F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 1 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING 5-Year Limited Warranty The F70 metal detector is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for five years from the date of purchase to the original owner. Damage due to neglect, accidental damage or misuse of this product is not covered under this warranty. Decisions regarding abuse or misuse of the detector are made solely at the discretion of the manufacturer.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 2 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING How Metal Detectors Work Most hobby metal detectors use VLF Induction Balance technology. Here's how they work. T he F70 is a multipurpose metal detector. It’s most popular uses are coinshooting and relic hunting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 3 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities (continued) Shallow Water Hunting All Fisher Research Labs search coils are waterproof, allowing you to search in shallow water to about two feet deep. If searching around water, be careful not to get the electronics housing wet. Avoid salt spray, as it will work its way into the control housing and damage the electronics -- such damage is not covered by the warranty.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 4 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Specifications Mechanical: 3-piece breakdown aluminum pole system, batteries under elbow, Armrest adjustment - forward/backward. Detecting Activities (continued) Gold Prospecting (continued) Gold prospectors are mostly a friendly bunch, and willing to spend some time showing a beginner how to increase his odds of finding the yellow stuff.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 5 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities (continued) Quick Start Gold Prospecting Use your F70 right out of the box In the United States, gold is found in many places in the western states, Alaska, and in a few localities in the Appalachians. The old saying "Gold is where you find it", means that to find gold, you should look in areas where the yellow metal is known to be present.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 6 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Assembly Detecting Activities (continued) 1. Remove all components from box. Relic Hunting (continued) Most relic hunting locations are in fields, forested areas and vacant lots where digging holes will not damage turf grass, so having a detector with good depth sensitivity is important.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 7 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities Assembly (continued) Coinshooting 8. Tighten knurled cap nut by hand to secure cable connection to housing. Do not twist the cable or plug. Coinshooting is searching for coins, usually in places like parks, schoolyards, church lawns, and people's yards.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 8 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Mechanicals Search Techniques (continued) BATTERIES TIPS ON GROUND BALANCING The F70 requires four AA batteries. These non-rechargeable chemistries may be used: Alkaline, Nickel Oxy-Hydroxide (Panasonic Oxyride or Duracel PowerPix), and lithium iron disulfide (Energizer L91). Nickel metal hydride and nickel-cadmium rechargeable chemistries may also be used.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 9 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques (continued) HOT ROCKS A hot rock is a rock which causes the metal detector to sound off because the rock contains iron minerals. They come in two basic types. NEGATIVE hot rocks (also called cold rocks) are usually magnetite or contain magnetite, and give a negative response because their ground balance value is a higher number than the soil they are found in.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 10 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Controls Search Techniques (continued) ON-OFF & VOLUME Knob (Under the elbow) This knob turns the machine on or off, and controls speaker volume and headphone volume. Knob position has no effect on detector’s sensitivity or susceptibility to noise from electrical interference NUISANCE BURIED OBJECTS In some areas there is a lot of metallic trash which produces weak signals.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 11 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques (continued) Controls (continued) ESTIMATING TARGET I.D. MENU button With a single sweep over a target, you will usually see a 2-digit target ID displayed on the LCD. Repeated sweeps back and forth over the target may cause the 2-digit target ID values to change with each sweep of the coil; this may seem inconsistent with your discrimination setting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 12 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING The Menu System The entire menu is printed on the LCD display. There are two search modes, Discrimination and Autotune. To select the Autotune mode: 1. Press MENU until the DISC LEVEL line of the menu system is highlighted. 2. Press “-“ until the display reads “At”. To return to Discrimination mode: 1. Press MENU until the DISC LEVEL line of the menu system is highlighted. 2.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 13 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques Ground Balancing SWEEPING SEARCH COIL (this does not apply to Pinpointing) Keep the search coil in motion to detect targets. Sweep the search coil parallel to the ground; do not lift the search coil at the end of the sweep. WHAT IS GROUND BALANCING? All soils contain minerals.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 14 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Ground Balancing (continued) Capabilities and Limitations (continued) The range of ground balance settings indicated on the display range from 0 to 99. DIRT The DIRT bar graph on the LCD display indicates the amount of magnetic mineralization. The search coil must be in motion to measure mineralization.