Testing the Sun Ray FE-1 Probe
by Bill Ladd
(Reprinted with permission from Western & Eastern Treasures magazine December 2005 issue)
In a recent report of the Sun Ray FZ-1 probe for the Fisher CZ series detectors, I mentioned that I'd always been "on the fence" concerning the use of a probe. Past problems involving loss in the field, broken probes, having to tune and carry another item, dead batteries, and just saying to myself, "I can pinpoint well" - all of these kept me at bay.
Having utilized the onboard FZ-1 probe for quite some time now, I quickly became a convert. I admit I was most concerned that the weight and balance of my Fisher units would be affected. However, I think the weight of a Sun Ray probe is quite deceiving. The small switch box weighs next to nothing, and does not affect swing balance. The probe itself may look big, but it's also quite light; and clipping up high alongside Fisher's arm cups, it retains good balance. Often I forget it's even there, and what's nice is it is there whenever I may need it.
So, my next hope was the possibility of Sun Ray's duplicating their magic within the rest of the Fisher detector line. With the new ID-Excel selling so well, this was an obvious choice for a probe, and having worked on the R&D of the Excel, and doing the field test, I was very excited to see it materialize.
Of course, there were questions. Since the Sun Ray onboard probes function with the electronics of the detector itself, and the probe essentially becomes a 1" coil, how would the target ID be? Would the numbers read the same as with the coil? How about the four tones? Also, with the Excel being a smaller, lighter S-rod mounted unit, how would the fit/balance be?
All of these questions and more were quickly answered when I clamped on the brand new FE-1 ID-Excel probe for the first time. First off, I was excited to see that the Excel configuration was absolutely ideal for a Sun Ray probe. The switch box fit right up under the control housing, rather than down on the middle rod. Therefore, I could easily reach out with my index finger and switch to "Probe". Just like the CZ's, the probe clipped out of the way next to the arm cup. Balance was excellent... probably even better than my CZ's due to the switch location. Honestly, I forgot that it was there, and for the Excel it seemed a perfect fit.
The first thing I did was to get out some old coins and conduct some air tests. An older nickel read at +11 under the coil. When I switched to "Probe," I got another pleasant surprise. The Excel gave a drawn-out, double signal (the overload tone) when you switched from one "coil" to the other. I figured this might come in handy as an audio indication that you've made the switch, as you don't want to accidentally leave the probe on. The FE-1 probe also read +11 with the nickel and gave the same, correct medium tone, so the ID looked strong. Further air tests on several coins showed only minor differences, a digit or two, once or twice, but this was not apparent on buried examples in my area. Besides, being a digit off occasionally shouldn't be a drawback, as Excel users know that depth, mineralization, and tilted coins can change ID numbers also. I also was impressed that, unlike some other pocket-type probes, it did not have to directly touch the coin. I saw the same approximately 3" or so of sensitivity/depth as all other Sun Ray onboard probes offer. I was eager to try it in the field.
Luckily, the new probe was delivered the week I was headed to Colchester, England. The ID-Excel was supposed to be my backup detector, but due to the new probe it saw quite a bit of heavy usage. It rains a lot in England, but of course the probe is waterproof. In fact, those familiar with detecting the U.K. and its massive farms know that it can get very messy due to rain. The soil is different there, and the mud really sticks to
The author tests out the new Sun Ray FE-1 probe in a New England farm field.
The tiny silver cuff button commemorating the marriage of King Charles 1st was located in a muddy field in England with the help of the FE-1 probe.
your boots and coil. Some folks can't handle this, and a probe helps locate tiny bits of lead, cuff buttons, tiny coins, and other items among the sticky mud. The FE-1 probe became my main weapon on those fields, as you can imagine what it's like to pick through and squeeze a squishy ball of mud in search of something hard (and metal).
When my hunting buddy's detector died in the rain, I let him use the Excel, curious to see how someone who had never used a probe would take to it. He actually used it quite a bit, and yelled across the field at one point that it was, Awesome!" It was hard to convince him to borrow my Coin$trike instead after he got attached to the Excel and its probe. When I finally got to use it again, the probe was instrumental in locating a special "treasure" in the mud - a tiny silver cuff button bearing a flaming heart with two arrows going through it. Thought to commemorate the marriage of King Charles I in the 1620s, it's currently going through the "U.K. Treasure process" to see if a museum wishes to acquire the piece.
Back home, I continued to use the FE-1 probe for several months. I have been forgetting about my favorite unit, the Coin$trike, just to have an onboard probe. It was useful for many different applications: plowed fields, leafy woods, and perhaps my favorite... sticking the probe right into the dry sand to quickly find coins and jewelry.
Another application in which I found the FE-1 very useful recently occurred in a Colonial cellar hole. These sites are loaded with square nails, and I knew the nails had to be masking out goodies below. Basic metal detecting with the coil was fruitless here, until I remembered the probe. Simply switching on the probe, and now holding a 1" coil, I was able to quickly locate and capture every nail "in the way," so to speak. I also used the tones of the Excel to determine whether a target was iron or not. The occasional flat button or other relic mixed in with the nails, of course, gave a higher tone with the probe. In short, it was an excellent tool in heavy trash, and I'm sure there are many other sites where the probe would also be an asset. I'm constantly giving all my Fisher units heavy workouts in rugged terrain. They get scratched, dropped, pulled, etc., and the Sun Ray probe fits right in and is built to last. I'd love to have one on every Fisher model that I own.
For further details on the Excel probe and other detector hobby accessories offered by Sun Ray, be sure to visit their website at hyperlink http://www.sunraydetector.com/ or simply www.sunraydetector.com, or the Sun Ray forum located at Findmall.com. Also, feel free to contact Ralph at Sun Ray at (319) 636-2244.