Fisher 1225-X User Manual

1225-X

Automatic Metal Detector

Operating Manual

F I S H E R R E S E A R C H L A B O R A T O R Y

CONTENTS

About Your 1225-X ................................................................... pg. 1

Setting Up .................................................................................. pg. 2

Control Functions ...................................................................... pg. 4

Discrimination Points ................................................................ pg. 5

Searching ..................................................................................pg. 7

Pinpointing ................................................................................pg. 9

Zero Motion Pinpoint Mode .................................................. pg. 9

Pinpointing in the Motion Search Mode .............................pg. 10

Target Recovery .......................................................................pg. 11

Recovery Tools ..........................................................................pg. 12

Operating Tips .......................................................................... pg. 13

False Signals .............................................................................. pg. 14

Battery Replacement ............................................................... pg. 16

Maintenance ............................................................................pg. 17

Treasure Hunter’s Code Of Ethics ............................................ pg. 17

Where To Use Your Metal Detector In The U.S. ...................... pg. 18

Specifications ...........................................................................pg. 19

ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR

Your 1225-X was designed to do one thing well: find good, deep
targets in trashy or mineralized soil with a minimal amount of hassle.
Here’s how it does it...

VLF-SLOW MOTION DISCRIMINATION. In the search mode, your
1225-X will simultaneously ignore minerals and trash as it detects
valuable targets. Unlike earlier motion discriminators, you won’t
have to whip it back and forth but, you will have to keep it moving
at least slightly.

ZERO MOTION PINPOINTING. A push-button, all metal mode which
requires no motion for fast, precise target location. Also referred
to as “electronic pinpointing.”

AUTOMATIC OPERATION. There’s no ground adjust control on
your 1225-X. Just turn it on, set two knobs and go. It couldn’t be
simpler.

PULSEGATE UNIPOLAR AUDIO PROCESSING. Fisher engineering
jargon meaning that you won’t have to listen to a “threshold
tone” for maximum sensitivity. Your 1225-X operates so you can
hear even the faintest signals on small deep targets.

DOUBLE DERIVATIVE MOTION CIRCUITRY. Provides a target response
as the search coil passes over the target. Earlier motion detectors
responded AFTER the coil passed over the target. Protected by
U.S. Patent 4,514,692.

And of course, there’s more. Like the built in arm rest and
detector stand. And, the drop-in, no-wires battery compartment.
And, most importantly the depth! Your 1225-X goes deep. It all
adds up to one great state of the art metal detector. Treat it as
you would any fine instrument and you’ll be rewarded with years
of service and who knows how many treasures. If you have any
questions, suggestions or interesting 1225-X stories, drop us a line.
In the meantime...

Happy Hunting!
Fisher Research Laboratory

1

SETTING UP

The 1225-X comes to you just about ready to use. The only
adjustment required is the angle of the search coil. Take a look
at Figure 1 and familiarize yourself with the parts of the 1225-X
before proceeding.

1. Unpack your new 1225-X carefully. Save the
carton and inserts they may come in handy in the
future for storage or shipment.

2. Slip the lower stem into the upper stem.

3. Adjust the stem length (using the locknut) and

the coil angle (using the nylon wing nut) so that the
search coil rests flat on the ground about 6 inches in
front and slightly to the right of your right foot (to the
left of your left of your left foot for left handers).
Your arm should be straight and relaxed, the grip
held loosely.

REMEMBER: The longer the shaft, the more you will
have to bend your elbow and the sooner your arm
will get tired. The 1225-X is balanced for comfortable
searching in a tight semicircle around the front of
the operator.

4. With the stem length properly adjusted, wind the
cable loosely around the upper and lower stems
and connect the cable connector to the control
housing.

CAUTION: Make sure that the cable is not pulled tight
at the control housing and that you have enough
slack at the search coil to adjust it to any angle.

5. With the shaft length and coil angle properly
adjusted, you should be able to move into your
“search” position by leaning forward very slightly
and raising your arm (still straight) until the search
coil is about 1 inch above the ground and 12 inches
in front of your foot. The search coil should be
parallel to the ground and may have to be slightly
readjusted at this point.

