Fisher M-Scope COIN STRIKE User manual

COIN STRIKE
Operating Manual
Target I.D. Metal Detector
FISHER RESEARCH LABORATORY

CONTENTS
About Your Detector ............................................................... pg. 1
Setting Up ................................................................................. pg. 2
Body/Chest Mounting ............................................................. pg. 5
Control Panel ........................................................................... pg. 6
Quick Start Guide .................................................................... pg. 10
4 Tone Audio System ............................................................... pg. 11
LCD Identification Sysytem ..................................................... pg. 12
Precsion Visual Pinpointing ................................................... pg. 13
Ground Balancing/Tracking ................................................... pg. 14
FisherTrak AFS© ........................................................................ pg. 15
Wet Sand Beach Hunting ........................................................ pg. 16
Setting Memory Control .......................................................... pg. 17
Additional Features ................................................................. pg. 18
Searching ................................................................................. pg. 19
Battery Replacement .............................................................. pg. 21
Target Recovery ...................................................................... pg. 22
Maintenance ........................................................................... pg. 23
Treasure Hunter’s Code of Ethics ........................................... pg. 23
Specifications .......................................................................... pg. 24

1
ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR
The I.D. detector of the future is here! The Fisher Coin Strike brings
you a new level of performance and features that include fast
automatic ground tracking, a precision auto ground balance
system, four-tone ID system, programmability and our new D.P.A.
(Digital Phase Analysis) technology.
Throughout this operations manual, we are going to explain to you
the controls and LCD Display Panel of the new Coin Strike as well as
give you a few tips to get you hunting. As with any new detector,
we strongly encourage that you read the entire operations manual
and call your local dealer with any questions.
The Coin Strike control panel and LCD display is designed to give
you constant control read out. In addition, the Coin Strike provides
a 4-tone audio system to give you more target information.
The rest is up to you. You’ve got the right detector, but you’ll have
to decide where to search and then put in a lot of long, hard hours
searching. And, of course, you’re going to have to learn your Coin
Strike, read this instruction manual carefully and practice often.
Drop us a line if you have any questions, comments or exciting
hunting stories. In the meantime . . .
Happy Hunting!
Fisher Research Laboratory

2
SETTING UP
Your Fisher Coin Strike is built to last for years. However, it’s a
sophisticated electronic instrument containing state-of-the-art
components. Handle it carefully, care for it regularly, and it will
give you years of dependable service. The Coin Strike requires
little assembly.
1. Unpack your Coin Strike carefully and save the
carton: it may come in handy if you ever have to
return the instrument for service.
2. Slip the lower stem into the center stem section.
3. Adjust the stem length and coil angle so that the
search coil rests flat on the ground about 6 to 12
inches in front of and slightly to the right of your right
foot (to the left of your left foot for left handers). Your
arm should be straight and relaxed, the grip held
loosely (see drawing on next page). The stem length
is adjusted by loosening the lower lock nut and
allowing the spring clip to snap into one of the
Lower
lock nut
Center
stem section
Adjustable,
fiberglass
filled, nylon
lower stem
Upper
lock nut
Search
coil cable
Control
housing
Touch pads
Padded
Arm rest
Foam
hand grip
Nylon wing nut
(with replaceable
Duro-Neoprene
bushings)
Upper stem
8” Spider Coil

3
holes in the center stem. The coil angle is adjusted
by loosening the nylon wing nut on top of the search
coil.
NOTE: Remember, the longer the shaft, the more you’ll have to
bend your elbow to keep the coil off the ground and the sooner
your arm will get tired. The Coin Strike is balanced for comfortable
searching in a tight semicircle around the front of the operator.
4. With the stem length properly adjusted, wrap the
search coil cable snugly around the lower stem and
the center section. Leave just enough slack near
the coil to allow it to be tilted completely backward
and forward.
NOTE: A loose cable near the search coil may cause false signals,
but don’t wrap it so tightly that it pulls against the housing or the
coil.
Adjust the stem length and coil angle so the coil rests flat on the ground about 6 to
12 inches in front of your foot. Move into your “search” position by leaning slightly and
raising the coil about 2 inches off the ground. This should put the coil about 12 to 18
inches in front of your lead foot.
SETTING UP

4
SETTING UP
5. Reconnect the coil cable to the control housing.
Be careful not to cross thread it and make sure it’s
snug, but hand tightened only.
6. 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 the angle so the coil rests flat on the ground
about 6 to 12 inches in front of your arm.
7. (When using optional headphones) Plug into the
headphones jack on the control panel.

