Hunt 4 & 5 with F75 SE - Gonna Sell It...

This post is actually about my last 2 hunts. Was a bit too pooped to do a write-up last time, so, doing a "two-in-one".

Took the F75 out to 2 very old spots here in NJ. Both were developed around the mid 1800's or so. Silver is there. Just gotta be patient and work slow. Anywho...

Both hunts were with a buddy of mine who uses the Safari. In the last 2 hunts, he's scored four silvers; 3 mercs & a standing liberty quarter. My tally was; a Indian head penny & 3 buffalo nickels. Here's where it gets interesting though...

When my buddy gets a silver tone on the Safari, he calls me over to run the 75 over it. In all cases, the F75 hears the coin loud & clear. And this is with the small 5" coil attached However, on a few of the signals (not all) the signal - tone & VDI - was very erratic. Nothing new there, we know the 75 is a "jumpy" unit. But, here's where it gets REALLY interesting...

On a few of my highly repeatable, solid 360 degree, coin range signals, I would call HIM over to check MY target using his Safari. In EVERY instance, he told me the target was junk, as that's what was registering on his machine...and in every instance he was correct. I would dig down to find a tiny piece of foil, pop top or a iron. Sooooo...

After 5 heavy duty, 6 & 7 hour hunts, I've come to the conclusion that the F75 SE just isn't for me. Here's why:

1. As my time is limited to hunting on weekends, when I go out I don't wanna deal with digging tons of trash. I simply want to cherry pick the silver. That's why Minelabs are so superior. You KNOW 9 times out of 10 when you have a keeper under the coil. You can skip all the heaps of junk and just listen for that sweet high tone. While the F75 WILL hear the silver just as good (if not better) than the ML's, the amount of trash you must dig through to find that silver is a lot. As Tom sometimes says, depth isn't always the most important thing. I believe most higher end Fisher's can easily rival (if not trounce) any Minelab on pure & raw depth. However, the Fisher's are fooled quite often on deep junk, in my humble opinion. That's where the ML's really shine. I'd MUCH rather have a machine that'll only go 9" on a target...but I.D. it accurately 90% of the time, versus running with a machine that can go 10" or 11" on a target but the tone and/or VDI is going to be wrong most of the time.

2. The 75 is just too "finicky" for me. It's like a guy taking his girlfriend fishing. "Eeeeeeew, that fish smells", "I think I just broke my nail", "I'm bored sitting here holding this stick". There's always some excuse or reason why I can't run the 75 properly. Too much EMI due to location, too much EMI cause using the big coil, too much sensitivity, too little discrimination, the nut in the back isn't fastened tight enough, etc., etc., etc. I just want to turn my machine on & hunt. Period. If I wanted to mess him settings I'd choose computer programming as a hobby. That's why I love my CZ...turn-on-and-go!

3. I wasn't able to run anywhere with the big stock coil. I could only use the 5" at full sens. settings. So, if I can't use the stock coil at highest sens., I'm only using 50% of the machine & it's power.

I REALLY wanted to fall in love with this F75, but, not compatible. Maybe if I was a relic guy or a gold nugget shooter yes, but, for my needs - cherry picking the silver - I'll stick with my CZ & will be getting a Minelab too.

Thanks for reading my adventures & all the advice you have thrown my way

P.S. - Fisher REALLY needs to come out with a multiple frequency unit ala Minelab. I would literally be the first guy in line to buy one. I keep seeing chatter on here about them coming out with a new unit soon. Anyone have word on what it'll be?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2013 03:32PM by njnydigger.

If Fisher were to come out with a multi-frequency Minelab type machine it would still have a sensitivity control. Which means folks would still misuse it and complain about the inaccurate id and other things it contributes to. I just say this because the sensitivity control seems to be the hardest control on a detector for folks to master.

I personally would recommend you go back and find a deep coin and drop your sensitivity down until you loose the target. I think you would be supprised at exactly how low you can go before you loose it. Then raise it up a little and go hunt some more. You will still find the targets, and the ID will be more accurate.

My cars and trucks have a speedometer that go up to at least 120mph. However I never get to drive them anywhere near that. Same with detectors. When you get into an area or site conditions that lets you max out the sensitivity, max sensitivity is great. But those areas are few and far between in my experience, so most times we are driving it much less than max. But its nice to be able to max it out when conditions allow.

My nickel. Maybe it will help.
HH
Mike

I have found the same with the two F75's I have owned. I am mainly a coin hunter and in my opinion, for coins in places where lots of modern trash is in the mix, I will pass on any of the newer First Texas detectors. In my ground and in the places I hunt, a CZ 70 or 5 is still much more productive than the F75-T2's I have tried. I will say an Omega might just be First Texas's best coin hunter.

