THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO USING YOUR TRACKER METAL DETECTOR Copyright ®1998 by Bounty Hunter Corp./First TX Products, L.P. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this Website and content, or parts thereof, in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Published by Bounty Hunter Corp./First TX Products, L.P. Note: This book covers the entire Treasure Tracker line manufactured by Bounty Hunter Corporation.
RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Always gain permission when detecting on private property. 2. Learn all of your state and federal laws and know how they apply to metal detecting. 3. Be careful to wear protective clothing especially to guard yourself from the elements. 4. Wear gloves at all times when recovering metal objects. 5. Do not wear headphones when it is critical to be able to hear any oncoming traffic or imminent threats from wild animals. 6. Pace yourself and try to take a restful break at least every hour.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION/Author's Bio Complete Tracker Metal Detector Line CHAPTER 1 -- Tracker Detecting Basics Air Testing Preparation Air Testing Audio Output Test Pull Tab Reject Meter Systems CHAPTER 2 -- Take It To The Field Proper Coil Motion Pinpointing "Trapdoor" Method CHAPTER 3 -- Relic Hunting Control Settings Civil War Relic Hunting CHAPTER 4 -- Cache Hunting Cache Hunting Grid CHAPTER 5 -- Coin-Shooting Ball Field Map
CHAPTER 6 -- Jewelry Hunting Control Settings CHAPTER 7 -- Gold Prospecting Overview of Prospecting CHAPTER 8 -- Other Ways to Use Your Tracker Freelance Detecting CHAPTER 9 -- Tracker 2-D Ground Balancing Adjusting to Mineralization CHAPTER 10 -- Tracker III or IV Features Tracker III or IV Toggle Positions CHAPTER 11 -- Techniques In The Field Pinpointing Grid CHAPTER 12 -- Batteries CHAPTER 13 -- Depth Capability CHAPTER 14 -- Technology of Metal Detecting Electromagnetic Wavelengths CHAPTER 15 -- Practi
INTRO: Metal detecting is one of the most interesting, and can be one of the most profitable hobbies you will ever delve into. The hobby itself revolves under many different areas of the general term of "Treasure Hunting". With this book, we will explore all of these major areas that will enhance your capabilities and possibilities of applying your Tracker Metal Detector.
Tracker Detecting Basics Congratulations on your purchase of the Bounty Hunter Tracker metal detector. With this book, you'll discover that your new Tracker metal detector can be applied in a variety of ways. You'll gain many years of enjoyment and eliminate frustration by learning to operate and apply your unit properly. We'll start with a general description of each Tracker metal detector. The Tracker I-D has two controls: a Sensitivity On/Off switch and a Discriminate control.
Make sure there is no other metal nearby or the "air test" cannot be properly performed. What do you need in preparation for this "air test"? Find a nickel, a dime, a copper penny, a quarter, a pull tab, a nail, any piece of small iron, a gold ring, and you'll be completely ready for the most important preliminary test before taking your unit out into the field. Air Testing When first turning the unit on, you will hear a "beep" that lets you know that there are batteries in the unit and all systems are go.
You will only hear one tone instead of the two tones you normally hear when the Discrimination is turned on. Now for the first audio output test. Take your sample quarter and wave it slowly, about three inches above the coil -- do not hold the quarter over the coil stationary. The target has to be moving before the Tracker will emit a tone. You'll notice that you are getting a high pitch tone from the speaker of the unit. Now grab your sample nickel and wave it in the same manner.
As you wave your pull tab over the coil, you'll notice that you're now getting a double-tone or broken tone on the pull tab. If you're not, adjust the Discrimination knob a little in opposite directions while waving the pull tab over the coil. When you do notice that you're achieving the broken tone, leave your Discrimination knob on that position. Now grab your nickel and make sure you're still getting a solid low tone. You should also be able to achieve the same tone with your gold ring.
Now for some real fun! Let's take our Tracker detector and a small digging trowel outside and find some coins. If you have a yard, we'll start there. If you do not have a yard, we'll practice in the nearest park. We'll first operate the unit with the Sensitivity control turned three-quarters of a turn and our Discrimination control also turned three-quarters of a turn. We will not dig any pull tabs if we only dig the high tones that are emitted.
If you lose the signal directly over the hole, check the pile of dirt and see if you may have already dug up the target. With practice, you should be able to isolate your target within a four to five-inch circumference. If digging in a manicured lawn, this will minimize any destruction that may concur in your detecting efforts. At this point, you have come a long way with your Tracker. After detecting your yard or local park, you more than likely are even a few coins richer.
Depending on the area you're hunting, you may decide to operate your Tracker I-D in Discrimination Mode instead of All Metal Mode. This would be determined if you're hunting in an area where there is a lot of trash metal. For instance, old abandoned homes may have too many pull tabs to operate your unit in the All Metal Mode. By turning on your Discrimination around 12:00, as described earlier, you'll be able to eliminate most of them and isolate the more valuable targets.
