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I got lucky at the recent East Texas Treasure Show and found a nice used Fisher F5. I specifically wanted to try this detector because of the separate Gain & Threshold controls along with Target ID and the running Ground Phase and Mineralization scale. I hope it may prove a less powerful but versatile companion to the Vista X at a lower kHz frequency. 

I am surprised that I can not seem to pull anything up from the past in this forum on it. Any comments from those who have used a F5 would be appreciated. 

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6 hours ago, JCR said:

I am surprised that I can not seem to pull anything up from the past in this forum on it. Any comments from those who have used a F5 would be appreciated.

This forum has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year or two.  The F5 was released several years before this forum was created.  DetectorProspector.com came into existence to fill the gap of detectors used for finding native gold but has grown to include any legitimate metal detector.  Today any new or even proposed detector with even a hope of being relevant (independent of application) gets attention.

The Fisher F5 is a coin specialty detector and in combination with its release date seems to have slipped through the cracks.  There are certainly some here who have experience with it (including some who still own it) so hopefully you will get some responses to your request.

It sounds like you got a deal one one.  From your realistic expectations I suspect you will be pleased with its performance.

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I own the F5 and think it is a  very nice detector.  In my opinion it has one of the nicest displays going.  Very adjustable with all controls on the front panel and no menu diving. Mike Hillis was known as the F5 guru and wrote the F5 bible.  Do a search on Mike Hillis and read up on his tips.  He found lots of rings with his unit.  The F5 is very good at coin shooting and has a very distinctive high pitch tone.  When it sounds off you will know you have found something good. The F5 was my first "real" detector when I bought it many years ago.  I sold it after a couple of years but there was something about it that made me always miss it even though I owned higher end detectors.  About six months ago I saw a vendor selling new units at a very very steep discount with two coils.  Almost half the price of what I paid many years ago so I bought one. My understanding is Fisher had discontinued the F5 and this vendor bought out the remaining inventory. They sold so well that I read that Fisher was going to make another run. I think you will really like this detector.

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Thanks for the replies. I have read the info that Mike Hillis has posted and that let me know what to expect. He is very knowledgeable. So far it is what I had hoped and I really think it will fill a spot for me in addition to being a learning tool for setting up any detector for more challenging conditions. I hope to be able to get another coil or two in DD. It is my first Fisher unit.

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  • 2 years later...

I 've been familiar with the Fisher F5 for three years ... I accidentally bought it for $ 200 with two coils - a regular concentric and DD Detech 10/12 inches SEF .
Purchased to track the mineralization of the soil .
At the first tests, when using the 10/12 sensor, the detector was very surprised by the detection range of various objects .... a nugget weighing 0.1 grams saw from 1.5 centimeters .... a copper coin with a diameter of 44 millimeters sees from 55 centimeters. ( test by air )
For three years of use, I had to upgrade the F5 a little .... changed the bending angle of the "rod" .... switched to using batteries - 2 pieces of 18650 .... moved the dynamic head... and so on .... I will write about this in more detail ....
A very interesting machine - it works well on wet ground (meadows, fields) with a high content of acids, alkalis - a soil with high electrical conductivity with a low content of heavy minerals - where modern detectors using Multi-IQ technology do not easily see "targets".
The Fisher F5 with a Detech SEF 10/12" coil is comparable in search characteristics to the EQUINOX 800 with an 11" sensor - depending on the soil , it wins somewhere , and loses somewhere .

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I 've been familiar with the Fisher F5 for three years ... I accidentally bought it for $ 200 with two coils - a regular concentric and DD Detech 10/12 inches SEF .
Purchased to track the mineralization of the soil .
At the first tests, when using the 10/12 sensor, the detector was very surprised by the detection range of various objects .... a nugget weighing 0.1 grams saw from 1.5 centimeters .... a copper coin with a diameter of 44 millimeters sees from 55 centimeters. ( test by air )
For three years of use, I had to upgrade the F5 a little .... changed the bending angle of the "rod" .... switched to using batteries - 2 pieces of 18650 .... moved the dynamic head... and so on .... I will write about this in more detail ....
A very interesting machine - it works well on wet ground (meadows, fields) with a high content of acids, alkalis - a soil with high electrical conductivity with a low content of heavy minerals - where modern detectors using Multi-IQ technology do not easily see "targets".
The Fisher F5 with a Detech SEF 10/12" coil is comparable in search characteristics to the EQUINOX 800 with an 11" sensor - depending on the soil , it wins somewhere , and loses somewhere .

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Replacement of old power supply batteries with modern batteries .
As you can see from the photos , I removed the battery compartment and put them behind the armrest .
Installed 2 pieces - connected in series - TR 18650 3.7 volt 4700 mAh batteries .
The batteries are enough for 3 months of work - now you do not need to worry about where you can find a power distribution network for charging batteries .... very useful for long expeditions .... you can take an additional kit.

18650.jpg

IMG_20230812_150553.jpg

IMG_20230812_150621.jpg

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