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Time Ranger

Metal Detector

Owner’s Manual

The Time Ranger™ is a top-of-the line professional metal detector
with high-end features for the serious metal detectorist. A large LCD
panel displays current operating status at all times during operation
in the field. All feaures and functions are highly visible, with no
hidden programming, making your Time Ranger™ easy to use.

Microprocessor-controlled

Programmable operation

Programmable targets

LCD target readout

Touch pad selection

Numbered target values

SMART TRAC ground control

Carefully read this entire manual before attempting to operate
your new Time Ranger™ Metal Detector.

Summary of Contents for Time Ranger

Page 1: ...atus at all times during operation in the field All feaures and functions are highly visible with no hidden programming making your Time Ranger easy to use Microprocessor controlled Programmable operation Programmable targets LCD target readout Touch pad selection Numbered target values SMART TRAC ground control Carefully read this entire manual before attempting to operate your new Time Ranger Me...

Page 2: ... Target Value Reference 11 Dials 12 Basic Operation 14 Turning the Detector ON 14 DISCRIMINATION Mode 14 To accept all targets 14 To select PRESET targets 15 To select customized targets 16 To adjust sensitivity in DISCRIMINATION mode 18 To listen to tones in DISCRIMINATION mode 18 To turn on the BLANKER feature 19 To operate the unit in SNIFF Mode 19 ALL METAL Mode 21 To select ALL METAL mode 21 ...

Page 3: ...Coinshooting 30 Recommended Mode of Operation 30 Relic Hunting 32 Recommended mode of operation 32 Jewelry Hunting 34 Recommended mode of operation 34 Gold Prospecting 35 Recommended mode of operation 35 Tips for gold prospecting 35 Cache Hunting 36 Recommended mode of operation 36 Tips for cache hunting 36 Troubleshooting 37 Common Problems 37 Caring for Your Metal Detector 39 ...

Page 4: ...also contain zinc copper a medium grade metal copper is found in U S pennies minted before 1982 gold a high grade metal jewelry or gold nuggets are gold items sought by detectorists silver a high grade metal jewelry or silver coins are silver items sought by detectorists Discrimination Discrimination is the detector s ability to identify the type of buried metal or completely eliminate unwanted me...

Page 5: ...r depth We have many testimonials from users finding coins more than one foot deep Ground Balancing Ground balancing refers to a detector s ability to measure and average the soil s mineralization Most soils contain naturally occurring minerals Some soils are more highly mineralized than others and soil mineralization can vary dramatically within an area from one spot to another Bounty Hunter meta...

Page 6: ...d adjust the stem to a length that lets you maintain a comfortable upright posture 4 Wind the search coil cable around the stem leaving enough slack in the cable to let you adjust the coil when you are hunting on uneven ground TIP To adjust the coil simply loosen the knob 5 Insert the coil s plug into the matching connector on the control housing making sure that the holes and pins line up correct...

Page 7: ... until the cover snaps in place CAUTION Use only fresh batteries of the required size and type Batteries must be ALKALINE type such as Energizer C size LR14 To check the batteries 1 Turn the unit ON The low battery indicator and all other arrow indicators appear briefly in the LCD display indicating that the detector is working properly and the batteries are good 2 If the arrow on the BATT battery...

Page 8: ...eadphone jack Using headphones not supplied with your metal detector not only extends battery life but also makes it easier to identify subtle changes in the threshold levels for better detection results To connect and use headphones 1 Insert the headphone 1 4 plug into the headphone jack on the underside of the control panel as shown in the following diagram 2 Set the headphone volume to the lowe...

Page 9: ...apt to the set volume level so a volume level that may not necessarily cause discomfort might still damage your hearing Traffic Safety Do not wear headphones while operating your detector in traffic areas This practice could create a traffic hazard and is illegal in some areas While your headphones are designed to let you hear some outside sounds at normal volume levels they still present a traffi...

Page 10: ...e Probable Target ID fields located at the top of the control panel represent various coin and metal types as well as a GOLD RANGE and SILVER RANGE The coin types can also signal other types of metals or objects that are within a similar detection range When the Time Ranger senses a target an arrow on the LCD display points to the probable target on the Probable Target ID fields Until the unit det...

