Fisher F4 and Dankowski DVD

Been watching, studying, and learning the DVD. One question, in the test garden with a known dime as a target, you get crisp, clear , repeating sound. With my F4 and the DD coil, if I place a dime in a clear area on top of the ground where there is no other signal, my machine will at tim,es, double beep from high tone to low tones, jump on the ID scale, and jump on the digital readout. Is this working correctly or is there something wrong with my machine?

Howdy Gambler...

I hope you don't mind if I chime in on this... I am a huge fan of that DVD and have a lil story about your topic...

First off though, are you in plain neutral ground with no mineralization?? (Such as the area of Florida he made that demo?)
Remember he clarified that several times... So your ground will dictate depth along with settings etc...

OK-My story... So I have been using my backyard as a testing ground for my machine and settings... Funny but like you,
targets near or on the surface would NOT ring in 100%... Huh??
So-While I was first testing out the Dankowski Magnate method, I noticed something very odd...

My soil was sticking to the magnate! Well I thought "the dirt must be wet", but that was not it.
Turns out my back yard, (combo of sand and dirt) has a very strong iron content. No joke!
I can lay out a dry thin layer of dirt on my workbench and 50% would jump right to the magnate!

Anyway-just wanted to pass that along for what it's worth. I am NOT in the same league as a detectorist as Tom and others are here,
but I am working hard on it! Peter



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2010 02:03PM by SilverPeter.

Hey Gambler. I also have an F4. Just curious...you woudn't be a Canadian like myself would you? Asking because if you are and were using a 2000+ Cdn. dime then the F4 is accurately telling you you've got iron/steel under your coil...with just a hint of nickel plating. Cdn. clad coins post 1999 all have steel core...except for pennies which can be either steel core or zinc. I've dug lot's of quarters, dimes and nickels with my F4 but in checking the dates none are newer than 1999. I've got 10-11 years of clad to get back out and find...but you can't disc iron out or you'll miss it.

Just a thought.

I'm in Pa. using a clad dime testing it on the surface. Prior to placing the dime on the surface, I did a thorough sweep with my detector and had no signal from any target. Placed the dime on the surface, swept coil over dime and it will sometimes jump all over on both the digital and ID meters and will give a high tone and low tone. If I do the same thing with my BHQDII with the 8" round coil, I just get the dime and the dime tone. Will have to try placing the BH coil on the F4 instead of the DD coil and see what the F4 shows then.

DOES THIS PROBLEM HAPPEN IN A AIR-TEST????

(((Do change coils..........and see if there is a difference)))

My F4..and I'm assuming all others..is very susceptible to EMI. I couldn't perform an air test inside...wireless internet...wireless phones...cell phones etc...they all affect the behavior. Get outside away from any interference...turn OFF your cellphone and find a clean patch of ground or do an airtest. I just tested my F4 with a clad US dime and it reads as dime using both the 11"DD and 8" Round coils.

Also..........especially with a DD coil.........a double (or even 3-beeps) per coil sweep over a target that is only one or two inches from the coil......is indeed normal. If you are 4" or 5" away from the coil.......you should only acquire one 'beep'.