digger27
Bronze Member
- May 18, 2011
- 1,506
- 3,225
Ok, first thing you need to know is that all F2's are not exactly the same out of the factory.
Some have slightly different numbers on targets and that could be due to a bit different calibration from the factory and/or different soil in different parts of the country.
My usual nickel number is 33, a zinc penny is 59-61, a copper penny is 71 and a dime is 73...most of the time.
Other owners can see 34 on a nickel, zinc pennies at 62, copper pennies at 72 or 73 and dimes at 74 as their usual numbers.
You just have to learn what your numbers are in your soil with your F2.
Second, I have read a zillion posts and a ton of reviews on the F2 and on most of them they mention that the depth readings are off most of the time up to about an inch.
On most targets that are shallow, 3" or less, I just can't trust those readings most of the time so I don't.
A dime at 2" could have 2 bars blacked out instead of 1, (each bar is supposed to be 2"), and if I use that pinpoint the numbers on the bottom of the screen could say something else besides 02, also.
Some have said that by lifting the coil about one inch off the ground and hitting that pinpoint button the pinpoint numbers are more accurate but on mine I usually do not find that to be true.
I get most of my depth info from my Propointer from the top of the ground so I don't worry about that, and if you don't have one of those just assume the depth bars and pinpoint numbers on the bottom of the screen are an "indication" of approximate depth on shallow targets, not a reading that you can trust and is in stone.
These readings will only be off about an inch or so on coin sized targets so it is no big deal.
When it comes to deeper targets like 5-6-7" my pinpoint numbers on the screen bottom are much more accurate most of the time on coin sized objects so that is something to remember and yours might be the same.
I have a theory this happens because the F2 like most of the F series detectors is just a very "hot" detector right out of the factory, even on the lowest sensitivity settings, and is just an overpowered beast that must learn to be controlled and tamed and understood to get the best out of it.
When I first got mine I lived and hunted in Alabama with horrible soil and most detectors of any brand could not get much past 3" in the worst of that stuff...maybe 4" on a good day.
Pinpoint numbers of 01-02-03 were about all I ever saw and the targets were hardly ever at those exact pinpoint numbers so I quit paying attention to them most of the time and just used those pinpoint numbers to locate the target under the center of my 8" coil to try to get an accurate reading.
The lowest number I saw, whatever it was, meant the target was under coil center.
Since most of my targets were at 4" or less it didn't matter much, I opened up a 2 or 3" deep plug and it was easy to find the target even with my Harbor Freight handheld pinpointer I used at the time.
I had a park right near my house and hunted there a lot when I just got my F2 and in most of this place that depth was not good but for some reason a patch of grass that was next to a baseball field along the first base side where people would sit and had much better soil they trucked in from somewhere else.
I was hunting this thing for the first time and got a solid 73 on my screen and no jumping, all the bars on the right were blacked out and when I hit my pinpoint button I saw 07 on the bottom of the screen.
This was weird, I have never seen that number before, but I did open a hole and wouldn't you know it I dug up a dime from every bit of 7" in depth.
I was impressed, and if you figure that most of the time in dry soil the depth on a concentric coil would be about the same as the circumference of that coil my limit on the 8" coil I was using at the time should be about 8".
I was amazed that I could actually get that deep for once, and that this thing could lock on and correctly ID that dime at the right depth.
The sniper coil does not hold to this rule by the way, that 4" coil should go about 6" in good soil if not more.
Since that time and about 1000 hours or more later I know that shallow coin size objects could still be off a bit on my F2 on the pinpoint numbers but those deeper ones at 4" or deeper are still much more accurate.
I don't use my pinpoint button much but sometimes I do and I now hunt in much better soil and go way deeper so this is good to know.
All detectors are calibrated for coin and ring size objects so when we are talking about larger targets like full cans just throw all of that stuff out the window.
A full size can at 5-6-7" or more on any coil you want to use will usually say something like 02 or 03 when you hit that pinpoint button and look at the numbers on the bottom of the screen.
I have dug enough of these in the past to know that and I have never seen a can at 7" deep register at 07 on the pinpoint numbers, it will always show much less.
When you roll over a large can or something else big you need to raise the coil high and see if you still get a signal.
If your coil is real high and you still get one that is something large you don't want to dig unless you are looking for big relics...coins and jewelry won't do this...ever.
You can also hit that pinpoint button and move the coil over and around the target and "Paint" the area while looking at those pinpoint numbers.
This will give you a good idea on size and again there is a huge difference between a full flat can or big piece of iron and a coin or ring in the size of that painted area.
Something that shows the same numbers for a 3 or 4" area as you move that coil over it is not a coin or a ring.
Sometimes a can or other large piece of metal will be so deep that painting the area like this will not show something large at all.
A big piece of can deep can show up on your screen as a 73 just like a dime, have depth bars blanked out at maybe only on or two, (within 4"), and using the pinpoint button the numbers could say maybe only 02 or 03 inches in depth.
If you open up a hole and end up digging 4-5" deep or deeper and have not found that target it is big and deep and a clue you should just cover up the hole and walk away.
Again, unless you are hunting for relics.
There could be a rifle, helmet, revolver or something else cool down there but it will NOT be a coin or a ring.
On a coin sized object at the very end of your scanning field, like say 8" on the 8" coil, tones and numbers are not so stable.
There could be a lot of jumping around and a squeaky sound instead of a full rounded one.
The one thing that should be more accurate in case like this like if you have a dime down there near that 8" mark using that 8" coil would be those pinpoint numbers on the bottom of the screen.
This is what I meant and the answer to your question.
A high tone iffy, jumpy signal could be a big can or other piece of metal deep.
Could be pretty solid and stable too but these type of targets tend to make the depth bars jump a lot and that is a clue.
If it is deep enough you can raise that coil up high but at that depth it won't tone with your coil raise high and won't give you a clue it is a target like that like a shallow one would.
If I see a good number on the screen like a dime, 73, even if it is a bit jumpy and doesn't sound so great, if I get curious and hit that pinpoint button and see 07 or 08 I start thinking this COULD be a good dime target way deep at the end of my scanning field and take a chance and dig that one.
Honestly this would actually be a rare occurrence and most coins are found by most of us are at depths of 6" or less for the most part.
Not all of them but most.
I just dug up a 150 year old coin that was only about 4-5" deep and someone else on this same hunt dug an even older coin at that same depth.
As far as jewelry in my 3 1/2 years in this hobby I have dug up 24 gold targets, lots of silver rings and other silver objects, several chains in both silver and gold and a huge amount of junk rings, pins and chains, too.
Not one of those targets was any deeper than 4" up to and including 4 huge and heavy gold class rings.
As a newbie you should concentrate on trying to get all targets centered under your coil, get stable, non jumping numbers on the screen and solid tones and dig those targets.
I use the sniper coil 98% of the time and it is much easier to isolate all targets and get these solid stable numbers and tones using that one and recommend that for you if you have that coil.
If you don't have that coil I urge you to get one because you won't believe what I have found and how much easier it was to figure out targets and get those stable numbers with that thing.
I have dug enough in the last 3 years with my F2 to have certain rules in place and I usually follow them.
Center the target under the coil, don't dig anything that I can't get to jump 2 numbers or less, listen to the tone for a full solid sound and use the sniper coil to do all this pretty easily especially in the heavy trash sites that I usually spend my time.
Don't worry about depth loss because even that small coil will go deep enough to find 95% of the targets we all look for, anyway.
I have a lot more insights and tips and techniques about using the F2.
PM me and I can link you to areas where I have written tons about using this great and productive detector.
HH
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