To set up your Tracker metal detector for cache hunting requires that you turn off the Discrimination Mode. Sensitivity needs to be maximized for ultimate depth capability. (Tracker III or IV users: place the toggle switch in the center). Remember, if you're getting false signals, the Sensitivity will have to be cut back slightly. On the Tracker 2-D model, the false signaling can occur in the All Metals Mode by not being properly ground balanced.
In fact, at the time, another factor is that banks were not necessarily a secure place to store your wealth; therefore, many people did not believe in banks. So, they had to store their hard-earned money and valuables in a place that they considered secure. Now, we need to put ourselves in their position.
Even after adjusting to these specifications, you will still pick up a few pull tabs that will emit a low tone, especially the pull tabs that only have the lip left after being broken in half. These are called "Beaver Tails" and cannot be differentiated from a nickel by your Tracker. They both will emit a solid low tone. Speaking of coin-shooting, I'm reminded of a local story that involves a Tracker I-D. One buyer of a Tracker I-D metal detector had tried out his detector upon receiving it the same day.
Only the low tone emitted by your Tracker will determine that you may have encountered a gold ring but the odds are tremendously against you because of the thousands of pull tabs and "Beaver Tails" that are in your way that also may emit a low tone. Even though, this should be looked upon as a challenge instead of a drudgery. Silver rings will emit a high tone, as do copper and silver coins, and are easier to find. Gold chains, as gold rings, can also pose a problem when detecting.
Usually, if you're getting a repeatable signal, it will mean that it is worth digging. The main objective in discovering gold with your Tracker, is determining a prime location to hunt. This will more than likely be the determining factor of whether you find gold or not. The most important approach to gold prospecting, especially if you're a novice, would be lots of research. It's a good idea to spend some time understanding how gold forms and where you're likely to find it through research.
1. You can use your Tracker for finding survey landmarks or stakes that delineate property lines. To do this, you need to keep in mind what types of metal they are made of. Most landmarks and stakes are made of iron. Because of this, you cannot operate your Tracker in the Discrimination Mode for you will not be able to detect iron objects. Fortunately, there usually is not a lot of trash metal to contend with when hunting for landmarks, and you should have no trouble operating in the All Metals Motion Mode.
We now need to consider the finer aspects of tuning by learning…ground balancing for the Tracker 2-D. This will not apply to the Tracker I or Tracker III or IV since they have automatic ground balancing. Tracker 2-D Ground Balancing Explanation: The Tracker 2-D has one added control that the Tracker I does not possess: Manual Ground Balance for the All Metal Mode. The Tracker 2-D has automatic ground balancing when the Discrimination is turned on.
In other words, you need to adjust your Ground Balance to the soil conditions of the area you're hunting and, unless we change areas, usually we will not have to adjust it again. If you're gold prospecting, you may have to adjust more often depending on how many mineralized pockets of soil you encounter. Refer to your Tracker 2-D instruction manual for further explanation on how to adjust your Ground Balance control.
TECHNIQUES IN THE FIELD After getting this far, you've learned the many ways to operate your Tracker, and yet there are many other aspects of detecting such as…utilizing special techniques in the field. There are many approaches to operating your Tracker in the field. Let's first discuss the proper way that the coil should be swept. Your Tracker was designed to only target a piece of metal when the coil is in motion whether in the Discrimination Mode or in All Metals Mode.
Fortunately, most of this type of hunting is done in more remote areas and should not warrant having to be methodical in your digging approach to protect grass. Even though, always be careful to cover your holes wherever you hunt. Be respectful of property and always attempt to leave the area in the exact same condition as when you arrived. BATTERIES By utilizing certain techniques, you can add to the life of your batteries. A.
I. Size of Object: This is the most important factor that will influence the depth of your Tracker. For instance, you may only be able to detect a quarter at 6-8 inches but a large container of hundreds of quarters can possibly be detected at 3 feet and upwards. II. Matrix of the Soil: The mineral content of the soil you're detecting in will undoubtedly affect the depth capability of your detector. III.
If there is metal, the electromagnetic wavelengths will be absorbed by the metal and will deplete the signal being emitted. This depletion of signal is recognized by the circuitry by a phase shift in the coil, depending on the alloy and size of the metal, the Tracker will then decide if it is to emit no tone (In Discrimination for iron, etc.), a low tone (nickels, "beaver tails", gold rings, etc.), or a high tone (silver, copper, brass, etc.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP The Tracker I-D, Tracker 2-D, and Tracker III or IV, are excellent metal detectors that suffice for many types of uses. Today's Bounty Hunter and Teknetics technology offers the full spectrum of metal detectors which offer every feature imaginable. These major developments and engineering feats surpasses the industry standard and make the hobby of metal detecting rewarding and especially more fun to pursue.