Whats bad is if you ever see a T2/or and f75 LTD/SE that can run wide open smoothly with no emi just hyper type static it will make you annoyed when you have one that cant run like that...

Some places you can not run a machine wide open for trash falsing, but it should be available to be ran hot when you want to..

And for some reason there's too many FT's that have to much EMI ...They are hyper platform design and that's good but its almost as if some of them create there own EMI problem's....

Whats weird is I believe if they cranked the gain up on the G2 to F75 gain it would run quite at full gain...

Not sure why they dont tweak the freqs on the F75 T2 15kHz or 12.5kHz might be the magic number ..when you have that much gain I dont think a freq tweak is going to harm the performance probably help it...

They try to make it hot on coin's and jewelry with that freq they use...But as we all know freq is not everything ...

A Troy X5 is on 19kHz and it is a deep coin snagger....so the freq has little to do with that...Actually the X5 will pull deep silver out of sites around here that does not even produce coin's LOL!!

I am sorry you are thinking of selling the F75...

Keith

Mike Hillis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Fisher were to come out with a multi-frequency
> Minelab type machine it would still have a
> sensitivity control. Which means folks would
> still misuse it and complain about the inaccurate
> id and other things it contributes to. I just
> say this because the sensitivity control seems to
> be the hardest control on a detector for folks to
> master.
>
> I personally would recommend you go back and find
> a deep coin and drop your sensitivity down until
> you loose the target. I think you would be
> supprised at exactly how low you can go before you
> loose it. Then raise it up a little and go hunt
> some more. You will still find the targets, and
> the ID will be more accurate.
>
> My cars and trucks have a speedometer that go up
> to at least 120mph. However I never get to drive
> them anywhere near that. Same with detectors.
> When you get into an area or site conditions that
> lets you max out the sensitivity, max sensitivity
> is great. But those areas are few and far between
> in my experience, so most times we are driving it
> much less than max. But its nice to be able to
> max it out when conditions allow.
>
> My nickel. Maybe it will help.
> HH
> Mike

With all due respect, Mike, I think you were a bit out of line with the way you worded your response to me.

Reality is, you are correct in your statement pertaining to the sensitivity issue. However, you haven't been with me on my hunts...specifically the ones where I HAD to turn the sens. down to 30 just to quiet the unit down & get a less chatty experience. And guess what, tones & VDI were still all over the place. I've tried JE mode, DE, PL, etc. all to no avail. Again...

Machine works and is deep. But I could care less about that. I don't wanna dig down 10" to find a b.b. or a tiny piece of aluminum foil. I want the machine to hear a coin & tell me to dig it...AND it turns out to be a coin, lol.

There have been countless posts on this forum about the 75. One in particular - don't remember the poster - said the 75 will hear & find the same exact coins any of the Minelabs do. However, turn the 2 machines loose in a field and the ML's will have a MUCH easier time finding the good stuff. My sentiments exactly!

Mike, again, I understand your point fully, however, felt it could've been worded a bit different

Your are right, njnydigger. My post reads condescending. I could have worded much better than I did.

I apologize.

I am also the first one to dump a machine I don't click with regardles of how well others may like it so I have no business trying to talk someone else into keeping something they are not happy with.

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2013 05:44PM by Mike Hillis.

Mike Hillis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your are right, njnydigger. My post reads
> condescending. I could have worded much better
> than I did.
>
> I apologize.
>
> I am also the first one to dump a machine I don't
> click with regardles of how well others may like
> it so I have no business trying to talk someone
> else into keeping something they are not happy
> with.
>
> Mike

Thank you, Mike! Again, I understand your point fully. Not saying the F75 isn't a fantastic unit...it sure as heck is. Just for my personal tastes, as well as the type of hunting I do, a CZ or a Minelab trumps all. No harm, no foul, Mike

