Land Ranger Pro (somewhat) review

[Phantasman]

What a well designed detector that is light and powerful. Not your typical Bounty Hunter, but a unit that has many features of the big boys, and does a great job in giving the hunter the mental image of ground targets.

I started by digging everything and soon found that tabs (MY greatest enemy) resided at the 34-36 range. In mode 4, I set the notch width to 4 and notched out 34-37. This made for a quieter hunt, unless the targets traveled the arc. The nickel I found hit at a constant 32.

I used the V-Break to bring the Low tone up to 29. I had Iron discriminated to 19. This allowed for three tones and the VCO only residing in 40-59, Alum and Zinc. I ignored most low tones (foil) unless they seemed to travel the arc a little. This could be a ring, yet I found none. Even a lot of the foil I did find hit under silver. One even looked coin sized (pictured). Silver hits hard and doesn't travel the arc much. The plug thingy pictured, hit as a dollar, but traveled somewhat and was worth digging, IMO.

A couple of things I noticed over every detector I had before.

It is extremely light but rugged. I could swing this all day, and wanted to. My bad back finally made me retire for the day as it's been on the mend for about a weeek and I didn't want to push it. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day as well.

It is the deepest detector I have had. Two times I had targets that rang up 9". I usually don't dig big plugs unless I have my Samson shovel with me. I tried twice to dig down passed the length of my Lesche digger yet could get my hand in the (small) hole and my XPointer couldn't find whatever it was. I have to be careful in this park, so I didn't widen the hole to go deeper and gave up. I did raise the coil before and during the dig on the LRP to see if it may be a can. Lifting the coil, I lost the target completly at an inch or so above the ground. If the air tests are accurate, the target mayt have been another 3" deeper than my hole. The PP said the target was 9".

I forgot to mention, I used the 10" elliptical concentric changed out from the Quick Draw Pro. Changing is as easy as unplugging the connector and changing the rods from one to the other. About a minute.

Once Ground Balanced in AM with Ground Grab, as you swing, just touch the Ground Grab button at anytime and the unit responds with a short tune that it is updated. This only works in AM, and Mode 2,3 and 4.

Dave J and crew did a great job on this little keeper, IMO.

 

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The credit goes to Jorge Anton Saad and Yi Yang, I was hardly involved at all.

--Dave J.

 

[Phantasman]

Understood. Kudo's to them. My only voice in a change, would be to leave the segment word IDs always on like the QDP.

 

[supertraq]

? does the LRP use the greek series coils and have you air tested it yet on dime and quarter..The features this unit have are amazing for the price,if i buy another machine it will be a LRP,period.

 

[Phantasman]

? does the LRP use the greek series coils and have you air tested it yet on dime and quarter..The features this unit have are amazing for the price,if i buy another machine it will be a LRP,period.

My post from another forum:

I did a quick air test on the Land Ranger Pro when it arrived today. I was impressed to find that in C (coins) mode that I could detect average coins at around 7-8". What threw me is that the same test in J (jewelry) mode picked up the same coins about 1 and 1/2" further, close to 10". I get the further depth on 2,3 and 4 mode as well. Anyone else that has a LRP notice this?

The manual says it detects coins to 10", and they are spot on, just not in C. I can live with it.


The coin mode seems to not be as deep as the other modes. I attribute this to the auto notching that eliminates Iron, Foil, Alum and Tabs. Yet even then, the detection rivals most detectors and in the other modes rivals what I've had in the past.Any coil from the Fisher/Tek line that "plugs in" will compliment the LRP and QDP. The early F5s and Tek Alpha and Deltas. The plug in Bounty Hunter coils will work, but at decreased depth. (The 4" BH coil gets 3" depth while the 5" F5F would get more than double that). At 7.69 khz, it makes sense to buy the 7.8 khz aligned F5 than the 6.6 BH.

FTP seems to be adding new coils with the BH at the end for the newer Pro line.

 

[Phantasman]

I've found the 10" elliptical C coil at a price of $179. I have no idea why the cheaper made BH coil is higher priced than the F5. That's why I just bought a QDP for $214 shipped. It has the same coil and I get an EXTRA ROD TO BOOT. Not to mention a back up detector.