Page 11: ... is possibly a nickel Many gold rings register as 5 A percentage of foil and many newer pull tabs are still detected as nickels Indicates that the object is probably a pull tab Some small gold may also register as a pull tab Indicates that the target is probably a zinc penny post 1982 or a screw cap This target ID is usually accompanied by a medium tone Other targets such as large gold may also re...

Page 12: ...grammed settings PRESET is used to select preset targets in DISCRIMINATION mode ACCEPT and REJECT are used to select customized or PRESET targets in DISCRIMINATION mode and to accept or reject targets in SNIFF mode Touch pads The detector control panel includes several touch pads as shown and described in the following table These touch pads are used to set detector operation SNIFF ALL METAL SMART...

Page 13: ...between the SENSITIVITY and DEPTH dials The following table lists the general operating abbreviations that appear under TARGET their meaning and a brief description of each Touch pads continued LOW and HIGH are used to adjust the detector s sensitivity in DISCRIMINATION mode LOW and HIGH are used to adjust the detector s AUDIO LEVEL in ALL METAL mode gb Ground Balance Indicates the unit has taken ...

Page 14: ...s 11 rE Reject Appears when you press the REJECT TARGET touch pad Indicates that the target has been rejected SNIFF SNIFF Mode Appears when you press the SNIFF touch pad and indicates that the unit is operating in SNIFF mode TARGET Readout Value Range Objects 32 41 Nickel 51 56 5 Gold Piece 35 60 Ring Pull Tab 62 90 Beavertail Pull Tab 99 104 Zinc Penny 115 145 Wheat Cent 141 149 Clad Dime 150 163...

Page 15: ...en the depth exceeds 10 inches an arrow appears under DEEP TARGET in the PROBABLE TARGET ID fields Depth detection is usually accurate to eight inches or less for coin sized objects only BATT The BATT dial is located on the bottom left of the LCD display and indicates battery strength as follows G Good F Fair L Low R Replace 12 Dials The LCD display has five indicator adjustment dials as shown in ...

Page 16: ...und balance in all soil conditions while operating in ALL METAL mode BLANKER The BLANKER dial located on the bottom right of the LCD display is used in conjunction with the BLANKER touch pad to set the level at which to eliminate surface targets as follows 2 2 inches O Off 4 4 inches 13 ...

Page 17: ...one continuous medium tone DISCRIMINATION This is a motion mode that allows you to eliminate undesirable objects from detection In this mode metals are identified via the LCD display and with three distinct tones By pressing the Disc Touch Pad after IR appears you automatically enter motion All Metal Mode no metals are rejected DISCRIMINATION Mode In DISCRIMINATION mode you can accept all targets ...

Page 18: ...ing the detector is ready for programming 3 Press the PRESET touch pad once to select PRESET 1 The blinking arrow under IRON FOIL is replaced by an R 4 Press the PRESET touch pad twice to select PRESET 2 An R appears under PULL TAB in the Probable Target ID fields 5 Press the PRESET touch pad three times to select PRESET 3 An R appears under Z 1 S CAP in the Probable Target ID fields PRESET 1 Reje...

Page 19: ...ize Before you can customize targets you must first select the size of iron to eliminate Progressive Iron Discrimination Levels IR 1 IR 2 IR 4 IR 3 Rejects the smallest of iron objects such as tacks small screws and nails and BB size objects Rejects objects up to about twice the size of IR1 type objects Rejects mid size objects such as a pocket knife but detects larger objects such as a pistol can...

Page 20: ... the following example 7 Press REJECT or ACCEPT depending on whether you want to accept or reject the 5 targets NOTE Normally you want to accept the 5 targets because many gold items are detected as such The blinking arrow appears under PULL TAB 8 Depending on how you want to customize your targets continue pressing ACCEPT or REJECT as the blinking arrow appears in the remaining Probable Target ID...

Page 21: ...ss the LOW or HIGH SENSITIVITY touch pads on the control panel to adjust the detector s sensitivity while monitoring your adjustment on the SENSITIVITY dial The arrow on the dial in the LCD display points to the selected setting To listen to tones in DISCRIMINATION mode DISCRIMINATION mode including PRESET and SNIFF mode makes use of the Audio Target Identification ATI feature that identifies obje...