I feel bad because I know your frustration. I had a bad Spectra V3I that I sold because it wouldn't stop falsing and I tried everything I possibly could. Once I got the fisher I knew I had my detector. However, the noise issue is an issue--especially with a bad one from the lot let me just say that I have heard so many detectors complain about minelab weight, nulling, falsing, and slowness that I will never be tempted to grab one. Also, in terms of the deep targets, I've watched so many videos where etracs and ctx "thought" it was something good, but was trash, and remember, all the trash finds on YouTube videos are never included. I specifically remember one of my favorite detectors I watch-- he uses an etrac, he quoted "you have to dig those nail signals" and he gets more silver than any other guy I've seen on YouTube. Truth is, it's that patience that gets you the silver, soon all the easy targets will be gone and its those guys who dig iffys who will still be out in the fields.
Your completely right-- minelabs are silver hounds-- and I think you won't go back after getting one However they have their many weaknesses just like fisher and some of those weakness you will never know because you won't hear them (nulling). That's why I love my f75, every kid on the block has a minelab--their all finding what I can't, and fishing out EVERYTHING that only minelabs can't fish out. But I'm here with my detector finding things that ONLY fisher can find, so I feel kinda like a covert spy sometimes sneakin in, getting the deepest and most disguised goodies and then sneaking out leaving these guys still feeling like they "cleaned the place out". Both are amazing detectors, I'd just rather have the one everyone and their mom doesn't have

D-Tone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I feel bad because I know your frustration. I had
> a bad Spectra V3I that I sold because it wouldn't
> stop falsing and I tried everything I possibly
> could. Once I got the fisher I knew I had my
> detector. However, the noise issue is an
> issue--especially with a bad one from the lot
> let me just say that I have heard so many
> detectors complain about minelab weight, nulling,
> falsing, and slowness that I will never be tempted
> to grab one. Also, in terms of the deep targets,
> I've watched so many videos where etracs and ctx
> "thought" it was something good, but was trash,
> and remember, all the trash finds on YouTube
> videos are never included. I specifically remember
> one of my favorite detectors I watch-- he uses an
> etrac, he quoted "you have to dig those nail
> signals" and he gets more silver than any other
> guy I've seen on YouTube. Truth is, it's that
> patience that gets you the silver, soon all the
> easy targets will be gone and its those guys who
> dig iffys who will still be out in the fields.
> Your completely right-- minelabs are silver
> hounds-- and I think you won't go back after
> getting one However they have their many
> weaknesses just like fisher and some of those
> weakness you will never know because you won't
> hear them (nulling). That's why I love my f75,
> every kid on the block has a minelab--their all
> finding what I can't, and fishing out EVERYTHING
> that only minelabs can't fish out. But I'm here
> with my detector finding things that ONLY fisher
> can find, so I feel kinda like a covert spy
> sometimes sneakin in, getting the deepest and most
> disguised goodies and then sneaking out leaving
> these guys still feeling like they "cleaned the
> place out". Both are amazing detectors, I'd just
> rather have the one everyone and their mom doesn't
> have

I hear ya, D-Tone! That's why I love my CZ so much It's performance next to the 75 though - at least to me - is apples to oranges. The tones on a CZ tell a LOT more. Also, the modulated audio on the CZ's are worth the price of the machines alone.

And yes, ALL machines dig trash. I should know, I've dug MORE than my share of it over the years, lol. The way the Minelab's can sniff out that silver though...with accuracy no less, is startlingly good. Unfortunately, all units gave good & bad. I owned a Safari years ago and sold it. It nulled for sure. However, there's not one tool for one job. On sites that weren't littered with iron, I found some super deep silver with it...and I knew it was silver before digging it

My personal opinion has always been this; the 3 most important elements to successful detecting are;

1. Site selection

2. Technique, Knowledge & know-how

3. Detector

Detector is last on the list. It's simply a tool. An important one, but, nonetheless a tool. I want to hunt with equipment that saves me time, does the job & that I'm comfortable with.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2013 06:57PM by njnydigger.

Totally agree, dang! I need to try a CZ!!
Keep us all posted with your finds-- if you get a 3030 I would love to hear that it does well in heavy mineralized soil and iron because oregon is terrible! I really do want to try one some day.
~D-tone

njnydigger --

I used to own an F70, and I now swing an Explorer SE Pro -- and your post and experiences EXACTLY mirror mine. I am now swinging the Minelab and not the F-70 for a reason...and it's EXACTLY the reason you discussed. EXACTLY.

This quote...

Quote

One in particular - don't remember the poster - said the 75 will hear & find the same exact coins any of the Minelabs do. However, turn the 2 machines loose in a field and the ML's will have a MUCH easier time finding the good stuff. My sentiments exactly!

...sums it up perfectly, in my experience. My hunting partners, who were swinging E-Tracs when I was swinging my F-70, would call me over to listen to deep coins all the time. There was NEVER a coin that they could hear, that the F-70 couldn't. But ID? That's a WHOLE different story. Meanwhile, I'd find something that sounded GREAT, and call them to listen, and they'd say "trash." I would dig anyway, and they were, 95% of the time, correct. After watching them dig silver after silver, and meanwhile digging NONE myself, for months, I finally decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...and got my SE Pro. It took three or four hunts -- about 2 weeks -- to get used to the tones, and then I immediately started finding silver, and have done so regularly ever since.

