GPP just keeps buzzing

[rodarian]

So i got my GPP in june and it was just the cats meow but now it just seems to always be sounding like a cat meowing. When i turn it on it will sometimes just start going off and continue to buzz even though there absolutely no metal any where near it, so, i turn it off and then turn it back on again. That helps for a little while but not for long. It just starts buzzing and i can't make it stop. Well, this can go on for quite a few on's and off's before it'll settle down and work properly. when it's working, it's great but i have to go through this every single time i go out to MD. The first half hour is spent getting the GPP behave. Is this something that is normal with the GPP or did i get a bad one? $130 is a lot of money to not work properly within 2 months time, am i right? My question is, do i send it back or is this something that i have to live with? Thank you.

 

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[airscapes]

Send it back and see if the dealer will trade it for a TRX..

 

[Erving]

I had the same problem with mine when I first got it. I was told by the dealer I bought it from to try new batteries and if that didn't work to send it back to him and he would replace it. The new batteries worked for me, so I would try that first.

 

[bowwinkles]

Send it back and see if the dealer will trade it for a TRX..

X2 The new vintage of Gpp's seem to be having a very high failure rate.

 

[rodarian]

Thanks for the replies. I have changed the batteries twice and always use high end batteries. That didn't seem to fix the problem. I just turned it on in the house and it doesn't seem to have that issue inside, only when i get outside? I just don't know. I guess i will try and contact garrett to see what they have to say about it. I really do not want to be without it for two weeks while they look it over...heh. Thanks again.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

About three months ago my GPP started to do the same thing. Once turned on, it would start falsing while I held it in the air and away from any object, metallic or otherwise. On the rare occasion it didn't false immediately after being turned on, as soon as I lowered it to the ground it would go off. It became increasingly worse to the point last week where it was completely unusable because it wouldn't stop beeping. I tried to troubleshoot by trying new and different brands of batteries but that had no effect. I also took it to about ten different locations to eliminate the possibility of EMI interference and / or ground mineralization. Again, no difference.

There were a few things I did notice about the device when it tended to false. First off, I noticed that when I was inside of my house it seemed to work ok. However, when I took it outside during my hunts it falsed like crazy. The hotter the outside temperature, the worse it was. Right now where I live it is hovering around the 100 degree mark, but anything over about 90 degrees would affect the amount of falsing. The other thing I noticed was that if I slightly shook the pinpointer, it too would affect how much it would false and the speed of the beeping.

I am by no means an electronics engineer, but I do have a basic knowledge of how electronics are made and work. Based on my observations, it appeared to me that the falsing problem was based on something other than a bad component, but instead it seemed like something was moving within the device and causing it to possibly short out. Again, it's just a theory based on how the pinpointer was acting. I ended up looking online and found a number of videos discussing this same problem. The focus of many of these videos was a flaw with the circuit board. There are three, very thin wires that are not fully insulated. These wires are looped on the circuit board and if they fall (or bend) and touch the board, it can cause a short that will result in the falsing. These videos show ways on how to remove the circuit board and then insulate the wires, which according to those who post the videos, resolves the falsing problem.

This very well could be the source of the falsing issue. The outside temperature heat could, in theory, cause the thin wires to become "less stiff" and slightly fall onto the circuit board, causing the short. Also, the falsing that occurred when the pinpointer is slightly shaken could be a result of these wires moving around and touching the circuit board.

Well I didn't want to pull apart my GPP in fear that I would void the warranty. I called Garrett and spoke with the representative who gave me a repair number and I sent it in. I have yet to receive it back, but if they give me an explanation as to what the problem was I will update my post.

 

[rodarian]

Wow Valleyhunter, you are describing what my Gpp does, exactly. Thank you so much for your post as it makes perfect sense that something is moving around in there causing it to beep at the air. I do agree with you on sending it in and not voiding the warranty, it cost too much for that kind of loss. Please do let me know what they said. Also, just how long i am going to be with out it. Thanks again and i look forward to reading the updated post.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

Wow Valleyhunter, you are describing what my Gpp does, exactly. Thank you so much for your post as it makes perfect sense that something is moving around in there causing it to beep at the air. I do agree with you on sending it in and not voiding the warranty, it cost too much for that kind of loss. Please do let me know what they said. Also, just how long i am going to be with out it. Thanks again and i look forward to reading the updated post.

