INFO FOR THE F5

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

Here is the best info I have found about the F5. Really impressed me for I have asked questions with no answers. I did not wrote but found it on a websight.

The Fisher F5 is yet another weapon in Fisher's ongoing

 

[Scully]

n/t

 

[markg]

Makes me want one too.

 

[Mark in NC]

The F5 has impressed me as the the most user friendly and accessible detector I've EVER used. It feeds you useful information, live and on-the-fly, and puts everything you need right at your fingertips, no more than a knob-turn or button press away. Pretty cool!

 

[Streak!]

but in the area of the Phase lock...its a little inadequate. If someone just hits the phase lock button the try to GB the F5...they are liable to end up with a GB thats WAYYYYYYY off. The problem is that if you just hit the lock touch pad at any given time...even when you pretty sure the phase displayed is correct (for that micro second in time). ....a LOT can change from the time you decide to press the button.............and when the GB actually locks to the phase. Stop pumping for instance.....and the phase value will drift. raise the coil a bit and change the motion....and the phase value will drift. The ONLY time you will get an accurate and reliable phase value is when your pumping your coil over a clean piece of dirt.
Here is the actual procedure for using the phase lock touch pad......if you want to ensure an accurate GB!!!


Step 1:
Turn the F5 on and select Autotune mode.
Step 2:
Find a clear piece of ground with no metal present, using autotune or PinPoint mode. ( Note: PP mode preferred)
Step 3:
Set the threshold to a slight background hum (Note: default setting of "0" is adequate)
Step 4:
Press and hold the Phase Lock touch pad, and pump coil over clean ground (Note: pump coil from 1" off ground to 6-8 inches off ground)
Step 5:
When the phase value "settles down" to only one or numbers in variation, release the Phase Lock touch pad while still pumping the coil. Note that the audio response to the ground changed and "evened out" when you released the button, and the GB value matched the Phase value, giving you a visual AND audio Ground Balance confirmation. After balancing, you can hunt in AutoTune......or return to Disc mode.

 

[Digger]

As you indicated, Phase Lock matches the detector's GB setting to the phase value, analyzed at a given time. And, that phase value changes with every movement of the coil. It is affected by the distance the coil is from the ground, the mineralization of the soil and any targets in the vicinitiy. After using mine for several hours today, I've found that the phase value never remains steady. And, can vary as little as 4 or 5 "numbers", to as much as 30 or 40 "numbers" or more, within one sweep. It just depends on what is being analyzed by the coil at any given time. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. But until this "on the fly" phase value indication was available, all we could tell about how well our detector was GB'ed was to check it periodically and make the necessary adjustments. Either that or run in a tracking mode. With the F5, watching the phase value change and making every effort to keep the detector balanced becomes the "new challenge". It is no different than other manual GB detectors. It is just that with the F5 you can actually see how much the phase relationship varies as you sweep the coil over varying soil conditions and targets. And that might make some folks nervous! Understanding how much variation you can "tolerate" before it effects your hunt, is going to be key to maximizing the detectors performance. And frankly, I've not used mine long enough to figure that out yet. JMHO HH Randy

 

[Cal_Cobra]

No doubt about it, the F5 is turning out to be quite an impressive machine.

One has to wonder though, if the F5 has the capability to do all the great ground analysis in real time on the fly, why not have an "auto" mode whereas it can use that analysis to automatically set the GB to match the soil conditions at any given time? Maybe that's next?

As I understand it, This is effectively what a Sovereign and Explorer are doing with their multifreq setups.

HH,
Brian

 

[davkeene]

I wish someone would write a good setup article for the F70 as you did for the F5. Great info and very understandable.

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

The lower freq...we know it is not a F75 or F70 but the freq being a lot different has to have an effect on coins? Is that worth the money or would the F70 or F75 hit on coins just as well. I have the F75 and I have found a lot of old coins but not all have been a good lock and a nice tone. I am looking for a detector that will have an edge on silver maybe find some of the targets the F75 missed does the freq make it worthy of this?

 

[Jackpine Savage]

That is always a hard question to answer. In the past I would have said yes, go with the lower frequency for high conductive coins. Times and detector tech have changed a fair bit. Now days it can only be answered by direct comparison testing in your ground and hunt conditions. If I had an F75 I would for sure get the concentric coil off an F70 to try out before spending the $$ on an F5.

HH Tom

 

[Streak!]

once upon a time there were clear cut differences between the high freq units and the low ones. The old whites machine at 3KHZ were very good at sniffing out coins. Now... with the advent of digital signal processing....they can do a lot of things they couldnt do in the past with software and programming. The true test is.....as you said.....how they perform in the ground. I think the freq of the F5 is a good compromise.....and is very close to the Tesoro Umax series detectors freq's. Not particularly high.....but not real low either. Should provide a good middle ground for good sensitivity to a mix of targets. The 5 seems to be pretty hot on smallish conductors.....but will still get my deepest silver coins in my test garden. I think its time to plant a new garden with DEEPER coins..as the new generation machines ALL seem to get my deepest ones now. thats not a bad thing!!!!

 

[Streak!]

While in theory....a lower freq SHOULD make any given machine better on deep silver.... BUT with the newer software based machines.....the difference is rapidly narrowing. While I like the F5.....I dont really think it will have an edge over say......a F70 or F75 when it comes to deep coins. the F5's main value is well..its value!! Great performance for a good price. Its a good choice for someone that doesnt have a grand to plunk down on a machine, but wants good performance for the money he DOES have.
One of the things I like best about it is its "on the fly" adjustability...........due to the readily accessible knobs for the most often changed settings.....................VS menu's and touchpads.
I'd LOVE to see this design in a F70/F75 type package. I REALLY like the ergonomics of the F75....and personally think that ALL the future "F" machines ought to use this platform, as I find it very comfortable compared to virtually any machine I've ever used................

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

With that said why didn't fisher gage it towards a silver finder rather then an all in one. I had a whites that would sing on rings, coins, braclets. I guess I would really have to get the F5 take it to some of my old sights and see what it can lock on that the F75 didn't and then the cool thing would find how to make the f75 get the same lock on AND the same clean tone. Maybe a higer tone or maybe mono ON THE F75 OR A HIGHER DISC OR 5. Maybe more or less sens. It would be a great way to learn the F75 make it a better machine could read some of the iffy targets better. But that is all dependent if the F5 can have an edge somewhere in the ground maytrix with a 7.8 freq.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

That FT should come out with something in the 8 Khz range. But... I was thinking along the lines of a pure relic machine. No meter but a couple of tone choices. Sort of an updated 1270 if you like. Something to compete with the Frecnh made Gold Max/Adventis line maybe.

HH Tom

 

[jmaryt]

a little thought provoking truism!..white's had a 6.59 khz frequency for years ,and years..ever wonder why?.."hits" stronger,AND cleaner on silver,especially "deep" silver!..

(h.h!)
j.t.