F2 depth gauge

JkoBrewMe

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Joined
Dec 13, 2012
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23
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Western MA
Just received my F2 yesterday, and I have a question about the display. On the left side there is a 3 segment depth gauge, i believe they are 3 inch segments but how do I go by reading. it the top segment the top 3 inchs of soil or the bottom 3? when only the top is dark does that mean it is between 0 and 3 deep? Any comments would be a huge help!
 
You will not get great depth with the F2 but it works to find some targets. The depth gauge is somewhat correct but you cant always go by the readings. The top bar is either on top of the ground or just a inch or two below. The middle is kind of iffy. You will occasionally get a reading showing two bars and the items will be right below the surface. The last mark means that it is down a few inches, maybe 4'' and on. My suggestions is to dig everything at first to learn the language of the machine. After that, you will get to know the gauge system better. Unless you are digging in a relic rich place, cut out iron and go from there. You will get better depth when running no discrimination, but its up to you and a newbie!!
 
Just received my F2 yesterday, and I have a question about the display. On the left side there is a 3 segment depth gauge, i believe they are 3 inch segments but how do I go by reading. it the top segment the top 3 inchs of soil or the bottom 3? when only the top is dark does that mean it is between 0 and 3 deep? Any comments would be a huge help!

Ok, the 3 bars you are referring to are on the right side, the left side bars are your sensitivity levels.

Each bar on the right is supposed to indicate 2 inches so if you see one bar and the coil is flat on the ground the target is supposed to be within 2 inches, 2 bars within 3-4 inches and 3 bars somewhere past 4 inches.
Also if you hit that pinpoint button and look at the small numbers on the bottom middle of the screen that is supposed to be your approximate depth, also.

When it comes to large targets like cans neither of these things will be correct because your detector is calibrated to find coin size objects.
Cans can show one bar on the right, 0-2 inches on the pinpoint numbers and still be 6 inches or more in depth.

Both of these indicators are not always correct when it comes to coin size objects, either, I am afraid.
Sometimes, but not always, and there are some owners that have found if they scan that target with the coil about 1 inch above the ground this could give you a more accurate depth measurement...but again, not always.

I have found that my F2 seems to be the most accurate on coin size targets at depths of about 3-7 inches with the pinpoint button, but your mileage may very.

I can tell you I never use those 3 bars as any kind of depth indicator at all, but I do use them for something else.
They can help you to determine if you are receiving a false "ghost" signal, and especially if you are swinging over trash.

No matter what the depth is on your target if those 3 bars do not stay at one level and jump all around one of 3 things are usually happening.

1)...You are getting a false signal due to EMI interference which will not only make those bars jump but will also make your VDI numbers jump more than 2.
We call this jumpy stuff being "bouncy".

2)...This same kind of bouncy numbers and bars can also happen if you have large metal in the ground up to a foot away from your coil, or even smaller targets, usually trash, that are near but actually not even directly under any part of your coil, like tabs an inch or more outside that coil diameter.
This is because the F2 is extremely sensitive and can pick up a part of those outside targets.

3)...If you are scanning trash like lots of tabs, or irregular shaped trash like pieces of foil or can slaw, the F2 will have difficulty locking on solid to these types of objects so again you get those jumpy numbers and depth bars, and this is information I use those depth bars for, not for any depth info.

I usually dig all solid signals and even lots of the iffy bouncy ones from time to time and I can tell you that even though nothing in this hobby is 100% EVER, If I get bouncy numbers on the screen AND bouncing depth bars on the right side, every target I have dug to this point that is a real target and not a ghost has been trash...and I have dug many, many thousands.

Some trash can be very stable on those numbers and bars like tabs that are flat and shallow, or foil sports drink inserts, or foil around picnic areas that has been compressed and formed into a coin size and shape, but in those instances look at your VDI numbers and also the indicator icons on top to get a clue on what that target might be.

I can tell you that if you get good numbers on the screen like coin numbers, AND 1, 2 or 3 bars that are stable on the right, in my experience that target is going to be a good one close to 100% of the time and you should always dig those.

Here is a crummy video I made that shows what I mean about this stuff with my phone.
When it gets warmer I will try to do a better one with my camera.

I
 
Yep, I never use those bars for depth indication either (like Digger said - it's more of a junk indicator). I use the pinpoint for depth which 99% of the time is spot on for coins.
 
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