Just my take. NOT saying the F-70/F-75 aren't good machines. They absolutely ARE. The Minelabs are not perfect, either. They are NOT good at unmasking, IMO, and they are heavy with poor ergonomics. But, they simply find the silver. Period.

Again, your post, talking about you hunting with your friend and his Safari...that brought back memories -- sounds EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY, like what I experienced with my F-70 and my partners with E-Tracs...

My advice to you is, GET A USED EXPLORER. ANY of them...I believe you will be very pleased.

And in the mean time, I'm with you on hoping the next Fisher machine will one-up Minelab FBS on its ability to both unmask AND find, and then properly ID, silver coins...as I'll be ALL OVER that machine, if that's the case. I'd love to swing a lightweight, ergonomic Fisher unit -- ESPECIALLY if it increases my ability to dig deep silver.

Steve

My experience with the F75 LTD was pretty much the same. It's wasn't the detector's fault and it wasn't mine. We just spoke different languages. The F75 is a great detector. But you are either going to love it or hate it.

I had the GBSE 2.9 when they first came out. Only Fisher I had that didn't suffer from EMI except the box style units. Even it did if I was near major power transmission lines but that's to be expected from almost all MD's. It was deep stable and accurate as deep as it went. The problem I didn't find out that if you turn up the discrimination you lose depth. New to hobby I turned it up to 80 just looking for coins. My friend had an ETrac and would come behind me and get the deep large silver. Now I would get silver just shallower. I went out and got a Safari and that was the end of him getting all of the deep silver. I still have that MD and wont part with it. I dug a 8" silver ladies watch last week and in the soil here that is deep. Mineralized soil. Just a tweak of signal both directions but knew it was silver. Old piece too. While they are heavy I have descrimated everything off but top 2 numbers 38 and 39 with 40 blocked for wrap around iron and still get deep silver. Love that Minelab hi tone for silver. Every once in a while I get can slaw but its only because I was in a rush and didn't listen to nuance of the tone. No loss of depth with this setting. Several friend have F75 LTD but its for relics only and they do get old coins but have had their MD since they came out. Sell it and don't look back.

steveg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> njnydigger --
>
> I used to own an F70, and I now swing an Explorer
> SE Pro -- and your post and experiences EXACTLY
> mirror mine. I am now swinging the Minelab and
> not the F-70 for a reason...and it's EXACTLY the
> reason you discussed. EXACTLY.
>
> This quote...
>
> One in particular - don't remember the poster -
> said the 75 will hear & find the same exact coins
> any of the Minelabs do. However, turn the 2
> machines loose in a field and the ML's will have a
> MUCH easier time finding the good stuff. My
> sentiments exactly!
>
> ...sums it up perfectly, in my experience. My
> hunting partners, who were swinging E-Tracs when I
> was swinging my F-70, would call me over to listen
> to deep coins all the time. There was NEVER a
> coin that they could hear, that the F-70 couldn't.
> But ID? That's a WHOLE different story.
> Meanwhile, I'd find something that sounded GREAT,
> and call them to listen, and they'd say "trash."
> I would dig anyway, and they were, 95% of the
> time, correct. After watching them dig silver
> after silver, and meanwhile digging NONE myself,
> for months, I finally decided that if you can't
> beat 'em, join 'em...and got my SE Pro. It took
> three or four hunts -- about 2 weeks -- to get
> used to the tones, and then I immediately started
> finding silver, and have done so regularly ever
> since.
>
> Just my take. NOT saying the F-70/F-75 aren't
> good machines. They absolutely ARE. The Minelabs
> are not perfect, either. They are NOT good at
> unmasking, IMO, and they are heavy with poor
> ergonomics. But, they simply find the silver.
> Period.
>
> Again, your post, talking about you hunting with
> your friend and his Safari...that brought back
> memories -- sounds EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY,
> like what I experienced with my F-70 and my
> partners with E-Tracs...
>
> My advice to you is, GET A USED EXPLORER. ANY of
> them...I believe you will be very pleased.
>
> And in the mean time, I'm with you on hoping the
> next Fisher machine will one-up Minelab FBS on its
> ability to both unmask AND find, and then properly
> ID, silver coins...as I'll be ALL OVER that
> machine, if that's the case. I'd love to swing a
> lightweight, ergonomic Fisher unit -- ESPECIALLY
> if it increases my ability to dig deep silver.
>
> Steve

Steve, glad to see I'm in good company I was SO excited reading about the 75. I pounded this and other forums reading a TON! I watched video after video on it. I read the manual cover to cover 10 times before ever turning the unit on. My first day was a looooong hunt. A good 7 or 8 hours. After a few of these types of outings, I usually have a pretty good handle on a unit. Not that I would have it mastered, but rather, I'd have a definite feel for it. Not so with the 75. WAY to finicky for my taste. Furthermore...

