If you own a LRP, please read this.

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Hey Dan-

I have a question about your observation regarding nickel/gold range target behavior. Have you tried changing the GB up or down any, even manually set the GB to preset level?

Reason I ask this, i have seen this happen on another brand detector while the Euro Tek Pro did not exhibit this behavior. Once I realized this, i set the GB on the other unit manually to its preset level and it seemed to smooth out much of this target id instability.

It may be something worth trying next time you run into this situation. I look forward to knowing if this improves the situation any.

Later-

Tony

 

[Hightone]

I usually use Mode 4 which I start off using the Ground Grab to set the GB. You bring up a viable option. I could try the Coin Mode which has a preset of 82 in my 57 soil and see what happens. Or I can manual ground balance in AM that caries into Mode 4 (a disc mode that defaults nothing disced) and set at 82 or see what a positive (60-65) would accomplish.

You may be on to something. Because a nickel can air test somewhat decently, but in the ground, the signal doesn't seem confident on them, like the ground interferes with the clarity of that particular range of conductivity. I feel better that it's not just me and my unit, as I read others have the same experience. And I'd feel even better if it's just an adjustment fix.

Thanks for chiming in, and I'll try out your suggestion.

Dan

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Morning Dan-

This is one of the downsides if you will to manual/auto ground balance. My detecting buddy is plaqued with hot rocks. Its because of his choice as to what he feels the gb should be, or what it was 10 ft ago. If he resets his gb to neutral/factory presets or there about, he never detects them again.

I by no means am pushing or hyping fixed gb, yet manual gb can, does and has caused problems for most everyone from time to time.

Seeing as the LRP does not store the previous gb value, you could just shut the unit off and then it will come back with its preset default value.

It will be interesting to hear back how your further testing goes.

Later-

Tony

 

[Hightone]

I plan to be more into testing/evaluating next week. Wife was in a hospital for 10 days, and I stayed by her side (about 30 miles from home). She's getting better and I should be able to get out next week.

If I can, I may try to video tape my testing. I am not too familiar with doing detecting video's but may give it a shot.

Dan

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

No worries Dan, wifey is most important.

If you have a concentric coil, give that a comparison shot too.

I should have the LRP next week, we all can compare notes .

Have a good weekend-

Tony

 

[Hightone]

Yesterday I was outside with all 3 of my detectors in the back yard. I took the F2 and started sweeping and found two signals about 2 feet apart, one was a solid 9-10 on the F2 and the other a 58-59 also solid. No matter how many times I swept across them, they didn't fluctuate once from those numbers. I PPed them and the lower was probably a nail about 3" deep. The other appeared to be a zinc about an inch deep

I then used the QDP to sweep the same spots. The QDP locked in on the "nail" with a constant 12. It found the "zinc" as well, locking it at 58. Never changing.

I took the LRP and swept the nail. Low, high, medium displays showed up. It was trying to stay in iron but I kept getting 45, 57, 23, all over. I tried sweeping the zinc and same thing. It hit 40s, some 70s just moving. Sometimes I got a double hit, like I was picking up another target. I raised the coil a few inches and the display was all over the place then. I figured I'd go get my video camera and record it for Jorge at FTP to see. But my daughter came to the door and said that my wifes sugars was 500 and when she called the doctor she said get to the ER to get them down. After a long night, I figured I do the video today. Got my 3 units out and the camera. Used the F2 to get my same signals...check. Used the QDP and got the same signals.....check. When I went to use the LRP, I defaulted the settings with a "on while holding the mode button" because that was one of the things Jorge said to do. When I checked the nail and zinc, the LRP was working like it should. No traveling the arc at all.

I started turning up the sense, the volume, GGing, moving through all the modes. I couldn't recreate what I had yesterday. I checked the plug to make sure I hadn't loosened it moving the detector from the house to the yard. It's just frustrating. The way the LRP acted yesterday is what I have been experiencing. Yet when it works like it should, it is an awesome detector. I believe it will be a matter of time before it does it again.

I hope detectingMO reads this and comments whether he thinks the issue he had could have been intermittent.