5
1. Disconnect the cable from the control housing
and unwind all but the last 12 inches or so from the
stem. Secure the lower end of the cable with a
Velcro strap at least 12 inches up from the coil.
2. Remove the control housing from the pistol grip
by holding the grip with one hand and sliding the
housing toward you with the other hand.
3. Attach the belt clip to the control housing by
slipping it over the brass posts on the bottom of the
control housing and pulling it toward the control
panel to lock it in place.
4. Reconnect the cable to the control housing.
5. The control housing can then be mounted on your
belt or on the optional Fisher Chest Harness.
It is especially important that the cable connector be installed
tightly to prevent false signals during body-mount use. Tight, but
never tightened with anything but your hands.
BODY/CHEST MOUNT

CONTROL PANEL
6
The Coin Strike control panel is an all new digital I/O System. The
LCD Display provides you with a constant control readout showing
you all of your current settings, much like the knobs of an older
-style metal detector.
1. The POWER button turns the unit ON and OFF. One of the first
things you will notice when you turn on your Coin Strike is the battery
level display. Fresh batteries will show 9 volts; when the battery
level is down to 6 volts, you have about an hour of battery life
left. The detector will not turn on if the search coil is not properly
connected. This can prove to be a timesaving safeguard.
2. The LIGHT button enables you to use your back light for hunting
in dim light situations.
3. The MENU button enables you to enter the “menu mode”, in
which you can adjust any of seven controls with the UP/DOWN
arrow buttons: the iron discrimination level, the threshold level,
the sensitivity level, a wet sand “salt” mode, the volume level, four
independent disc. notches, and the saving or recall of 4 control
setups (including a factory preset mode) with our memory feature.
Notice that when the MENU button is pushed, the active control
blinks — this is the control that can be adjusted with the UP or
DOWN arrow buttons. To move to the next control, just press the
MENU button again. When you have all your settings completed,
press the P/P (MEM) button to return to the search mode.
TRACK
AUT
O
GROUND
P/P
MEM
ALL
METAL
DISC
MENU
LIGHT
M-SCOPE
POWER
HEADPHONES
OO
DISC
SENS
THRESH
VOLUME
DISC
0
2
46
8
10
0
2
46
8
10
0
2
46
8
10
0
2
46
8
10
FOIL
NICKEL
TABS
ZINC

7
a. When in the MENU mode, the Iron DISC controlcan be
varied from 0 to 99 with the UP and DOWN arrow buttons. A 0
discrimination setting will allow all metals to activate the tone; a
99 discrimination setting fully discriminates out most iron targets,
allowing only nonferrous objects to activate the tone I.D. in Disc
mode. When hunting, you will choose an optimal discrimination
setting between 0 and 99 that allows you to ignore most of the
iron trash in your hunting area, without giving up any good
targets. Also notice that the constant control readout shows you
approximate settings at all times with a graphical icon, whether
you are in the MENU mode or the search mode.
b. The THRESHOLD control is best understood as setting a “trigger”
point for received signals to exceed (and be acknowledged) or
fall short of (and be ignored). This control can be adjusted with the
arrow buttons between -99 (higher trigger = less excitable) and +4
(low trigger = more excitable). There are a couple of considerations
in choosing a threshold setting: 1) If you prefer to have an audio
threshold tone present while hunting, choose a setting between 0
and +4. This will allow your Coin Strike to react to the tiniest targets in
a low mineralization environment. 2) However, if you plan to utilize
the fast automatic ground tracking feature of the Coin Strike, set
the threshold to a -5 or -10 setting for stable tracking performance
(and even lower in harshly mineralized soils).
c. The SENSITIVITY control can be varied from a setting of 0 to
a maximum of 10 with the arrow buttons when the SENS icon is
flashing. As with most detectors, set the sensitivity higher for best
depth performance in soils that are low in mineralization. As the
mineralization gets worse, lower the sensitivity setting as needed.
We recommend a sensitivity setting of 4 or lower for the most stable
performance if the fast automatic ground tracking is enabled.
Please note that a SENS setting of 0 or 1 will still yield excellent
results.
d. The salt mode can be activated or turned off with the Auto
Ground button. While in the MENU, when the two-digit display
shows “SO”, the salt mode is off. Use this setting for all hunting
conditions except wet sand (beaches) with salt content and NO
black sand (magnetic soil). Press and release the Auto Ground
CONTROL PANEL

