SE Pro Flakey Screen and Sunray Probe Issue

[Brett]

I've been noticing this on my SE Pro for awhile now, but just deal with it. I'm finally annoyed enough that I'm posting about it to see if anyone else is experiencing something similar. I have the Sunray X-1 probe on my SE Pro, with the standard 11" Pro coil.

While hunting for awhile in the Smartfind screen, I notice that many of the pixels are shifted around or blank. I should try to take a picture of this, but basically if you know what I'm talking about then it shouldn't matter.

The other problem is when I find a target, I isolate it with the large coil, and then flip over to the probe as I drop to the ground. When I switch to pinpoint mode with the probe in the air, it usually always starts to sound off at some level - as if it were coming near a target and is now hovering over that target. Sometimes it's low enough that if I bring it near a coin I can tell the difference, but usually I sounds off pretty loud. The really annoying part about this problem is that if I toggle pinpoint mode off and on again the tone might still be there. Sometimes I have to do this 3 times before it's silent. Usually if I remember to put the probe against the ground and wait a second or two before switching on the pinpoint mode, there is no problem - but this is not always the case.

Do these sound like problems, user error, or is it just the way the SE Pro works??

Thanks!

 

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[MINELABMIKE]

rootmaster, on the sunray probe you dont need to have the detector on pinpoint, when you find a target with the main coil ,then when on the ground flip the switch on the probe it will transfer eve main coil to the probe, the only sound you should hear is when you lift the probe off of the detector

 

[Brett]

rootmaster, on the sunray probe you dont need to have the detector on pinpoint, when you find a target with the main coil ,then when on the ground flip the switch on the probe it will transfer eve main coil to the probe, the only sound you should hear is when you lift the probe off of the detector

Hi Minelabmike, I know I don't need to use the pinpoint mode... but frankly I would not leave home without it. It helps a lot when I can barely get a flutey tone out of a target that's in the bottom of a hole maybe 3" below the surface of the dirt. Putting the probe in pinpoint mode helps to zero in on the target so I do scratch it. Also, when not hearing any good tones, sometimes flipping to pinpoint mode helps to locate stray IRON. There are many reasons pinpoint mode is good to use, so I want to be able to use it as quickly as possible.

 

[gw1952]

I know about the noise when putting the probe in pinpoint. I talked to Ralph at Sunray and he said not to put the probe in pinpoint. You may want to email or call Ralph to check on whats happening to you. Some times it worked and sometimes it didn't

 

[Brett]

I know about the noise when putting the probe in pinpoint. I talked to Ralph at Sunray and he said not to put the probe in pinpoint. You may want to email or call Ralph to check on whats happening to you. Some times it worked and sometimes it didn't

Not putting the probe in pinpoint is not an option for me, and even with the issue happening I still fight to use the pinpoint mode. That's terrible if that's the suggestion from Ralph. I wonder if the Etrac has this issue too? I guess I better give him a call and see what's the dealio.

Seems like it's not just me then... I wonder how many other people just deal with it?

 

[mastereagle22]

I know on my EX II I CANNOT use the probe in pinpoint mode. The probe becomes useless. I have learned over time to just use the probe in regular mode and it usually works. I find that if I have any issues with an Iron Target flipping iron mask on will allow me to id the iron target then I just go back to my programmed mode I was running in.

 

[Iron Patch]

This is actually the first time I've read about someone using the probe in PP mode and I've had mine for many years, and have read the forums for longer. The way i see it is you just made what is a discriminating pp'er an all metal one. There would be more chance hacking something because in allmetal you might pp the wrong target and hit the good one I'm certainly not going to tell you what to do but I don't see anything wrong with what Ralph said because all the advantage is using it in disc. mode.

 

[mastereagle22]

I have no problem with mine when it is working right. Had to send it in for repair. I wouldn't hunt without the Sunray if I had a choice. Of course I never put the machine in PP but you are right IP it would be all metal at that point. I don't think that it is a problem to use it without going into pinpoint.

 

[Iron Patch]

I have no problem with mine when it is working right. Had to send it in for repair. I wouldn't hunt without the Sunray if I had a choice. Of course I never put the machine in PP but you are right IP it would be all metal at that point. I don't think that it is a problem to use it without going into pinpoint.

The only problem I've seen with the probes is the switches can go bad and the detectors false because of it. There's probably a few people out there having that problem and can't figure it out.

 

[Brett]

This is actually the first time I've read about someone using the probe in PP mode and I've had mine for many years, and have read the forums for longer. The way i see it is you just made what is a discriminating pp'er an all metal one. There would be more chance hacking something because in allmetal you might pp the wrong target and hit the good one I'm certainly not going to tell you what to do but I don't see anything wrong with what Ralph said because all the advantage is using it in disc. mode.

The way I use the probe is I leave pinpoint mode off initially, and look for valid targets in the hole or clump. If I find one, then I basically know approximately where it is. I switch to pinpoint mode and zero in on the target. Pinpoint mode helps to get the exact center of the target, and also lets me audibly know how far away from the probe tip it is. So in using it this way, verses just using the pinpoint mode right away, I do minimize the chance of damaging the coin.

 

[Iron Patch]

This is actually the first time I've read about someone using the probe in PP mode and I've had mine for many years, and have read the forums for longer. The way i see it is you just made what is a discriminating pp'er an all metal one. There would be more chance hacking something because in allmetal you might pp the wrong target and hit the good one I'm certainly not going to tell you what to do but I don't see anything wrong with what Ralph said because all the advantage is using it in disc. mode.

