DIGGER27
In Memory Of
I have stated all this info many times in other posts but a new user with the F2 in the F2 club section had a problem with jumpy numbers, a common thing with F series detectors, so I wrote this to try to help.
Most longtime users know this stuff, but there might be a few new users out there that could find something useful in repeating this stuff here.
Hey all,
So I was the owner of 2 Ace 250's(one for my youngest son or backup)..after about a year or so of running it,,I did alot of research and read EVERY post I could find on the F2..Finally after reading over 60 pages of Diggers thread, I decided I had to have one..After several failed attempts I finally had another member contact me about a trade, He had 2 F2's and wanted to try a 250..what a coincidence I have 2 ace 250's and want to try a F2. So we traded straight up.. I have been using it for about a week now and although I do get the OCCASIONAL solid signal..everything is jumping all over..i have tried from full sens. to 3 bars...no interference that I can see anywhere.. I dug today at a park and hit 5 state quarters,,all jumping all over,,However I did see a few times it stayed on quarter..so I dug them,,and bam!, a quarter...Pennys,,same thing all over, but the OCCASIONAL 61,,so I dug and yup..Penny..Dime was dime at 71-73 on my machine...I was fortunate to receive the F2 with the 8" AND a sniper coil so I put the sniper on a few days ago...but It just seems to jump around way to much...If I hadn't read so much here I probably would never have dug any of those..Is it me? My F2? or still a learning curve?? The F2 found several coins,a small pocket spill AND a 14" .925 Italy necklace the first time I hit this park,So it IS finding things,,just the jumping numbers from 61,20,40,30,21,51,43,61...thats what I get..and then dig a coin..I am a little frustrated and confused. Will keep at it, that I promise..but anymore insight will be appreciated.
********************************************************
Let me try to help.
First thing is every time you change over to a new coil you should reset the F2 to factory specs which seems to calm down some more of the more jumpy units.
To do this just hit that power button and leave your finger pressed on it as it powers up and for about 10 seconds after the screen lights up.
Why there is no mention of this in any manuals, literature or on any Fisher website I don't know, but it sure seems knowing something like this can come in handy, sometimes.
Second, finger tighten the coil wire to the head unit but get some pliers and just give that ring a tiny bit more of a twist.
Don't crank it till your life depended on it either.
Just a little bit.
On mine this does seem to calm it down a bit when it was a little too jumpy after changing coils.
Don't ask me why this is so, logically it makes absolutely no sense.
The connection should be the same finger tight vs. that little bit extra twist but all I know is it worked and I always do this every time I change a coil.
Third, turn down the sense...a lot if you have to.
This thing is way over powered right out of the box even on 75% power level at 6 bars when it powers up.
I used to think you lose about 1/4" for every bar you take away from that 7 bar max power reading, but I am now convinced it is way less than that.
If I can hit dimes and small pieces of chains at 5-6 inches with my sniper coil on one bar just like it would on seven, and dimes at 7" or a bit more using the 8" coil on 2-3 bars I think this will prove that theory.
I have experienced all of these things and more using mine.
I am about 99% sure that you can find about 99% of all targets on one bar that you could probably find on seven...there seems to be so little difference between these power levels and depth in the field.
Fourth, swing slow.
The F2 is so sensitive that it will pick up objects that are not even under the coil but outside the rim.
Big metal it will pick up close to a foot away from that coil even buried in the ground, and it will do this on tot lot metal just like most others will.
You can and will get a lot of falsing as that coil moves over an object...especially trash.
Roll over a piece of foil or can slaw or most tabs the readings will jump as the end, then the middle, then the other end of the coil passes over it.
More than one target under the coil at the same time will of course cause big jumps too.
So will scanning good targets too fast like coins, and any target right next to the coil within 1/4" will cause some nice jumping too... even good ones like coins.
The F2 is pretty fast compared to most, but like most detectors if you swing slow and at the correct speed the F2 will have a better chance to lock on targets and you will find way more solid signal and good targets you want to dig.
About 1' per second per foot is a good target to aim for when it comes to swing speed.
Not easy to do, but it seems to be close to an optimum speed on the F2 and I try to do this or even slower when I am at sites attempting to find all there is to find and especially around a lot of trash.
To get less jumpy signals it is important to scan targets in the middle of the coils because of what I mentioned above about different parts of the coils giving different readings as you pass over them.
Just slowing down to the right speed should give you many more solid, stable signals than you are getting now, but centering targets under the coil is important.
Just the other day after my club meeting there were 2 guys that were new to the F2 that I took to a trashy picnic site for a couple of lessons after the meeting.
