Invaluable Resource -- Dave J.

Dave J. = (Dave Johnson)...... of whom is the current Chief Design Engineer (CDE) for Fisher/Teknetics/Bounty Hunter........ and has had his hand in on about 60% - 70% of metal detector designs in the U.S. ....... frequently visits (and posts) over on findmall forum...... in particular.... the Fisher, Teknetics and Bounty Hunter forums. It is my strongest recommendation that all die-hard detectorists (on this forum) read every post made by "Dave J."

I have expended life-long studies in Human Behavioral Psychology (and find it exceptionally fascinating); subsequently, I will state for the record that Dave J. is 'aware'..... and is one of the most "awake" humans on the planet. If you want to have 'input' on new detector designs/concepts by Fisher/Tek/BH......never underestimate the power of your 'voice' ..... over on findmall..... especially where Dave J. posts/frequents. Your voice will not fall on deaf ears. Dave J. is a living legacy. Never forsake this opportunity/asset. For maximum input/impact = be candid/honest/professional.

Very well stated Tom!-----Dave J is indeed a legend in his own time, we (and FT) are very fortunate to have him.

This makes me sad. Find's is one of the many Internet farces. It's carefully sculpted for making money and has very little reality. Dave J will seldom get what people "don't like" about a detector. Unfortunately, not everyone is an "engineer" who can give him ideas. Most consumer ideas come from what people "don't like". He will seldom see that there.

You would think that Dave would read this forum maybe not post but on the other forum I am sure he can see what happened to the next best thing to hit the market and realize it is all up for grabs if the design is right...He will answer my PM when I have a good idea or question...but for now I am out of the loop and I think what ever they are coming out with will and or is set in stone and we all hope they saw the writting on the wall and understand they can run away with the business if they do this the right way...

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!

FM is not a perfect forum by any means, but it has huge numbers and there are some good guys there as well as some who are not. With a little filtering and Disc settings it can be productive hunting ground. Agree on Dave J, NASA Tom. Whatever happened to Mike Scott? He used to post now and then and I always appreciated his input. FT has some good people. Only one forum is like only one detector with only one coil- good but not best.
Tom

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

Shambler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This makes me sad. Find's is one of the many
> Internet farces. It's carefully sculpted for
> making money and has very little reality. Dave J
> will seldom get what people "don't like" about a
> detector. Unfortunately, not everyone is an
> "engineer" who can give him ideas. Most consumer
> ideas come from what people "don't like". He will
> seldom see that there.


this is essentially correct! negativity that exposes "perceived"
weaknesses in detector design,function,or hunting procedures
is "verbotten" on that site.basically,one must say the right thing,
(subject to interpretation),or risk the "guvnor's" wrath! would welcome
reading dave's input on THIS forum,if he should so graciously decide
to contribute!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Lawrenzo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You would think that Dave would read this forum
> maybe not post but on the other forum I am sure he
> can see what happened to the next best thing to
> hit the market and realize it is all up for grabs
> if the design is right...He will answer my PM when
> I have a good idea or question...but for now I am
> out of the loop and I think what ever they are
> coming out with will and or is set in stone and we
> all hope they saw the writting on the wall and
> understand they can run away with the business if
> they do this the right way...


yes! i believe this is a possibility,as minelab has"tipped their hand"
so to speak,and introduced a wonderful instrument, however at a
very high cost. one can say to a certainty,that dave j and crew will/are
developing a superior technology that will out hunt the competition,AND
do it at a more reasonable cost!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Reading any/all Dave J. posts on findmall does not implicate 'bias'.

So let me get this straight... Tom promotes reading Findmall for the betterment of the metal detecting community. And then we have this from the Guv:

(It's old but this postng now has a 4 day half-life: )

Posted by: Guvner, Date: April 25, 2012 05:47PM, [www.findmall.com]

Quote
Guvner
I wonder when Tom will finally realize why his name got banned and what he really has on his hands. As soon as he deletes the slanderous post by one of his other members about Bryce and make the troll go away I'll un-ban his name.

G..

It's OK; I'll take a hit for the team...

I dont believe Tom is advertising for Findmall..... he just honestly believes there can be something learned by Dave's posts and perhaps give you a chance at some imput that might get Dave thinking.