I sent it off last Tueday and the tracking showed that it arrived to Garrett on Thursday. I'm hoping to get it back by the end of this week, but we'll see. I'll let you know as soon as it's back in my hand and I have a chance to test it out.

 

[rodarian]

Thank you sj. The whole idea of it operating perfectly indoors and completely going haywire where you need it to function just blows my mind. I even tested it out while sitting in my car today and it worked perfectly but got outside and went to locate the mark and BOOM, it starts right up with the non stop buzzing. It was only 70 degrees out today so heat is not the cause. I'm afraid i'm going to wear out the on/off switch because i have to continuously turn it on and off. Thanks again.

 

[airscapes]

Have you tried it in a completely different place you have never been to with the pointer outside? Just wondering if there is a a source of EMI that the Pinpointer is picking up?

There are certain sites where the TRX will be more chatty than other, in particular the High School with lots of AC units and a major communications tower. Go to the woods or a field where there is nothing electrical around and see what you get. With the TRX you can just ground balance it and it shuts up and works perfectly in most of these situations. Both the TRX and PP run at the same frequency 12kHz so I would not be surprised if it is interference that is causing you pain.

 

[rodarian]

I have been all over my home town with my gpp and have trouble everywhere i go. I will say that it seems to be at it's worst when i am at the schools but it does it everywhere. After 10-15 on/off/on's, it starts to settle down a bit but that can't be the way it was meant to function, i don't think. I was thinking of wrapping electrical tape around it and see if that does anything. What do you think?

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

I have been all over my home town with my gpp and have trouble everywhere i go. I will say that it seems to be at it's worst when i am at the schools but it does it everywhere. After 10-15 on/off/on's, it starts to settle down a bit but that can't be the way it was meant to function, i don't think. I was thinking of wrapping electrical tape around it and see if that does anything. What do you think?

If you are thinking about wrapping electrical tape around it with the purpose of keeping it clean, then it probably won't help out with the issues you are having with it. I have always made covers for my pinpointers, and my GPP has been covered since day one which was nearly three years ago. In fact, when I took it out of its cover to send it in for repairs, it didn't have a mark on it and it looked brand new. The pinpointer worked fine up until a few months ago when it started its falsing. Covering or wrapping your GPP will keep it clean and nice looking, but won't stop the constant beeping problem that you are having.

 

[rodarian]

Thank you sj. My thought was that i may help it to stop falsing but after reading your reply, i will not expect it to fix the problem. It really looks like it's going to the shop, then. Being as it's my only pinpointer, i'm going to be without one for a couple weeks. Man, i was really hoping that there was some easy fix that i just did not know...heh.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

Thank you sj. My thought was that i may help it to stop falsing but after reading your reply, i will not expect it to fix the problem. It really looks like it's going to the shop, then. Being as it's my only pinpointer, i'm going to be without one for a couple weeks. Man, i was really hoping that there was some easy fix that i just did not know...heh.

I guess I should have clarified, that if your problem is the same that my GPP was having, then wrapping it won't help. But by all means, if you want to try something to see if it helps then why not try it. I am a big proponent of having a cover on my pinpointer and I firmly believe that keeping it clean does extend the life of it and overall keeps it in good working order. But the internal issues mine was having couldn't have been prevented. This past week has been tough since mine is still in the shop and I haven't been able to hunt. It's been eleven days since I sent it off. I'm expecting about a two week turn around, but we'll see.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

Ok, it's Monday and I received my GPP back today in the mail. Including travel time for both ways, it took 14 days. I am going to go out for a night hunt after I get off of work, but so far so good and it appears to be fixed. It's not falsing in the air and it's stable when I move it around and give it a slight shake. I was hoping for some sort of explanation from Garrett as to what was wrong with it, but all that came back with it was an invoice indicating that it had been fixed.

 

[rodarian]

Thank you sj. Mine is still doing all of that craziness and getting worse. I guess i'm going to have to suffer the 14 day absence. There was no cost to you, right? Thank you again for getting back to me.