Whats the difference between a BH Tracker IV and the older style Radio Shack Discovery 1000? If you look at the machines they look exactly the same. Same analog meter,knobs buttons and switches are the same as well. The only thing I can see a difference in is the search head. I know the BH is more modern,but arent these 2 just basically the same machines,with one just being older?Take a look for yourself: The BH Tracker IV: http://www.joanallen.co.uk/reports/Tk4-2.gif The Radio Shack Discovery 1000 http://arizonagoldprospectors.com/bsfree/imgs/radio shack discovery 1000.jpg See what im talking about? They are Identical,just different names. Any thoughts?
If you REALLY wanna "pick nits" then the BH PIONEER 101 is the same machine too. Just look!! http://www.mediaelettra.com/pioneer101.jpg Am I wrong?
I've played with most Microtanna machines and Yes the are all the same. Exception is some have the controls extended to the user and some are preset. The better units are tuned better and do out perform the others. The Bounty Hunters are better for sure. They may look the same but the circuits have been updated and more importantly the coil is different.
Wonder if a modern day search head would work on the Radio Shack unit? Are different coils(search heads) available by themselves for the newer BH units?
I don't know if they're compatible with the older units but yep to can get heads for BH's, pretty reasonable too I think a 4in is around $35 and a 10in is around $70. Kellyco has 'em. Jamie.
I have a older Radio Shack Detector I love the darn thing. The bounty hunter sniper coil fits it just fine. It is better in one area. I have a volume control. It keeps up with most detectors, and if I read the instructions once a year, I always learned something new as my experience grew.
Identical Yeah, they look the same, Wonder if the PCB boards are similar on both machines. In the Early 90's Gold Mountain and Tesoro had a similar problem. The King Cobra and the Golden Sabre were such similar machines that Tesoro sued Gold Mountain for copyright infringement and they went belly up. Hope this isn't the same case...
Newbie (sort of) I just picked up a cheap used Discovery 1000, and am trying to get pointers from people who have experience with the machine. I figured I'd post it in this thread since there seems to be some knowledge of this machine. I've been metal detecting 10 or 15 times with a much nicer detector (White's MXT series... step-dads detector). I'd love a detector like that, but it's not in the budget!! I came across the Discovery 1000 for cheap and picked it up. I figured it can be a nice play toy until I can affortd a nicer one down the road. I know there is no comparison to what I was using, so I won't even ask how it rates. I would like some basic pointers on this machine from people who have used it. What kind of depth were you getting with it? There is no depth indicator, but I imagine most the targets it picks up will be 6" or shallower? What settings have you found to work best for different situations? Also, do you know what the target indicator ranges are for different objects (silver, copper, pulltabs, etc)? I've been spoiled with the White's displaying "Quarter" or "Pull Tab" so I haven't really had to learn the indicator ranges. I know this isn't a great detector, so please don't respond with a bunch of comments like "You should have saved your money to put towards a better one." I plan to get a better one some day, but for now I'll be happy taking my daughter out and playing with this one. Any advice that you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! And Happy New Year!
They are!! After rereading my earlier post I remembered I used to work for Radio Shack for a few months, they are BH machines made for Radio Shack, they had the BH name on the outside of the big shipping boxes, they are exactly the same!!! Getting old, hard to remember simple things........
Not the original poster of this thread, I was a little bit confused. Hi Riz, I have three very basic and old machines. I know the BH just beeps, no loud or weak signal. The BH is a good machine, but you want to work it slow as its a motion machine. Now if you get a constant signal, or hum, then your D1000 will be easier to locate targets as it gets quiet or louder. Again if it beeps, you have a meter that will help you on signal strenth. You will want to use the meter for signal strenth. Most of your targets will be three inches or less. So you wouldnt want to abuse a MXT like that. It may look like a toy, but you have a working detector. Might want to use a little black eletrical tape to stop any wiggles on the machine. Its also a good machine for friends when you get your next machine. Although I have a simular machine. I would need to know more like is it a motion or no motion machine. no matter, you learn that machine and you will do okay as far as coin shooting. The whites controls you mentioned are nice, and its definately a better tuned machine. I used the BH for two things. In gravel parking lots, I search fast, and usually use alot of discrimination. Just searching on top of the ground. In parks, walkways, around structures, I use a little disrimination and work slowley. In open areas, I run full power and no discrimination. I dont know how your machine process its signal, ground balances, I am thinking its automatic, so if you get a lot of beeps or the hum. Just turn it off and set the settings lower when you get signal over load. You having worked with a more advanced machine may be able to use some of that to your hunts. I think the signal meter would be your best friend with that model. I can say I am not happy with Target and Depth ID's on the economy machines. I would love to see you post more later on what works for you.
Thanks Thanks for all the good info. I played with it a little last night in the house just running different objects over the coil and messing with the discrimination and tone settings. Seems like you can discriminate out the pull tabs pretty well, but that setting also gives you a pretty good chance of missing some gold (although not a lot of that out there!). Seems like it can be a good machine for hunting coins close to the surface while ignoring most of the trash. I found an insturction booklet that showed the machine should give different tones for different metals. Right now I'm getting a clear tone for all coins (silver/copper/etc), and a broken tone for most trash when I'm in tone mode. Not hearing the different pitches in tone for the different metal coins. I'll have to see what it does in real life. I imagine I'll just dig every clear tone since I won't have to be going real deep. In playing with it a little the controls seem pretty easy and straightforward. I think one of the biggest things I'll miss is the pinpointing feature. Oh well, that's what the handheld is for I guess! Can't wait to get it out and see how it actually does!