One guy has had is for a few weeks, has done a lot of hunting with an older Tesoro but was new with the F2 and had very few hours swinging it.
He had the 8" coil on his and he was also getting some pretty jumpy signals most of the time at this site...at first.
I showed him how to slow down a bit and he got a few more solid signals.
One target he dug was still pretty jumpy but way more than the 2 number jump that I consider a solid target and always dig.
Targets that jump more than 2 numbers I rarely dig, but I do work that coil slowly on all good sounding targets to see if I can get them to stay within that 2 number area.
After showing me that piece of cast metal he had dug which should not have jumped much at all I watched him a bit and realized he was not centering his targets under the coil with that 8" before digging.
I showed him how to make some very short quick passes with that coil to try to get the numbers more solid but he was still having a small problem with that so I went another way.
I told him on all targets he should use that pinpoint button to home in on the exact area of the target to get it directly under the center of the coil and listen for the loudest tones and look at the screen for the lowest pinpoint numbers.
When he got to that point he should make some very short quick passes side to side with that coil and he should see much more stable numbers that won't jump more than 2.
He started to do this and lo and behold he learned to get those much more stable numbers on the screen and dug a few pieces of trash exactly where he thought they would be and also a few more coins much more easily.
I myself don't use that pinpoint button very much to center targets under the coil correctly.
After scanning and digging thousands of signals I have learned to do this with just a few quick side to side sweeps with any coils I use, but I still do use that pinpoint from time to time and this ability to center targets quickly was something I could not do at the beginning...it took time to learn to do this and to do it very fast and be accurate enough to get the more non jumpy numbers on the screen and stay there...but this can be learned.
The sniper coil is so small it is much easier to do this and you also have less chance of multiple targets under that coil, too.
My rules are if the numbers don't jump more than 2 I dig it no matter where they fall.
So many of my greatest gold finds were in foil or tab areas or even in others like nickel and zinc and at numbers that are usually trash like tabs, foil can slaw or bottle caps 99.9% of the time for me, but I don't dig those signals for those 99.9% numbers...I dig them for that other .1% which have been something way better instead...and by that I mean gold.
Most irregular shaped trash like can slaw and foil and tabs that are at an angle in the ground will jump more than 2 numbers no matter how much you work that coil around them.
I used to dig these but usually don't anymore.
There is still plenty of tabs, foil can slaw and other junk that comes in solid and won't jump that I dig so I don't waste my time on signals that jump more than 2 numbers.
Nothing that jumped more than 2 numbers has ever been good for me even those others say they have found great things that did jump.
Then again those others might not work that coil so hard to find those stable numbers like I do, either.
If they did I suspect that most all of those hunters would have found a point where those great finds were not as jumpy as they thought, but I can't say for sure and all I can and will say is how this stuff works for me.
This skill and knowledge came in handy a few weeks ago.
I was at a site I had gone over many times before but got a signal that jumped from 27-31.
A nice, solid tone, (listen for those solid tones, false signals will usually be less so and more "squeaky"), and I couldn't get it to stay within 2 numbers so I did something I rarely do and turned 180 degrees and hit it from another angle.
This is actually a very good thing to do to check targets and most newbies should.
I don't do it much but I still do sometimes when I hear a solid tone and I did it on this one.
Thank God I did, when going over it from that new angle I got a more solid 29-31 number on the screen and dug it and it was a very small, old, and I suspect somewhere between 18-24 karat ring with a natural pearl.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=156771
Not the biggest, but one of the greatest gold finds I have had so far and I will get a test kit and see exactly what this thing is because it is so old or worn there are no marks.
So there it is.
Go slow.
Center all targets under the coil with some quick side to side swipes or use the pinpoint button to zero in while you learn to get good at this.
I dig all targets that don't jump more than two and I find a ton of these on every hunt no matter how clear or trashy the site using these techniques and no matter what coil I use, but the sniper coil will find many, many more at real trashy sites.
Dig all targets that don't jump more than 2, or at least all the good ones and as much of the ones in trash sections that you can if you like to be surprised from time to time.
All good targets, or at least solid targets will repeat in the exact same place every time.
Targets that don't repeat in the exact same place will be false signals and you should avoid them
It does take a little time to realize that false signals like those you get in tot lots next to big metal might seem like they are repeating in the same place but in actuality they are not, there will always be a slight difference, and it does take time to recognize this.
Just keep practicing.
I was not good with the F2 when I first got it.
I had jumpy numbers, chased targets that weren't there, dug some empty craters that you could see from the moon, but over time and with practice I got way better and as fun as the F2 is to swing, when you get really good with it the fun is multiplied several fold.