Page 22: ...LANKER feature allows you to eliminate surface targets at 2 or 4 inches while concentrating on deeper targets To use this feature you must be operating the unit in DISCRIMINATION mode or one of the PRESET levels To operate the unit at a 2 inch level press the BLANKER touch pad once The BLANKER dial on the lower left of the LCD display points to 2 To operate the unit at a 4 inch level press the BLA...

Page 23: ...coil over an object identical similar to the object you want to accept An arrow appears under one of the Target ID fields 2 Verify that the arrow points to the Target ID field you want to accept and press the ACCEPT TARGET touch pad on the control panel Ac appears in the TARGET readout on the LCD display A sniff window based on the object s target value is created 3 Verify that the target value wa...

Page 24: ...d in SNIFF mode ALL METAL Mode In the ALL METAL mode the volume of one continuous medium tone increases when the Time Ranger detects metal The detector does not have to be in motion in this mode To select ALL METAL mode 1 Perform the steps described in Turning the Detector ON section of this manual 2 Press the ALL METAL SMART TRAC touch pad gb appears briefly in the TARGET readout followed by rY i...

Page 25: ...ear a slight threshold hum Au disappears from the TARGET readout after adjustment To adjust detector when ground conditions change If actual ground conditions change example moving from low to highly mineralized ground or vice versa the SMART TRAC system automatically makes the adjustment for the variation You will hear a momentary change in the threshold hum while the unit makes the adjustment Do...

Page 26: ...ot standing over a detected target 2 Press the ALL METAL SMART TRAC touch pad until gb appears in the TARGET readout 3 When rY appears in the TARGET readout the unit is ready for use TIP When ground balancing the unit make sure that there is no metal on top of or under the ground otherwise you won t be able to tell if the tone being emitted is caused by metal or soil mineralization If you think yo...

Page 27: ... quickly over the object and keep the coil 1 2 above the ground when sweeping In ALL METAL mode movement of the search coil is not required hold the coil over the object and 1 2 above the ground Air Testing Follow these steps to test your detector as it lays stationary and you pass objects over its search coil as illustrated in the following diagram Position of detector and object when air testing...

Page 28: ...search coil Bounty Hunter models with LCD indicators are programmed to sense the coin type and depth while looking at the flat side of the coin sweeping the edge of the coin across the search coil may cause inaccurate readings 6 If the detector is not properly identifying the object try sweeping holding the object closer to the coil and make sure that you are sweeping the flat surface of the objec...

Page 29: ...ndulum The following diagrams illustrate incorrect and correct coil movement Do not swing the coil like a pendulum Swing the coil level with the ground Swing the coil in a half circle and repeat this motion every step you take to guarantee complete coverage of the area Swing the search coil gently side to side slightly overlapping each seep as you move forward Right Wrong ...

Page 30: ...und notice where the beep occurs as you move the search coil slowly side to side 3 Stop the search coil directly over this spot 4 Move the search coil straight forward and straight back towards you a couple of times 5 Again keeping your eyes on the ground notice where the beep occurs 6 If necessary X the target at different angles to zero in on the exact spot on the ground where the beep occurs Th...

Page 31: ...an interfere with one another If you are detecting with another person who has a detector you could have interference between the detectors always keep two detectors at least 20 feet apart Also avoid searching under electrical power lines As you sweep the search coil back and forth over the ground learn to recognize the difference between the signals that occur at random and signals that are stabl...

Page 32: ...wet or dry sand moving between the two can induce false signaling Black sand is very highly mineralized and without an advanced technology detector finding a gold nugget is like looking for a needle in a haystack Gold prospecting is possible with all Bounty Hunter detectors but for best results use the Land Star Land Ranger or Timer Ranger Resetting the detector If battery voltage is low or if you...

Page 33: ...Level 3 P3 If an area is heavily trash laden try using the third level of PRESET PRESET 3 See the DISCRIMINATION Mode To select PRESET targets section of this manual for instructions on how to select PRESET levels In this mode the unit responds to all coins types and other possible trash metal that falls under these coin types This mode may not however detect some gold rings and might still detect...