8
button to toggle the SALT mode on (display will show “S1”). Press
and release again to toggle it off. For more beach hunting tips,
see the WET SAND HUNTING section.
e. The VOLUME can be adjusted and listened to when the VOLUME
icon is flashing by using the UP and DOWN arrow buttons.
f. The NOTCH Discrimination (“no” on the two digit display in the
MENU) can be adjusted as follows:
1. The UP/DOWN arrow buttons will allow you to choose which
NOTCH category to alter.
2. Once you have chosen which category to change (FOIL,
NICKEL, TABS, or ZINC), pushing and releasing the ALL METAL/DISC
button turns the NOTCH filter ON or OFF.
- If the square next to the chosen category blinks quickly (on
more than off) that target will be accepted.
- If the square next to the chosen category blinks slowly (off
more than on) that target will be rejected.
- When in the SEARCH mode, if the square is ON, the target is
accepted; if the square is OFF, the target is rejected.
Remember, to exit the MENU mode at any time, simply press the
P/P (MEM) button to return to the SEARCH mode
4. The AUTO GROUND button enables you to achieve a precision
ground balance with one touch. Auto Ground Balance is explained
in more detail on page 15. This button also toggles the SALT mode
on or off while in MENU mode.
5. The P/P (MEM) button is used return to the search mode after
you set all your current settings when it is pushed and released.
As mentioned above, it is also used in Memory mode. If the P/P
button is pushed and held while hunting, the Precision Visual
Pinpoint Mode will be activated.
6. The TRACK button activates the Fisher Track AFS© - Adaptive
Feedback System. This fast auto-ground tracking system, enables
you to adapt to changing ground conditions without giving up
the ability to detect targets!
7. The ALL METAL/DISC button enables you to toggle between two
operating modes: a “true” all metal detecting mode or, with an
CONTROL PANEL

9
CONTROL PANEL
advanced discrimination system activated. When in the NOTCH
discrimination MENU, the button is used to activate or turn off the
FOIL, NICKEL, TABS and ZINC disc. notches. When in the search
mode, this button can be pushed and held to activate or turn
off the numeric I.D. averaging. (refer to pg. 18 for more details on
numeric I.D. averaging.)

10
QUICK START GUIDE
We strongly encourage you to thoroughly read and understand
everything in this operation manual prior to using your new
Fisher Coin Strike. This will enable you to obtain the optimum
performance when you detect. However, we can provide a few
quick suggestions that can help you get started. To begin hunting
with your new Coin Strike, you will at least need to be familiar with
the control panel (see page 6).
1. Turn ON the Coin Strike by pressing and releasing the POWER
button.
2. Push and release the MENU button. Push this button
repeatedly until the MEM icon flashes. Then, press the UP
arrow button until the two-digit display shows “FP” (factory
preset). Finally, push and release the P/P (MEM) button. This
will set the Coin Strike as follows:
Iron Disc = 99
Threshold = 0
Sensitivity = 7
Salt Mode OFF
Volume = 10
Notch Disc: Eliminate Foil and Tabs
These factory present settings are a good start for COINS
only hunting.
3. Lower the search coil to the ground in an area completely
void of metal. Next, press the AUTO GROUND button and
hold it for about 2 seconds. Then, while still holding the AUTO
GROUND button down, lift the coil about 6 inches off the
ground, hold for a second, and release the button. The
Coin Strike will give you a brief tone to let you know the
ground balance has been achieved.
4. Begin your search, using the method described on
page 19.
5. If you prefer to hunt using our advanced FisherTrack system,
or other advanced features (such as the salt mode), please
refer to this operation manual.

4 TONE AUDIO SYSTEM
11
The four-tone audio system provides you with more information
per sweep, acting as a target I.D. system in the “discrimination”
mode. While sweeping the Coin Strike search coil over a target,
you will hear one of four tones:
LOW TONE = Iron objects (ferrous)
LOW/MID TONE = Foil, Nickel, Round Tabs
MID/HIGH TONE = Square Tabs, Zinc Pennies
HIGH TONE = Copper, Clad, Silver Coins
If a bell tone audio is heard, accompanied byan
“OL” on the LCD, the coil has encountered a larger
or shallow target and the search coil must be lifted
to avoid overload and inaccurate I.D.
When hunting in the ALL Metal mode, a single tone
will be heard for any metal object the coil is swept
over. This mode responds much like the “auto tune”
mode of previous detectors.