 

[Bucksport]

I did some actual in the field testing the other day for the first time. I didn't have time to compare signals with other machines though. I was trying to concentrate on low signals, but when a higher one came along it was jumpy. Since I was learning the machine I decided to stay with it. I was using the DD coil and after pinpointing digging down , about 6" I discovered a nice rusty nail. After rechecking my hole I found a wheatie right next to the nail. I was impressed. Those high signals did not lie to me.

 

[Hightone]

I would expect traveling signals with 2 targets close together. Nice find.

 

[Hightone]

I have played and compared the LRP to my QDP and F2. Here is my final assessment.

The LRP has more depth than the other two. As I scan some targets that hit in the gold range, the LRP does tend to periodically travel the arc on certain targets, nickels being one at a depth of 5". The QDP does this somewhat but not as much. The F2 does not and hits the nickel hard.

I attribute this action to the power the LRP has for extended depth as well as the 11" DD coil. I always run the sensitivity at 10. I'm sure detectingMO had it all the way up as well in his video. If the sensitivity is reduced to 8 or 9, I find that the target in the gold range doesn't travel as much. I also find better stability with the QDPs 10" elliptical coil on the LRP.

While this may be an issue to some, I have come to accept that the LRP is still a great machine. My findings may not be as exact as others since my soil is 57, and others may have a different experience with max sensitivity. I also found that EMI that is "close" can affect the stability of the target. If I place a nickel 10" from my heat pump, the target will travel even more when the heat pump activates. No detector is immune to this. But it just shows that the sensitivity is truly sensitive, as the QDP doesn't travel as much and the F2 not at all at 10' from the heat pump.

I chalk this up as the "nature of the beast". Could it be improved? Probably. I am considering getting a NEL coil to see if the LRP has better stability at max sensitivity because they advertise such. Considering that the new FT coils for the LRP seem to cost almost as much as the detector itself, I can see people pursuing after market coils for this beast.

 

[iqwozpoom]

Definitely get the nel coil! With my sharpshooter I can go in the high grass without falsing and pinpointing is quick and easy. On sense 10 air test i get 7" on a dime and a bit further out chirps and one ways, maybe another inch or two?Balance is much improved and separation as well. The stock coil is a weak link on this platform, I wonder what it could do with a hunter coil or one of the new teardrops? I think a good way to run this machine is full 10 and dial it back if you get a hit that bounces. My soil goes all over the place with the ocean on one side and redwoods on the other. Now that I've used a higher frequency machine I've seen some dirt that will change target vid from one area to the next. I think some of the problems I was attributing to the LRP was from the soil or sand. Bottom line is it finds targets at a decent depth with good separation period.

 

[Dave J.]

My soil goes all over the place with the ocean on one side and redwoods on the other. .

How far are you from the "dwarf forest" area north of San Francisco? Some of the soils in that region look benign to the naked eye but magnetically they're right in there with tropical laterites.

 

[Hightone]

.....onto a nickel or metal in the gold range? I made a video a few weeks back that I sent to Jorge showing what I was running into. Lay a nickel and a quarter on the ground. Hit the quarter, slowly moving the coil up. The LRP locks on the quarter until about 8" then the signal travels somewhat. Do the same thing to the nickel and even at 3" I get traveling into iron signals and above nickel ID. I showed detectingMO the video and asked him what he thought. He said his didn't act as bad as mine.

If the NELs provided a lock in the gold range (20-60) as well as my F2, I'd get it in a heartbeat. I love the design, depth and features of the LRP and QDP. But when I go out, silver can't hide, but gold (range) seems iffy and mixed with iron signals.

 

[iqwozpoom]

I had to look up "dwarf forest" to see what you meant, pretty cool looking! I'm a bit further up by the Mad River in humboldt.
Sorry to say the nel doesn't improve the low conductor range. In fact the drop off for me doesn't seem interdependent of the coil size. A little more depth with the bigger coil but the same distance till a nickle starts to bounce. As I stated before it seems to be at the range the vco begins its second crest about 5 to 6 inches then it goes to 41 on the vid then all over the place. If you listen you can learn the soud of a nickle at depth by volume and tone mix but you're not going get a good solid lock like the higher conductors.