To get the 8", it almost makes sense to buy a Lone Star Pro. I can't figure out FTP marketing on coils for these.

 

[Dan B]

Yeah those coils are way over priced compared to the price of the entire machine.

 

[Phantasman]

Marketing is a funny thing sometimes. You can buy a Canon copier/printer for your computer for an unbelievably low price ($45-$60 sometimes). But if you want to print, you'll buy their ink cartridges at $25 for black and $50 for 3 colors, month after month. Proprietary after product sales is what makes a company worth more money and make more money.

Codan, who owns Minelab, would be worth more if it bought Detech (if they haven't already) as a manufacturer and competitor of Minelabs after market sales. Proprietary lacks competition. Competition is what lowers prices.

 

[robs]

Thanks for the review of the LRP! Been eyeing one for myself. Might get one.

 

[Keppy]

I've found the 10" elliptical C coil at a price of $179. I have no idea why the cheaper made BH coil is higher priced than the F5. That's why I just bought a QDP for $214 shipped. It has the same coil and I get an EXTRA ROD TO BOOT. Not to mention a back up detector.

To get the 8", it almost makes sense to buy a Lone Star Pro. I can't figure out FTP marketing on coils for these.

What is the QDP ?… I have been looking at the Lone Star Pro also ..

 

[Phantasman]

Quick Draw Pro. Better deal than the Lone Star Pro, IMO. Numeric ID, Pinpoint with depth readout, volume control plus the better 10" elliptical concentric coil. I bought my QDP for $214.

 

[robs]

Question. Why do you think that the 10 elliptical coil is better than the 11 dd coil? Just curious.

 

[Rawhide]

Thanks for sharing. Be careful notching out targets.

 

[Phantasman]

Question. Why do you think that the 10 elliptical coil is better than the 11 dd coil? Just curious.

Keppy said he had been looking at the "Lone Star Pro". It has a 8" concentric round coil. I was suggesting for a little more money, the Quick Draw Pro was better with it's 10" elliptical.

The Land Ranger Pro comes standard with the 11" DD. I use the 10" elliptical because it seems to ID better, and gets the same depth in the sweet spot. If I encounter higher mineralization or want a better footprint per sweep, or need ID in higher trashy areas, I would use the 11"DD.

 

[Phantasman]

Thanks for sharing. Be careful notching out targets.

Notching does somewhat affect depth. With the LRP. maybe an inch or so. But I am not a finicky deepest type hunter. 8" with clarity and problem notching is just fine for me. I don't worry over missing a 9" signal since most all targets reside in the 8" or less range. But it's nice to know that in less trashy areas where I want depth, that I can let the LRP go at AM and get that 10" difference.(like a plowed field).

If you were concerned about notching good targets, the Notch Width feature makes that a dream. I can notch directly on pull tabs with a 5 width notch at their typical heart of detection, without eliminating the other 5 in the same segment.

 

[robs]

Keppy said he had been looking at the "Lone Star Pro". It has a 8" concentric round coil. I was suggesting for a little more money, the Quick Draw Pro was better with it's 10" elliptical.

The Land Ranger Pro comes standard with the 11" DD. I use the 10" elliptical because it seems to ID better, and gets the same depth in the sweet spot. If I encounter higher mineralization or want a better footprint per sweep, or need ID in higher trashy areas, I would use the 11"DD.

Thank you.

 

[robs]

Just ordered the LRP. Just have to wait 5 months for winter to be gone.

 

[Phantasman]

You and greaser both live in MN. His other thread on here has the VDI numbers for you to work with. He's waiting for it to warm there as well. Air test that sucker when it comes in. I'm sure you'll be impressed.

 

[greaser]

Congrats Robs your going to enjoy it and I definitely feel your pain on waiting for spring. Where in Minnesota do you reside I am about 45 min south of Duluth.

 

[Keppy]

Is the LRP as chatty as the fisher F 70 & F75 ..