HH
Most longtime users know this stuff, but there might be a few new users out there that could find something useful in repeating this stuff here.
Hey all,
So I was the owner of 2 Ace 250's(one for my youngest son or backup)..after about a year or so of running it,,I did alot of research and read EVERY post I could find on the F2..Finally after reading over 60 pages of Diggers thread, I decided I had to have one..After several failed attempts I finally had another member contact me about a trade, He had 2 F2's and wanted to try a 250..what a coincidence I have 2 ace 250's and want to try a F2. So we traded straight up.. I have been using it for about a week now and although I do get the OCCASIONAL solid signal..everything is jumping all over..i have tried from full sens. to 3 bars...no interference that I can see anywhere.. I dug today at a park and hit 5 state quarters,,all jumping all over,,However I did see a few times it stayed on quarter..so I dug them,,and bam!, a quarter...Pennys,,same thing all over, but the OCCASIONAL 61,,so I dug and yup..Penny..Dime was dime at 71-73 on my machine...I was fortunate to receive the F2 with the 8" AND a sniper coil so I put the sniper on a few days ago...but It just seems to jump around way to much...If I hadn't read so much here I probably would never have dug any of those..Is it me? My F2? or still a learning curve?? The F2 found several coins,a small pocket spill AND a 14" .925 Italy necklace the first time I hit this park,So it IS finding things,,just the jumping numbers from 61,20,40,30,21,51,43,61...thats what I get..and then dig a coin..I am a little frustrated and confused. Will keep at it, that I promise..but anymore insight will be appreciated.
********************************************************
Let me try to help.
First thing is every time you change over to a new coil you should reset the F2 to factory specs which seems to calm down some more of the more jumpy units.
To do this just hit that power button and leave your finger pressed on it as it powers up and for about 10 seconds after the screen lights up.
Why there is no mention of this in any manuals, literature or on any Fisher website I don't know, but it sure seems knowing something like this can come in handy, sometimes.
Second, finger tighten the coil wire to the head unit but get some pliers and just give that ring a tiny bit more of a twist.
Don't crank it till your life depended on it either.
Just a little bit.
On mine this does seem to calm it down a bit when it was a little too jumpy after changing coils.
Don't ask me why this is so, logically it makes absolutely no sense.
The connection should be the same finger tight vs. that little bit extra twist but all I know is it worked and I always do this every time I change a coil.
Third, turn down the sense...a lot if you have to.
This thing is way over powered right out of the box even on 75% power level at 6 bars when it powers up.
I used to think you lose about 1/4" for every bar you take away from that 7 bar max power reading, but I am now convinced it is way less than that.
If I can hit dimes and small pieces of chains at 5-6 inches with my sniper coil on one bar just like it would on seven, and dimes at 7" or a bit more using the 8" coil on 2-3 bars I think this will prove that theory.
I have experienced all of these things and more using mine.
I am about 99% sure that you can find about 99% of all targets on one bar that you could probably find on seven...there seems to be so little difference between these power levels and depth in the field.
Fourth, swing slow.
The F2 is so sensitive that it will pick up objects that are not even under the coil but outside the rim.
Big metal it will pick up close to a foot away from that coil even buried in the ground, and it will do this on tot lot metal just like most others will.
You can and will get a lot of falsing as that coil moves over an object...especially trash.
Roll over a piece of foil or can slaw or most tabs the readings will jump as the end, then the middle, then the other end of the coil passes over it.
More than one target under the coil at the same time will of course cause big jumps too.
So will scanning good targets too fast like coins, and any target right next to the coil within 1/4" will cause some nice jumping too... even good ones like coins.
The F2 is pretty fast compared to most, but like most detectors if you swing slow and at the correct speed the F2 will have a better chance to lock on targets and you will find way more solid signal and good targets you want to dig.
About 1' per second per foot is a good target to aim for when it comes to swing speed.
Not easy to do, but it seems to be close to an optimum speed on the F2 and I try to do this or even slower when I am at sites attempting to find all there is to find and especially around a lot of trash.
To get less jumpy signals it is important to scan targets in the middle of the coils because of what I mentioned above about different parts of the coils giving different readings as you pass over them.
Just slowing down to the right speed should give you many more solid, stable signals than you are getting now, but centering targets under the coil is important.
Just the other day after my club meeting there were 2 guys that were new to the F2 that I took to a trashy picnic site for a couple of lessons after the meeting.
One guy has had is for a few weeks, has done a lot of hunting with an older Tesoro but was new with the F2 and had very few hours swinging it.
