Fisher Research Labs Pro-Arc User Manual
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Fisher Research Labs Pro-Arc User Manual

Professional metal detector for the archaeologist
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PRO-ARC
Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting
Fisher Padded Carry Bag
Rugged double-stitched construction. Includes handy exterior pocket
for extra batteries or small accessories. - 103693000C
Fisher Stereo Headphones
Use with Fisher metal detectors. Lightweight and adjustable with
true stereo sound, dual adjustable volume, 1/4" jack with 1/8"
adaptor, 4' cable. - 9720950000
Metal Sand Scoop
Large galvanized metal scoop with filtering holes.
Strong Rubberized grip. - SAND SCOOP
Lesche Knife
Made from high quality heat-treated tempered steel. The ultimate
digging tool. Comes with a durable sheath. 12" in length with a 7"
serrated blade. - LESCHE KNIFE
Fisher Camo Pouch (not shown)
Two-pocket pouch with quick release belt. - PCH-F
Fisher Baseball Cap
One size fits all. - FCAP
Fisher T-Shirt
®
100% white cotton with Fisher
Logo. Sizes -S, M, LG, XL & XXL
- FTSHIRT (specify size)
FOR COMPLETE DETAILS VISIT WWW.FISHERLAB.COM • 1-800-685-5050
MPROARC
Replacement/Accessory Search Coils
11" Biaxial Accessory Coil - 11COIL-F75
10" Concentric Standard Coil - 10COIL-F70
6.5" Concentric Accessory Coil - 6COIL-E
5" Biaxial Accessory Coil - 5COIL-F75
Coil Covers (not shown)
Specially made to protect your coil from abrasion and damage.
11" Biaxial Accessory Coil Cover - COVER-11DD
10" Concentric Standard Coil Cover - F70COVER
6.5" Concentric Accessory Coil Cover- 6COVER-E
5" Biaxial Accessory Coil Cover - 5COVER-CZ3
Fisher Face Rain Cover
Specially made to protect your PRO-ARC control box from weather
and dirt. - FACE-COVER
Fisher Battery Rain Cover
Specially made to protect your PRO-ARC battery box from weather
and dirt. - ELBOW-COVER
Fisher Arm Strap (not shown)
Specially made to fit the arm cuff of your PRO-ARC. - ARMSTRAP75
Rev.2
Professional

Metal Detector

for the Archaeologist
USER'S MANUAL
051413

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  • Page 1: Metal Detector

    One size fits all. - FCAP Fisher T-Shirt Fisher Arm Strap (not shown) ® Specially made to fit the arm cuff of your PRO-ARC. - ARMSTRAP75 100% white cotton with Fisher Logo. Sizes -S, M, LG, XL & XXL USER’S MANUAL - FTSHIRT (specify size) FOR COMPLETE DETAILS VISIT WWW.FISHERLAB.COM •...
  • Page 2 Archaeological professional. It comes in a heavy duty travel case and includes who is located outside of the United States of America. everything you will need on the dig site. The best technology from the oldest company in the business, the PRO-ARC, by Fisher ® NOTE TO CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE THE U.S.A.
  • Page 3 • Waterproof 11-inch open-frame BiAxial™ searchcoil Housing constructed of a carbon fiber-polycarbonate blend The PRO-ARC metal detector is warranted against defects in materials and • Optional 5” BiAxial™ searchcoil workmanship under normal use for five years from the date of purchase to the •...

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Introduction to the PRO-ARC General information ..........18-19 This device has been designed to operate with the antennas listed below, and having a Controls .
  • Page 5 Messages ..........52-53 PRO-ARC is not specifically designed for high performance in salt water, but can be used in Backlight .

  • Page 6: Specifications

    SHALLOW WATER HUNTING physiology. All Fisher Research Labs searchcoils are waterproof, allowing you to search in shallow water Dynamic Balance: axial moment, 0.29 foot-pounds (0.39 newton-meters). Varies with about two feet deep. If searching around water, be careful not to get the electronics housing adjustment and user's stance and arm/hand physiology.
  • Page 7 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Search Techniques (continued) Basic Sensitivity: 6 x 10 9 root Hertz (detectivity) Lag Coefficient: 78 milliseconds present. Locate what seems to be a clear area and then Ground Balance. Ground Balancing may be done automatically by pushing the trigger, or manually if you are in All Metal Mode.

