Potential problem with my Sand Shark

[cdv1]

I start out Sunday afternoon and no sooner start swinging and I'm digging. First two targets were hoop earings and then the dreaded bobbie pin and I hadn't gone 10 feet... Yippie, this is going to be a good trip... Well, I start swinging again and the detector is going haywire everytime I move the shaft. I had everything adjusted from last trip and the only differnce is I had put in fresh recharged batteries. I re-adjust the threshold and volume but no mater how fast or slow I swing, the detector it is sounding off at the start and ends of the swing (over wet sand or dry). Sound was quite similar to having it in VCO over a target but it would do it like I said when I started and ended a swing. Anyone out there with a Sand Shark experience this?
I spent over an hour out there not knowing if it would still give me a signal. I went up away from the surf and pulled the batteries thinking maybe it was a bad connection but it still did it. It wasn't interference from cell phones, towers or radar, I know what that is like, just go out in front of the Holiday Inn in OC Maryland and you will know what interference is with a PI! Anyway, out of frustration I started shaking everything and bumping the box..... and it stopped and was normal again.

Never happened again that weekend but I lost a good hour or so..... Does it sound like it is worth a trip back to Tesoro for a check up?
It is a good time of the year to send it back if I have to do it.
Cliff

 

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[Sandman]

Cliff it is hard to tell as it could be many things. Since you bumped the box, I tend to think it was a connection problem. Is it an older Sand Shark with the coil connectors? Might be the battery box not touching both posts well. I would throw away the rechargeable batteries and only use alkalies. PI's are very touchy for voltage.

 

[cdv1]

Cliff it is hard to tell as it could be many things. Since you bumped the box, I tend to think it was a connection problem. Is it an older Sand Shark with the coil connectors? Might be the battery box not touching both posts well. I would throw away the rechargeable batteries and only use alkalies. PI's are very touchy for voltage.

It is a newer on with the hardwired coil.

It is really hard to remember everything that went on that evening but I do remember another thing about it... I was talking to another hunter and did complain to him that it was doing it everytime I swung to the right and it didn't matter how my body was placed (thinking interference of some sort), always to the right. Now I did at sometime (not sure when) crank the sensitivity all the way up figuring I needed to get through the extra sand and find things others were missing so with the control box on my right side, the detector could have been picking up the box, much like it can pick up my scoop if not on my shoulder. Also possible that I was inadvertantly bumping the control box.... I'll be taking it out again this weekend to see if I can reproduce the problem...

I know at work when I had problems with something not working as it should I used to tell myself to get a mirror and you will probably find the problem.... It may have been self induced....

As for the rechargeables, I'll take along some alkalines to put in if the problem does come up again.

Thanks

 

[Keppy]

I had that happen to me with my Minelab Sovereign ....... I would hit the thing it would work fine... then it would start sounding off on my swings so i hit it again and it worked fine but not for long......... So i took out the batterys and sanded off the connection points...... Then i bent the connection points out a little futher were the battery would touch with a screw driver.............. AND GUESS WHAT IT IS WORKING FINE NOW NO MORE PROBLEMS......

 

[Smoogle]

I'm with Sandman on this, having started with my SS with rechargeables I then experimented with alkalines and I reckon performance is better all around. I'm at least into the 20 hr mark on a set of Kodak xtra-life and still getting six beeps! Classic.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I start out Sunday afternoon and no sooner start swinging and I'm digging. First two targets were hoop earings and then the dreaded bobbie pin and I hadn't gone 10 feet... Yippie, this is going to be a good trip... Well, I start swinging again and the detector is going haywire everytime I move the shaft. I had everything adjusted from last trip and the only differnce is I had put in fresh recharged batteries. I re-adjust the threshold and volume but no mater how fast or slow I swing, the detector it is sounding off at the start and ends of the swing (over wet sand or dry). Sound was quite similar to having it in VCO over a target but it would do it like I said when I started and ended a swing. Anyone out there with a Sand Shark experience this?
I spent over an hour out there not knowing if it would still give me a signal. I went up away from the surf and pulled the batteries thinking maybe it was a bad connection but it still did it. It wasn't interference from cell phones, towers or radar, I know what that is like, just go out in front of the Holiday Inn in OC Maryland and you will know what interference is with a PI! Anyway, out of frustration I started shaking everything and bumping the box..... and it stopped and was normal again.

Never happened again that weekend but I lost a good hour or so..... Does it sound like it is worth a trip back to Tesoro for a check up?
It is a good time of the year to send it back if I have to do it.
Cliff

Hi Cliff! When my buddy John on Long Island got his 10.5" Sand Shark and put it in the water, he had the same problem after about an hour, with falsing at the end of every swing. Turned out to be a pinhole in the coil. Shaking and smacking a $700.00 electronic instrument probably isn't a great choice.

With all due respect to my brother detectorists, I only use rechargable batteries (PowerGenix NiZn), and there is no downside, risk or problems with them affecting the Sand Shark in a negative way. I have only had problems with EMI in a couple of places, and I always have the VLF in the car just in case! Looking forward to hearing what you discover, and the reason behind the malfunction!

 

[Smudge]

Cliff, I wouldn't mess around with the unit if I was having this problem.

"Send it in" would be my advice.

Best of luck to you. I hope it gets resolved quickly.

 

[cdv1]

I'll give it a try again Sunday to see if it happens again but it will be in fresh water this time. Trust me Terry, when I said "I started shaking everything and bumping the box" it was gentle and with love.... LOL Nothing that would have hurt it more than when a wave last time put me on my arse and washed me across the sandbar about 20 yards from where I was digging...that had to jar the control box more than my love taps.....

:-)