Teknetics Omega 8500

[Mike Hillis]

Getting ready to buy another Omega 8500.   I love the feature set on this detector.   

I field tested prototypes of it and got a 1st production run model for compensation of my time, which I sold last year to fund some other detector purchases.   Looking at the market there really isn't anything to compete with its feature set when you need something more than simple phase shift target id in its price range....when you get the chance take look at the operating manual. 

I especially like the Multiple Target Category System: 

This feature is available only in Discrimination Mode. For each target, the Omega 8500 calculates four independent numerical Target-ID’s on each pass of the coil; one primary and three secondary. Each one of the Target-ID’s will correlate to a target category on the LCD. There will be one solid primary category lighting up and up to three additional secondary target categories. All are different readings of the same target, with the primary category being the one with most reliable signal. If the Target-ID’s vary, they will show up as multiple illuminated categories, and this could indicate the detector is picking up noise, a faint/weak signal or that the target is irregularly shaped.

It has its warts but I have found some good gold jewelry with it, attaching a little 18K eye candy...

Now just to figure out where to buy it from.

HH
Mike

[Steve Herschbach]

A couple previous 8500 threads....

Omega 8500 Chatting

Optimal Frequency For Coin Hunting

Teknetics Omega 8500 Specifications & Data

Teknetics Omega 8500 metal detector

[0din]

Had to send my 8000 to Teknetics, because of a “GROUND GRAB’ issue. 
Ground Grab stopped working, I could adjust manually.

Got a call back from technician, informing me that it would need a new housing and that the phone plug would only accept 1/4 inch.

No problem, I replied and he wanted to confirm mr if it was under warranty (no) and my address to be sure when returning.

I was ready to hang up and asked him about  someone had mentioned that they had sent theirs (8000) and when they got it back, they received a new 8500. This was on the Facebook page for Teknetics.

he asked “ You want a 8500?”

i almost ask him if a cat has an a- - but instead said SURE!

Got it 3 days ago and tried it yesterday.  clad quarter right on at88, pull tab jumpy 57 and a zinc at 77. Using discrimination with a 10 inch coil. 
I have a 11 DD so when and if it warms up again, I’ll try it.

some say the 10 inch elliptical works better, but I always used the DD ON MY 8000. ANY THOUGHTS/

 

 

[Tom Slick]

I think the feature set makes for a great coin and jewelry detector. The only issue I had with mine was the audio was so clipped that it made it nearly impossible to distinguish between a good target and a false signal. I was nearly always swinging over every chirp multiple times trying to figure out if it was a good target or not. Maybe I got a bad one, but I sold it pretty quick and moved on. 

[Mike Hillis]

I'm on hold.   I apologize. 

While I was price checking the 8500....I got sidelined by another make and model's advertised pricing, and when I followed up on it I basically couldn't walk away from the deal.  

Have you seen the price of new detectors lately?   Unbelievable.    This is certainly a good time for new folks to get into metal detecting.  

Anyway....

Continued at a later date.

Mike

[Monte]

7 hours ago, Mike Hillis said:

I'm on hold.   I apologize. 

While I was price checking the 8500....I got sidelined by another make and model's advertised pricing, and when I followed up on it I basically couldn't walk away from the deal.

Mike

Mike, I enjoyed your initial post because I like the configuration of the Omega / G2 and G2+, and also because I really liked the Omega 8000 as an urban Coin Hunting model.  Knowing that you especially enjoy Jewelry Hunting I was curious what it was about the 8500 that appealed to you.  I have a dealer friend who carried some of the Teknetics models and figured I use the 'borrow' method to check one out after they were first released, but side-by-side comparisons let me down.  I much preferred the audio clarity of the 8000, but the 8500 had an annoying 'clipped' audio.  Much like Tom Slick mentioned.  Maybe it was something with the early released models,  I don't know, but it left me displeased and I stuck with the Omega 8000 and didn't invest in the newer model.

Now you've left me and others wondering what detector attracted your attention and investment?

Yes, I've noticed a lot of the used detector market this year as I have shifted and trimmerd a lot of models from my Oufit.  Some new and some used are going for great prices .... if you're buying.  But trying to thin several out I sure took a significant loss on what they would have commanded six months to a year ago.

Monte

[Monte]

Odin:  Had to send my 8000 to Teknetics, because of a “GROUND GRAB’ issue. 
Ground Grab stopped working, I could adjust manually.

Got a call back from technician, informing me that it would need a new housing and that the phone plug would only accept 1/4 inch.

About a year ago and then again in January I picked up two Omega 8000's.  One had a GG touchpad that didn't work every time so I also called them, thinking they could just replace the control-face decal and touchpad, but I was told the same thing.  Thy didn't have it and it wasn't replaceable, and it would take a whole new control housing.  The cost for that was rather high, and I wondered why they would still have Omega 8000 control housings hanging around after it was discontinued and replaced a few years ago.  The cost was too high for be  to budget it, and I hadn't heard of a swap for an 8500.