  • Page 8: Quick Start

    Probable target type will be indicated at the top of the LCD screen. When the PRO-ARC first turns on, the Ground Balance setting is preset to 90. This will give a positive response on nearly all soils. If you search in the Discrimination Mode, you will If the searchcoil is not in motion and not close to metal, the detector should be silent.
  • Page 9 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Search Techniques (continued) Quick Start (continued) Negative hot rocks (also called cold rocks) are usually magnetite or contain magnetite, Rotate the Settings knob to the left (counterclockwise), and give a negative response because their ground balance value is a higher number Reduce the sensitivity setting until the false signals go away.
  • Page 10 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Assembly Search Techniques (continued) In spots where there has been intense fire, such as a campfire site or where a stump was Remove all components from box.

  • Page 11: Assembly Instructions

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Search Techniques (continued) Assembly (continued) include deeply buried objects, little bits and pieces of rusty iron and corroded foil. These items Tighten knurled cap nut by hand to secure cable connection to housing. Use minimal can be detected, but are difficult to pinpoint due to their depth and small size.
  • Page 12 If the interference is from a communications or broadcast transmitting antenna, reducing the sensitivity is usually your only recourse. The PRO-ARC allows you to shift operating frequencies to avoid electrical interference. See the Frequency Shifting section for information about this technique.
  • Page 13 ID numbers higher than would be obtained in an air test. This tendency is connected Battery Trigger with the PRO-ARC's enhanced see-through ability - that is, the ability to find valuable targets Compartment switch in an area where there is a lot of iron trash.

  • Page 14: Mechanicals

    Target ID as well as target feel to distinguish between different kinds of objects. kit is included with your PRO-ARC. Rechargeable batteries will usually deliver over 25 hours of Objects within 2 to 3 inches of the searchcoil will often produce multiple responses as you sweep service without recharging, but when they start running low, they die suddenly with little warning.
  • Page 15 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Search Techniques (continued) Mechanicals (continued) and the audio pitch is highest. If the sound is loud over a wide area, the buried object is large.
  • Page 16 If you are new to Armrest Width: The sides of the armrest can be bent the PRO-ARC, toggling back to default process from bP or CL can serve as a learning tool to inward and outward. To best stabilize the detector to your understand the different response characteristics of the different processes.

  • Page 17: Using Headphones (Included)

    HEADPHONES The PRO-ARC is equipped with a standard 1/4-inch stereo headphone jack at the rear of the The Cache Locating process is primarily for locating large, deep objects while searching with unit, located under the elbow as you hold the detector for use. Any headphone with a stereo the searchcoil several inches off the surface of the ground.

  • Page 18: Introduction To The Pro-Arc

    The PRO-ARC operates at 13 kHz for good sensitivity to both high and low conductive artifacts such as gold and coins. The PRO-ARC comes with an Using the special BOOST and CACHE LOCATING processes: 11-inch elliptical Bi-Axial searchcoil for maximum detection depth in mineralized soils.

  • Page 19: Search Techniques

    MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Shallow targets tend to give multiple responses, with the RIGHT While the PRO-ARC is robustly engineered for outdoor use, it is not indestructible and it last response being the one that remains illuminated on is not waterproof. the visual display. This last response is usually sampled...

  • Page 20: Controls

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Controls Capabilities and Limitations (continued) away from the searchcoil will usually produce readings that bounce around DUAL FUNCTION ON-OFF & VOLUME from medium to low numbers.
  • Page 21 Controls (continued) STEEL BOTTLE CAPS & FLAT IRON TRASH The PRO-ARC has two controls on the front panel, MENU and SETTINGS. Modern motion-type Target ID metal detectors usually have difficulty consistently identifying steel bottle caps and other flat iron trash objects. Double-D searchcoils also have a reputation for having...
  • Page 22 Use the Discrimination Mode to ignore trash metal such as narrow their sweep and loiter over the top of the target. The PRO-ARC is different. The PRO- ARC's quick response and advanced signal sampling system produces the most accurate nails, foil or pull-tabs.
  • Page 23 Discrimination refers to a metal detector's ability to ignore metal objects in selected categories, level currently preset. If the searchoil is up in the air away from metal, this maneuver especially iron and aluminum. The PRO-ARC offers a wide variety of discrimination features corrects for threshold drift due to temperature changes.