I hit many sites this week which have ALWAYS produced silver for me...even if just a lowly merc or rosie. Most of it was had with the CZ. Yes, these sites have been pounded hard. By me and others. But a site is NEVER completely hunted out. Hence my buddy finding 3 mercs & a standing liberty. Now, is it possible my coil just didn't pass over it? Absolutely! However, maybe if I wasn't so busy digging tiny balls of foil that gave a solid, repeatable high tone from every direction, my coil would've hit those silvers first, lol.

Bar none, if ANY machine can find a tiny, tiny rivet down 7, 8 or 9", its a damn good machine. But for my limited time hunts for silver, I need something that can cut through the clutter and properly I.D. coins at depth. And yes, the ML's dig their fair share of junk too. Every machine does. But IMO a ML is accurate MORE of the time versus the others.

Finally, question for Tom...

How can an old machine like the Los Banos 1021 be so powerful & so accurate on the deeper coins, yet the newer, modern technology of the 75's have so many problems reading coins at depth?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2013 12:19AM by njnydigger.

My f-75 experiences were a little different. Not an ltd but the original anniversary edition. It's not as deep as my cz but separates much better. Has occasional emi issues, so I just put up with it because I have found many old coins with it. My wife is pretty chatty, and I can tune her out.
Found many old silvers and coppers with it.
Not sure I could part with it.....we just clicked. Come to think of it, couldn't part with the cz either. I guess I get attached to tools that work well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2013 01:03AM by ozzie.

"How can an old machine like the Los Banos 1021 be so powerful & so accurate on the deeper coins, yet the newer, modern technology of the 75's have so many problems reading coins at depth?"

nynjdigger (man , try to say that out loud three times) , I think you're knocking on the door to the true issue here---it's the discriminator that's the monkey wrench with the F75 and I expect to see evidence of that with this weekends attempted relic hunt in what should be an EMI free zone. I can freely turn my cell phone off because there's no signal there for them either and why should that be necessary to begin with? No other machine that I am aware of has the magnitude of issues about the same shortcomings that the F75lt has with EMI with perhaps the exception of the user friendliness of the V3i and that's why White's came out with the V3X.

The fact is , it's not the "best all around detector" Fisher claims it to be. Those who find such superlatives really relevant to their owning one are the first to move to the "it's not the wand but the wizard" defense of their machines. I have no brand loyalty except for that which serves my purpose and I suspect that after a trip to El Paso for a clean bill of health and a recalibration of the pinpoint depth indicator , mine will be on the market as well--not because it's a machine I can't master or "get by with" but because there's no reason to have to with a > $1000 machine.

If I find a car is unpleasant to drive I'm going to get rid of it no matter what the speedometer goes up to.

Quote:"a recalibration of the pinpoint depth indicator"
There is no pinpoint depth calibration. It's defined in the software, and can't be changed. The ONLY adjustment in the F75 is the master ground balance. For what it's worth, my F75 depth gauge is certainly not calibrated for a US 1 cent coin, as is suggested, more like a nickel/quarter sized coin. And that's in air. In ground, signals get reduced, and an 8 inch coin will give the signal of a 9 /10 inch one. I tend to use the depth gauge as what it really is - a signal strength meter. Once it starts reading 9/10 inches or more, I know there is the possibility of jumpy ID's, drops down to large iron etc. Used this way, it doesn't matter if I use the 5 inch DD coil (which I do use a lot) as this method of depth gauge use remains the same. For a long time, I considered it an irritation that the detector didn't know what size coil was fitted, so the 5 inch-er gave depth readings 140% off. But now I think it is tolerable. I wonder f the new Fisher has coil-identification? I think it's likely, there are good engineering reasons to have it, and the cost implications are minimal.

