My new Cz3d airtest results

I have received my CZ3D and performed some airtest and wanted to share the results. I performed the test in salt mode with sensitivity on 10. Ground balance setting didn't seem to be a factor in this test. Discrimination was set to 0.

Clad dime @ 8 inches

Nickel @ 8 1/2 inches

Quarter @ 9 1/2

I bought this unit new and didn't expect it to be as hot as a Los Banos unit but was hoping for better results. I really like the CZ, but wonder if this unit is performing as it should. Which brings me to my next thought. Can airtest be misleading? Is it possible for a unit to do well in an airtest but suffer in other categories? Is it possible the newer units are optimized for overall better performance but not without the loss depth? Just thinking out loud here.

Can you do the test in 'enhance' mode?

Initially I did the test in "enhance" mode but got better results in the Salt setting.

I will run the test again in "enhanced" mode and post results.

Air test in Enhance, with ground balance set to 10.
Also let us know clad dime results with sensitivity on 4.5 and 9.

A 8" response on a dime makes me think the ground balance setting might be on 1. If true, then you should gain a couple of inches with a ground balance setting of 10.

At least its a quick check to see if you need to return it. No reason to stay with a subpar unit if you bought it new.

You just can't buy a CZ detector anymore, new or used, without requesting the clad dime air test first.

Good luck,
Mike

Video of the most recent airtest

[youtu.be]

The coin is only traveling/sweeping about 4" or 5" (from left to right). Try wide sweeps......... usually about 18" travel distance..... at different ranges/distances from the coil.

Yes..... Grnd Bal should be on '10' for this testing.................... but, with a clad dime (high conductor).......... there is minimal air-test depth gains ....when comparing low Grnd Bal numbers to high Grnd Bal numbers. If you are using a small (low conductor) gold ring..... you will see a detection depth difference whilst trying different Grnd Bal settings.

Thanks for sharing your recent air test results especially the video, the video helped me duplicate the same test with my CZ-3D.

Same settings, Sens at 10 Ground Balance 10 with enhance mode. Also, tried salt mode and differences were very similar with a slight edge with enhance.

A dime measured 10" to a weak 10.5" inches, did both a narrow sweep to a wide sweep, again both were about equal with a slight edge using a wide sweep. Also, tried the 10" x 5" elliptical coil and to my surprise it fared extremely well being such a narrow coil, a dime measured 8.5" to 9" inches. Not aware if my 3D has the depth mod bought it from a gentleman back east several years ago, It's a 1021 model.

Tom, Mike or anyone, is 10" to 10.5" on my 3D good?

Thanks again for sharing your results,
Paul

I have had CZ's that didn't air test 10-11 inches on a clad dime but got them deep in the ground...makes me wonder nobody worries about air tests on other deep units..
I think we are overplaying or overestimating by air tests...now it seems play with the ground balance and get extra depth...every CZ I ever had ground balanced in the 4-5-6 area
and if I perhaps set ground balance at 10 I will get extra depth even if my unit is not properly ground balanced for my area ?????
Down and dirty swing slow deliberate sweeps and you will get the deepies...speaking out loud do air test really equate to deep silver in actual hunting conditions..one wonders...

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2016 04:11AM by tnsharpshooter.

I think resting the coil on the ground is going to skew the results if you have any minerals. I know with my ground minerals it would almost be like laying the coil in the bathtub. Yes, it is not in motion but it still has an effect on the performance.

Paul,
I have owned two CZ-3Ds. Both of them air tested a clad dime greater than 11" (11-1/2" to 11-7/8") with a repeatable and consistant high tone with Sens on 4.5 and ground balance on 10 in Enhanced mode.

In fact, thinking back, none of the CZ series I have owned air tested a clad dime less than 11" (two CZ-70 with sens at 6, two CZ3D with sens at 4.5, and one CZ5 with sens at 5) None of these were Tom D. tuned units and none were bought new. Never had an issue with high conductive coins with any of them.

My actual ground balance settings run from 2 to 2.75 and I could see a good 1" to 1-1/2" reduction in air tests with those settings.

Aguerrero, Yours looks like one of the badly calibrated units. I would contact Fisher and ask them to recalibrate it. Tell them you bought a new one and it is one of the poorly calibrated ones. Go to Findmall CZ forum and search Dave J posts. He has a post that you can refer too when you are speaking with them. He recently brought it up again and you can find it on the first page.

HH
Mike



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2016 03:42PM by Mike Hillis.

I do realize that Tom does an excellent job tuning the CZ3D relative the parmameters where certain coins come in and usually gets more depth out of most units in air tests but was just thinking out loud in my original post as all of the CZ models I had were deepseekers in actual hunting conditions but not all air tested well.
Indeed if I purchased new I would buy local and airtest before buying or if mail order expect the unit bought to be tested before I purchased to clarify my feelings...

