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Tracker IV
- Thread starter Lewie1
- Start date
shovelfull
New member
Try this metaldetectorreviews.net: detecting:
A thing of beauty it ain't, and it ain't got the hots and features of a $500 machine. But, what it does, it does very well. I've occasionally told the boss "Y'know, I could redesign it and....." the boss cuts me short and says, "First, show me an unhappy customer". There are people on these forums who have high-end machines in their arsenal who got started with a TK4 and won't let go of it, they still keep it as a backup machine and loaner.
Since I came to work here in 2003 I've re-engineered all our products but that particular one. It's the one the boss won't let me touch, because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
The variable phase tone discrimination system that's proven so popular on our new Gold Bug Pro and Tek G2 machines, was adapted from the TK4 because so many past and present TK4 users reported how desirable that feature is. Features on new products are usually trickle-down, but that one was trickle-up.
I used to know a guy in Colorado who tried to get into metal detecting and bought (sequentially) several medium to high priced metal detectors, and never learned to like any of 'em. So he gave up. His wife saw how disappointed he was without a metal detector and got the crazy idea of buying him a cheepie TK4 for Christmas, just to give it one last shot. Well, he tried it out, and it clicked with him. He used it in parks and schoolyards where lots of depth is useless since you can't be digging deep in those kinds of places, what you have to do is to beep and dig shallow stuff and ignore the trash. He learned every sound the machine made, and pretty soon was cleaning up. Every now and then he'd run into someone with a high-end machine and follow in their footsteps cleaning up more than what they were finding themselves, teaching them a lesson or two, even ID'ing their targets for them by ear with his TK4 (they had computerized target ID machines). He told me that his helpfulness somehow failed to earn him any new friends.
The TK4 is a good machine. You may eventually get hooked on the hobby and start spending a lot more on metal detectors, but the TK4 is an excellent way to get started. May not be pretty, may be priced cheap, may not be high horsepower, may have no newfangled stuff, but -- it's survived over the years because some basic stuff was gotten very right. The things you learn on a TK4 are adaptable to future higher performance machines you may move up to, because the TK4's design teaches you to pay attention to the sounds and to dig targets that sound good. Most of the high end machines have a lot of fancy features including computerized target ID, but those features can't replace basic beepering skills, and the TK4 does an excellent job of teaching you those skills. It's no miracle that so many people who are using $1,000 metal detectors now got started with a lowly TK4 and they still have it.
For all this talk about what a great product the TK4 is, I didn't design it, didn't even get permission to redesign it. Heck, I don't even know who originally engineered the thing, although I suspect it was the legendary George Payne. I speak highly of it because it has stood the test of time as a very good product. Given its lack of beauty and its low-tech flavor, I'm not sure why people who are unfamiliar with metal detectors even buy the thing, but they do. A lot of 'em. And I'm glad they do, because (as I already pointed out) it's almost impossible to find an unhappy customer. .......That's extremely important in this business where margin is only a few dollars and all it takes is one customer return or having to deal with one customer problem to erase the profit from selling a whole stack of the gizmos.
BTW, the meter isn't much more than a hood ornament. I recommend don't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out.
And, Merry Christmas!
--Dave J. (chief engineer of FTP-Fisher, manufacturer of the BH product line)
PS: A few forum old-timers have seen me spend an inordinate amount of time posting on what a great product the TK4 is. It's not like those posts are going to drum up a huge pile of sales, since most TK4 customers are people who never saw this forum or for that matter any metal detector forum. And, there are products I could brag about that I designed that made the companies that manufactured them a lot of money. The TK4 is an odd duck: the lowly beeper that I didn't design, that I wouldn't have designed, and that doesn't really click with me personally........ that I still have to get excited about because it is such a good product from the standpoint of customer satisfaction and because we're the company who makes the darn thing.
Since I came to work here in 2003 I've re-engineered all our products but that particular one. It's the one the boss won't let me touch, because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
The variable phase tone discrimination system that's proven so popular on our new Gold Bug Pro and Tek G2 machines, was adapted from the TK4 because so many past and present TK4 users reported how desirable that feature is. Features on new products are usually trickle-down, but that one was trickle-up.
I used to know a guy in Colorado who tried to get into metal detecting and bought (sequentially) several medium to high priced metal detectors, and never learned to like any of 'em. So he gave up. His wife saw how disappointed he was without a metal detector and got the crazy idea of buying him a cheepie TK4 for Christmas, just to give it one last shot. Well, he tried it out, and it clicked with him. He used it in parks and schoolyards where lots of depth is useless since you can't be digging deep in those kinds of places, what you have to do is to beep and dig shallow stuff and ignore the trash. He learned every sound the machine made, and pretty soon was cleaning up. Every now and then he'd run into someone with a high-end machine and follow in their footsteps cleaning up more than what they were finding themselves, teaching them a lesson or two, even ID'ing their targets for them by ear with his TK4 (they had computerized target ID machines). He told me that his helpfulness somehow failed to earn him any new friends.