njnydigger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> steveg Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > njnydigger --
> >
> > I used to own an F70, and I now swing an
> Explorer
> > SE Pro -- and your post and experiences EXACTLY
> > mirror mine. I am now swinging the Minelab and
> > not the F-70 for a reason...and it's EXACTLY
> the
> > reason you discussed. EXACTLY.
> >
> > This quote...
> >
> > One in particular - don't remember the poster -
> > said the 75 will hear & find the same exact
> coins
> > any of the Minelabs do. However, turn the 2
> > machines loose in a field and the ML's will have
> a
> > MUCH easier time finding the good stuff. My
> > sentiments exactly!
> >
> > ...sums it up perfectly, in my experience. My
> > hunting partners, who were swinging E-Tracs when
> I
> > was swinging my F-70, would call me over to
> listen
> > to deep coins all the time. There was NEVER a
> > coin that they could hear, that the F-70
> couldn't.
> > But ID? That's a WHOLE different story.
> > Meanwhile, I'd find something that sounded
> GREAT,
> > and call them to listen, and they'd say "trash."
>
> > I would dig anyway, and they were, 95% of the
> > time, correct. After watching them dig silver
> > after silver, and meanwhile digging NONE
> myself,
> > for months, I finally decided that if you can't
> > beat 'em, join 'em...and got my SE Pro. It
> took
> > three or four hunts -- about 2 weeks -- to get
> > used to the tones, and then I immediately
> started
> > finding silver, and have done so regularly ever
> > since.
> >
> > Just my take. NOT saying the F-70/F-75 aren't
> > good machines. They absolutely ARE. The
> Minelabs
> > are not perfect, either. They are NOT good at
> > unmasking, IMO, and they are heavy with poor
> > ergonomics. But, they simply find the silver.
> > Period.
> >
> > Again, your post, talking about you hunting
> with
> > your friend and his Safari...that brought back
> > memories -- sounds EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY,
> > like what I experienced with my F-70 and my
> > partners with E-Tracs...
> >
> > My advice to you is, GET A USED EXPLORER. ANY
> of
> > them...I believe you will be very pleased.
> >
> > And in the mean time, I'm with you on hoping
> the
> > next Fisher machine will one-up Minelab FBS on
> its
> > ability to both unmask AND find, and then
> properly
> > ID, silver coins...as I'll be ALL OVER that
> > machine, if that's the case. I'd love to swing
> a
> > lightweight, ergonomic Fisher unit --
> ESPECIALLY
> > if it increases my ability to dig deep silver.
> >
> > Steve
>
> Steve, glad to see I'm in good company I was
> SO excited reading about the 75. I pounded this
> and other forums reading a TON! I watched video
> after video on it. I read the manual cover to
> cover 10 times before ever turning the unit on. My
> first day was a looooong hunt. A good 7 or 8
> hours. After a few of these types of outings, I
> usually have a pretty good handle on a unit. Not
> that I would have it mastered, but rather, I'd
> have a definite feel for it. Not so with the 75.
> WAY to finicky for my taste. Furthermore...
>
> I hit many sites this week which have ALWAYS
> produced silver for me...even if just a lowly merc
> or rosie. Most of it was had with the CZ. Yes,
> these sites have been pounded hard. By me and
> others. But a site is NEVER completely hunted out.
> Hence my buddy finding 3 mercs & a standing
> liberty. Now, is it possible my coil just didn't
> pass over it? Absolutely! However, maybe if I
> wasn't so busy digging tiny balls of foil that
> gave a solid, repeatable high tone from every
> direction, my coil would've hit those silvers
> first, lol.
>
> Bar none, if ANY machine can find a tiny, tiny
> rivet down 7, 8 or 9", its a damn good machine.
> But for my limited time hunts for silver, I need
> something that can cut through the clutter and
> properly I.D. coins at depth. And yes, the ML's
> dig their fair share of junk too. Every machine
> does. But IMO a ML is accurate MORE of the time
> versus the others.
>
> Finally, question for Tom...
>
> How can an old machine like the Los Banos 1021 be
> so powerful & so accurate on the deeper coins, yet
> the newer, modern technology of the 75's have so
> many problems reading coins at depth?

Shoveler, couldn't have said it better myself Again, let me be quite clear though...

The machine IS quite an excellent detector. And I'm sure with enough patience and fine tuning of the machine, performance would've improved immensely in the future. Heck, I'm positive that Tom D & some of the other old hands on here can pick the 75 up and start pulling coins out of the ground like there's no tomorrow. They have many, many years of experience with the unit and know precisely how to get the most out of it. However...

How in the world can Fisher expect a customer like me, a fairly advanced person in the hobby - but by no means a technical expert like Tom & others - to stick with such a finicky, sensitive unit for a long period of time, when the alternative is grabbing an "older" CZ or Minelab and to start pulling silver up from day one...WITHOUT all of the drama, sensitivity issues and other quirks of the 75?

To be sure, there's a LOT that's right about the unit...

Processor speed is phenomenal

Weight, balance & ergonomics is the best on any machine I've ever swung

Talk about depth! Again, the tiniest of targets (sometimes my pinpointer couldn't find them!) at 7 or 8" down

Etc., etc., etc. But again...

