Initial settings for F5?

[halgreene]

Hi,

I'm expecting a pair of F5's any day now. Will be our first machines, ever.

Can anyone suggest "starter" settings to get our feet wet? Pretty much clean, relatively dry soil to start out with.

Thanks!


Hal & Mercedes

 

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[steve1357]

I have an F5, great machine.

Go through the manual outside the house and practice with coins and nails and aluminum trash using the examples in the manual. Get familiar with how things are. (inside house is too much electrical interference and metals)

I'd set gain at 60, threshhold at -5, and be sure to ground balance it.

You can run all metal mode which runs deeper because the discrimination circuitry is not being used. Discrimination though allows you to tell it to ignore certain metals like steel nails. Problem there is jewelry and gold coins tend to come up the same as some trash you will get tired of digging. Number of tones is used with discrimination, if you get tired of one tone all the time, it will make one tone on a quarter, and another tone on trash, another tone on a penny.

Best advice I can give, is to go through the examples in the book using different coins and objects and get familiar with the all metal and discrimination modes. And practice "pinpointing" in your yard for accuracy and depth.
Depending upon the size of the object detected, the depth reading may be wrong because it is a large object and the discrimination circuitry is calibrated for coin size objects.

It takes two 9V alkaline batteries, buy good ones, and get some spares just in case.

Any questions, ask away, lot of F5 users here willing to help. There are no dumb questions, I've asked them all!

 

[halgreene]

It takes two 9V alkaline batteries, buy good ones, and get some spares just in case.

Bought these to go with the machines: http://amzn.to/1iq2Und

 

[steve1357]

Bought these to go with the machines: Amazon.com: Tenergy TN141 2 Bay 9V Smart Charger with 4 pcs Centura Low Self-discharge 9V NiMH Rechargeable Batteries: Health & Personal Care

Rechargeable batteries:

I've never tried them, the manual states 9V alkaline batteries only on pages 1 and 4; the manual doesn't mention rechargeable batteries, but I'd guess it wouldn't hurt anything.

I've had my F5 for over a year, it's on it's second set of batteries I think. All these new detectors are pretty good on batteries, I recently got an old Garrett that uses eight AA batteries, it's still running on the first set I put in it.

Odd, the manual to my F75LTD says rechargeable batteries are fine.

I'd say go for it but be careful, I did some reading around that some rechargeables are a bigger in size, don't break the battery compartment in the F5, it won't give much.

HH

 

[christo000]

Great advice to start out with getting ur feet wet I love the face set up on the f5 in my opinion they should have used the carbon fiber look on the 75ltd or se lol

 

[steve1357]

Great advice to start out with getting ur feet wet I love the face set up on the f5 in my opinion they should have used the carbon fiber look on the 75ltd or se lol

The F5 is my favorite for user interface. Few if any menus navigate, everything right there with the knobs.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Bought these to go with the machines: Amazon.com: Tenergy TN141 2 Bay 9V Smart Charger with 4 pcs Centura Low Self-discharge 9V NiMH Rechargeable Batteries: Health & Personal Care

Those rechargeable battery's will be fine in your F5s i use those in all my detectors that take 9V
Gary

 

[gfmucci]

I don't understand. The online manual for the F5, on the front page in bold type in a black box says "Use ALKALINE Batteries ONLY". Is Fisher pulling our legs - just teasing us - or have a stake in the alkaline battery conglomerate? Do you think that statement is made because of an electrical (voltage/amperage) reason, or a size reason? Rechargeables are often about 10% to 15% lower voltage than alkalines. I know that is the case with my AA and AAA Sanyo Eneloops. Your unit may "work" but is it working to its maximum potential with rechargeables? Or maybe "maximum potential" isn't an issue or a need.

 

[mikeraydj]

The manufacturer sells a detector to be operated within certain parameters to be eligible for their warranty. If you go outside those, they have no liability as to warranty. They may work but they will not back your decision if they fail.