He had the 8" coil on his and he was also getting some pretty jumpy signals most of the time at this site...at first.
I showed him how to slow down a bit and he got a few more solid signals.
One target he dug was still pretty jumpy but way more than the 2 number jump that I consider a solid target and always dig.
Targets that jump more than 2 numbers I rarely dig, but I do work that coil slowly on all good sounding targets to see if I can get them to stay within that 2 number area.
After showing me that piece of cast metal he had dug which should not have jumped much at all I watched him a bit and realized he was not centering his targets under the coil with that 8" before digging.
I showed him how to make some very short quick passes with that coil to try to get the numbers more solid but he was still having a small problem with that so I went another way.
I told him on all targets he should use that pinpoint button to home in on the exact area of the target to get it directly under the center of the coil and listen for the loudest tones and look at the screen for the lowest pinpoint numbers.
When he got to that point he should make some very short quick passes side to side with that coil and he should see much more stable numbers that won't jump more than 2.
He started to do this and lo and behold he learned to get those much more stable numbers on the screen and dug a few pieces of trash exactly where he thought they would be and also a few more coins much more easily.
I myself don't use that pinpoint button very much to center targets under the coil correctly.
After scanning and digging thousands of signals I have learned to do this with just a few quick side to side sweeps with any coils I use, but I still do use that pinpoint from time to time and this ability to center targets quickly was something I could not do at the beginning...it took time to learn to do this and to do it very fast and be accurate enough to get the more non jumpy numbers on the screen and stay there...but this can be learned.
The sniper coil is so small it is much easier to do this and you also have less chance of multiple targets under that coil, too.
My rules are if the numbers don't jump more than 2 I dig it no matter where they fall.
So many of my greatest gold finds were in foil or tab areas or even in others like nickel and zinc and at numbers that are usually trash like tabs, foil can slaw or bottle caps 99.9% of the time for me, but I don't dig those signals for those 99.9% numbers...I dig them for that other .1% which have been something way better instead...and by that I mean gold.
Most irregular shaped trash like can slaw and foil and tabs that are at an angle in the ground will jump more than 2 numbers no matter how much you work that coil around them.
I used to dig these but usually don't anymore.
There is still plenty of tabs, foil can slaw and other junk that comes in solid and won't jump that I dig so I don't waste my time on signals that jump more than 2 numbers.
Nothing that jumped more than 2 numbers has ever been good for me even those others say they have found great things that did jump.
Then again those others might not work that coil so hard to find those stable numbers like I do, either.
If they did I suspect that most all of those hunters would have found a point where those great finds were not as jumpy as they thought, but I can't say for sure and all I can and will say is how this stuff works for me.
This skill and knowledge came in handy a few weeks ago.
I was at a site I had gone over many times before but got a signal that jumped from 27-31.
A nice, solid tone, (listen for those solid tones, false signals will usually be less so and more "squeaky"), and I couldn't get it to stay within 2 numbers so I did something I rarely do and turned 180 degrees and hit it from another angle.
This is actually a very good thing to do to check targets and most newbies should.
I don't do it much but I still do sometimes when I hear a solid tone and I did it on this one.
Thank God I did, when going over it from that new angle I got a more solid 29-31 number on the screen and dug it and it was a very small, old, and I suspect somewhere between 18-24 karat ring with a natural pearl.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=156771
Not the biggest, but one of the greatest gold finds I have had so far and I will get a test kit and see exactly what this thing is because it is so old or worn there are no marks.
So there it is.
Go slow.
Center all targets under the coil with some quick side to side swipes or use the pinpoint button to zero in while you learn to get good at this.
I dig all targets that don't jump more than two and I find a ton of these on every hunt no matter how clear or trashy the site using these techniques and no matter what coil I use, but the sniper coil will find many, many more at real trashy sites.
Dig all targets that don't jump more than 2, or at least all the good ones and as much of the ones in trash sections that you can if you like to be surprised from time to time.
All good targets, or at least solid targets will repeat in the exact same place every time.
Targets that don't repeat in the exact same place will be false signals and you should avoid them
It does take a little time to realize that false signals like those you get in tot lots next to big metal might seem like they are repeating in the same place but in actuality they are not, there will always be a slight difference, and it does take time to recognize this.
Just keep practicing.
I was not good with the F2 when I first got it.
I had jumpy numbers, chased targets that weren't there, dug some empty craters that you could see from the moon, but over time and with practice I got way better and as fun as the F2 is to swing, when you get really good with it the fun is multiplied several fold.
HH
...still lots of love over here in Kansas aimed at you! 
Coin is soaking. Pics later!! At Ease.....