  • Page 24: Menu System

    REQUIREMENT FOR MOTION: PINPOINT FEATURE As with other modern metal detectors, the PRO-ARC's searchcoil must be kept in motion in Each search mode has several adjustable function settings: order to both detect and identify targets. The All Metal modes are more forgiving of sweep ALL METAL: Threshold (not adjustable in stat mode), Audio Pitch, Sensitivity, and speed variation than is the Discrimination Mode.
  • Page 25 DEPTH To increase a value, rotate to the right The PRO-ARC can detect U.S. coins to a depth of up to 15-16 inches (37-40cm) under good (clockwise) conditions. Large objects (55 gallon drums, manhole covers, etc.) can be detected to a depth To decrease a value, rotate to the left of up to several feet (1-2 meters).

  • Page 26: Ground Balancing

    The LCD will display the frequency, from F1 to F7. F1 is the lowest frequency, F4 is the Ground Balancing is the process by which the metal detector default frequency. The PRO-ARC does not retain changes in the frequency setting when cancels the unwanted ground signals while leaving signals from powered off.

  • Page 27: Frequency Shifting

    1 inch of the ground, about once or twice a second. change the PRO-ARC's operating frequency. 5. A 2-digit value will appear on the display. This is a trial-and-error method to try to find a This is the Ground Balance setting.
  • Page 28 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Ground Balancing (continued) LCD Visual Display (continued) conditions. Raise the coil until the message disappears; the siren sound will also stop. MANUAL GROUND BALANCING Resume normal detection.
  • Page 29 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting LCD Visual Display (continued) Ground Balancing (continued) BATTERY CONDITION INDICATOR 0 - 10 Wet salt and alkali Fresh alkaline batteries will illuminate all three bars. When no bars are displayed and the 5 - 25 Metallic iron.
  • Page 30 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Ground Balancing (continued) LCD Visual Display (continued) Target ID is accurate. If 3 or fewer segments are displayed, the confidence is very low. Junk 3.
  • Page 31 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting LCD Visual Display (continued) Ground Balancing (continued) Most gold jewelry is small, and will tend to read in the 16-55 range. Silver jewelry usually has that when the searchcoil is lowered to the ground in PinPoint, Stat or Motion All Metal Mode, more metal in it and therefore tends to produce higher readings.

  • Page 32: Motion All Metal Mode

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Motion All Metal Mode LCD Visual Display (continued) Aluminum screwcap 60 - 70 The Motion All Metal Mode is more sensitive and offers better feel than the Discrimination Zinc penny (dated after 1982) Typically 60 Mode, and is used to find all metal objects present in the ground.

  • Page 33: Lcd Visual Display

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting LCD Visual Display Motion All Metal Mode (continued) will usually be too noisy (wobbly and erratic sound) if the sensitivity is set too high.

  • Page 34: Static All Metal Mode

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Static All Metal Mode PinPoint Feature (continued) How to Pinpoint This mode is useful for finding large, deep objects, i.e. larger than a coin and deeper than 12 Position the searchcoil an inch or two (2.5-5cm) above the ground, and to the side of the...

  • Page 35: Pinpoint Feature

    PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting PinPoint Feature Static All Metal Mode (continued) If the background chatter is too annoying, or the ground noise is so high that it impedes After a buried target has been located using the All Metal or Discrimination modes, you want operation, reduce sensitivity.

  • Page 36: Discrimination Mode

    Target ID and audible response. By making the audio and visual or eliminate; then adjust sensitivity downward to eliminate interference, or upward to “work into systems independent, the PRO-ARC allows each system to do what it does best. The audio the noise,” if preferred.
  • Page 37 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Discrimination Mode (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) PF: For use in plowed fields. Some users may prefer this process for hunting in irregular The sensitivity system has two stages, 1-29 (low gain), and 30-99 (high gain).
  • Page 38 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Discrimination Mode (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) Process Number (Process #) be stored as the discrimination value. This menu selection offers the user a choice among several different methods of audio •...
  • Page 39 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Discrimination Mode (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) 1F: MEDIUM-TO-HIGH PITCH TONE varying in proportion to target signal strength. Large 2. Press MENU button 4 times to move down to the NOTCH feature shallow objects will produce a squeal.
  • Page 40 PRO-ARC PRO-ARC Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Comprehensive Operating Manual & Guide to Metal Detecting Discrimination Mode (continued) Discrimination Mode (continued) The following are characteristics of NOTCH programming: Here are some examples of NOTCH used in conjunction with DISC LEVEL •...

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