Headhunter Pulse problems in So. Cal...but quite a remarkable find for this area

[hobbit]

Took my new HH PI ( 11 inch coil ) to a S. California beach last night for the first time. I had lots of trouble with falsing even when I turned the frequency control down considerably. I have read that this can be a problem, but I was surprised at how much falsing occured with the machine. Even when I "crawled" with the coil the threshhold was very "grainy" and unstable. If I just "flicked" the coil slightly the machine would go crazy. The upside is that I found a very blackened silver 1947 Mexican 5 peso coin-- almost an ounce of .900 silver-- at one of the most heavily hunted beaches in Southern California. We have not had a significant storm in many weeks--yet there it was. Is this falsing normal? If so, what is the proper sweep speed for this machine. This find has got me really pumped, but I have to admit I prefer the rock solid stability of my Tesoro Sand Shark and Explorer/ WOT combination over the constant chirping and cracking of the Headhunter--any suggestions on tuning or something else I may be doing wrong ? Do I just have to put up with the instability. I do not want to go to the 8" coil. I think that would defeat the purpose of having the machine in my area...I.E. DEPTH.

 

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[stevemc]

I have 3 PI machines, and I dont have any falsing. How does it work in a sandy area that is not at the beach? Maybe there is something else wrong, or not adjusted right. I dont have a HH, and never used one. Usually there is not too much adjustment on a PI, just turn it on and go. If you have a pulse delay, of course just have it turned on, not any more, to pick up small gold. If you turn up the delay too much, you will loose the small gold.

 

[search and recovery]

I have the whites surfmaster dual frequency, so I have not tried out your particular type of machine. The only thing that will cause that kind of falsing besides being in a strew field of iron particles, that I can think of, would be to have the coil cable loose near the coil. The cable should be. wrapped over the shaft where the coil connects to the shaft. Make sure it stays tight on the shaft for several wraps as it goes up the shaft. PI units are very deep seeking, therefore very sinsitive to the cable having any movement in its electromagnetic field. Hope this helps. Only other thing I could think of without seeing this machine. Oh and nice find....HH...

 

[hobbit]

The HH's frequency control apparently controls several parameters within the circuit...including pulse width and pulse delay...this according to Pulse Guru Mr. Bill... I do not think the coil cable is the problem, as I had it connected very snugly with no play. The machine seems to false in response to slight changes in coil elevation and to slight bumps, such as grazing a clump of Kelp. As far as operation away from wet beach sand, it is basically the same...if you keep the coil perfectly level, the threshhold is "grainy", yet I think the risk of missing targets is minimal. But if you bounce the coil...even slightly...the machine falses and I believe could potentially mask a target ( as well as drive the operator crazy! ).

 

[search and recovery]

My dual frequency machine onlly has a gain (this is the sensitivity control), pulse control, and threshold to set so you can barely hear it. Only the gain set too high can make the machine run like that. If you can not get it to smooth out, then contact the dealer or the manufacturer and get it repaired or replaced. I am always a little worried whenever I buy new electronics of any kind. Even the best products have some problem units. Mass production you know. I bought the whites machine because of their reputation of customer satisfaction. The excalibur,although an excellent machine, has had to many complaints with service after the sale,otherwise I would have bought it. Wish I could have helped more.