Testing the Impact

I didn't get as much time to test the Impact as a couple of others on this forum but we did get a break with the rain. Calif has been getting slammed all fall and winter long. I can tell you the machine does look really great and is very solid. I will go over the features I was able to test. I can tell you they took the best of their lineup and put it into this machine and added three Freq that are very powerful. They also created two nice all metal modes that I like to use. One is like the whites detector I had many years ago. A mixed mode. I never really liked all metal on other machines but I do on this machine. I can also tell you this machine is very balanced with the standard coil. They also included a small coil that is very fast in iron and has very good depth and separation. They also ran the coil cord through the lower and upper rod so you don't wrap it around the rods. My machine came with wireless headphones but I think they are extra when you buy the detector. The headphones are very lite and comfortable.

I read Tom's testing and I can see why he works for NASA and from what I can conclude from his testing he seems to be on the fence and might be switching from the F75 to the Impact. I wish I had one ounce of Tom's intelligence and how he tests a new machine.

The impact is easy to navigate and the buttons are big enough to be able to use gloves. The screen is jam-packed with programs and are not an eye-strain. You can change a program and save it if you want to with ease. I really like the deep program, for me it just seems to click with my brain but there are a lot of different programs to use. On any program once you learn the basics of the Impact it is very easy to change the settings and not have to save them.I seem to use the 14 freq a lot in my dirt and can pull some deep targets as well as shallow targets with ease. The iron that is mixed in with the tones has a volume and to me the iron isn't over powering and seems to blend well with the tones so you can hear them and not lose a possible relic hiding and being almost masked. I would use the 20 freq more in iron and when the dirt is wet. The 5 freq is also very deep. The 20 freq can pull out targets that my pin pointer can't see.

It has a notch feature that can be used in a different way. You can notch what you don't want to dig but it has another setting that gives you an iron tone for the notched setting so you can be aware of the target with an iron tone or you can make it silent, you can change the settings so you can set it up a couple of ways. I had no lose of depth. And you have tone break that I set to about 22. All of these are tied to your disc and give you a wider, broader way to use this detector to really fine tune it and max its performance.

The Impact has a nice feature that keeps the back end off the ground. I call it a kickstand but what is nice about it is, it folds under the upper rod and is out of the way when taking it home or hanging in my office. Nice added feature. The overload tone is now more mellow and you can soften it by increasing the vol knob. There will be updates via the internet and I think they will be finding new ways to push this Impact to a higher plateau. I had to switch to rechargeable AA batteries to get the impact to give me a full day of hunting.


I went out one day and was using the deep program with the ID depth level set at mid level and I truly was digging holes deeper then I wanted to dig. I had to stop, I was at a foot or more on a number of holes that I had to give up on.


Some of the features are 12 search modes, 3 operating freq, 2 non motion and 2 all metal modes. Iron audio for notched out IDs. Gen (all metal) has disc when set at 0 you will get only one tone but as you increase the disc you will get 2 tones. You can save your own programs. You have a boost mode in the program Gen (a all metal program). It also has ID depth with 3 settings. This will adjust the the depth of the unit to help give you a ID on deep targets.


I have had some wet, drenched dirt to deal with in the Gold Country. Lots of iron and flakes of iron and iron dust mixed in the wet ground. So needles to say I have a lot of testing to do with the Impact and I expect it to preform even better when the ground starts to dry up. I hope to make some videos of my hunts starting in March...What really counts is what you find with this machine. And for me the best place for me to hunt are places I have cleaned out, places that only I have permission the hunt so I know if I missed something it was my fault. I did find this relic that I posted last week. This is from one area I had hunted for about 10 years now and she's a beauty. I'm going back this Saturday come rain or shine and see if I can find one or more relics with the new Impact.

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

thanx for the post.

Whereabouts in CA are you located ? If you want to try a ghost-townsy "iron zone" to test this new machine out at, let me know . A zone which has given up reales and early seateds, yet is a blanket of nails and no longer gives anything up. Or black sand beach. Or tab/foil "cherry-pick" mentality turf, let me know. Cal Cobra Brian and I can set you up with any such site along the central coast CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2017 06:08AM by Tom_in_CA.

I know Brian and I live in the gold country near Jackson Calif. I'm not apposed to having anyone that wants to test my machine test it for themselves. But I will not hunt any federal land or state land without permission. And my days of hoping fences are done. Not saying you guys do that but I got caught and had no idea I was on forest land and they are not nice to people that do that.

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

Are there any Impact testers in the Rocky Mountain region for feedback? We have challenging highly mineralized soils and I would be curious how well the Impact TID works and overall depth. A Racer for example can usually ID to about 4-5 inches and overall depth going by audio about 7 inches on a good day. Not unusual for most single frequency machines.

Thanks to you guys that have put in the time and effort with the factory on development.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2017 06:57AM by TabWhisperer.

Nah, Brian never hops fences or goes on public land. Not without express permission of city councils, mayors, senators, etc.... We give them "search and salvage" contract agreements for them to sign (in case, gasp, we find a buffalo nickel or some coin over 50 yrs. old). Their lawyers are more than happy to look over and sign our contracts. And we're sure to pepper it with mention of "indian bones" and so forth (lest they not understand the full implications).

Seriously now, .... do you have any links to what situation your referring to ? I'd like to hear the story. ouch.

Jackson is about 2 hrs. from Brian, and 2.75-ish from me. The spots I have in mind are the beach: It's a state beach, is that ok ?. And as for turf, it's a city park I have in mind (with no express allowance, but I'm sure someone could say it qualifies as "alter" or "deface" ?). And the iron zone I have in mind is private land chaparral landscape where reales and seated used to come from an iron zone. It has permission , but ....... just a handshake. And that person is long gone (just someone at the gate once who said "go ahead", yet still requires a fence).

So it sounds like all options are off the table for what you're saying. Oh well, they'll be on the market soon enough. We'll eventually get to put one through the paces.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2017 07:25AM by Tom_in_CA.

This new machine does sound very good,look forward to reading what the machines finds,its all well and good having all these lovely features and all these settings on a detector but its just that one comment from the opening poster that sums it all up 'What really counts is what you find with this machine' that in my mind is what its all about and the reliability of the machine.Alas one of my main buying decisions/criteria when looking for a new detector is always wait a minimum of 12 months from launch this to see if any major design faults start appearing,software and other problems.And although it very tempting to buy this new machine i will still stand by my buying criteria.

Some very good reviews thus far,as you have mentioned some serious indepth reviews and some not so,but at the end of the day its still just a big lump of plastic with some electonics inside,on its own it does nothing as its the skill of the operator that makes all the magic happen.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2017 08:39AM by Junk and Disorderly.

Impact is waterproof?

Thanks Lowboy for your rundown - It looks like its another winner from Team Turkey

[www.earthscan.co.nz]

How long does a set of alkaline batteries last on this detector (normal hunt time)?

Fed lands are no problem Lowboy.always nuggethunt bro.

another good read, cant wait to get one