LCD IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
The LCD will also show you an indication of the type of target you
have found, in conjunction with the audio tones, by showing you
a number preceded by a “-” or “+” sign. The target identification
system works as follows:
When in either search mode (ALL METAL or DISC), a target will
produce a number between 0 and 99 indicating target type.
In addition, the - or + sign in front of the number indicates whether
the target is ferrous in nature (an iron target) / or nonferrous (a
non-iron target).
The target I.D. numbers correspond to the following target
types:
All negative (-) numbers: Iron
+0 to +8: Foil
+9 to +11: Nickel
+17 to +18: Square Tab
+20 to +22: Zinc Pennies
+28 to +30: Copper pennies, dimes
+30 to +34: Quarters
+34 to +51: High conductive coins
(silver)
+60 an up: Various hot rocks
Remember, this Numeric I.D. system is activated in either
the All-Metal or Disc. modes (although the 4-tone audio
I.D. is only active in the Disc. mode).
Also, the iron discriminator and disc. notches can silence
the audio for certain targets, but the two-digit I.D. will
always reveal the target identity.
12

Precision Visual Pinpointing
When the P/P button is pushed and held, the non-motion pinpoint
mode is activated. This pinpoint mode may be familiar in some ways
(when the target is approached, the audio intensity increases),
but different in others (the digital numeric indicator). The two
digit (0-99) LCD will help you to accurately pinpoint your target
by increasing in value as the center of the target is approached.
This gives you much more resolution in pinpointing than a “depth
estimation” system, and allows you to characterize size, shape,
and location of your target better.
13

14
GROUND BALANCING/TRACKING
The Coin Strike offers three options for handling the soil mineralization
you may encounter. Our new auto-ground balance system and
our FisherTrak ground tracking system are made possible by our
AFS© (Adaptive Feedback System) technology.
AUTO GROUND BALANCE:
The precision automatic ground balance system will provide
ground balance accuracy that exceeds any setting achieved
manually. The procedure is quite simple: After you have set up
your controls and are back in the search mode, lower the search
coil to the ground in an area completely void of metal. Next, press
the AUTO GROUND button and hold it for about 2 seconds. Then,
while still holding the AUTO GROUND button down, lift the coil
about 6 inches off the ground, hold for a second, and release the
button. The Coin Strike will give you a brief tone to let you know
the ground balance has been achieved. This procedure can
be repeated at any time, as you change your settings or ground
conditions change. It is fast and accurate.

FISHERTRAK AFS©
“FisherTRAK©” FAST AUTO-GROUND TRACKING:
To take advantage of the fast auto-ground tracking system of
the Coin Strike, start by using the automatic ground balance
procedure just described. Then, simply press the TRACK button
on the panel to allow the Coin Strike to automatically adjust to
changing ground conditions. Notice that the “TRACK” icon will be
active on the display when the tracking system is ON. The Coin
Strike system provides a superior tracking system that will “track”
only on mineralized soils and hot rocks — not on actual targets
themselves.
Also, note that the unit can be auto-ground balanced at any
time while in the tracking mode for faster, easier hunting. This can
be done by lowering the coil to the ground, pausing for about 2
seconds, then lifting the search coil about 6 inches and waiting
for the tone to signal completion of the automatic balancing.
It is very helpful to set the controls of your Coin Strike for the most
stable tracking performance. If you are hunting in mineralized soil,
we suggest setting the Threshold control to –5, -10, or even lower.
We also suggest setting the Sensitivity control to 5, 4, or lower. If
you experience unstable tracking performance, please adjust
these controls accordingly. And remember that the Coin Strike
still has excellent performance with these lower settings — you will
recover good targets with smooth, trouble-free operation — use
this to your advantage!
15

