New Digger, New Detector --Fisher F5

[Wacko]

Hey Gang,

I just wanted to drop in and join in,,Lol! I have been away from beepin' for a while, but just bought a new F5 to get back into it. Life seems to have finally made some room for it again. (Kids all in college..and out 'da house!) I thought I might throw out my 2 cents for picking the F5 over some others.

1) Reading a bunch of stuff, I realized there is no "perfect" MD. Most of the serious diggers have multiple MD's for different sites.

2) Technology has changed a bit and my understanding of it as it applies to metal detecting is lacking.

3) The F5 has separate controls for almost everything, and a VID - so I figure I can treat it as a science project - change things, see what happens, repeat. Until I understand how each setting affects performance. Then I figure if I want to move up to a "high performance" detector I will know better what I want for the type of TH'ing I do. I am not concerned with overall performance of the machine just yet either. I have seen multiple posts of it finding A to Zincoln. I know it will find plenty for me as I learn to drive it.

4) Mike Hillis is pretty convincing !!

5) I wanted a machine I could try over a wide range of terrain. I think the F5 will get me there.

I know it's not a machine for every newby. I just think I am willing to learn it. The only negatives I have read really are the faceplate scratching easily, battery tabs, and a lack of depth. I question the lack of depth a bit as user error can make a big difference. The face plate on mine will most likely get covered.

Any thoughts on the faceplate cover, or things I should add, let me know....

HH

 

[liondogs]

For a face plate cover you can cut to fit a screen protector for a E-reader or PDA.

Another option is to use a rain cover. Do a search on F2/F4 rain cover and you will find covers that will work for the F5. You just have to cut holes in the plastic front for the knobs.

 

[DetectorOCD]

I love my F5! Spend some time with it and it will reward you. I have had no issues with depth. Just make sure you dial it in properly and you will get deep enough to find the old stuff. I find the TID numbers to be pretty accurate!

 

[rick in mi]

Welcome aboard,you will find most anything you need here!! And alot of great people...hh rick in mi.

 

[Mike Hillis]

I'm excited for you. You picked a great detector in my opinion. I also think you have the right attitude needed to learn to drive it. Looking forward to hearing your reports and seeing your finds.

Good luck!
HH
Mike

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Glad your here! Lots of good info and guys here to learn from!

 

[TerraDigger]

Do a search on FindMall for posts by Mike Hillis. We refer to him here as the 'F5 Guru'.

 

[Wacko]

The E reader cover/protector sounds like it could work well

I have already printed off a few of Mike's posts....lol

I put a bug in my son's ear too. Trying to "recruit" him on the sly......

Gonna be fun.

HH

 

[marcomo]

The F5 is an excellent performing detector and a fun detector to use. It has been my number one detector for most of the last 2+ years.

You did well to study the Mke Hillis posts, he is indeed our guru and has shared a lot of great knowledge over the last 2+ years.

I noticed a couple months ago that FT finally gave the F5 a promo push with an ad in the treasure mags that had a quote from Mike: "I can't get over how much I love this detector..."

I believe that's the first full page F5 ad they've run since the first one when the detector was released in 2008.

Joe gave you great advice about covering the faceplate and how to do it.

The battery issue isn't an issue at all once you get the hang of it. Unfortunately it took me breaking a tab before I got the hang of it. Hopefully this can save you from sharing my pain when removing the batteries:

When you take the battery cover off, push each 9V battery down hard (towards the faceplate) then pull back (towards the top of the control box) while still pushing down hard. If you push down hard, the battery will pull back easily. If you don't push down hard, it's easy to break the tab that holds the battery in place. Because of the nature of the tab design, inserting the batteries never seemed like a risk to break the tabs.

I would also strongly suggest avoiding off-brand alkalines since many cheapies don't control size as stringently as the name brands. Because of the tight squeeze, even an ever-so-slightly larger battery could increase the chances of breaking a tab when you remove the batteries.

Have fun with your new detector!