 

Odin: I was ready to hang up and asked him about  someone had mentioned that they had sent theirs (8000) and when they got it back, they received a new 8500. This was on the Facebook page for Teknetics.

he asked “ You want a 8500?”

Got it 3 days ago and tried it yesterday.  clad quarter right on at88, pull tab jumpy 57 and a zinc at 77.

I didn't care for the early Omega 8500 I tried, but if I would have known I likely would have taken that deal and then just sell the 8500.  If your unit works OK and satisfies you, then I wish you all the best of success with it.

 

Odin: Using discrimination with a 10 inch coil.   I have a 11 DD so when and if it warms up again, I’ll try it.  some say the 10 inch elliptical works better, but I always used the DD ON MY 8000. ANY THOUGHTS

Yes, here are my thoughts on search coils.  I got my first Omega 8000 in March of 2010 with the 3-coil package.  I have never liked the 11" BiAxial coil on any of the Teknetics or Fisher models, so I sold that new coil.  I used the elliptical 5½X9¾ Concentric 'standard' coil (I measure but they call it a 10" I believe) and the round 5" DD.  For typical urban Coin Hunting I liked the elliptical Concentric coil, generally, but ended up swapping for a round 8" Concentric off a Delta as I liked the more accurate or efficient Pinpointing ability.

So, if I had to pick between those two coils it would be the elliptical Concentric and I'd also have the 5" DD for more confined spaces.  On the two Omega 8000's I had and parted with last month, I kept the 5" DD on one of them, and for day-to-day hunting I used the round 7" Concentric coil.  I am using that coil now on my Fisher F44 and I'm very pleased with it.  For urban uses I'd suggest you take a look at the 7" Concentric coil as it is affordable and works great.

Monte

[Mike Hillis]

Hi Monte,

There are a several things that I gravitate to on the 8500.

Since I'm hunting specific non-ferrous targets in both non-ferrous and ferrous trash I like something more than just a phase shift target Id number to help with the discrimination.    The Omega 8500 has the phase shift TID number and the Multi-Target Category system:

"calculates four independent numerical Target-ID’s on each pass of the coil; one primary and three secondary. Each one of the Target-ID’s will correlate to a target category on the LCD. There will be one solid primary category lighting up and up to three additional secondary target categories. All are different readings of the same target, with the primary category being the one with most reliable signal. If the Target-ID’s vary, they will show up as multiple illuminated categories, and this could indicate the detector is picking up noise, a faint/weak signal or that the target is irregularly shaped"

I like this feature.  It helps with those steel crown style bottle caps, flat tin, and some canslaw.    But it also helps in identifying irregular shaped objects as those never give steady id.   Its a useful feature.

I like the volume control for each target category and I like the ability to notch out high conductors.   But using notch discrimination hampers the use of the Multi-Id Target Category system.   By using the audio volume feature and turning down, or turning off the volume of the segment I don't want to hear I get to keep the Multi-ID target category system in play.

My experience has been that the clipped audio is typically metal.   The question is: are they good targets, rejected targets falsing past the disc/notch setting, decayed iron falses, or a hot rock.    The deep clipped audio affects the tone id...and the only remedy is the non-modulated D5 mode which can drive you nuts with too high an sensitivity setting.

I've hunted the clipped tones, every one, in easy to dig environments and they have all been metal of some type.   Some tiny and shallow, some deep....but they were all metal objects.

Odin.....coil question....The stock 10" elliptical coil has better disc TID and a smaller coil footprint.  The 11" DD has a larger coil footprint, more depth, less stable TID.  

HH

Mike

 

 

[Mike Hillis]

Ok....I'm nearly back....I've got $300 of the required $399 squirreled away to purchase the Omega.  Should be able to order in the next couple of weeks.

Also....I used the 'contact us' email link on the Teknetics Direct website to make sure i could get a unit from the latest mfg run and they replied back the same day.    That was very fast customer response.  By the way, the last mfg run was this past November.

One thing I really like about Fisher/Teknetics is the 5 year warranty.    I have had to use it twice, late in the 4th year of a couple of detectors and they honored it with no problem.  All  I had to do was pay shipping in.  They covered the work and the shipping back.   At today's prices its kind of dumb to buy used when you can get the detector at a pretty decent new price with the 5 year warranty.

Anyway...looking forward to continuing this discussion in a few weeks.

HH
Mike

[Mike Hillis]

got this picture on my computer background......so I can look at it all the time.....HAHA

Actually I normally have it cycling between the F75, Etrac, Impact, Gold Kruzer, and the V3.  But I locked this picture into place until I have it hand.