Dew

dewcon4414 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I dont believe Tom is advertising for
> Findmall..... he just honestly believes there can
> be something learned by Dave's posts and perhaps
> give you a chance at some imput that might get
> Dave thinking.
>
> Dew

I agree. Tom promotes learning for everyone. What better way to learn more than be able to talk with/amongst Dave Johnson... be it here or FindMall. Thanks Tom!

Nice guy answered couple of my post! Them boys got it made down in Elpaso Tx. he said they sit around and swill pulque all day! I would like to sit in that circle for awhile and let them overload my circuits*HH

the man is really in "synch"
with the people that get "'down and dirty"
with the end product! i am waiting with
"breathless anticipation" for his next release!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Yep, Dave J is a jewell,along with Mike Scott. As far as Tom promoting FM, I'M sure he is secure enough with himself too not get caught up in the silliness. Wish those guys and Monte would join in over here. But we definitely have some of the best now. It's nice too learn something,and not look at pics of clad and hot wheels. ( no offense to anyone meant)

NASA-Tom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dave J. = (Dave Johnson)...... of whom is the
> current Chief Design Engineer (CDE) for
> Fisher/Teknetics/Bounty Hunter........ and has had
> his hand in on about 60% - 70% of metal detector
> designs in the U.S. ......



Did he design for White's Electronics? I thought I saw his name on a manual?

Coilfishing,yes he designed mxt,maybe GMT? . Also did some of Teseros gold machines.

Quote
dewcon4414
I dont believe Tom is advertising for Findmall.....

Dew

Of course he is not; he promotes learning wherever it advances understanding in the hobby. Maybe my response is best placed in the "Why I like this Forum" thread.

deathray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Coilfishing,yes he designed mxt,maybe GMT? . Also
> did some of Teseros gold machines.

I also think he was in on the DFX too.

Any time I see that he's posted some thing I read it. Lets face it it doesnt get any closer to the horeses mouth than that. He drops hint about what FT is up to.

I did a search of his posts.... nothing! I tried every possible combination of his name too. What does (name) he post under?

schultzie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did a search of his posts.... nothing! I tried
> every possible combination of his name too. What
> does (name) he post under?


start here .... [www.findmall.com] I hope noone minds the link to FM

Dave is a major wealth of info, he should be read no matter where publishes (thumbup)

Yep...agree Schutzie. Anyone looking to get started in prospecting with a vlf,read his online books...great stuff.

Good link ; here's another: [www.findmall.com]

Good Link Rebel

heres a post of His I like



"The guys doing industrial eddy current and acoustical inspection know stuff that we consumer metal detector engineers don't know, and there's also stuff we know that they don't.

The biggest difference between those two worlds is not financial backing as one might assume, but several inches of dirt. Those several inches of dirt change everything, and the stuff we know about dirt is one of our biggest chunks of IP going clear back to when I first came aboard Fisher in 1981 with some background in soil science.

We also have some active projects going on with acoustics. No comment on what those projects might be."

--Dave J.

I managed to talk to him on the phone several years ago buy accident. I dialed his phone number by accident and after a few seconds I ask are you the Dave that designed the Lobo St and MXT and he said yes I am. We had a very plesent conversation and went about our day. Dave is a very humble man and will try to put things in a laymans terms.

Tom B



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2012 12:00PM by Tom B.

We all stand to be educated by Dave J. ((( CERTAINLY not limited to detectors either ))).

Just know that you have a way to 'connect/communicate' with one of the best....... should the need arise.

Very good points made by Tom and others here.

There are many Find's expats here, so I would expect a fair amount of negativity towards any mention of that forum.

You can certainly argue that some of the moderators can get heavy-handed at times, but you have to take it for what it is: an advertiser sponsored forum. It ain't a democracy over there, and to expect the mods to allow more than minimal negativity towards the products the sponsors are promoting is naive.

For unfiltered opinions come here. But I wouldn't pass up reading Dave J. posts on Finds. Dave also posts on TreasureNet, Geotech, and Carl's LRL forum for those who are interested.

Like Tom and this forum, Dave is one of the true "major assets" of this hobby. He's a down-to-earth genius who spreads his knowledge on detectors (and so much more) freely. What other person in his position posts on detecting forums and will help individuals who ask for his assistance? The answer is none.

Appreciate what Mr. Johnson shares while you can and don't take him for granted. He doesn't advertise it, but he has had ALS a number of years. If you have known anyone who has had that disease, and I have, you know that anyone with ALS puts up with a whole lot of pain a whole lot of the time. And yet, Dave's attitude is remarkably positive.

