tune up

[winken]

Hello everyone I'm new to this forum but have been using a 2500 for 5-6 years. It's a great machine but what drives me nuts is the false signals. They start out loud and clear, i dig a hole and poof gone no more signal. maybe this is typical of alot of detectors. anyways i thought sending it in for a TUNE UP might help. thinking about getting that new 9.5 coil too the old white one has takin a beating. Any ideas would be helpful. thanks

 

[stonecracker59]

Hello winken welcome to the site can't help with the problem but some one will chime in to help.Howard

 

[cc8137]

I've got a 1500 and get the occasional false signal. I don't get them often because I usually do a 360 degree pinpoint with a repeatable signal before I dig so I don't get many. The Garrett Factory reps say its residue metal in the hole. A new coil will also help. How this helps !!

 

[slingshot]

Make sure you aren't turning the coin sideways. I have actually had the signal disappear when this happens. Pinpoint carefully and check the sides of the hole.

 

[Uncle Willy]

You've probably been running your sensitivity too high all those years and missing a ton of good targets in the processs..

Bill

 

[winken]

Hey bill It could be the sensitivity i,m usually around 10 -10+ sometimes 11. it seem to run ok there most of the time. Im in northern IL. soil is mostly quiet.

 

[Uncle Willy]

That's way too high. You've probably left a train load of goodies behind, masked by high sensitivity. One of the reasons for constant falseing is sensitivity too high. Like I say, drop it down to 6 or 6.5 and run it for 100 hours or so over ground you have detected before. You may be surprised at what you missed Don't know where folks get the idea that their sensitivity has to be cranked to the max. All of the unnecessary falseing should be their first clue that they have "screwed the pooch."

Bill

 

[Schlepprock]

Sent my 2500 in a couple of years ago and Garrett replaced my white coil with a new white coil, and they told me that the black spider coils wouldn't work on the older 2500's like mine with a white coil. Later on, someone else there told me any GTI coil would work. I wonder which is true. I've always thought maybe they were just trying to get rid of the old white coils in the warehouse.

Schlepp

 

[winken]

wow 6.5 seems low but i'll try it my next time out. just always heard more sensitivity more depth. Been trying to learn on my own all these years. Maybe i should have joined a forum like this a long time ago. Thanks for the tip

 

[Uncle Willy]

Sensitivity is the most misunderstood, most hyped, and most abused control on your detector. There is this myth that the farther you crank it the deeper the signal goes into the ground. WRONG!!! Turning it up does not drive the signal deeper into the ground. Turning it up renders the the coil more sensitive to the target you hope to find but it also renders it more sensitive to every piece of junk that was ever lost and every streak of mineralization in the soil - masking and leaving behind many a good target. It's like driving in dense fog at night and flipping your hi-beams on. All they do is bounce back in your face and blind you. Sensitivity works the same way. Sensitivity has nothing to do with depth unless one is hunting in soil totally devoid of any speck of trash or mineralization, and that kind of soil just doesn't exist unless one manufactures it in a lab.

Bill.

 

[BigCatDaddy]

Right you are Uncle Willy!! And most especially with the white coils!! I run my Sens. at 7 and if I encounter a signal that sounds like it might be something good and is deep, I'll bounce the Sens. up to see if I can get a better lock on it. All Garrett machines come from the factory with the settings at the maximum they can run fairly stable in excellent conditions that just don't exist in my part of the world. The Ace 250 is a prime example!! I got one of the first ones produced and when I turned it on the first time, it was nearly unusable till I backed the Sens. down, then it worked great!!

 

[slingshot]

IN some areas I actually run my Ace at 2-3 sens.! I know that's low, but the trash and iron ore are high and the coins seem to start poppin' out of the ground. At least it seems awful low-but I popped a screwcap at about 6".

 

[winken]

wow Uncle Willy that is exactly what i thought sensitivity did, punch deeper into the ground. makes sense now. It's sensitivity not deepativity. I was out for a few hours this afternoon [ got off early ] dug a lot of pop tops but even they seemed less erratic. Had sens at 7 i guess i was still hanging on to the higher numbers old habits die hard. I did get 4 pennies, not even a wheatie though. It's always better not being skunked.

 

[lafatlife]

Winken, My 2500 is just now coming back to me. I sent it in because it just wasn't registering targets properly. I would use my ace 250 and that worked fine.

I thought about just having a tune up but then I figured what the heck and bought the mineral chip and the new coil as well. It cost me $133.00 for both which in my opinion is a great deal because now it will be like a brand new machine.

My machine was made in 1999 and had the old white coil as well and they told me that my problem could be coming from the coil but they did not say this until after I had already told them I wanted the new one so it wasn't like they pushed it on me.

I sent it out on the 4th of this month and it should be back here on Monday or Tuesday.

Just letting you know what I did.

 

[winken]

Lafatlife, thats not a bad turn around time, i was wondering how long i would have to be without it. I really need a new 9.5 coil, my old white one is starting to crack. I have the 12 inch but it gets heavy in a hurry. Whats up with that mineral chip, what does it help with, just really mineralized soil?