Master Hunter VLF/TR Featherweight Questions

[Missboy]

Just got a a Master Hunter VLF/TR Featherweight with large Super Depth Twin Circuit Discriminator coil on it. The unit is in really Great condition BUT does not have a battery pack or connector that I can see. Emailed Garrett to see if I could get a manual & battery pack but not sure when they will respond. Does anyone know where else I could get these items?
Thanks,
Joe

 

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[Sandman]

I would retire this dinosaur as it is heavy compared to todays units and dept is going to be around five inches max. It was a nice unit in its day. Sorry to give you this info, but my signature below says it all.

 

[occupant]

The 'Featherweight' series is more popularly known as the "Groundhog". They run at 15.5 kHz as opposed to the 'Deephunter' series that ran at 5 kHz. I have two Groundhogs. One Pushbutton and one ADS. I use and really like them both. In the right hands they can keep up with a lot of the newer machines. The 'VLF -all metal' mode is hot on small gold and the 'TR-discrim' mode does a great job of ignoring small iron junk. They will even pass Monty's '4 Nail Test' that a lot of new machines fail. The look on the face of someone with a new high $ machine is priceless when they see what the ole Groundhog can do. Yes, they are a bit heavy at 4.5 lb., but the exercise is great. The Groundhog is the grand daddy of the Scorpion Gold Stinger - same basic circuit done with surface mount components and a bit lighter in weight. Same basic operation and very similar operator manual.

The batteries ride in a tray that slides into the front of the housing and mates with a plug. The tray holds 4 ea. 9v. batteries marked set1 and set2. Set1 powers the detector and coil circuit, set2 powers the audio. Actually, if you use headphones, it does fine with a single 9v. in the set2 slot.

The only source for the battery tray will be Garrett or ebay or robbed from another detector. Garrett sold extra trays and rechargeable 9v. sets with a tray, so one may turn up on eBay, but that's iffy.

Garrett has a user manual for download on their website and Sven has the catalogs for download on his treasurelinx.com site.

Here in S.E. Virginia the ground is fairly mild and I can easily hit a nickle at 6" or a clad quarter at 8" using the stock 7 1/2" coil in VLF (all metal) mode and then confirm the find in the TR (discrim) mode. The manual describes how to use the 'reverse discrimination' or 'dual discrimination' technique. The first time I put the 10 1/2" coil on and it air tested a nickle at 14" (true!) I had to chuckle. It hits a clad quarter at 10" in ground easily with that coil. Need to bury some deeper, just for fun!

Hope you find a battery tray. You could arrange a hookup without the tray, but that would take a little 'engineering'. Some of the optional coils show up on eBay and I found both the 7" coaxial and 3 1/2" coaxial that way. Get it running, I think you will enjoy the Groundhog.
Roger

 

[batcap]

Hello Occupant!

That is the best "first post" I've ever seen, here or anywhere. Welcome to TNet.

 

[Missboy]

Batcap,

I agree with you!

Occupant, Thank You for your very informative comments & I have contacted Garrett and the battery pack is being sent to me, now all I have to do is learn how to use it.

Thanks again,
Joe ( Missboy)

 

[occupant]

Why, Thank You, Batcap. I usually read thru the forums every day, but don't often have much to add to the discussions. I am a fan of the analog detectors and the Groundhog in particular. Just because they have a few years on them doesn't mean they aren't just as capable of finding treasure as the newer machines. And the 'fun per dollar' factor is unbeatable! Many of the machines have seen little use and are in great shape, and accessory coils sell cheap, when you can find them. eBay has been a great resource for that as the sellers that hit yard sales looking for something to market on the auction site do a good job of combing the countryside for me :-)

Missboy, Thank You, too. Happy to be able to contribute to the discussion.
I see you're near Jackson. Up state near Tupelo and Smithville (what's left of it...sure feel sorry for the poor souls that took a hit by the tornado) lives a modern legend in metal detecting. (He'll get a kick out of that) He posts on the forums as JB(MS) and runs several forums on various detector brands. If you ever run across his posts, shoot him an email. Great guy, very helpful with lots of experience on many detectors.
Couple of tips on the Groundhog....read the manual...visit Sven's site at treasurelinx.com and download the 1978 Garrett catalog. Pages 6 thru 10 are an education in using the Groundhog. First time you set out to use the detector, turn the sensitivity all the way down (all the way to the right). You will still be getting 4" or 5" depth in VLF (All Metal) and won't have to hear every bit of foil, BB's, bits of copper wire and other small trash. Once that gets boring, you can turn the sensitivity up to the point the detector sounds unstable, then back down just a smidge till it runs smooth. Get ready to dig.
When you find a likely target, center the coil over the target and push the tune button. That tunes the detector to the target and you can pinpoint it to within a 2" circle.
If the detector dirfts out of tune when you first turn it on, that's normal till the circuit warms up and temps stabilize. You can just hold the tune button down and run in 'autotune' mode for a few minutes (undocumented feature).
If you need headphones, I can recommend the Koss KTX Pro1, which are my favorite warm weather phones. Excellent sensitivity, light weight and cost about $16 at Radio Shack or on eBay. The Groundhog has a mono phone jack, so you will need an adapter to have sound in both ears, the RS 274-348 or 274-360 will fix that.
The Groundhog is built like a small tank, but if it ever has a problem, I have a schematic of the circuit I'll be happy to share.
Let us know when you have the Groundhog running and if you like, I'll share some tips on discrimination, determining the mineral content of the ground you're working over, ground balancing for best depth, etc.
HH,
Roger in VA

