i got a bounty hunter discovery 2200 any tips for it would be greatfull

[PostalTwo]

Nail or not . I love square nails . There old and crafted by hand

 

[metal1]

I was thinking that my new (used) Bounty Hunter discovery 2200 was ok for a newbie. A friend picked it up at a pawn shop for $60 and it came with a warranty.
I haven't used it yet but plan to the first nice day.
I was reading the tips you had given another poster and they will come in real handy.
Thank you

 

[PostalTwo]

It's a great machine that loves coins

 

[MoonTzu]

I have to say, this is a very useful thread. I bought my BH Elite 2200 used, and found that a looser cord wrap really does help, as does tightening up the batteries in their compartment (I used a piece of cardboard as a shim, as shown in the manual). I also cleaned the cord connection plug and socket. Doing all that eliminated a lot of ghosts and all the signals at the end of sweeps!

 

[ivan salis]

square nails are older hand made blacksmith iron nails --in making the iron for crafting back in the old days small amounts of other metals were often mixed up in the raw iron ore / coal used by the blacksmiths to make their iron (tin / copper / lead and nickle) these trace elements make square nails almost impossible to notch out --the good news is where ever you find old square nails --there was human beings from a earlier time frame at --thus the possibility of finding old goodies

 

[MoonTzu]

Where we go camping in the Sierras, with a bit of effort, we find square nails just sitting on the ground. Every year the soil just turns more of them up. A section of the trail follows an old logging flume, and that's what they're from.

 

[MoonTzu]

I've used my Bounty Hunter Elite 2200 (the same machine) for a little over a month. Been out with it at least 30 times - about an hour each time because I have to fit it in between dropping off the kids and getting to work.

Totally agree with the previous post about not wrapping the cord too tightly around the shaft and always checking the connection. Also, swing control. Those two things eliminated all the ghosts and odd blips.

In parks, I turn the sensitivity down to no bar, and even then it finds things that are too deep to dig. If I was in an open field it would be different, but when I first started out I'd cut a flap, hinge it open, and dig around for the target; now I have a pinpointer and I pop coins with a 4" screwdriver, no digging and no trace I've been there. Honestly, in my area (recently built, nothing around until the developers moved in) I don't imagine there's very much of value down deep anyways, and the potential damage to the turf outweighs the benefit to me.

Remember that the "depth" indicated includes the height of the coil above the surface. In mowed park grass, the surface could be a couple inches below the grass level. Nonetheless, I've found that in parks, where the soil is moist, my Bounty Hunter Elite 2200 tends to say targets are deeper than they are. I've found that any reading around 2" indicates a surface or surface-scrape item, and 4-6" indicates that it's buried an inch or so below the surface. I've successfully popped coins (and poptops and bottle caps) indicated as deep as 6"+, and I my screwdriver is only a 4 incher plus my pinpointer, a cheapie, only detects down about 3".

Even with the sensitivity down at no bars, the 2200 finds all kinds of clad.

I hunt in all metal mode, and only zap out iron if it gets too noisy. I like "reading" the various tones by ear, and having frequent audio helps me quickly catch when my headphone plug has pulled out a little.

I've learned to not look at the center of the coil. The signal is strongest at the outside of the inner ring. The "drawing an X" approach helps in pinpointing, but you have to focus on the edge of the inner ring instead of the dead center. A pinpointer is almost essential, I think. At the very least, a pinpointer will help minimize turf damage and improve recovery speed.

I use rechargeable NiMH 9-volt batteries, and they work excellently. I carry a two-pack of 9v alkaline batteries in my detecting bag just in case, but I just recharge them every couple weeks. I have noticed it performs better on the top half of battery charge; when it drops below the halfway mark it just doesn't seem to lock on as well.

Those are my tips. I think it's a great machine, and its capabilities far outstrip my own and likely will for some time!