WET SAND (BEACH) HUNTING
The Coin Strike allows beach hunters 2 choices for detecting in
wet sand.
1. If hunting in nonmagnetic wet sand (salt water beach
with no black sand), use the SALT mode feature described
on page 8. Be sure to activate the SALT mode (S1) before
you select the THRESHOLD and SENSITIVITY settings, and
before you auto-ground balance the detector.
2. If hunting on wet black sand beaches, better results
are obtained by turning OFF the SALT mode (SO). In
these conditions, adjust the SENS to 3 or lower, and the
THRESH to -10 or lower. Then, auto-ground balance the
detector and turn ON the auto ground tracking system
(Fisher Trak). The tracking system should allow you to
enter and exit the wet, salt sand without false signals if
the SENS and THRESH are set up properly.
16

Your new Coin Strike provides you with 3 memory locations to
store your favorite control settings. These memory locations will
store the Iron DISC level, THRESHOLD level, SENSITIVITY level, and
NOTCH disc. Please note that the SALT Mode and VOLUME level
will not be stored.
At this point, we would also like to remind you that your Coin Strike
has a last-setting memory feature. This means that the unit will
maintain the control settings when it is turned OFF, saving the same
settings for you when you turn your Coin Strike back ON (except
for the salt mode; this will always default to salt mode off).
By pressing the MENU button to enter the MENU mode and then
pressing it again until the “MEM” icon begins flashing, you will be
ready to store or recall your settings. Memory address “0” always
contains your current control settings, and is not a location to store
settings for later recall.
STORING SETTINGS:
1. Set the controls (DISC, THRESH, SENS, and NOTCH) by using
the MENU button to select the control, and the UP and
DOWN arrow buttons to set to the desired levels.
2. Once the controls are set, press the MENU button until the
“MEM” icon blinks.
3. Use the UP or DOWN arrow buttons to select the MEM 1,
MEM 2, or MEM 3 storage location.
4. Then, press and hold the P/P MEM button for about 3
seconds. When the settings are stored, an audio tone will
sound and the “MEM” icon will blink twice. Release the P/P
MEM button and you are in the search mode and ready to
hunt. In addition, the settings are stored in the MEM location
you chose (1, 2, or 3).
RECALLING SETTINGS:
1. To recall a stored setting, press the MENU button to enter
the MENU mode, and then press it repeatedly until the MEM
icon is selected.
2. Using the UP or DOWN arrow buttons, select the MEM
location you want to recall.
Then, press the P/P MEM button for only 1 second and release it. A
brief audio tone will sound and the detector will enter the search
mode in the settings you recalled.
Selecting the factory preset (FP) memory setting is described on
page 10.
SETTING MEMORY CONTROL
17

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
AUTOMATIC LOW BATTERY WARNING: The Coin Strike will let
you know when a low battery condition will begin to effect
performance — the batteries must be changed at this time. When
the batteries get too weak, the LCD will show a “LOW BATTERY”
warning on the display. In addition, the audio system will produce
a wavering tone to alert you to the low battery condition.
AUTOMATIC SIGNAL OVERLOAD WARNING: The Coin Strike will alert
you to the presence of a large metal object in close proximity to
the search coil by sounding off an audio bell tone. This lets you
know that the object is too close to the coil for the 4-tone audio
or LCD systems to accurate identify the object.
“F.A.C.T.©”: Fisher’s new adaptive coil technology allows the
detector electronics to recognize whether the search coil is
properly installed on the detector. The Coin Strike will not turn
ON without the search coil connector properly installed to the
control housing.
CONSTANT CONTROL READOUT: Unlike many digital detectors, the
Coin Strike LCD shows you the control settings at all times while
in the search mode. The control icons are similar to the knobs
of older detectors, constantly showing where the settings are at
one easy glance. In addition, even more accurate information
regarding the control settings can be obtained by entering the
MENU mode and observing the two-digit number accompanying
each control, showing improved resolution of each control.
LCD BACKLIGHT: The press of a button activates a very efficient
display backlight for use in dark situations.
NUMERIC I.D. AVERAGING FUNCTION: This is activated (A1) or
deactivated (A0) when the ALL/METAL/DISC button is pushed
and held. When ON, the numeric I.D. will be based on cumulative
average from sweep to sweep. When OFF, the numeric I.D. will
be based on immediate sweep results. To determineif this function
is onor off, push and hold the ALL METAL/DISC button until either
A! (activated) or A0 (deactivated) is displayed. If you continue
holding down the button, the display will flash twice, then switch
modes.
18