Minelab Safari help please

[NoNeck]

OK folks I have a new Minelab Safari and have taken it out twice now. I turn it on and I do the Noise Canel procedure I then use eaither Coin, or Coin/Jewellery mode.

I get signals all over the place I get a coin silver range signal dig and find aluminum what the heck?

Am I doing something wrong or could something not be right with my detector which was bought new from kellyco.

I have tried sound test with coins and other items and even a silver ring which it did not pick up at about 5 in down. Please help me out on this.

 

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[RiverRat3]

I have a Safari and it took some time to get use to. Are your ground conditions really hard right now? Also tin cans always ring in the silver range on my Safari. I get mixed signals when I'm over a ring but I know the sound it makes. Also make sure the detector is set on high trash.

 

[NoNeck]

Well we have lots of clay around here but it has rained and the ground is not too bad till ya get about 6" to 8" down. Yes been using it on high trash and I get mixed signals as well and thats part of the prob im having. It is hard to try and tell when to dig and all and it sings alot so im not sure.

 

[unearthed]

Have you tried adjusting your sensitivity to around 12 then noise cancelling? Just a thought.

Unearthed

 

[NoNeck]

I have talked with tech support and they want me to return it so they can check it out. I have had it in coin mode and dug up a rusty nail and then a rusty wire a bit later so they think something could not be right with this detector and if they find something wrong they will send me another or let me choose another. This sucks to return it but at least they will check it out and replace it if it is bad.

 

[Iron Patch]

I wouldn't do that just yet! The aluminum thing is normal, and so would not getting a thin ring at much depth. I gather this is your first detector?

 

[NoNeck]

Other then a Bounty hunter years ago yes this is my first detector.

 

[Iron Patch]

Other then a Bounty hunter years ago yes this is my first detector.

I think I'd give it more time. Does it seem to pick up all your targets in an airtest? And are you finding lots of things in the ground, even if it's junk? When you say there are signals all over the place, when you dig them is there actually something there? Does the noise still happen if you lift the coil away from the ground? If you can answer those questions it's a good start in figuring out if it's the detector or operator error. I had about a year detecting before my first Minelab and it made me pretty frustrated for the first while.

 

[NoNeck]

Well as far as giving it more time that could cause my time to run out as far as an exchange and all. Lots of holes I have dug come up empty and I loose signal after digging a hole. I have only found 2 pennys and the rest junk. Also yes it will even play music when I lift it off the ground or move in the air. I have done air test and ground test in the air it works but on the ground it chatters all over.

My main thing with this detector is it's sopposed to be turn on and go and no it seems to be more then that. You can turn it on and go but plan to dig every single noise and theres alot and plan to dig lots of trash even geting silver hits and it will be a rusty nail in coin mode. For the cost of these things that should not be happening IMO.

 

[Iron Patch]

Well as far as giving it more time that could cause my time to run out as far as an exchange and all. Lots of holes I have dug come up empty and I loose signal after digging a hole. I have only found 2 pennys and the rest junk. Also yes it will even play music when I lift it off the ground or move in the air. I have done air test and ground test in the air it works but on the ground it chatters all over.

My main thing with this detector is it's sopposed to be turn on and go and no it seems to be more then that. You can turn it on and go but plan to dig every single noise and theres alot and plan to dig lots of trash even geting silver hits and it will be a rusty nail in coin mode. For the cost of these things that should not be happening IMO.

Your experience is actually pretty normal being new, all except for the noise without actually detecting something. What type of environment are you in? A bad coil tends to give many extra low tones not high. It's also possible it could be the battery pack, so try alkalines. The reason I ask what type of place you're hunting is interference can cause what you describe, and some places no matter how you adjust the unit it still sucks. Have you been to different areas and still had this same problem? You should also know digging a ton of trash is just the way it is, whether your detector is woring or not. That's why the site is the most important thing. (as long as the detector works properly)

As for the "turn on and go" you're buying what minelab is selling, which is just marketing. The actual learning curve on a Safari, Explorer, E-trac etc., is learning the sounds.... it's not programs or settings. Basically you got the Safari to push two buttons instead of four and it definitely does not make the learning curve any easier.

 

[NoNeck]

I have been in diferant locations and it does the same. I am using Duracell Batts.

 

[Iron Patch]

I have been in diferant locations and it does the same. I am using Duracell Batts.

Ok, one thing I forgot to say. When you do the factory reset, first unplug the coil, plug it back in, then do it. That will increase the odds of making it right if there is some type of glitch or bad connection.

 

[dbsmokey]

Although my experience is not as vast as some, when I first started out (with a tesoro eldorado), I experienced "vanishing targets" and seemed unable to pinpoint. I would KNOW there was metal in the ground: the detector indicated that, yet I would dig a hole not find anything, and then get too scared to make a mess, so move on. I am not saying your detector isn't malfunctioning, but I will say I have experienced what you did when I was very green.

