Fisher F44

Dflan83: said:

Anyone have one of these detectors? I traded a buddy for an almost new one and it seems like a pretty decent machine. I am not crazy about the stock coil but was wondering if anyone has the DD coil that you can get for these

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The Fisher F44 is very good detector, primarily as a Coin Hunting device. I owned 2 of them. Naturally, you or other might ask: 'Why two?' Simple answer.

→ I like a detector that works well for my needs.
→ I do not like to spend time changing search coils.
→ I like to have Iron Audio Volume Control
→ I need and appreciate a light-weight, well-balanced detector
→ I mainly use smaller-sisz4e search coils or mid-size search coils, and on some detectors I like both.


I did NOT like everything about the F44:

That 'egg-shaped' or 'tear-drop shaped' standard coil is ugly, makes the unit nose-heavy, and serves no useful purpose by torqueing a Concentric coil EMF out of practical shape and performance. So I ordered my 1st F44 with the 11" BiAxial Double-D coil. It isn't my favorite coil, but I really never used that coil beyond an initial Bench Testing stage. Instead, I kept my 5" DD coil mounted to that device full-time to help in trashier areas around picnic bowery's and the like.

But I did check it out with a mid-size coil I was using on a Teknetics Omega 8000 at the time and like it for general day-to-day Coin Hunting .... so I ordered my 2nd F44 with that coil instead of the goofy-looking coil. And which Concentric coil was it? It was the Fisher 7" Concentric which is a very nice, open-frame design with a proper rod-mount point.

With the two units at-the-ready with a 5" DD and 7" Concentric, the F44 'team' were set to grab-and-go when I arrived at a hunt site. I usually travel with at least 2 detectors in my vehicle, but more regularly 4 or 5 on the back seat, all at-the-ready. I set both of the units up with the same Custom settings for audio Tone in the different Disc. segments, and at Full Sensitivity and '12' on the Volume to keep the ferrous-range targets quieted down.

Do I still have them? No, but I kind of miss having them around. As an urban Coin Hunting detector they work well. But I try to keep my total detector outfit close to about 8-10 detector models and by the end of May I was in the upper teens. I needed to trim it up a bit, and because a bulk of my detecting is in heavily littered ferrous debris, I favor models best deigned to handle those environments, or to take on both Relic Hunting in heavy ferrous junk as well as Coin Hunting typical urban locations.

I sold them to people who appreciated them for what they are and can do. In the *can't-do* category, even with the 5" DD coil, is handle dense Iron Nail challenges in the ghost towns and gold mining camps I deal with. That's why I say they make good urban Coin Hunting tools.

Oh, you asked about the DD coil you can get for the F44. Yes, as I mentioned, I acquired my 1st with the 11" BiAxial rather than the funny-looking coil. I am not 'anti' any particular search coil type, but I prefer to own and use a search coil size and internal type or winding that provides me with the better performance from a particular detector model. I've been using DD coils since late 1971 so I'm not a stranger to them.

But I use what works best for my needs and site environment. As of today I own and use an assortment of makes and models. Of them, I keep 6 equipped with 6", 6½" or 7" Concentric coils, and 7 of them wearing a 4.7X5.2, 5", 5X8, 5X9½, 6X11 and round 11" Double-D coil. Not that with both Concentric and DD equipped model I do have more than one using the same size coil. That's how I get 6 of one Vs 7 of the other.

Monte

Note: I found the 7" Concentric and 5" DD to be my two favorite search coils with both the F44 and Omega 8000, so just to be ready for any re-acquisition in the future, I have a brand new 7" Concentric and gently-used 5" DD in my Accessory Coil Tote.