Please answer a dumb newb. question,, again.

[bud212002]

OK, I have a dumb question. MY pinpointing is still horrible. When I pinpoint, does that mean the target is in the center of the coil, or does it just mean it is under the coil somewhere??

I'm using a Fisher F5 which I love, but I am diggin bunkers, instead of plugs

My Garrett pointer will be here Friday, hopefully that will help, the Fisher pointer was !!!!!!

[SkiWhiz]

Never used the F5 but if it has a round concentric coil the target will be right in the middle of the coil. If it is a DD it can be anywhere from the front heal to the toe of the coil. Toss a coin on the ground and practice, you will get the feel where the "sweet" spot (the target exact location) is that way. Steve.

[lisfisher]

Signals from large items like an aluminum can may end up being on the side of the coil, at least that is my experience. Do as skiwhiz reccommended and throw items on the ground to learn where the signals end up in the coil.

[Lowjiber]

I know the F5 has a lot of adjustments...that's good. Sometimes on a shallow target, too much sensitivity (gain) can make it harder to pinpoint. You might try backing the sensitivity down a bit and trying it.

Just a thought.

[FredRock]

I'm assuming the F5 is like my F2 and F70 were.

The stock coil is probably concentric like on the F2 and F70.

Pinpointing with my F70 was never easy. Even though the concentric coil has a somewhat cone shaped signal, that cone isn't as pronounced as people think.

Any good concentric coil will "see" the target at both ends of the coil down to about 5-8 inches deep. So, a concentric can act a lot like a DD coil as far as ground coverage is concerned.

The problem with my F70 (and maybe your F5) was that it could be difficult to tell where the target was due to an almost equal target sound volume at all locations on the coil.

To zero in on a target with my F70 I had to use the all-metal pinpointer and try to guess where the target got the loudest on the coil.

Some brands are very good on pinpointing and one can easily tell exactly where the target is in relationship to the coil. Unfortunately, Fisher isn't one of them.

Here's what you could try and see if this helps. When you get a decent signal, raise the coil as you attempt to pinpoint the item. By doing this you may find the target at one consistent location on the coil.

But this problem is very real and many have it with their machines. I recall the struggle I had with the Minelab Explorer and Sovereign GT and their DD coils.

With the DD coil the deeper the target the farther back toward center the target will be on the coil.

With Tesoros is super easy to get dead-on a target because they are made to give a very loud and distinct signal at one consistant point on the coil.

[Razer]

I will share a phenomenon that I have seen in the field, My term for it is the dreaded "butterfly" or "bowtie" halo the target is oxidated and if you could see what the detector sees it would look like two little cones coming from each end of the target instead of straight up at your coil, so the coil reads it like two targets, or detects at the edge of the coil not the center, this will cause you to dig a 10-20 inch hole (yes my machine will go down deeper even than that) and waste your time and hurt your back.
so turn down the sens all the way and this will tell you whats going on scan the perimeter carefully to see if theres another target,if you get two beeps dig in the middle.
This situation requires time and thinking,almost an artform to be mastered,