Bounty Hunter Platinum Owner's Manual

PROFESSIONAL METAL DETECTOR

OWNER’S MANUAL

If you do not have prior
experience with a metal
detector, we strongly recommend
that you:

1) Adjust the Sensitivity to a low
setting in the event of false signals.

Always begin use at a reduced sensitivity
level; increase to full sensitivity after you

have become familiar with the detector.

2) Do not use indoors. This detector is for outdoor

use only. Many household appliances emit
electromagnetic energy, which can interfere with the detector. If
conducting an indoor demonstration, turn the sensitivity down and
keep the searchcoil away from appliances such as computers,
televisions and microwave ovens. If your detector beeps
erratically, turn off appliances and lights.

Also keep the searchcoil away from objects containing metal, such
as floors and walls.

3) Use a 9-volt ALKALINE battery only.

Do not use Heavy Duty Batteries.

Some models come Standard
with the High Performance 11”
DD Searchcoil.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Assembly

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5

Batteries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Quick-Start Demo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-8

Headphones

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Basic Of Metal Detecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9-10

Ground Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Trash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Identifying Buried Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Size and Depth of Buried Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

EMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

How To Work The Controls

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

MENU Selections

Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Disc Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Notch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

# Of Tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

MODE Selections

Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

All Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

PinPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Ground Grab

®

Computerized Ground Balancing . . . . . .18

Target Identification

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19-20

Depth And Target Display

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Troubleshooting

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Warranty

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Code of Ethics

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Accessories

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover

TREASURE HUNTER’S CODE OF ETHICS:

• Always check Federal, State, County and local laws before searching.

• Respect private property and do not enter private property without the owner’s permission.

• Take care to refill all holes and leave no damage.

• Remove and dispose of any and all trash and litter found.

• Appreciate and protect our inheritance of natural resources, wildlife and private property.

• Act as an ambassador for the hobby; use thoughtfulness, consideration and courtesy at all times.

• Never destroy historical or archaeological treasures.

• All treasure hunters may be judged by the example you set; always conduct yourself with
courtesy and consideration of others

According to FCC part 15.21 Changes or Modifications made to this device not expressly approved by the party

responsible for compliance could void the users authority to operate this equipment.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or parts thereof, in any form,

The PLATINUM metal detector is warranted against defects in materials and
workmanship under normal use for five years from the date of purchase to the
original owner.

Damage due to neglect, accidental damage, or misuse of this product is not
covered under this warranty. Decisions regarding abuse or misuse of the
detector are made solely at the discretion of the manufacturer.

Proof of Purchase is required to make a claim under this warranty.

Liability under this Warranty is limited to replacing or repairing, at our option, the
metal detector returned, shipping cost prepaid to First Texas Products. Shipping
cost to First Texas Products is the responsibility of the consumer.

To return your detector for service, please first contact First Texas for a Return
Authorization (RA) Number. Reference the RAnumber on your package and
return the detector within 15 days of calling to:

This warranty may vary in other countries, check with your distributor for details.

TERMINOLOGY

The following terms are used throughout the manual, and are standard
terminology among detectorists.

ELIMINATION

Reference to a metal being "eliminated" means that the detector will
not emit a tone, nor light up an indicator, when a specified object
passes through the coil’s detection field.

DISCRIMINATION

When the detector emits different tones for different types of metals,
and when the detector "eliminates" certain metals, we refer to this
as the detector "discriminating" among different types of metals.
Discrimination is an important feature of professional metal
detectors. Discrimination allows the user to ignore trash and
otherwise undesirable objects.

RELIC

A relic is an object of interest by reason of its age or its association
with the past. Many relics are made of iron, but can also be made
of bronze or precious metals.

IRON

Iron is a common, low-grade metal that is an undesirable target in
certain metal detecting applications. Examples of undesirable iron
objects are old cans, pipes, bolts, and nails.
Sometimes, the desired target is made of iron. Property markers,
for instance, contain iron. Valuable relics can also be composed of
iron; cannon balls, old armaments, and parts of old structures and
vehicles can also be composed of iron.

FERROUS

Metals which are made of, or contain, iron.

PINPOINTING

Pinpointing is the process of finding the exact location of a buried
object. Long-buried metals can appear exactly like the surrounding
soil, and can therefore be very hard to isolate from the soil.

PULL-TABS

Discarded pull-tabs from beverage containers are the most bothersome
trash items for treasure hunters. They come in many different shapes
and sizes. Pull-tabs can be eliminated from detection, but some other
valuable objects can have a magnetic signature similar to pull-tabs, and
will also be eliminated when discriminating out pull-tabs.

GROUND BALANCE

Ground Balancing is the ability of the detector to ignore, or "see
through," the earth’s naturally occurring minerals, and only sound
a tone when a metal object is detected. This Detector incorporates
proprietary circuitry to eliminate false signals from severe ground
conditions

3

4

READING THE DISPLAY

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) shows the PROBABLE
identification of the targeted metal, as well as the
PROBABLE depth of the target.

The detector will register a consistent target identification,
upon each sweep of the coil, when a buried target has
been located and identified. If, upon repeated passes over
the same spot, the target identification reads
inconsistently, the target is probably a trash item, or
oxidized metal. With practice, you will learn to unearth only
the repeatable signals.