The TK4 is a good machine. You may eventually get hooked on the hobby and start spending a lot more on metal detectors, but the TK4 is an excellent way to get started. May not be pretty, may be priced cheap, may not be high horsepower, may have no newfangled stuff, but -- it's survived over the years because some basic stuff was gotten very right. The things you learn on a TK4 are adaptable to future higher performance machines you may move up to, because the TK4's design teaches you to pay attention to the sounds and to dig targets that sound good. Most of the high end machines have a lot of fancy features including computerized target ID, but those features can't replace basic beepering skills, and the TK4 does an excellent job of teaching you those skills. It's no miracle that so many people who are using $1,000 metal detectors now got started with a lowly TK4 and they still have it.
For all this talk about what a great product the TK4 is, I didn't design it, didn't even get permission to redesign it. Heck, I don't even know who originally engineered the thing, although I suspect it was the legendary George Payne. I speak highly of it because it has stood the test of time as a very good product. Given its lack of beauty and its low-tech flavor, I'm not sure why people who are unfamiliar with metal detectors even buy the thing, but they do. A lot of 'em. And I'm glad they do, because (as I already pointed out) it's almost impossible to find an unhappy customer. .......That's extremely important in this business where margin is only a few dollars and all it takes is one customer return or having to deal with one customer problem to erase the profit from selling a whole stack of the gizmos.
BTW, the meter isn't much more than a hood ornament. I recommend don't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out.
And, Merry Christmas!
--Dave J. (chief engineer of FTP-Fisher, manufacturer of the BH product line)
PS: A few forum old-timers have seen me spend an inordinate amount of time posting on what a great product the TK4 is. It's not like those posts are going to drum up a huge pile of sales, since most TK4 customers are people who never saw this forum or for that matter any metal detector forum. And, there are products I could brag about that I designed that made the companies that manufactured them a lot of money. The TK4 is an odd duck: the lowly beeper that I didn't design, that I wouldn't have designed, and that doesn't really click with me personally........ that I still have to get excited about because it is such a good product from the standpoint of customer satisfaction and because we're the company who makes the darn thing.
About 15 years ago, a BH rep got mad at my dealer because he sold me a "cheap" TH 4 instead of the higher priced BH. His reply is "that's what he wanted", but he still wasn't too happy-although he gave me the "fake" smile as I was leaving the shop. What's so good about it? Well, if you believe the hype that most valuables are "just below" the deth you're now detecting-nothing. First of all-they NEVER tell you how to initially set the tone disc.-just leave it to your choice. But for most coin hunting apps, you just set it to where a nickel gives a pure low tone as you're turning it from the off position to full position. It's set! Nickels give a low tone, tabs a broken tone, and clad a high tone. Now, you can tweak this setting with different tabs and get Six id segments. Bottlecaps give no signal, foil and nickels a low tone (the foil is mostly short and crackly), lots of low tone with little high tone is usually a tab with tail broken off that registers near the nickel, broken tone is almost always a tab or piece of aluminum can, clads are high (if you listen, you can even tell a silver coin from a clad, sometimes!), and a high tone with a "luff" tail on it is almost always a screwcap. Not only that, clad hidden under tabs or a bunch of nickels will give the high tone until the covering items are removed and then they will correctly id them! And don't believe the size of the coil is the correct sweep width- it's more like using the inner coil as a guide. The larger sweep is for large items ONLY. It's sweep speed sensitive, also. In good ground, you're fine. But in mineralized ground it's deeper going slower and overlapping, ie., use the inner coil as a guide. You also get better depth turning off the tone and just using reg. disc. at it's lowest setting=also easier to hear the targets since you just get a high tone. Of course, a/m is deepest, but you'll dig every nail and screw in the neighborhood. BTW, since gold is at premium price- I dig everything in likely areas. Make sure you use alkalines or equivalent and HEADPHONES as it not only saves on the batteries, but also helps you hear the quirks and deviations on each signal.. Why do I use it? Heck if I know. It just seems to be so much fun and all the deviations on the signals keeps it downright interesting. I'm like Dave-frustrated cause I can't change some things-but living just fine with it.
Bucksport
Active member
i have the tracker iv and have used it for two years i also have a land star with far more ops and i find my self still trying yo decide witch machine to use i like the tone mode the best with the tracker with disc between nine and ten o'clock any thing more it seems to disc out nickles it has no problem pulling coins in wet soil at eight inches im sure you will love it once you under stand it youl get better depth with a faster swing but always over lap h/h
rustydigger
New member
I have a tracker IV, and it goes everywhere with me. The disc. mode takes some practice but I dig everything. I like the surprises and the thrill of the hunt. The machine will do the job and then some I got a half dime 8 inches through 3 different types of soil. If you find yourself in a trashy area I would get to know the tones, otherwise dig everything. Good luck and happy hunting.
Mike Hillis
Well-known member
Hi Dave,
Are you talking about the guy who posted under the moniker of "Onionhead" on the old BH forum?
HH
Mike
Are you talking about the guy who posted under the moniker of "Onionhead" on the old BH forum?
HH
Mike
Pulltab Paul
New member
I got one a few months ago and have been amazed on how well the darn thing works. I'm getting to to know the different tones and sometimes can almost call what's in the ground before I even start digging.
The Tracker IV is certainly a great value in detectors.
Paul
The Tracker IV is certainly a great value in detectors.
Paul