 

[Missboy]

Got the battery pack & owners manual from Garrett, works like a charm. It is definitely different to use than my Whites or Shadow but for investing less than 60 bucks total, its great. I think it will take alot of practice to get use to it but I think it will be worth it.

Occupant, if you have time I can use all the pointers you can give me.

Thanks!
Joe

 

[John-Edmonton]

As per Occupant's mention, the Groundhog circuitry is well known and great for gold. It's still utilized in the Scorpion today and the same frequency is used in the recently released AT Pro.

 

[occupant]

Glad to hear it works! The Groundhogs were built 'like a tank' with very little to go wrong with them. No internal pots to adjust or go out of adjustment and all of the components are still available if it should ever need repairs.

You mentioned a large coil, but didn't elaborate. The standard was 7.5" and a perfect size for coinshooting. The very large ones, 12" and 14" are difficult to find, I've been looking for quite a while. I doubt that many of them were made/sold. I have the 3.5"co-axial, 7.5" co-planar, 7.5" co-axial, and 10.5" co-planar. It made for a very versatile detector. Garrett used to offer a 'novice' coil cover for the stock coil that was elevated 1" so a beginner could just rest the coil cover on the ground while swinging it and still keep the coil 1" above ground so the TR mode would be stable. You probably noticed that lifting the coil in the TR mode gives a signal as it leaves the proximity of ground. (That's the way the 'cave mode' works on some of the 2 box detectors and you may notice the Hog in TR mode will let you know when it finds disturbed ground. Buried treasure, anyone?) Don't hesitate to adjust the handle so the coil flies a couple of inches over the ground. You will actually do better with the coil up a bit, than if it's right on ground. I ended up bending the handle up away from the top of the control box an inch or two to get the detector to hang just right and allow my arm to hang straight down without bending the elbow. Makes it easier to carry the weight for long periods and just a twist of the wrist swings the coil.

Just follow the user manual for ground balancing. It will balance any ground, even wet salt beach. Try adding a little positive adjustment to the balance: ground balance till there is no change in threshold when pumping the coil, then give another half turn toward 'increase'. You should get a slight rise in threshold near the ground. You may find that another half turn works even better. Example- in my test garden are some clad coins(quarters) at 6", 8", 10", 12". With 'stock' ground balance the 6" coin is easily detected, and the 8" with difficulty. After a full turn of 'increase' adjustment the 8" sounds strong. And that is with 7.5" coil, sensitivity at about 1/2 (lots of EMI here).

I like to hunt on VLF (all metal) and when I find a good sounding target, move the coil to side, rest it on the ground, switch to TR and hold the tune button till it re-tunes, a slowly slide the coil back over the target. If the threshold increases, it is non-ferrous and is accepted depending on the discriminator setting. If threshold decreases or goes away, it either ferrous or rejected by the discrim. Depth limit for the discrim. is 5" to 6" for a coin size target and stock coil. Some like to 'reverse discrim' which is just resting the coil on ground on the target, switch to TR, and slide the coil away. If threshold increases, it's ferrous, if it goes silent, dig it.

I like the smooth threshold tone of the Groundhog. I was using my F5 the other day and wished the F5 sounded as good as the Hog. I don't care for the rough edged sound of the digital machines.

If the ground you are over seems noisey with lots of foil, rust, small bits, etc. don't hesitate to turn the sensitivity down (clockwise). It controls only the receive circuit. The coil gets full power at any sensitivity setting. You may also notice that 'tuning' happens slower at lowered sensitivity. If the ground matrix changes rapidly where you are, try hunting with the tune button pressed so it is constantly in re-tune mode. Later model had an 'autotune' switch that performed the same function.

If you hear a loud tone when switching from VLF to TR, turning the discrim lower (counter clockwise) will reduce that 'back reading from the coil. Some coils are worse than others for this.

