Water Proofing a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV ::WIP::

SoKyHunter

Full Member
Joined
May 27, 2012
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Location
Kentucky
I've been wanting to try this out for awhile. Tax time is rolling around and I'll actually be able to upgrade soon, so I've decided to go ahead and see if I can water proof a Tracker IV, and throw it on a straight shaft. ...got caught in the rain the other day, and I didn't care for the run back. Straight shafts are just cool.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I hope this coil will work okay in fresh water? Otherwise, I'll just be enjoying rainy days.

:laughing:

This is still a work in progress, but with the waterproofing threads popping up, I wanted to throw mine out there as well. This is just currently a mock up.

Materials use (so far):

3/4" aluminum tube - $3
Wal-Mart waterproof box (approx 5"x6"x3") - $6
1/4" bults/nuts - $1
5" black PVC coupler - $3

I'm still waiting on cable clams to run the coil wire and headphone wire in to the box. I've seen cheap water proof ear buds, so for this build, I'll be using those as well. Total investing, not including time, should be less than $50. Most of that being the cable clams. Anything boating is always expensive.

*Excuse the burred arm rest. My Dremel crapped out.

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Once I get the clams in, I can run the cabling (coil/earbuds). ...and finish cutting the arm rest out. Seal all the bolt/cabling holes. The misses is pretty crafty and will be making a leather pad for the armrest. Probably not the best for machine that's going to get wet, but we've already got the materials on hand. Also attach/create a grip. Other than that, just securing the internals inside the box, and it should be good to go.

Last but not least, quick sand and a coat of black paint over the armrest/shaft.

The only downside to this build is having to open the box to power on/off or adjust sens/discrim. Other than that, it's a budget water machine that I can hopefully take canoeing without worry.

Hope you enjoy. Any feedback, suggestions, critism etc is welcome.

Props goes out to rocketmoon2 and his Waterproof Vaquero thread that I borrowed ideas from, as well as CanSlaw and his Straight Shaft thread.
 
As a fellow Tracker IV person who has done a mod myself I am impressed! Just make sure the batteries are secured down good, or isolate them from the board area.
 
Ah, I forgot to mention the box will be compartmentalized. I have a Radio Shack project box that's going to get cut up and used to create two separate compartments. I'll run small bolts to secure the circuit board on one side, and have the opposite side lined with foam to secure the batteries.
 
I firgured you already had a plan ;) I should get another TRIV unit and do the same thing :hmmm:
 
...just a quick idea of how I'll go about compartmentalizing. The red outline shows where I'll cut, then any fine tuning for proper fit.


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I had to remove the headphone jack from the circuit board for this setup. Drill another hole to run the headphone/coil connections out of the compartment.
 
I've decided to go ahead and see if I can water proof a Tracker IV, and throw it on a straight shaft. ...got caught in the rain the other day, and I didn't care for the run back. Straight shafts are just cool.

Have you tried it underwater?
How it does?
 
I've also done a waterproof bh and (2) explorers. I suggest you add those silica dry packs to the inside of the box. They'll help with humidity and if heaven forbid you actually get a leak, they'll eat up a lot of water and give you a lil buffer time to catch the leak before the inside of the case is filled.

Also, these bike handlebar extensions are a cheap way to add a handle to your straight shaft.
 

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I'd forgotten about this thread.

Ended up ditching the waterproof effort, and migrating the Tracker IV internals in to a small Radio Shack project box. Removed the kick meter and speaker in the process to cut weight. This thread is four years old, but I can dig it out and take pics if interested.
 
Absolutely - YES please dig them out -

I love looking at peoples mods etc - Now that the market worldwide appears to be bloated/saturated with that many makes and models of metal detectors, there is nothing like customizing something for you own particular taste and needs.

It also gives a great sense of satisfaction - Thanks for sharing btw
 
Just a brief summary: I removed the kick meter and speaker. Replaced stock housing with a Radio Shack small project box. It was pretty straight forward modification. Drill potientiometer, mode toggle, headphone jack and coil connect holes and drop everything in. The only real forethought was to move discrim potientiometer closer to the center for easy thumbing to ID targets on the go.


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Where you get the waterproof knobs at? Anything special you had to do to install those?

I need to do this to mine!
 
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