The way I use the probe is I leave pinpoint mode off initially, and look for valid targets in the hole or clump. If I find one, then I basically know approximately where it is. I switch to pinpoint mode and zero in on the target. Pinpoint mode helps to get the exact center of the target, and also lets me audibly know how far away from the probe tip it is. So in using it this way, verses just using the pinpoint mode right away, I do minimize the chance of damaging the coin.

May be the case, I don't have to be very neat when I dig so chipping around the target is easy to do. Having said that, I have hunted places where I had to be careful and still didn't have a problem using it in disc. mode.

 

[mastereagle22]

I have no problem with mine when it is working right. Had to send it in for repair. I wouldn't hunt without the Sunray if I had a choice. Of course I never put the machine in PP but you are right IP it would be all metal at that point. I don't think that it is a problem to use it without going into pinpoint.

The only problem I've seen with the probes is the switches can go bad and the detectors false because of it. There's probably a few people out there having that problem and can't figure it out.

Sounds like what was wrong with mine.

 

[Brett]

May be the case, I don't have to be very neat when I dig so chipping around the target is easy to do. Having said that, I have hunted places where I had to be careful and still didn't have a problem using it in disc. mode.

I wasn't being very neat about it today at all. It just helps me locate those dark wheaties amongst the same colored dirt that much easier, without sorting and sifting piles of it. Everyone has there own way of doing it though. I wish I could work the hole standing up and reduce some of my back pain.

 

[AmericanCoinHunting]

May be the case, I don't have to be very neat when I dig so chipping around the target is easy to do. Having said that, I have hunted places where I had to be careful and still didn't have a problem using it in disc. mode.

I wasn't being very neat about it today at all. It just helps me locate those dark wheaties amongst the same colored dirt that much easier, without sorting and sifting piles of it. Everyone has there own way of doing it though. I wish I could work the hole standing up and reduce some of my back pain.

The only time I use the X-1 in pp mode is when I am anoid that I can't find the target......I get a signal that reads 6" depth..............dig 7-8" & around it to make sure I don't scratch something valuable.,,,,,,,,,,Then the waiting game.........Nothing in the hole.......Well Good....
Nothing in the last pile Hmmm.....Nothing in the 1st pile ?... Hmmmmmmm........check all again.............Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Plug is initially only 4-5" but I cleared 7-8" Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I check the plug & wiggle my probe.......Then lose the signal again WTF !!!! I reattach my probe ,switch it to Target and Re-sweep everything....Locate the part of the pile the target is in................re-switch too Probe.
I now know that the target is in a small section of the pile.....so.... yeeeaahh Try pinpoint. ...........
Hold the detector up with 1 hand so I can see when the bars come together,push the pp button,and after 6-7 annoying minutes. I have my mouth wide open gapping at a tiny little S.S. Washer THAT was only THREE INCHES DOWN IN THE PLUG WTFFFFFFFFFFFFF !!!!
Now I just go threw the first couple steps,but if I cannot find it.I turn the plug over BEFORE I rescan every thing LOL.
I see nothing wrong with using the pp button while using the X-1....But most times,the X-1 wiggle works 4 me

 

[Brett]

Good grief McEtrak! Yeah I've done that a few times myself. Some junk piece of aluminum or metal that is so small it makes the depth meter go nuts deep. My dad always checks those with the probe first above the ground to make sure it really is something deep, and not something small and shallow. If the probe can detect it too, then you know it's not more than 3". What I'm starting to do now, is if I get a really deep one, I'll lift the coil up an inch at a time and see how far off the surface of the ground I can read it. If the target disappears within an inch or 3, then I know it definitely over 6" down, especially if it's a penny/dime signal.

I want to try to learn to not use the PP mode to pick up speed, but for right now it's my crutch.

 

[lms7652]

I have never heard anyone say to not use the X-1 probe in pinpoint until now. I use mine in PP mode all the time. I can use it to find a shallow coin and pop it out of the ground or find the exact spot in the hole where a deep coin is located. If you hold the probe away from the ground and then press the PP button it seems to work fine. You can also hold it close to the target and then press the PP button and it seems to detune it for more precise target location.

 

[Brett]

I have never heard anyone say to not use the X-1 probe in pinpoint until now. I use mine in PP mode all the time. I can use it to find a shallow coin and pop it out of the ground or find the exact spot in the hole where a deep coin is located. If you hold the probe away from the ground and then press the PP button it seems to work fine. You can also hold it close to the target and then press the PP button and it seems to detune it for more precise target location.

Hooray, I'm not alone and crazy! Yeah I try to hold the probe up in the air usually or stick it in the dirt before I put the detector in PP mode. That seems to do the trick usually, but when I am impatient and don't wait for the threshold tone to come back and settle in (while in air or ground) it usually flakes out. I guess that could explain everything because I seem to have the same problem with my large coil if I try to put it in PP mode under the same conditions. The first signal that the detector sees is something that it doesn't eventually settle into, and once it settles, the VCO tone changes accordingly. This theory might explain why sometimes I can get the probe to go silent directly over the target, but produce a tone anywhere else around the target (complete opposite of what it's supposed to do).

 

[John Deere Digger]

I switch the probe on my SE to pin point quite alot. Helps with those signals that are deep or ones that are to the side of the plug. Usually I am investigating an iffy target and it will help me find an old rusty nail faster so I can move on. Just my two cents worth.
JDD