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 15 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Capabilities and Limitations (continued) Ground Balancing (continued) REQUIREMENT FOR MOTION: PINPOINT FEATURE As with other modern metal detectors, the F70’s search coil must be kept in motion in order to both detect and identify targets. The Autotune mode is more forgiving of sweep speed variation than is the Discrimination mode.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 16 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Autotune Mode Capabilities and Limitations The Autotune mode is more sensitive and offers better feel than the Discrimination mode, and is used to find all metal objects present in the ground. The search coil must be in motion for objects to be detected. This is a single filter search mode similar to the “fast autotune”, “SAT”, or “P4” mode found in other detectors you might already be familiar with.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 17 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Hz: Frequency Shifting Discrimination Mode One characteristic of a highly sensitive metal detector, operated at high sensitivity levels, is its susceptibility to electrical interference from other electronic devices. If the detector chatters while the search coil is not in motion, the cause is either electrical interference or internal circuit noise due to a high sensitivity setting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 18 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Discrimination Mode (continued) LCD Visual Display (continued) NUMBER OF TONES BATTERY CONDITION INDICATOR Fresh alkaline batteries will illuminate all three bars. When no bars are displayed and the batteries are about to go dead, the left-most segment will start flashing. Replace the batteries when the indicator flashes.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 19 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING LCD Visual Display (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) Since different metal objects can produce similar signals, and since minerals in the soil can distort the signals, the probable target ID's are just that -- probable. There is no way of knowing for sure what's buried other than to dig it up. Experienced metal detector users have a rule of thumb -- "when in doubt, dig".
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 20 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Pinpoint Feature LCD Visual Display After a buried target has been located using the Autotune or Discrimination modes, you want to pinpoint the exact location of the target in order to facilitate its recovery. Accurate target pinpointing will minimize digging. In normal operation, when the search coil passes over a metal object, the electrical signature (2-digit I.D.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 20 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Pinpoint Feature LCD Visual Display After a buried target has been located using the Autotune or Discrimination modes, you want to pinpoint the exact location of the target in order to facilitate its recovery. Accurate target pinpointing will minimize digging. In normal operation, when the search coil passes over a metal object, the electrical signature (2-digit I.D.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 19 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING LCD Visual Display (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) Since different metal objects can produce similar signals, and since minerals in the soil can distort the signals, the probable target ID's are just that -- probable. There is no way of knowing for sure what's buried other than to dig it up. Experienced metal detector users have a rule of thumb -- "when in doubt, dig".
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 18 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Discrimination Mode (continued) LCD Visual Display (continued) NUMBER OF TONES BATTERY CONDITION INDICATOR Fresh alkaline batteries will illuminate all three bars. When no bars are displayed and the batteries are about to go dead, the left-most segment will start flashing. Replace the batteries when the indicator flashes.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 17 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Hz: Frequency Shifting Discrimination Mode One characteristic of a highly sensitive metal detector, operated at high sensitivity levels, is its susceptibility to electrical interference from other electronic devices. If the detector chatters while the search coil is not in motion, the cause is either electrical interference or internal circuit noise due to a high sensitivity setting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 16 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Autotune Mode Capabilities and Limitations The Autotune mode is more sensitive and offers better feel than the Discrimination mode, and is used to find all metal objects present in the ground. The search coil must be in motion for objects to be detected. This is a single filter search mode similar to the “fast autotune”, “SAT”, or “P4” mode found in other detectors you might already be familiar with.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 15 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Capabilities and Limitations (continued) Ground Balancing (continued) REQUIREMENT FOR MOTION: PINPOINT FEATURE As with other modern metal detectors, the F70’s search coil must be kept in motion in order to both detect and identify targets. The Autotune mode is more forgiving of sweep speed variation than is the Discrimination mode.