Fisher F44 Modes Question

[DirtScanner]

A friend of mine just bought a Fisher F44 and just does not seem to be getting on with it. We tested some coins on coin mode and it didn't pick them all up and seemed to have a massive delay when it did, detected them OK in jewelry mode etc. Surely when testing on coins the coin mode should be better than the others? Also did not pick up on a thimble !! Do the modes have some built in discrimination like the Garrett Ace 150 that performs better on jewelry mode as well ?

Is it best to use a Custom mode of some kind?

Please advice as he is getting a little disillusioned.

I use a Deus and have a Whites Prizm III and Ace 150 detectors as a spares/loners a have never seen the likes before on these and any other machines I have had.

Thanks for looking and any advice you can offer.

[GezFisher22]

Hi,
I got the F22 as a starter and I found that setting the discrimination low and notching out Fe worked a bit better. On Artifact with discrimination on 5 it picks everything up as you would expect. Doesn't like wet sand much but it will work, again notching out Fe and the lower scales. Sometimes it just goes crazy and I have to switch it off, clean the coil and start again. It is not as straight forward as I hoped but I did find a nice coin in the garden straight out of the box on factory settings. Just have to keep trying or it may be faulty. Good luck.

[DirtScanner]

Thanks Gez, I don't think it is as straight forward a machine as he thought it would be either, I will pass this on to him.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[beachboy70]

I also have the F44 it was a replacement for my wife's 250, but its not a easy machine to get the feel of. I have not used it that much i Think you just need some more time with it to get the feel and to know what its telling you. HH beachboy 70

[DirtScanner]

I also have the F44 it was a replacement for my wife's 250, but its not a easy machine to get the feel of. I have not used it that much i Think you just need some more time with it to get the feel and to know what its telling you. HH beachboy 70

He is still pressing on with it but has not found a great deal apart from iron and rubbish. Guess like any machine, you need to put the hours in to get to know it.

Thanks for your reply

[beachboy70]

Hi DirtScanner. I forgot to mention my F44 does not like the sensitivity too high makes a lot of chirping so keep it low. The first time i took it out ( last year ) it was a wet day so good for a test i had about £4 ish + a Silver Puzzle ring so it does find if its there. Still have to give it a good test on the wet beaches but not that hopeful on that score. beachboy 70

[DirtScanner]

Thanks for the advice, I will pass it on to my mate.

[Polaris100]

beachboy70,

The F44 Owner's Manual states on page 9 states:
".....For example, the detector IS NOT designed for use on wet sand saltwater beaches"

[beachboy70]

You are correct about not suitable for wet salt beaches but it will work to a point on some wet/ damp beaches. There was some videos showing the machine being used on a wet salt beach but that was a white sand beach that is a very clean sand with little minerals we do not have many beaches ( if any ) like that here in the UK, i thought as you can do a manual ground balance you could wipe the salt effect out but only a little, we do use it on damp /wet sand but lots of noise on some beaches so hard going so anybody thinking about buying for beach work, good on the dry but hard going on a wet salty beach. Hope this helps. HH beachboy70

[Natroxz]

Hello,
I have used the F44 for 3-4 months now, and I´m loving it.
99% of the time I use "Custom" mode, and if the Iron sound gets to mutch I use the
"IronVolume 10-20" so it gets a little bit more quiet.
You can also set the sound in "Custom" mode.
- Iron Grunt VDI : 1-19
- Low Tone VDI : 20-49
- Mid Tone VDI : 50-69
- High Tone VDI : 70-99

Also important to do "Ground Balance" with the F44, I look at the plugs I pop, if the soil have changed I do a GB.

[beachboy70]

Yes if you keep on top of the GB that helps, the times i have used it i set it up so i hear the iron but only softly so you know its there but not a problem with picking up the good signals. But it does have many ways to set up a good machine on the right ground for the price. HH beachboy70

[Skytriker]

I have carried out two short test searches since taking delivery of my new F44. The first, on our lawn, uncovered a £1 coin at 7 inches. The second, on my son's 100 year old grassed garden, uncovered a 1943 George VI shilling, a matchbox car, remains of a Victorian solid brass door knob, and a 1945 Gavaert 35mm film canister. The machine was set to Custom mode with four different tones. I groundbalanced several times on each search and had sensitivity set to 14. There was a lot of iron grunt going on, but at low volume it could easily be ignored. I am impressed with the F44 and enjoying it already. The morning it arrived was wet and windy, so I spent some time reading the manual and playing with settings. This certainly seems to have paid off as I can easily alter settings to suit conditions, with confidence.

[Gray27]

Hello,
I have used the F44 for 3-4 months now, and I´m loving it.
99% of the time I use "Custom" mode, and if the Iron sound gets to mutch I use the
"IronVolume 10-20" so it gets a little bit more quiet.
You can also set the sound in "Custom" mode.
- Iron Grunt VDI : 1-19
- Low Tone VDI : 20-49
- Mid Tone VDI : 50-69
- High Tone VDI : 70-99

Also important to do "Ground Balance" with the F44, I look at the plugs I pop, if the soil have changed I do a GB.

I have a F44 what do you mean by use the iron volume. Can you turn the volume down for just iron. If so can you explain to me how to do it. I am new to this. Thanks Gray.

[Skytriker]

I have a F44 what do you mean by use the iron volume. Can you turn the volume down for just iron. If so can you explain to me how to do it. I am new to this. Thanks Gray.

Hello Gray, I have copied page 13 of the manual for you, which should help

VOLUME
The F44 has FeToneTM, adjustable Iron audio, a feature to reduce the volume of iron targets to minimize user fatigue.
Volume settings of 10 – 20 are available to control the volume level of the iron targets. As you increase volume from 10 to 20, iron-volume changes from silent to maximum. At each of the 10 – 20 volume settings, nonferrous target response remains at maximum volume. At volume settings 0 – 9 both ferrous and nonferrous targets have equal volume.
Example: at volume setting 15, nonferrous target volume is maximum, ferrous
target volume is at “5”, or half volume.

[Gray27]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Got it now. Easy when you know how.
Thanks again Gray