Air tests with mercury dime - five detectors

[bavarianminister]

We just had a major ice storm here in southwest missouri - followed by snow. Anyway, I have some extra time - and conducted an honest to gosh air test. I used a yard stick for measuring - and a paint stirrer with the mercury dime attached to it. All machines were set to max sensitivity with no discrimination. Here are the results - enjoy!

Fisher CZ-6 - 10 inches
Garrett Freedom 3 - 6.5 inches
Tesoro Cibola - 8.5 inches
Garrett GTA1000 6.5 inches
Garrett GTAX550 7.5 inches

As you can see the CZ whips em all in the air tests. Sure hope that Fisher has a future. Would be interesting to see if someone with a whites conduct the same honest to gosh test? And any other brands would also be interesting. Anyhow hope someone will do this as it could be intersting for all. Thanks - Bavarian

 

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[gallileo60]

I think its honest to god, and I would like to see the Ace 250 thrown in the mix...I will try to do my 250, my 1350, and my Land Star....

 

[khouse]

Same exact test with a good repeatable tone. "Mercury dime" Honest and measured. No smoke!
Ace 250 - 8.5
Fisher F2 - 8.5

Non repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 9
Fisher F2 - 9.5

 

[gallileo60]

Same exact test with a good repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 8.5
Fisher F2 - 8.5

Non repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 9
Fisher F2 - 9.5

sounds about right............amazing the 2 cheapies out do some of the higher dollar units.......

 

[ivan salis]

doesn't suprize me --- the F2 and Ace 250 ---might be low cost but the "guts" inside is similar to whats in the higher dollar older type models --- that were used for the test

 

[khouse]

Sometimes too many bells and whistles is just that ------ too many. I have had high dollar machines and opt for the lower cost bang for the buck detectors. Many people that have high priced detectors run then in the factory preset modes anyway. Don't get me wrong I like some options. But why buy a detector that has maybe 500 combinations of settings? I guess I'm just a simple minded person.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Good thread and we need more of these.

I always air test my machines before ground testing.

You fellows are right, price has little to do with actual depth.

Badger

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Same exact test with a good repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 8.5
Fisher F2 - 8.5

Non repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 9
Fisher F2 - 9.5

sounds about right............amazing the 2 cheapies out do some of the higher dollar units.......

The Ace 250 is a dime blaster.

 

[Boobydoo]

Same exact test with a good repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 8.5
Fisher F2 - 8.5

Non repeatable tone.
Ace 250 - 9
Fisher F2 - 9.5

sounds about right............amazing the 2 cheapies out do some of the higher dollar units.......

The Ace 250 is a dime blaster.

Good point... some machines seem to be more sensative to certain alloys then others and depending what your enjoy finding the most, you should taylor your machine to the targets you strive to put in your pouch.

Interesting thread!

Smiles!
BDoo

 

[Merf]

I redid the test ---This time I used a Mercury dime [instead of a clad dime] taped to the end of a paint stirrer instead of in my hand.
I laid the detectors on top of styrofoam coolers in the basement [away from the TVs and other electronics] with a plastic ruler at the end.



The new results on my two were.

Tesoro Vaquero 11 inches

Discovery 3300 8 inches

A good repeatable signal.

 

[Montana Jim]

I'll do the BHs I have when I can... I like this post.

 

[ivan salis]

in just my short time with my ace 250 I have hit old copper (pre 1982) cents as deep as 8 in under a seat on a swing set in the local park (tot lot) ---- (wood chips) --- good depth for the price in my veiw --- I'm a happy Ace 250 camper --- Ivan

 

[Michigan Badger]

The only way one can really know about any detector is to test it. Most people just assume their machines are getting a certain depth. This assumption may be more or less than they're actually getting.

Digging targets is one of the worst ways to judge depth. It's nearly impossible to tell where the coin really was before digging.

One way that never fails is the descending ladder. Bury a coin at 1" - 2" - 3" etc. You can use a coin probe to recheck depths from time to time.

The best way is to use plastic pots with wooden dowels connected to the bottom. The coin is glued to the dowel at the exact desired depth from the rim of the pot. This is my own preferred method.

The bottom line is this; can the detector get a signal or not. There's nothing biased. One should be very skeptical of any company that seeks to discourage coin gardens (however they may be constructed).

If one listens to all the positive/negative/positive/negative...commentary on all the forums one will keep changing brands/models and never master any.

Badger

 

[ivan salis]

well I know the blade length of my gator digger is 6 " so any coin deeper than a blade length down must be at least 6 in

 

[Born2Dtect]

I will pay more attention to air test, the first time I go metal detecting and find coins in the air and not buried in the ground ? Argh!

Ed D. My 2.

 

[khouse]

I know air tests are not "real world" But in my mind if a detector can hit a dime at 8.5 inches in the air then I should be able to hit one in the ground up to 8.5 inches. If on another detector I air test a dime at 4 inches then I would expect to hit one in the ground up to 4 inches and so on. Since most coins are surface to 4 inches I'm not that concerned about depth. But if I had two like detectors and one gets twice the depth in an air test then that's the one I'm going to grab. Besides it's cold and icy here and air tests is all I got!

 

[ivan salis]

well -- I can state as fact in real world hunting that my lil ace 250 has hit a older pre 82 cent in woodchips at 8 in deep with a solid signal --- not bad for a so called cheap machine --- Ivan

 

[khouse]

There you go Ivan. Your post, mine and others prove that $200.00 buys some pretty nice detectors! I know in bad soil and salt water the factory set GB units don't work well. But the money you save on these low cost machines will buy a nice water machine!

 

[ivan salis]

often by running with only 2 bars of sen --the 250 can work wet sand at the beaches and using 3 to 4 the dry sand too --- but as with all preset GB units (the less expensive units as a rule--- they are touchy around beaches and hard mineral spots --- when using the bounty hunter models --lower the power /sen and upping the disc can make them "stable" (not beeping all the time) and thus usible (with a bit of depth loss of course) --not the best or ideal choice of course --but better than nothing ---sometimes you gotta use what you got --- Ivan

 

[Michigan Badger]

I know air tests are not "real world" But in my mind if a detector can hit a dime at 8.5 inches in the air then I should be able to hit one in the ground up to 8.5 inches. If on another detector I air test a dime at 4 inches then I would expect to hit one in the ground up to 4 inches and so on. Since most coins are surface to 4 inches I'm not that concerned about depth. But if I had two like detectors and one gets twice the depth in an air test then that's the one I'm going to grab. Besides it's cold and icy here and air tests is all I got!

Well, the people who build the machines PARTLY agree with you. I used to email with the inventor of the Nexus (world's deepest VLF) and in one email I got him to comment on the air tests. I wish everyone here could hear it from him, it would settle this thing for most.

The bottom line is this; it's impossible for a VLF detector to detect metal in the ground deeper than it's air distance. Now, contact a genuine electronics engineer who designs hobby metal detectors and he will verify this. Some don't want to comment on it because they are aware of the thinking of the masses and they don't want to "rock the boat" as it has to do with sales.

But again, the deeper IN THE DIRT than air test theory is a myth. Air delivers the least resistance to the transmitted signal. Dirt is filled with billions of little particles that resist a transmitted signal.

So, your air tests tell a lot more than maybe you think.

But then there's the old saying: "Convince a man against his will, he's of the same opinion still."