Thanks Mike,

Appreciate the information, I'll reair test mine outside see if this enhances the results. Was running my airtest inside the home. However, yours arrested with great results with 4 sens, that's fantastic don't think mine can get these results with 4 sens mine was pegged at 10 sens.

Still, I'm happy with my results if outside results remain the same.

Thanks again,
Paul

So after doing some more test, without better results, I decided to call Fisher. I talked to Daniel in the repair department and he told me that each unit he calibrates, hits dimes @10 inches or more, or its rejected. According to the manufacturing specs it should hit a dime @ 9 inches at least. So it does appear that mines is not calibrated properly. Thanks for the help guys.

Even out of tune a CZ can be a very good producing machine. Only when it is compared to a standard or another machine can one see if its up to snuff or not. In my opinion air testing is ONLY good as a means of reducing outside variables to provide a way to compare units relative detecting efficacy when you cannot run them both over the same dirt and target at or near the same time. In dirt GB to the dirt environment, in the air use the 10 setting because you don't have a way to balance traditionally. One can vary settings to see if there is a better result at another setting.
I just reread Andy Sabisch's Quicksilver book's section on bench (air) testing and was reminded it does help familiarize one with a new detector and relative response to various targets with attention to the ones one will be seeking. I note that he provides a chart form for recording results of air testing your CZ and it has SENS and DISC columns, but no GB! I had to smile again noting that the book just turned 21 years old!

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Stopped my an old park before work, have a test bed of buried dimes @ 7", 8", 9" & 10" inches. A little mineralized, tough to get the 9" or 10" with any detector and certain seasons effect depth.

The CZ-3d with 8" coil matched both Teknetics, I feel that was extremely good, 8" Coil vs. 10" and 12" coils.

The deepest the CZ-3d was 8" inches, I know doesn't sound deep but under these conditions that is great!

Ground conditions don't allow depth, I've noticed certain parks detectors detect deeper.

HH, Paul

Paul which Vlf detector ( s) do you have that will hit the 9 and 10" deep dimes in test garden???

Blisstool V5 & V6

Also an explorer will detect these buried coins, Blisstool is the deepest but no ID.

Paul



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2016 09:12AM by Old California.

I will be receiving a new unit shortly and will run the same test. Thanks again everyone for your input. I'll keep you guys updated.

Hey Paul, Is that a different type Hot Head coil as if looks a little different? Also I have a FT CZ-3D that will do 12.1'' on a clad dime. My XL-PRO with the Tone Mod. will do 11.0'' on a clad dime with the proper Third Tone and lock on Dime I.D. This is with a 9.5'' coil,But still pretty good for a Four Filter Analog.

Keep us posted aguerrero, glad to hear all worked out for you.

Harold, you've got two deep machines, CZ-3D Whites XL Pro man those air test extremely well.

The hot head is 2nd Generation, looks a little different. Heavy too, too heavy for me. Perfer the stock 10", good depth and not so heavy.

Paul

The dirt changes everything, air is nice but dirt can change from one place to another it's just not the same here in Calif air means nothing to me

LowBoy

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Well maybe air does matter.

Saw a gent who found a 3 ringer in a big tree limb. LoL

My ground is Moderate to Mild. It seems every Detector I had that was Hot in Air was also Deep in ground except the Etrac which like all Minelab's doesn't Air Test well.

All I can say is this old XS explorer I bought used.
Airtest on clad dime= repeatable high tone to 12.25"
Now I think this thing has a coil cover on it of some sort, if so then a little distance can be added.

Hotter than a pistol on dimes.

I dug an IH cent with it in a hunted out site--- DEEP.

Scary deep.

High tone a ringing with cursor going apeshxt.

Something else that's easy to forget when doing air tests...especially for the first time...is electrical interference...EMI.

In the building I keep my detectors, the EMI is so bad, I can barely run most units at half sensitivity. Some are so noisy, I first thought they were defective.
I've never been able to identify the source...I think it might just be the pole transformer.
(They all work fine when I get out to an isolated location.)

And a quirk to remember about the CZ series...their depth is adversely affected long before you hear any electrical noise/static.

mike

Happy to report the 2nd Cz3d received is a good one. I get a repeatable signal on a dime at 10 inches. The signal breaks up quick at 10 1/2 inches. At one point it was hitting at 11 inches but that moment was short lived. My house where the test were performed has some interference, but yet this Cz showed good results. When powered on, I noticed this one was a bit more chatty than the last one, which was a good sign. The first unit was awkwardly quiet in my house which I thought was odd. I can't wait to get out and start learning the CZ way. I was starting to wonder if my expectations for the CZ3D were unrealistic, but now I'm glad I didn't settle for the first unit.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2016 05:57PM by aguerrero56.

Glad to know things are a bit better. I think you will see exactly 'why' there is a large following of folks with the CZ platform.

Thanks Tom, I forgot to mention this particular CZ airtested better in the enhanced mode.

And that's to be expected. The 'salt' mode does reduce performance a bit; yet, is still a flagship on wet salt beaches..... even being 25 years old.