For Dave Johnson's very interesting and enlightened view of "History's Greatest Scientist", I'd recommend [scandalous-dave.livejournal.com]

Now I know why he has the title "Scandalous Dave".

HH
Mike

Now I'm interested in Bounty Hunter... what a super post!

This post is adapted from a reply I made elsewhere to a customer inquiry about the BH Quicksilver.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When I first came to work for Bounty Hunter in early 2003, the Quicksilver (also known as Pioneer EX) was my first project. It got done quickly, and went into production with virtually no glitches. (I wish I could say that all my projects went that way!) Typically retailing for about $100, it's the least expensive American-made metal detector with target ID. Not a powerhouse for that price, but within its limitations it does what it's designed to do quite well. I love designing low cost stuff at least as much as I do slogging away at the challenges of high end leading-edge products.

In some other (non-BH) forums, you'd have guys swelled with pride over their over- $1,000 machines giving you a hard time for swinging a lowly BH. (The adult world is pretty much like junior high, only bigger, you may have noticed.) I'm a cheapskate myself, so I say have fun with your Quicksilver! If after while the hobby grows on you to where you want to put more money into it, by then you'll know a bit more about what you want to spend your money on. Of course having said that, it's my duty to point out that Bounty Hunter, Teknetics, and Fisher which were once different companies are now under one roof right here in El Paso, Texas, so we offer lots of choices all the way from about $60 to well over $1,000. It's our intent that each product offers good value in its price range.

And since I'm waxing enthusiastic about BH at the moment, I should take this opportunity to explain why an engineer whose name is normally associated with Fisher (and Teknetics and occasionally White's and Tesoro and Troy) would be happy to embrace BH. Here goes.

Most of the present BH line (and even the Fisher F2/4) traces its design origin to the legendary George Payne of "old Teknetics" fame. During the 1990's the earlier business arrangements fell apart, and for a while BH's were manufactured by a "certain company" who frankly manufactured crap. The designs were good but that couldn't make up for incompetent manufacturing. The present CEO bought out the BH operation in the late 90's realizing that what it needed was competent manufacturing, and over time he managed to turn it around. Early during that period the services of a local engineering firm, Sherwood Engineering, were engaged to assist in both revising designs for compatibility with more modern manufacturing techniques, and to design new products. Getting metal detectors right isn't easy, but Sherwood who were very good at electronics but had no prior background in metal detection proved themselves up to the task.

My own background in metal detection goes back to Fisher 1981 when I was hired to reinvent what a good metal detector was, and 16 months later we were shipping 1260-X's. I was hired by First Texas Products (manufacturer of BH) early 2003 and immediately set out to do major redesign on nearly all BH platforms to eliminate the remaining manufacturing problems. When we had that licked we went on to create a new Teknetics line, and then we acquired the failed Fisher and brought it back to life in El Paso with myself again as the chief design engineer.

A bad reputation is hard to overcome. The damage that the previous owners of BH did to the trademark is still not entirely repaired even though for a decade BH has probably been the most reliable metal detector on the market. And, you know what human nature is, the guys who found their personal best value at $1000 are going to sneer at the people who found their personal best value at a much lower price tag. .........I used to know a guy in Colorado with a lowly BH Tracker 4 whom I would pit against anyone swinging anything else no matter how expensive, in a tot lot or public park where digging a deep hole is a definite no-no. He made a lot of enemies by following guys with $1,000 machines and embarrassing them.

In the BH lineup, you're not getting the engineering expertise of someone in China who didn't even know what a metal detector was 12 months ago. You're getting the combined expertise of George Payne, Sherwood Engineering, myself, John Gardiner who has been the BH guru for nearly 20 years, and Jorge Anton Saad who was the primary engineer on the BH Platinum and Gold. In the entire metal detector industry, no product line has the breadth of engineering expertise behind it that the Bounty Hunter product line has.

The Bounty Hunter line may have been an embarrassment 15 years ago, but nowadays it is a solid as a product line can be. Superb engineering, proven platforms, and economies of scale that make it possible to deliver excellent value in the lower price brackets.

--Dave Johnson

Chief Designer, FTP-Fisher

[www.findmall.com]

.............. and this is only a small portion of his writings.