The segment identifications are highly accurate, when
detecting the objects described on the label. However, if an
object registers in a given category for an unknown buried
object, you could be detecting a metallic object other than
the object described on the label, but with the same metallic
signature. Also, the greater the distance between the target
and the coil, the less accurate the target identification.

GOLD TARGETS Gold objects will register on
the left side of the LCD scale.

Gold flakes will register under iron.
Small gold items will register under foil or 5¢.
Medium-sized gold items will register

between nickel and or s-cap+.

Large gold items will register under Zinc.

SILVER TARGETS: Silver objects will register

to the right of the scale, under COINS.

IRON: All sizes of iron objects will register on the far-
left side of the scale. This could indicate a worthless
item such as a nail, or a more valuable historic iron relic.

FOIL: Aluminum foil, such as a gum wrapper, will
register as foil. A small broken piece of pull-tab may also
register here.

NICKEL: Most newer pull-tabs from beverage cans,
the type intended to stay attached to the can, will
register here. Many gold rings will also register here.

PT: Older pull-tabs, which always detached completely
from the can, register here. Many medium size gold ring
also register here.

ZINC: Newer US pennies (post-1982), and Canadian
$1 and $2 coins register here. Many non-US coins of

DEPTH AND TARGET DISPLAY

ASSEMBLY

●

1 Position S-Rod upright.

●

2 Rotate the LOCKING COLLAR fully in the

counterclockwise direction.

●

3 Insert your finger inside the tube and make sure the

INTERNALCAM LOCK is flush with the inside of the tube.

●

4

Insert the MIDDLE STEM into the S-ROD,

with the SILVER BUTTON pointed upward

●

5 Rotate the MIDDLE STEM until the SILVER

BUTTON locates in the hole.

●

6 Twist the LOCKING COLLAR fully in the

clockwise direction until it locks.

●

7 Repeat this process on the LOWER STEM.

●

8 Using the BOLT and KNURLED KNOB,

attach the SEARCHCOIL to the LOWER
STEM.

●

9

Adjust the LOWER STEM to a length that lets
you maintain a comfortable upright posture, with
your arm relaxed at your side, and the SEARCHCOIL
parallel to the ground in front of you.

●

10

Wind the CABLE securely around the STEMS.

●

11

Connect CABLE PLUG to housing.
Do not twist the Cable or Plug. T urn Locking Ring only.
Use minimal finger pressure to start the threads

. Do
not cross-thread. When the Locking Ring is fully
engaged over the threaded connector, give it a firm turn
to make sure that it is very tight. When the Locking
Ring is fully engaged over the threaded connector , it
may not cover all of the threads.

●

12

Tighten both LOCKING COLLARS.

S-ROD

LOCKING
COLLAR

INTERNAL

CAM LOCK

SILVER BUTTON

MIDDLE

STEM

S-ROD

MIDDLE STEM

●

2

●

3

●

4

●

4

●

5

*

Note: Very tall users can purchase the optional Extended Lower Stem (TUBE5X), for extended reach.

Caution:

Forcing in MIDDLE STEM with CAM LOCK raised may form a burr on
camlock. If this happens, remove burr with knife to allow insertion.

LOCKIN

G

COLLAR

LOCKIN

G

COLLAR

UPPE

R

STEM

LOWER
STEM

SILVER
BUTTON

SILVER
BUT

TON

CAB

LE

KNUR

LED

KNOB

BOL

T

SEAR

CHCO

IL

S-R

OD

VELCRO
STRAP

VELCRO
STR

AP

5

ASSEMBLY

Armrest Strap

The strap is provided for your
convenience. Some users prefer to
use the strap when swing the detector
vigorously, in order to hold the
detector secure against the arm.

The detector can also be used without
the strap, with no compromise to
detector balance and stability under
most conditions.

Battery
Compart

ment

(back side)

Han

d-grip

Nut

Screw

Searchcoi

l

Cable

Lockin

g

Collar

Locking
Collar

Upper
Stem

Cable
Plug

Sea

rchcoi

l

S-Rod

Arm

res

t

Velcro
Strap

Velcro
Str

ap

1/4” Headphone
Jack

Arm Strap

6

The detector requires a single 9-volt ALKALINE battery (battery not included).
Do not use ordinary zinc carbon batteries.

Rechargeable batteries can also be used.
If you wish to use rechargeable batteries, we recommend using a
Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable battery.

The battery compartment is located on the back side of the housing.
Slide the battery door to the side and remove it to expose the battery
compartment.

BATTERY LIFE

Expect 20 to 25 hours of life from a 9-volt alkaline battery.
Rechargeable batteries provide about 8 hours of usage per charge.

SPEAKER VOLUME AND BATTERY CHARGE

You may notice the speaker volume drop while one battery segment is
illuminated.
With one segment flashing, low speaker volume will be very apparent.
For loudest speaker volume, select 1 or 2 tones under the # OF TONES
menu selection.

BATTERY INDICATOR

The 2-segment battery indicator has 3 stages of indication.
These indications are accurate for a 9-volt alkaline battery.