Why deal with all of the "problems" when I simply want the detector to locate and signal a coin fairly accurately?

To use the car analogy...

Imagine if I simply wanted a car to get me to and from work. And the dealer tells me this...

"This car here is $35,000. It's the fastest, most comfortable, most advanced automobile on the market. Thing is though, you could only drive it on days that its sunny, it won't bring you to your exact location but rather fairly close - in the proximity - and it'll take you at least a year or so to learn how to use it."

"But Mr. Car Dealer, I just want a car that will take me to work."

"Oh ok then, you should look at this model, it's only $25,000 and will do what you want from day one." SOLD!!!

All in all, great machine for others and their purposes. But for my style of coin hunting, I'm best served by an "older" CZ or the dependable, accurate silver workhorses called Minelab.

In closing, I LOVE Fisher/First Texas! As close to being brand loyal as one can be. At the end of the day though, I have to use what works and saves me time

The other day I saw a video of a guy running the F75 Ltd in his backyard.
Air conditioning and wifi unit not far off, sens running at 30, pulled and ID-ed a few coins at 6-7", totally stable unit, with nice repeatable sharp signals, .... ???
Google "F75 depth and EMI tips"


Are you actually using the sens as the gas pedal or do you have your foot planted firmly on the gas pedal and are you burning clutches ???
Just curious, because I'm eyeballing the F75 as a replacement for the Deus.

HH
Johnb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2013 01:46PM by scoopjohnb.

I used to do a lot of coin detecting years ago. But that faded as I got into nugget detecting. The last detector I really used a lot coin detecting was a CZ-5. I am a big CZ fan. I often say on forums I do not think things have improved much since 1990 and I usually have the CZ in mind when I say that.

I used the F75 SE a lot the last three years. But I run it almost exclusively in boost all metal and dig all targets that do not give me 100% ferrous indications via the meter.

I decided to get back into coin detecting, and barely considered using the F75 for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. When I hunt parks I want exactly the opposite of what I am doing nugget and field detecting. I want minimum holes dug, so accurate target id is what I want. I want a nice quiet hunt. I considered a CZ as performance is still as good as it gets but frankly they are very dated at this point with too few target segments. The CZ needs a new box. I tried the V3i but had lots of EMI issues in my area. I got a CTX 3030 and it clicked with me immediately. I do not do anything special with it. Just turn on, bump up gain, and hunt. And it works, clean and simple and gets the coins. No EMI issues so far. And I can hunt in water with it.

I really like my F75 and will be using it a lot this summer nugget detecting. For me it is a great rural non-ferrous hunter. But I have had so many EMI issues with it I do not bother turning it on in an urban location any more.

Steve Herschbach
DetectorProspector.com

Suspicions about F75 confirmed

For those of you who have been following this thread, you know that I put about 40 hours on a new F75 over the course of 5 hunts a few weeks back...and found not a single piece of silver. In spots where I've ALWAYS pulled silver with other machines. So...

After experiencing numerous problems with the 75 (EMI, erratic signals, worthless VDI past a few inches, etc.) I decided to sell it and go with a Safari. Well...

BEST move I ever made Scored silver on my first 2 hunts with it (2 mercs & 2 Rosies). Something I couldn't do in 5 loooooong hunts with the 75. Is it possible I just didn't swing my coil over the silver with the 75? Yes, possible...although highly unlikely.

The Minelabs are great for my specific purpose...cherry picking silver. I don't relic hunt, nor do I dig jewelry signals (only at the beach), so, fits my need to a "T".

As with ANY detector, the Safari isn't perfect...

Heavier than a freight train, nulling is a pain & battery life is deplorable. But...

The way it hits on silver cannot be beat IMO. And if the beautiful tones aren't enough, the VDI screen is amazingly accurate...even at depth

Just wanted to give a quick update. Happy hunting!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2013 05:43PM by njnydigger.

Use what work's..

Dont waste time

glad the Minelab is the ticket for your sites ..

Keith

The best move I ever made as a COIN hunter was going from a T2 to an Omega 8000. An E-Tac was only a minor upgrade over the Omega imo, a bit more depth but a big fun factor improvement - Yeah, I love the flutey tones!

Steve and others said it well above. Even though what Keith said is true about higher freqs machines still being great on deep coins, the thing is. As a coin hunter, I don't want to dig the small stuff. But what Keith last said is the fact of it all. In my words - Coin hunting machines are not relic or combo machines, find what is best for you. To me, this thread is about the former.

Fun read guys,
Albert

Reading all your reports Joe, a defective 75 or coil keeps coming to mind.
I have a friend who had over a hundred hrs with two minelabs (SE & e-trac) and didn't find silver. He just didn't swing over any. He also was perplexed. He finally started getting a few.

