV

 

[MarkCZ]

So, what were saying is that the earlier versions of the F5 will hit and overload on a rusty car hubcap, but a sterling silver dinner platter in will just pass up! I can see this as more of a problem than just silver dollars if a person was doing some relic hunting.

Mark

 

[Hightone]

It's 5 PM in Texas right now. I had neither a call from Dave or Art. I told Art that we weere discussing it on the Finds forum and a few of us were wanting to know, not just me. They will probably be closed for the weekend. Glad I didn't have a hunt planned this weekend. I don't like the possibility of my unit passing up metal in the back of my mind. And I'm realy sure that our buddies in West "By God" Virginia feel the same way.

 

[MarkCZ]

I received this in a PM a little bit ago, from another F5 user.

Mine is the first version. When I hold down the pinpoint button it comes up a 01 on power up. The machine picks up half dollars fine but it will not pick up a silver dollar at all. In all metal mode it will wrap around to 05 to 07 on the display. I guess we got what we have. I still love my F5 as it got me my best find an eagle A button in great condition considering it was in the ground in VA since the mid 1800's

Well, so its not broken, but seems most certain that there is a design flaw! Has anybody dealt with this we some work around or got the manufacture to fix or help them wit the issue?

Mark

 

[pasttom]

Not too secure posting here, but here goes. Could this be related to how big iron wraps up to the top of the ID scale and here big silver wraps around to the bottom of the ID scale?
This is like seeing the scale more circular than linear.
Just a though.
Tom

 

[Hightone]

It appears that way, doesn't it? Like a silver dollar is trying to sound off a 108 on a scale that ends at 99, and borrows from the iron scale (and placing it there as well). If that is the case, how many times have I passed on a silver dollar because I had iron notched out? I can understand some wanting to keep their F5 for everything else. But since I strictly hunt coins and jewelry, if this is the case for older models, I'm selling mine for someone who wants to relic hunt more. I'll wait and see though. I wonder if my F2 has the same problem.

 

[Monte]

the lack of response to a Silver Dollar, as with some models [size=small](some Tesoro's, a new Euro-Tek Pro I had and one I checked for a friend)[/size] has been directly related to a too-positive Ground Balance setting.

It happened with a few XP Pro first production units when I worked at Compass. No response to silver dollars or silver halves and the gut, located somewhere in the SE USA, called Ron Mack [size=small](Compass President at the time)[/size] a few days in a row telling him the detector wouldn't 'find' a silver Half. Ron didn't understand or the guy wasn't clear, but it wasn't that the detector wouldn't find one on account of there not being one in the search area, the detector wouldn't respond to one even waved in the air or laid on the ground.

I went immediately to the shipping room and pulled ten new XP Pro's off the cart right out of production and ready to be boxed. I think it was 9 out of 10 didn't respond to a Silver Dollar, and a few of them wouldn't respond to a silver Half, either. I got Ron and he had John, the engineer, join us out in shipping to see the problem. The cause? The preset Ground Balance was too positive.

I think the Omega and several Teknetics models, and likely some Fisher and Bounty Hunter units, have some internal calibration or software design that has the Discriminate mode's GB reference off a bit from the manual GB setting and that's likely the reason. As I stated, write down the testing you did and send the F5 to FTP and let them figure out their problem and fix it.

Monte

 

[MarkCZ]

Well, this topic has turned interesting for sure! Already at lest three "01" versions has turned up with the same issue. So far it seems possible to likely the probably to be tied to misaligned ground balance. I'm sure at this point my brother Ron and Greg will want to try some more testing including some all-metal test with the Silver Dollar.

The next question, is there anybody that had this issue with the early F5's that broke through in some fashion with a fix, maybe finding the problem early on and sending the unit in for a successful warranty repair?

We "Monte's" findings it seems a good idea for everyone owning a metal detector to go to a flea market, hobby shop, or fleabay and obtain some sort of at lest crap silver dollar and check our detectors (even out of the box new ones) to make sure they will hit on a silver dollar!

Mark

 

[MarkCZ]

Well, I went to the Fisher web site to send them a problem report contact, but when I clicked the submit option all I got was a general web message stating the page couldn't be found? So that closed the door on that contact option.

Mark

 

[Hightone]

I was contacted by Mike Scott at Fisher. Did anyone else get contacted (that has the early F5)? Fisher will make it right, no cost. I won't go into detail, but they are (were) aware of the problem and thought they had weeded out most of the early models and fixed them. In my case, my F5 sat for quite awhile until I picked the hobby back up this year. I can see how I was missed for the upgrade. But after talking with Mike, I am reasssured that Fisher wants to keep their customers satisfied. Mike said when the tech team finish refurbishing my F5, I will notice the difference.

Actually, I just sold it today and the buyer asked me if I could send it to Fisher first and have them do the rework and have Fisher send it to him then. Mike Scott set it up with Felix and said no problem. Felix is going to send me a prepaid sticker to send it in. This includes the two extra coils sold.

Now......THAT'S customer service.

 

[MarkCZ]

Thank You "Hightone" do we need to call in and get an RMA or just send it in with a problem report to the issue?

Mark

 

[WV62]

Hightone,
I assume you were the orginal owner of your F5, so I wonder if it is the same for one that was bought used?
Ron in WV

I was contacted by Mike Scott at Fisher. Did anyone else get contacted (that has the early F5)? Fisher will make it right, no cost. I won't go into detail, but they are (were) aware of the problem and thought they had weeded out most of the early models and fixed them. In my case, my F5 sat for quite awhile until I picked the hobby back up this year. I can see how I was missed for the upgrade. But after talking with Mike, I am reasssured that Fisher wants to keep their customers satisfied. Mike said when the tech team finish refurbishing my F5, I will notice the difference.

Actually, I just sold it today and the buyer asked me if I could send it to Fisher first and have them do the rework and have Fisher send it to him then. Mike Scott set it up with Felix and said no problem. Felix is going to send me a prepaid sticker to send it in. This includes the two extra coils sold.

Now......THAT'S customer service.

 

[Hightone]

n/t

 

[WV62]

Okay guys thanks for all the info, I passed on all the FT contact information to my brother Greg. So Mark or myself will let you know how it goes, I know he hates to be without his machine right here near the end of our hunting season. Brother Mark has offered up for loan one of his machines to keep him going.

Ron in WV

 

[mudpuppy]

With a nice unmistakable silver high ping and a tid of a solid 93...A half dollar whether silver or clad hit a solid 92..

My Wife had a 1887 from her dad that she let me test on...I had to find out on account of the posts here, so some relief for me anyway, and I hope you guys get this sorted out soon..
Mud