Field Testing The Sun Ray Invader FX-1 Target Probe For The Fisher F75
By Andreas Meyer (Andy, NM)
(Reprinted with permission from Western & Eastern Treasures magazine February 2008 issue)
Not long ago, I got an e-mail from Ralph at Sun Ray Detector Electronics asking if I would be willing to field-test their new Invader FX-1 In-line Probe for the Fisher F75 metal detector. Since I've used a Sun Ray In-line Probe on one of my other detectors and loved it, it didn't take a second to agree to a field test. It is no secret that I'm a big fan of the new F75, and I was sure a Sun Ray In-line Probe would make that fine detector even better.
A few days later the probe arrived by mail. Installing it on the F75 was very easy to do in only a few minutes, and the switch box and probe are so light that you don't even notice the extra weight on the detector. My first thought was, "How often do I forget to take my probe with me?" Not anymore, with a Sun Ray Probe that stays on the detector.
Next I took my F75 with the FX-1 Target Probe outside to give it a try in my backyard. I threw some coins on the lawn and turned the F75 on. To use the probe, I flipped the switch to "Probe" and did some preliminary testing on the coins. The probe was able to detect the coins about 4" away, and it was fun to see the right target ID numbers on the detector's display.
Sometimes, though, I don't want to probe to detect a coin that far away, because I like to be able to zero in on the target to the point that the probe almost touches the coin. No problem with the Sun Ray Probe: just pull the pinpoint trigger on the F75 with the coin in range, the target will "shrink," and you just move the probe closer and closer to the coin.
To test the probe in the hottest F75 mode, I put the F75 in JE (jewelry) processing mode. The probe is able to pick up the tiniest gold jewelry, and I'll bet that a nugget hunter won't have any problems retrieving small nuggets with this probe in JE mode.
Here are some of the advantages of the Sun Ray In-line Probe over a standard electronic probe:
It stays on your detector and is connected in line, between the coil connector and control box.
You hear the probe's sound through the speaker of your detector or your detector's headphones.
It won't produce interference with the detector, because the coil of the detector is shut off while the probe is in use.
You can use all the detector's features and functions with the probe. Yes, this probe will discriminate, tone ID, and pinpoint, and uses all modes and the battery power of the Fisher F75.
Connecting the Sun Ray Probe to the F75 is very simple. Just disconnect the coil cable from the control box and connect it to one end of the Sun Ray switch box. Then connect the Sun Ray connector to the F75.
In The Field
My first target at an old high school read *80 on the Fisher F75, and the depth bar showed 4-6". After pinpointing with the F75, I cut out a plug of grass and waved it over the coil of the detector. Yes, it was in there somewhere. So I flipped the switch on the FX-1 switch box to "Probe" to use the probe to pinpoint the target in the plug.
The probe detected the coin, and the F75 displayed the number *80 again.. Sure enough, it was the same target that the F75 had detected with its large coil before. I was able to recover a dime within seconds.
Author Andy Meyer with the FX-1 and Fisher's newest F75 metal detector.
I like to dig signals in the nickel and pulltab range and hope to find a gold ring that way. Of course, that type of hunting means that you have to dig many pulltabs to find a ring. It may sound funny, but in this case I was happy that the probe helped me to speed up the time to retrieve the pulltabs so I could move on to the next target in hopes of finding a gold ring. After 12 nickels and about 20 pulltabs I finally got lucky and the ring showed up... not real gold, but rings are always nice to find.
Andy pinpoints another target with the FX-1.
After about 15 minutes I decided to hunt for coins again, and a signal of 84 came in. Again I used the probe, and this time luck was on my side and I found a nice silver ring. I dug many more coins at the high school, too, and the probe was very useful. When I found coin spills, I didn't have to pick up the detector to retrieve the next coin of the spill.
A week later, when I had to fly to Germany, I packed up the F75 with the FX-1 Sun Ray Probe, hoping to find some time to detect at the beach. Not only did I want to continue the field test of the FX-1 probe, but I wanted to see how the F75 performed at the saltwater beach, too. I had to manually ground balance the F75 and used it in DE processing, Disc at 10 and Sensitivity at 80.
It worked very well for a single-frequency detector, and the FX-1 probe helped me to retrieve many Euros in the sand. A Euro is worth $1.45 U.S. right now, and that added up quickly to buy a nice curry-wurst (a German sausage) after my beach hunt.
Summary
For those who want to make a great detector even better, the Sun Ray FX-1 probe is a "must have" accessory. It supports all functions of the detector and speeds up target retrieval time. Once you have it, you start to wonder how you could live without it. I love it, and I'm happy that Sun Ray Electronics makes fine probes like that to help us in the field.
For further details on the FX-1 probe and other detector hobby accessories offered by Sun Ray, be sure to visit their website at www.sunraydetector.com or the Sun Ray forum at www.Findmall.com. Also, feel free to contact Ralph at Sun Ray by calling (319) 636-2244.
* (Note from Sun Ray Detector Electronics: A typo was made that was not caught by the author when writing the above field test on the ID number on the F-75. It was actually 70 rather than 80 on the dime described above - confirmed by Andy.)