NEW Fisher F5 with 11" DD base search coil Metal Detector
This detector can attest that one man's waste is another man's treasure. The
variable tone pinpoint system distinguishes between different metals, like
nails, pennies, quarters and bottle caps for a more accurate target
identification to maximize your digging efforts. Comes with a manual ground
balancing option to cancel unwanted signals that usually come from natural
ground minerals. Easy-to-use control knobs. Elliptical search coil. Requires two
9-volt batteries (not included).
Features:
7.8 kHz frequency - good for coin shooting,
relic hunting, and casual gold prospecting.
Frequency shift for eliminating electrical interference and crosstalk.
Advanced software-based motion discrimination with notch for searching
trashy areas.
All metal autotune mode for deep-searching
in non-trashy areas.
Visual target ID by category & 0-99 indication, both discrimination & autotune
modes.
Target ID confidence bargraph.
High-resolution manual ground balance with continuous ground readout.
Ground balance range goes all the way to salt.
Continuous display of ground mineral concentration and phase.
Push-button static pinpoint with variable audio pitch and visual depth reading.
Independent gain and threshold knobs provide complete control over sensitivity.
11" DD base search coil Metal Detector
Two 9-volt alkaline batteries last approximately 40 hours.
Watch all metal
detectors field tests here
User's impression.
Teddy in PA
The F5 has good depth in my area. I've use a lot of detectors over the years and
this one will hang with the best of them. I'd say the same depth as the Garrett
1500 and 2500 in disc mode and every bit as deep as the Whites XLT and DFX in
preset programs for that fact better then the DFX in it's preset programs. I
don't think someone new to detecting will pick this detector up for awhile so
take your time a learn your detector.
There is a learning curve! All the info you will need is right in front of you.
In fact this detector gives you more real time info then any detector I've used
and I've been at it since 1993. Depth wise I hit a quater at 8 inches and it
rang out loud and clear I think it could take one at 10 inches no problem. For
more info just head over to the findmall forum and search the fisher F series
forum lot's of helpful folks there ! www.findmall.com
Apr 11, 2009
EXCELLENT Detector, EXCELLENT Depth
Marcomo in God Bless the, USA -
I read Jerry in Oklahoma's review and I felt compelled to share my opinion of
this detector.
Jerry said he can only get accurate target ID down to 4" on a penny. If that's
the case, it's one of three things:
1. User Error
2. Really bad (highly mineralized) ground
3. A defective machine
My experience has been that the target ID is accurate on smaller coins to 6".
I've found two silver dimes at 6" and both hit solidly in the coin range. My
deepest finds so far have been a 8" Mercury Dime and a 8" 1942 (non-silver)
nickel. The Mercury was an iffy signal and I thought it was probably junk before
I dug it, with ID numbers all over the map from 30's on up.
This is very good depth for a midprice detector. And that's honest depth, not
"my Explorer found a half dime at 12 inches" b.s. If that extra inch or so of
depth you can get with a high end detector is important to you, you might want
to go with the F5's higher priced brothers the F70 or F75 which are considered
by many to be as deep as any machines out there.
In my area the Fe3O4 meter almost always reads two bars when I'm over clean
ground so my soil is lightly moderate. Except in the trashiest areas I'm able to
run the detector hot - a setting I often use is threshold at 0 and gain at 90.
An interesting thing about this detector, and something that takes getting used
to, is when I run the detector hot and hold it still it will chatter and the ID
numbers will jump all over the place. But when I swing the detector the
chattering and jumping display numbers go away. The detector is stabilized by
the movement. I've gotten used it, but in the beginning it was very annoying
when I put the detector down to retrieve targets and it kept chattering unless
the controls were turned down or headphones removed.
More important than the stellar depth, the recovery speed and target separation
are phenomenal. And the interface is functionally superb with the stubby knobs
and a lot of information right in front of you.
Yes, I really like this detector a lot. But here's what I don't like:
1. Fisher markets this as a simple to use detector, no doubt to appeal to the
Cabelas shopping newbies. But the F5 has a lot of horsepower so to speak, and a
lot going on under and above the hood. I don't think this is the best choice for
a first detector. There is a definite learning curve made even longer by...
2. An absolutely terrible instruction manual loaded with mistakes. To get the
manual corrections go the Findmall Fisher forum and search for Mike Hillis'
manual corrections post. Mike is an F5 guru and you can learn a lot by reading
his archived posts. Hopefully Fisher has come out with a corrected manual by
now.
3. The build quality is solid enough but the ID display covering is a very
flimsy plastic. After about 10 hours of use I was getting enough scratches on it
to realize that if I didn't do something I'd be lucky to be able to read the
display at 100 hours. So I got a sheet of thin clear plastic, cut it to size and
attached it on the sides with gaffers tape. That's worked well to protect the
display.
4. No extra coils yet. The stock 5X10 is an excellent all-purpose coil, but it
would be nice to have some extra coils available. Fisher says they're coming
soon, we'll see.
The more I use this detector, the more I like it!
Mar 17, 2009
