Land Ranger Pro First impressions

[Hot Rockin]

Keep in mind I am brand new to metal detecting. And know I have a lot to learn.

I received my Land Ranger Pro about a week ago and have been playing around with it.
Right at the moment Im feeling a little disappointed.
On my first trip out a friend went out with me using his Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202 ( I think) He just uses his to find sprinkler heads at his job.
Right away when he started using his he was getting tones/ beeps like I would have expected. In fact I picked up right away if he hit something by the tone.
On my LRP the display was all over the place.
I ran in all metal mode for a short time then coin mode. In coin mode I would get a hit in one spot but in one sweep it could say Penny, next sweep , dime. next sweep $1 next sweep nickle etc.....

Guess Im just asking for some pointers for getting started. Settings etc......

 

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[TheHunterGT]

Well first off go over the basic stuff. Make sure battery is good and make sure coil cable is connected well. Lower the sensitivity if too chattery from EMI or the ground is too hot. Try sens 70-80 and see if that helps.

When turning it on...make sure the coil is in the air a foot or so. Set it to AM mode and ground balance it. Then switch back over to the Disc mode you prefer and go from there. If bad ground...do a quick grab ground balance every once in a while (only possible in disc 1-4).

Best thing to do is to dig a small 3-4 inch hole and bury a coin. Run over it until you get used to the signal. Try it in different modes and see what tone you like the best. Adjust the vbreak and Disc mode from there.

Iron and aluminum objects that are shaped like coins or have a hollow center will ring in as a bouncy high tone...or even a solid one.

You LRP is leaps beyond his 202 as far as sensitivity and depth is concerned. If the area you were hunting had many bits of trash - his 202 probably just did not see it while your LRP did. Raise the disc...lower the sens and keep on trying.

Grab every coin and item you have around the house and air test for hours....then go bury them in your yard and test some more. It is a great machine and I still hate that I sold mine.

 

[Phantasman]

Sometimes, new detectorists might swing too fast, or be afraid to let the coil actually almost sweep the ground. It's always good to test your unit with an air test with different coins to see what to expect when you find one in the ground.Or lay some coins on the grass and sweep over them to get a feel for how the detector detects. In coin mode, you don't have to ground balance the machine. And sensitivity needs to be right. Too much, and you will experience just what you did. More sensitivity doesn't mean more depth all the time. Too much sensitivity is like turning up a TV pass the distortion level of it's speaker

Your LRP is on a different frequency than a 202. And as HunterGT said, it has more going on under the hood. You can crank up the sense on a 202 and still not get the depth the LRP offers at 8. If you can do a factory reset, just turn on the detector and start with the presets in Coin Mode. As you get used to the LRPs language, you can start exploring different settings (and the LRP has a lot).

Finally, all detectors will travel the scale when they hit trash. Coins usually hit pretty solid up to eight inches. But they can give different signals if they are on edge. It why you need to circle around them while sweeping. The deeper or odd shaped (usually junk) the metal is, the harder the detector processor works to ID it (if it can).


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[jjack9977]

I understand exactly what you're feeling because I experienced the same doubts and disappointments. They will disappear as you learn more about the machine and more about the limitations of any and every detector. I've yet to use a machine whether mine or someone else's, and no matter the cost, that didn't bounce around a bit. I started with a minelab xterra 70 and wondered what was wrong with it. Went to a simpler machine in the BH 505. I found more with it because it was simpler and less sensitive. Then I bought a LRP and I was back to wondering what the heck was wrong. In the long run its just a deeper, more sensitive machine that shares the same inaccuracies as any other. The learning curve is a little greater starting out with a DD coil as well. In fact that was a greater share of mine with it. Give it time. Keep going over instructional videos, and you'll learn to optimize it, what to pay attention to and what to ignore.

 

[Hot Rockin]

Thanks everyone.
Some great tips I will give a try.

 

[PaJim]

I've been very happy with my LRP. I love the range of sounds it gives me. Usually those changing numbers mean something besides a coin. (or at least something that's not round like a coin). You gotta dig it all to figure out your machine though. Practice at your local park, that will give you a great idea on what a pull tab sounds like as opposed to a coin. In my area soil, I've found a 37 that spikes up to a 41 on a few passes is a pull tab. A solid 35 is a nickel. The beeps sounds the same though, this is a case of VDI numbers helping you out.

 

[jjack9977]

I had promised my wife that I would part with my LRP if I found a great deal on an F-75. I did find one and now have it. It's now my new go-to machine because of the added depth, but I'm having a hell of a time letting the LRP go because it's so light and the fine tuning it allows in notching. It really holds its own in the first 10" or so of soil. I know if I let it go I'm going to miss it. I'm even considering letting my new iPad go instead. Shows how much respect I have for the machine.

 

[verbious]

I just got my LRP, and I'll tell you that it does have a ton of features! I'm still learning the machine and it's gonna take a little time!