 

[Monty]

I have been down that same road with my Safari. It's the noisiest detector I have ever owned. I have followed all the advice from dozens of folks, sent it back in , done everything I was advised to try and after nearly a year I still have trouble sorting out all the many and varied signals that come out of my Safari. I have been laid up most of the summer and haven't been able to get out and work on it, but what helps me most is to lay out several targets, both good and bad and try to remember what they sounded like when I hit the field. I know that many Safari users are really enamoured with theirs, but I have struggled. Hope you get it all figured out and let me know if you do! Monty

 

[George (MN)]

You said you got aluminum in coin range. Was this a pulltab or a whole can? Cans will ID in coin range on most detectors. Pulltabs should not. The ID on all detectors is for coin-sized objects.

What was your settings when it could not pick up the silver ring 5" deep?

Hope this helps you decide if you should send it in. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Just to add, you will also get what seems like ghost signals and noise from electrical interference from overhead or underground cables and outside lighting..... Pieces of aluminum cans, what we call "can slaw" will give you silver signals. A freshly buried ring depending on the size, shape and the way it is laying can be very hard to detect.

Some new hunters think if they spend a thousand dollars on a detector it should only tell them when to dig good targets, sorry but that isn't the case, there are many different variables to deal with.

The more you use your detector, the more you will learn to understand what it is telling you. With Kellyco there is a 20% restocking fee if you exchange it for a different detector, and 30% if you want your money back. If it was me, I would be very sure the problem wasn't me first.....

 

[njnydigger]

You purchased one of the most difficult brands to master IMHO. I've had my Safari for a little while now and until recently would hunt AT LEAST 2 or 3 times per week. So, I have many, many hours on the Safari.

The OPERATION of the Safari is quite simple. However, learning the varied SOUNDS it makes is the tough part. It takes time. Lots of it. To be very candid, I still am learning. And I'm not new to detecting either. Matter of fact, every time I think I have a handle on the nuances of the Safari (sounds, false chirps, etc.) something new sneaks around the bend to surprise me. So, if you're newer to the hobby it might be even tougher on you.

My honest advice to you would be this...

Start in one of the stock programs like coin or coin and jewelry. I really wouldn't mess with relic just yet and I most definitely would NOT suggest running in the all metal mode for now. It'll just drive you crazy and get you frustrated. Trust me. Also, make sure your sensitivity is set to automatic. Manual also takes a bit more experience as it can be very unstable.

Secondly, Minelab's in general are NOT quick machines. Yes, they do go deep, but, their re-set time can be painfully slow. So, make sure and move at a snails pace. Especially being new to the Safari, you want to make sure and really hear each and every sound. That's how you're gonna learn.

Third, especially in the beginning, try and only dig the solid, repeatable tones that you get. You won't waste your time on the false signals, deeply buried junk, etc. that can and will come up.

Finally, the Safari is a VERY finicky machine. At least that's been my experience anyways. I would NOT by any means recommend trying to learn your machine in very trashy places. As if the Safari isn't confusing enough, trying to detect in a place loaded with junk, iron, etc. will cause you to go mad. Again, just believe me on this. Start at the beach, the local schoolyard, the tot-lots, etc. until you start to get a handle on the beast.

Most importantly, be patient. Learning ANY new detector takes time. ESPECIALLY the Minelab's. If you want to find deep stuff, it'll do the job better than most other detectors out there. However, it's NOT a perfect detector (no perfect detector exists). So, you'll have to put up with a lot of quirks and a considerable learning curve, but, it'll sniff out those deepies for sure.

Good luck.

 

[Iron Patch]

You purchased one of the most difficult brands to master IMHO. I've had my Safari for a little while now and until recently would hunt AT LEAST 2 or 3 times per week. So, I have many, many hours on the Safari.

The OPERATION of the Safari is quite simple. However, learning the varied SOUNDS it makes is the tough part. It takes time. Lots of it. To be very candid, I still am learning. And I'm not new to detecting either. Matter of fact, every time I think I have a handle on the nuances of the Safari (sounds, false chirps, etc.) something new sneaks around the bend to surprise me. So, if you're newer to the hobby it might be even tougher on you.

EXACTLY and what I told you a while back, you did not avoid any of the learning curve picking a Sarfari over an Explorer, Minelab just wanted you to think so.

I was still learning little things WAY beyond how much time you have in, and even years too! I never went after iron relics, but after 5 years decided I was going to try and find them. To my surprise the Explorer is incredible at cherry picking large iron at older sites and leaving the smaller stuff behind. Really paying attention, and trying to find iron actually made me all around better with the machine and that was having several years experience at the time. So having few months in or whatever it is, is reallynothing, and no one should beat themself up about that. Trying to do too much will actually hurt you and It seems that might be what's happening.

 

[Detectorfreak74]

in coin mode or jewelry and coin you need to black out # 40 that will help you not finding IRON also signals in an air test will sound different in some grounds and also GO HUNT AND GET USED TO THE SIGNALS

 

[johnnyboy25]

we all end up digging some trash