Page 34: ...argets section of this manual for instructions on how to customize targets Eliminating all metals in the GOLD RANGE narrows your discrimination to strictly silver and copper coins and other metals that may fall in the SILVER RANGE Your LCD display will appear as shown in the following diagram TIP Once you ve had some practice using your Land Ranger detector you may want to fine tune it so that it ...

Page 35: ...to swing the search coil slowly listening for fluctuations in volume When you encounter a louder signal experiment by sweeping around the area to determine where the signal starts and stops This is not only helpful in determining if the signal is truly a target but in pinpointing its exact location and size If you cannot isolate the target due to concentrations of targets try de tuning the detecto...

Page 36: ...while detecting most all coin types and other possible gold and silver items similar to the coin types such as jewelry Fortunately most small gold items fall under the 5 indication Also make sure that you accept all 4 levels of iron since small gold rings may fall in the IRON FOIL range While you will dig up a lot of trash in this setting you are guaranteed that no gold items are escaping detectio...

Page 37: ...sed as the main tool for gold retrieval Today metal detectors are used in every aspect of gold detecting from searching out the mother lode to finding placer deposits metal detectors have proven indispensable Recommended mode of operation The recommended mode of operation for gold prospecting is ALL METAL mode This mode ensures the detection of smaller objects such as gold nuggets Gold flakes are ...

Page 38: ...ually exists See the ALL METAL mode section of this manual for instructions on its operation Tips for cache hunting Sweep the search coil slowly pay particular attention toany increase in volume indicating that the unit has detected metal Try clearing all surface trash metal to allow the Time Ranger to detect deeper targets without interference You may need to adjust the detector s sensitivity see...

Page 39: ...ng Odd unrecognizable metal Highly oxidized metal SENSITIVITY may be set too high Use 4 coil accessory to narrow detection field Sweep over target at different angles Abandon the target if the signal does not repeat as you sweep the same area the target is usually highly oxidized rusted metal and not worthwhile Reduce SENSITIVITY per instructions in this manual for your mode of operation Detector ...

Page 40: ...s Temperature extremes can shorten the life of electronic devices and distort or melt plastic parts Wipe the metal detector with a wet cloth occasionally to keep it looking new Do not use harsh chemical cleaning solvents or strong detergents to clean the metal detector The search coil is waterproof and can be submerged in either fresh or salt water Be careful to prevent water entering the chassis ...

Page 41: ...ecommended mode of operation 36 tips 36 caring for your metal detector 39 chatter 28 in the field 28 coil movement 26 coinshooting 30 recommended mode of operation 30 common problems troubleshooting 37 control panel 7 LCD display 10 probable target ID fields 7 touch pads 9 customized targets 16 selecting 15 D DEEP TARGET 8 depth detection definition of 2 DEPTH dial 12 detector applications 30 cari...

Page 42: ... 8 J jewelry hunting 34 recommended mode of operation 34 L LCD display 10 dials 12 TARGET readout 10 listening to tones in DISCRIMINATION mode 18 19 LOW 10 M metal types 1 aluminum1 cooper 1 gold 1 iron 1 silver 1 zinc 1 mode of operation ALL METAL 14 21 DISCRIMINATION 14 SNIFF 19 P pinpointing the target 27 POWER ON OFF 9 PRESET 9 PRESET 1 15 PRESET 2 15 PRESET 3 15 PRESET targets 15 selecting 15...

Page 43: ...SNIFF Mode 19 SNIFF mode 19 accept only one target 20 reject one target 20 T TARGET readout 10 descriptions of 10 values 11 testing the detector 24 air testing 24 ground testing 24 touchpads descriptions of 9 troubleshooting 37 common problems 37 turning detector on 14 U update ground balancing 23 using the detector in the field 26 chatter 28 coil movement 26 false signals 28 ground balancing 29 p...

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Page 48: ...ls under normal use for five years from date of purchase to the original user Liability in all events is limited to the purchase price paid Liability under this Warranty is limited to replacing or repairing at our option any Bounty Hunter detector returned shipping costs pre paid to First Texas Products Damage due to neglect accidental damage or misuse of this product is not covered by this Warran...

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