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 14 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Ground Balancing (continued) Capabilities and Limitations (continued) The range of ground balance settings indicated on the display range from 0 to 99. DIRT The DIRT bar graph on the LCD display indicates the amount of magnetic mineralization. The search coil must be in motion to measure mineralization.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 13 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques Ground Balancing SWEEPING SEARCH COIL (this does not apply to Pinpointing) Keep the search coil in motion to detect targets. Sweep the search coil parallel to the ground; do not lift the search coil at the end of the sweep. WHAT IS GROUND BALANCING? All soils contain minerals.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 12 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING The Menu System The entire menu is printed on the LCD display. There are two search modes, Discrimination and Autotune. To select the Autotune mode: 1. Press MENU until the DISC LEVEL line of the menu system is highlighted. 2. Press “-“ until the display reads “At”. To return to Discrimination mode: 1. Press MENU until the DISC LEVEL line of the menu system is highlighted. 2.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 11 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques (continued) Controls (continued) ESTIMATING TARGET I.D. MENU button With a single sweep over a target, you will usually see a 2-digit target ID displayed on the LCD. Repeated sweeps back and forth over the target may cause the 2-digit target ID values to change with each sweep of the coil; this may seem inconsistent with your discrimination setting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 10 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Controls Search Techniques (continued) ON-OFF & VOLUME Knob (Under the elbow) This knob turns the machine on or off, and controls speaker volume and headphone volume. Knob position has no effect on detector’s sensitivity or susceptibility to noise from electrical interference NUISANCE BURIED OBJECTS In some areas there is a lot of metallic trash which produces weak signals.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 9 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Search Techniques (continued) HOT ROCKS A hot rock is a rock which causes the metal detector to sound off because the rock contains iron minerals. They come in two basic types. NEGATIVE hot rocks (also called cold rocks) are usually magnetite or contain magnetite, and give a negative response because their ground balance value is a higher number than the soil they are found in.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 8 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Mechanicals Search Techniques (continued) BATTERIES TIPS ON GROUND BALANCING The F70 requires four AA batteries. These non-rechargeable chemistries may be used: Alkaline, Nickel Oxy-Hydroxide (Panasonic Oxyride or Duracel PowerPix), and lithium iron disulfide (Energizer L91). Nickel metal hydride and nickel-cadmium rechargeable chemistries may also be used.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 7 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities Assembly (continued) Coinshooting 8. Tighten knurled cap nut by hand to secure cable connection to housing. Do not twist the cable or plug. Coinshooting is searching for coins, usually in places like parks, schoolyards, church lawns, and people's yards.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 6 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Assembly Detecting Activities (continued) 1. Remove all components from box. Relic Hunting (continued) Most relic hunting locations are in fields, forested areas and vacant lots where digging holes will not damage turf grass, so having a detector with good depth sensitivity is important.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 5 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities (continued) Quick Start Gold Prospecting Use your F70 right out of the box In the United States, gold is found in many places in the western states, Alaska, and in a few localities in the Appalachians. The old saying "Gold is where you find it", means that to find gold, you should look in areas where the yellow metal is known to be present.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 4 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Specifications Mechanical: 3-piece breakdown aluminum pole system, batteries under elbow, Armrest adjustment - forward/backward. Detecting Activities (continued) Gold Prospecting (continued) Gold prospectors are mostly a friendly bunch, and willing to spend some time showing a beginner how to increase his odds of finding the yellow stuff.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 3 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING Detecting Activities (continued) Shallow Water Hunting All Fisher Research Labs search coils are waterproof, allowing you to search in shallow water to about two feet deep. If searching around water, be careful not to get the electronics housing wet. Avoid salt spray, as it will work its way into the control housing and damage the electronics -- such damage is not covered by the warranty.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 2 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING How Metal Detectors Work Most hobby metal detectors use VLF Induction Balance technology. Here's how they work. T he F70 is a multipurpose metal detector. It’s most popular uses are coinshooting and relic hunting.
F70-MANUAL-PROTOTIPE.qx6 9/29/08 OPERATING MANUAL 10:55 AM Page 1 & GUIDE TO METAL DETECTING 5-Year Limited Warranty The F70 metal detector is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for five years from the date of purchase to the original owner. Damage due to neglect, accidental damage or misuse of this product is not covered under this warranty. Decisions regarding abuse or misuse of the detector are made solely at the discretion of the manufacturer.