Keep us posted on your finds with the Hog. I think you will have lots of fun with it and give some of the newer machines a run for the money.
HH,
Roger

 

[Missboy]

Thanks for all the info and I will let you know how my "training" goes with it!

here is a photo of the coil

​

 

[occupant]

Looks like about 12" dia. I'm jealous. Should go deep. I want one to use as a cache hunter. You may find that it isn't very good as a coin hunter, especially if there is any trash in the area. Too many targets under the coil at once. Keep an eye out for a 7.5" coil.
Roger

 

[Joe(TX)]

...Just to let you know that some of the Gold Mountain and D-Tex coils wii will work on the Hog as long as the frequency on the coil is around 14 to 15 KHZ.....HH....Joe

 

[roadrunner]

Just picked up an ADS, Groundhog,Master Hunter for $10.00 at a yard sale.Pristine condition,only missing the battery cover.
Lens on meter,and internals look new.Battery box even looks new.
Anyway,this is my first MD,and i am fairly new,since Jan.
I downloaded the manual.And am practicing with different pieces of metal,coins,ect.
Bench,and backyard.
I am assuming the lower left knob is all metal mode. Can i run the machine in null,so there is no noise,except when i go over metal?
Or,do i have to optimum tune so there is always a faint sound?
I am still practicing. I found an old roofing tack at 5 inches in my backyard,rusted,and then a roofing staple at about 2 inches.Rusted to all shame.
I knew they where trash,just dug for the heck of it.

Oops,forgot to mention,this is the one with the master Toggle switch in handle,the batt check in the middle,and the Auto-Manual switch on the lower left corner.

 

[roadrunner]

I am sure trying to distinguish the difference in sound with this,but a beer bottle cap,and quarter,sure sound the same to me.
And a pull tab (steel) from a soup can sounds the same as a nickel.

Well,it is hot as h--l right now,(2:30 pm) so i am going to go get a soda with an aluminum tab to see what it sounds like.
Jeesh,i am going to kill my new batteries in my back yard and only have a staple,and a roofing nail to my collection.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Roadrunner it sounds like you are expecting tones as per some more modern detectors. Thing of your machine as more a beep and dig. The discrimination level you set with the discrimination knob only applies to the TR side of the circuit. The deep VLF all metal side can be used to discriminate (unlike most modern detectors) but the discrimination is based on the width of the audio. Iron will sound very wide, non ferrous narrow.

The bottom left "knob" is for tuning and rarely needs touching after you first set up the detector which is why they did away with the knob and left just a slot. Stopped any chance of a knob being accidently moved. I prefer a slight threshold myself but its up to you as long as you don't set it to far into the null.

The advantage of your later model over the original one (1978 I think) is the instant one thumb movement mode change and retune rather than the two handed method of the original Groundhog PB's and more sensitivity and longer battery life. Drawback....the increased sensitivity. For some of our ancient European sities the sensitivity was a little on the high side. Within a couple of months a new model was offered (think it was called the "B") and this had an extra switch that returned the machine to the sensitivity level of the original Groundhog. Don't think this version was offered in the States but might be wrong.

 

[roadrunner]

Thanks Uk Brian.
I am getting used to it a little better now.I downloaded the manual from Garrett,and also downloaded the catalog from the treasure site from 1978 also.
I went out yesterday and practiced in a yard and was able to hit a lot of iron items,but i was digging everything to see what things are,how deep,and what they are.
I think i am good on iron now.I also dug up 2 little pieces of foil,and i mean little.They where just a very thin sheet,like a piece torn from a cigarette pack. About the size of a nickel.
Now i also know what they mean about the sound being across the width of the coil,or underneath it.
Kinda like a bong, bip thing.
I have been running in all metal,but had the power on,sensitivity knob all the way on high.Will have to decrease a littl and play with it.
Just got the ground balance figured out properly, and setting the knob for the threshold i figured was why they removed the knob.The book says once this is set,its done with.
On mine i noticed in order for the hum to just sound off,the stem is turned pretty far to the right.Almost to the end of its turning radius.
Is that about right?

 

[U.K. Brian]

Mmmmm...I managed to get my lovely Groundhog stolen so can't check the range but I doubt if it should be near the end of range but I wouldn't worry to much if the machine appears to be working fine. Could be an indication of something further down the circuit but I had similar with a P.I. ten years back and it never got worse.

 

[roadrunner]

By the way the slot is directly across,or horizontal from left to right,it is 3/4 turned to max.
But,i was out today,at a very large lot,with an old house,and a church that was built maybe 5 years ago.(The house is way older).
This lot measures at least about a half acre.
Anyway,in the center of pic you can see a cloth button,Reddish colored. It is steel center.
then below a rivet from a set of jeans, that is copper or brass,then below that,
a head off of a roofing nail used for tin roofs.It is the top,and is made out of lead.

So,although a lot of trash i found,i did find a very small piece of lead,and copper or brass.Out of this big lot.
So i think i am getting better.All where down about 3 inches,maybe 4.
The 2 items on left,are nails.Yes, that much mineralization,ect in my ground. I live around copper mines. And digging is no fun when i run into Caleche.
Anyway,penny is just for size.

 

[Keppy]

Check with Keith at www.brokendetector.com he has parts for most old Garretts........that is if you need any more hard to find parts.

 

[roadrunner]

Keppy,thanks for the info.
Actually i am looking for a 10-1/2 inch co-planer coil.
15khtz