D
IGITAL
C
ONTROL
I
NCORPORATED
56
DigiTrak Falcon F1™ Operator's Manual
3. Replace the battery cap and wait at least 10 seconds for the transmitter to fully power on. Do not
overtighten the cap.
Starting the
Frequency Optimizer
will not change the transmitter's optimized frequency band until
the receiver and transmitter are paired. Once paired, the transmitter automatically begins using the
new optimized frequency band.
Transmitter Battery Strength
The battery strength icon
at the bottom of the receiver’s Depth screen indicates the battery life
remaining for alkaline batteries. It also appears at the bottom left of the Locate screen for the first five
minutes the transmitter is powered on. Until the transmitter is installed in a housing and therefore drawing
normal current, this strength reading will not be accurate.
Because the battery strength for a lithium battery (SuperCell and 123) will appear full until just
before it is depleted, you must track its hours of use.
Transmitter Current Draw Warning
Transmitter over-current—drawing too much current from the batteries, which shortens battery
life—may occur due to weak or used batteries or use of an incompatible drill housing. Excessive
current is indicated by a lightning bolt over the transmitter battery strength icon on the Locate screen.
The Falcon transmitter only performs this current draw test for five minutes after powering on. The
transmitter must be installed in the drill head for this test to be valid. Different drill heads and slot
arrangements will affect current draw and battery life.
This feature does not work with 8-inch transmitters.
Sleep Mode
All battery-powered DigiTrak transmitters go into sleep mode and stop transmitting to conserve battery
power if they are stationary for longer than 15 minutes. To wake the transmitter, rotate the drill string a half
turn; a transmitter will not awake if it lands on the same roll position at which it went to sleep.
A small amount of charge will continue to drain from the batteries while the transmitter is in sleep mode so it
can monitor roll position. To conserve battery life, do not leave batteries in the transmitter when they can be
easily removed. Always remove batteries when the transmitter is not being used to turn it off.
Sleep time does not count towards the hours-based warranty runtime.
A transmitter will continue sending data for up to 10 seconds after the batteries are removed.
DucTrak transmitters do not use sleep mode.
Transmitter Drill Head Requirements
For maximum transmitter range and battery life, the slots in the drill head must meet minimum length and
width requirements and be correctly positioned. DCI's transmitters require a minimum of three slots equally
spaced around the circumference of the drill head for optimal signal emission and maximum battery life.
Measure slot lengths on the
inside
of the drill head; slots must be at least
1
/
16
in. wide. DCI transmitters fit
standard housings but may require a battery cap adapter in some cases.