2

SETTING UP

Cable Connector

(not shown)

Control Housing

Hand Grip

Padded Arm Rest

Battery Access

(not shown)

Search Coil

Cable

Lock Nut

Upper Stem

Waterproof Search Coil

Cable Strain Relief

Nylon Wing Nut

Adjustable

Lower Stem

Figure 1. Fisher 1225-X

Figure 2. Search Position

Straight arm, grip not
too tight, search coil
close to and parallel to
the ground. Remember,
as you increase the
shaft length, you also
increase the strain on
your wrist and arm.

3

CONTROL FUNCTIONS

1. DISC: This control turns the power on and

automatically tunes the 1225-X for instant operation.
All types of metal are detected at the zero level
while the most pieces of trash are rejected at ten.
The DISC control has no effect when the PINPOINT
button is pushed in.

2. SENS: Normally set at ten, this control adjusts the
1225-X sensitivity to targets and ground minerals.
The higher the setting, the deeper you’ll detect.
However you will also pick up more false signals
in highly mineralized or trashy soil. In the extreme
counterclockwise position this control doubles as a
battery test. A loud tone indicates good batteries.
A faint tone indicates weak batteries and no tone
means that it’s time for a change.

3. HEADPHONES: This jack accepts most stereo and
mono headphones with quarter-inch diameter
plugs. If you use a stereo/ mono headset, make sure
it’s switched into the “stereo” position.

4. PINPOINT: When pushed and held, this button
switches the 1225-X into the Zero-Motion, All-Metal
Pinpointing mode.

2

1

3

Figure 3. Control
Panel. Two knobs
and a button do
it all.

4

4

DISCRIMINATION POINTS

By adjusting the DISC (“Discrimination”) control, you will be
able to ignore or (“reject”) small pieces of metallic target trash
and ground minerals while detecting valuable targets. The
lowest setting at which an object is rejected is reffered to as its
“discrimination point.” Discrimination points are determined by
such factors as size, shape, depth, type of metal and ground
mineralization.

1. Scatter some sample targets such as coins, pull
tabs and small pieces of foil on the ground 1 to 2
feet apart.

2. Turn the 1225-X on by turning the DISC control to
zero.

3. Set the SENS control to 8.

4. Hold the search coil in the air, away from any

metal objects and check the batteries as explained
in the Control Function section (sensitivity control).

5. Hold the search coil in the air about 2 inches
above and parallel to the ground. Move it slowly
over the samples and note the sharp loud response
as you pass over each one. Keep in mind that the
1225-X is a motion detector in the DISC mode and
responds only when the search coil (or the target)
is moving.

6. Increase the DISC control to a setting of 3 and
again pass over the targets. Repeat this process at
settings of 4, 5, 6 and so on to 10. You will note that
as you increase the level of discrimination, the 1225-X
will reject some targets and continue to respond to
others. You have now determined the discrimination
points for the rejected objects. For example, the
small nail discrimination point may be at 3 and the
pull tab discrimination at 7.

7. Some objects such as shallow bottle caps, bent
pull tabs or trash less than 2 inches from the coil may
be difficult to reject. The 1225-X will instead respond
with a broken signal which will usually disappear if
the search coil is raised slightly. The strong signal of
a good target will usually get weaker when the coil
is raised.

5

DISCRIMINATION POINTS

8. Some objects will cause sharp static or “ticking”
when rejected. This is a perfectly normal response
indicating that the powerful discrimination circuitry
of the 1225-X is doing the job.

9. Large pieces of trash such as beer cans or jar lids
may sound like a good target no matter what you
do. With a little practice however, you will be able
to tell the difference between a large target and a
small coin-sized object.

10. The following chart shows some different target
responses you may expect at different levels of
discrimination. Note that as you increase the
discrimination level, you progressively eliminate more
targets including some good ones, such as nickels
and gold rings.

Note: The discrimination levels shown are typical values only and
may vary from detector to detector.

Figure 4. Discrimination. Typical 1225-X audion responses for 2-inch deep
targets with search coil sweeping 1 to 2 inches above ground.

6