Segments Illuminated Battery Voltage

2 -segments more than 7.6 volts
1 -segment more than 6.2 volts
1 -segment flashing less than 6.2 volts

After the battery indicator begins flashing, expect the detector to shut off
within 10 minutes.

A rechargeable battery will usually illuminate both segments throughout
most of its useful charge. But as soon as it drains to the 1-segment level,
it will then discharge very rapidly.

BATTERIES

TARGET IDENTIFICATION

BASS TONE

Nails, Iron Objects,

& Smallest Gold Objects

In DISCRIMINATION Mode, targets are identified both audibly and visually
as follows:

1. Different pitch tones for different types of metals

2. A 2-digit Target-ID.

3. An illuminated icon within the target category best describing it
The detector must be in DISCRIMINATION Mode to identify targets.
The ALL METAL Mode does not provide target identification.

AUDIO TARGET IDENTIFICATION:

When in the default 4-tone mode, tones identify targets as follows:

BASS TONE

Ferrous objects, such as iron and steel, like nails and tin cans.
Smallest-sized gold objects and steel bottle caps

LOW TONE

Foil, pull-tabs (some new style), nickels, steel bottle caps.

MEDIUM TONE

Newer pennies (post-1982 are minted from zinc)
Larger gold pieces, small brass objects, and most bottle screw caps.
Most recent-vintage non-US coins.
Pull-tabs (old style, some new style)

HIGH TONE

Silver and copper coins, large brass objects
Older pennies (pre-1982 were minted from copper)
Dimes, quarters, half-dollars, silver dollars
Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollar coins
Flattened aluminum cans (with a stronger signal than a coin)

7

QUICK-START DEMONSTRATION

I. Supplies Needed

• a Nail • a Zinc Penny (dated after 1982)

• a Nickel • a Quarter

II. Position the Detector

a. Place the detector on a

table, with the searchcoil
hanging over the edge.
Or better, have a friend
hold the detector, with
the searchcoil off the

ground.
b. Keep the searchcoil away from walls, floors, and metal objects.
c. Remove watches, rings, and jewelry.
d. Turn off lights or appliances, whose electromagnetic emissions may

cause interference.
e. Pivot the searchcoil back.

III. Power Up

Press .

IV. Wave each object over the searchcoil.

a. Notice a different tone for each object:

Bass Tone: Nail

Low Tone: Nickel

Medium Tone: Zinc Penny

High Tone: Quarter

b. Motion is required.

Objects must be in motion over the searchcoil to be detected in this mode.

V.

Press twice to enter the DISC. LEVEL program.

Then press .
a. The word “IRON” disappears from the display

VI. Wave the nail over the searchcoil.

a. The nail will not be detected
b. The nail has been “discriminated out.”

VII. Press four more times.

a. The words FOIL, NICKEL, PULL-TAB, and S-CAP+ disappear.

Quick-Start Demo continued on next page

8

VIII. Wave the nickel

a. The nickel will not be detected.

IX. Press the to toggle down to NOTCH.

Then press
a. The word “IRON” reappears on the display

X. Wave the Nail.

a. The nail is now again detected.
b. The nail has been “notched in.”

XI. Press to toggle down to ALL METAL

XII. Pass the quarter over the searchcoil.

a. Notice that motion is not required. A motionless object induces a

sound.

b. Notice the single monotone hum. The ALL METAL Mode produces

only this single sound, regardless of the type of metal detected.

c. Move the quarter closer to and farther away from the searchcoil.

Notice the changing depth-display values. The 2-digit depth reading
indicates the distance, in inches, away from the searchcoil.

QUICK-START

continued

3. PINPOINT

To activate this mode, you must first
be in the DISCRIMINATION Mode.
Press and hold to activate
pinpoint. This mode is equivalent to
ALL METAL, but is momentary;
pinpoint detection is only active for as
long as you keep depressed.

Pinpoint is used to find the exact
location of a target which was
previously located and identified using
the discrimination mode. As this
mode does not require motion over
the target, the user can move the coil
more slowly and then narrow the
detection field when near the target.

How to Pinpoint

Position the searchcoil an inch or two
(2.5-5cm) above the ground, and to
the side of the target. Then press and
hold . Now move the
searchcoil slowly across the target,
and the sound will communicate the
target’s location. As you sweep from
side to side, and hear no sound at the
ends of the sweep, the target is
located in the middle of that zone,
where the sound is loudest. If the
sound is loud over a wide area, the
buried object is large. Use Pinpoint to
trace an outline of such large objects.

OPERATION and CONTROLS

MODE SELECTIONS

The detector has a 1/4” headphone jack on the left side of the housing.
When the headphone jack is connected, speaker audio is disabled..

USING HEADPHONES

Using a detector with headphones facilitates detection of the weakest signals
and also extends the battery life.

It also allows you to hear subtle changes in the sound more clearly, particularly if
searching in a noisy location. For safety reasons, do not use headphones near
traffic or where other dangers are present. This device is to be used with
interconnecting cables/headphone cables shorter than three meters.

HEADPHONE JACK