Well I have both the standard F75 and an Etrac. I don't have much trouble ID'ng with the F75. If you really listen to it, it will tell you what ya have. I'am not really a numbers guy so if it gives me the audio that I like I dig it. LOL,, They both have there cons and pros. I'am a firm believer if you don't gell with a paticular detector sell it. Keep selling them till you find the one you gell with. Heck I still have my CZ5 the one and only detector that I can honestly say I gelled with a 100 percent.
Goodluck
HH

Thanks for the comments & chiming in, guys!

Everyone on here gave me great help and advice with the 75, so, wanted to provide an update to report progress. Again...

I freely admit the 75 was a good, powerful detector. However, it just wasnt for me mainly due to:

1. VERY finicky unit. I've used that word plenty when describing it, but, it's really the best word that comes to mind. When on a hunt, there was just TOO much worrying about the unit running properly; EMI issues, proper ground balance, settings, etc. Seemed as though I was spending more time setting-up and fretting over the damn thing than I was detecting, lol. Is all this noise due to EMI or because the sensitivity is too high? Am I best served lowering the sensitivity to stop the chatter or should I run it hot for the extra depth? Do I have the correct settings for this particular site? Etc., etc, etc. The antithesis to "turn-on-and-go" like my CZ or Safari.

2. I am primarily a silver hunter. I only have the luxury of getting out a few times a week, so, I need something to quickly cut through the clutter and provide to me the best possible audio & VDI. Again, there wasn't one coin that my friends Minelabs heard that the 75 couldn't hear. Not one. However, FINDING that coin was akin to picking a needle out of a haystack. I would get TONS of solid, repeatable high tone hits that turned out to be junk upon digging. And in EVERY case in which a Minelab guy swung their machine over my target beforehand, they easily told me it was junk. They were ALWAYS correct.

On the Safari, I still dig junk - as with any machine. However, the VDI is amazingly accurate a good 80% of the time on I.D.'ing coins...even at depth. It seemed to be the other way around with the 75. Sure, I get a few dime signals that turn out to be pennies, or quarter signals that turn out to be dimes on the Safari, however, at least it's still IN THE RANGE. I'd get the same "good" solid high signals on the 75, dig down 7 or 8" and find a rivet, piece of can slaw or some other minuscule junk item...A LOT.

The tipping point for me was watching my buddy easily & effortlessly cherry pick silver after silver on his Minelab while I was right by his side struggling with the 75. NO detector out there can predict exactly what a target is with 100% accuracy all the time. However, the Minelabs come pretty damn close. My last two hunts proved it

As sergeant Joe Friday used to say; "Just the facts".

Wow interesting thread from all.....having used all the units mentioned to sum it up so many variables to consider use what works for you and a good patient local mentor that excells with one particuliar model can make a believer out of you in a couple of trips or at least steer you in the right direction.
Case in question if I was looking for deep silver would be using a CZ even though an Explorer well learned is an excellent unit that I understand very well but can't handle the weight. Fast forward to a local park and the CZ would be in the trunk and a notch Tesoro certainly wouldn't have the depth but would excell for gold rings and clad.
No perfect unit or for that matter perfect nut behind the wheel but a competent unit well learned that fits the individual will excell for the situation at hand so swing what works for you and above all keep the info coming....

njnydigger --

You gotcha a Minelab FBS unit, and started finding silver? Now your story EXACTLY parallels mine! You went through EXACTLY the same progression that I did...and I could not agree with your comments more. Perfectly mirrors my experience, as I described earlier. Like you, the Minelab FBS was the key, for my type of hunting. After struggling for several months with the F-70 in trying to sort the good from the bad, being "tricked" far too often, and finding not a single silver coin, I made the switch. Within 2 weeks of first turning on my Explorer, I had finally dug my first silver coin (actually my first two -- a Walking Liberty half and a Franklin half, on the same hunt.) From there, it just continued...I have consistently dug silver coins, ever since.

Again, the Fisher F-70/75 is a SUPER machine. No doubt. But if you are talking specifically silver coin hunting, amongst modern trash, I feel comfortable saying that I'd put a Minelab FBS machine (in an experienced hunter's hands) up against ANY unit (in an experienced hunter's hands), and -- except for maybe a CZ, I would expect -- after four or five hunts -- that the Minelab would have found the most silver. In fact, I'd bet dollars to donuts that it wouldn't even be close. I truly believe that.

Glad you got yourself a machine that will do what you want it to do, in the types of areas you hunt.

Steve