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1266-X & 1266-XB
Deep Search Metal Detector
Operating Manual
FISHER RESEARCH LABORATORY
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CONTENTS About Your 1266-X ................................................................. pg. 1 Condensed Operating Instructions .....................................pg. 2 Setting Up................................................................................pg. 3 Control Housing .....................................................................pg. 5 Discrimination Points .............................................................pg. 6 Dual Discrimination .............................
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ABOUT YOUR DETECTOR The 1266-X was designed to excel in three ways: depth, discrimination and simplicity. It offers a better combination of these three characteristics than any other metal detector we’ve ever built. And we’ve been building metal detectors since 1931. Depth. Engineered to go deep in mineralized soil at high levels of discrimination. If you’re an experienced detector operator, you’ll find yourself recovering good targets at depths you never reached before. And you’ll really apprec
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CONDENSED OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS The 1266-X is basically a turn-on-and-go metal detector. It doesn’t take an engineer to operate it but you’ll have more fun and a better chance of making that BIG find if you have a complete understanding of what you’re doing. That’s why we strongly recommend that you read the entire manual. But if you just can’t wait any longer and you’ve already used a Fisher “X” detector, here’s some quick instructions to get you going. 1. Set the controls as follows: DISC 1 =
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SETTING UP Your 1266-X is just about ready to use. The only adjustment required is the angle of the search coil and the length of the stem. Take a look at Figure 1 and familiarize yourself with the parts of the 1266-X before proceeding. 1. Unpack it carefully. You may want to save the carton and inserts for future storage or shipment. 2. Depress the spring lock on the lower stem and slip the lower stem into the upper stem. Connect the search coil cable to the control housing. 3. The stem length
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SETTING UP REMEMBER THE LONGER THE SHAFT, THE MORE YOU WILL HAVE TO BEND YOUR ELBOW AND THE SOONER YOUR ARM WILL GET TIRED. THE 1266-X IS BALANCED FOR COMFORTABLE SEARCHING IN A TIGHT SEMICIRCLE AROUND THE FRONT OF THE OPERATOR. 6. With the stem length properly adjusted, tighten the lock nut and search coil wing nut. CAUTION: Never use a pliers or anything other than your hand to tighten the lock nut or wing nut. 7. Disconnect the search coil cable from the control housing and wrap it around t
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CONTROL HOUSING 1. DISC 1: DISCRIMINATE 1 is the search mode. The 1266-X automatically operates in DISC 1 unless the TRIGGER-SWITCH is pushed and held or pulled and held. DISC 1 is a full range discrimination mode. All types of metal are detected at the zero level and most small pieces of trash are rejected at the maximum level of ten. 2. DISC 2: DISCRIMINATE 2 is similar to DISC 1 except that it operates only when the TRIGGER SWITCH is pushed and held. DISC 2 is used for target identification a
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CONROL HOUSING or weak batteries will give no tone. Batteries do not have to be replaced as long as you can hear a tone. As a general rule, you’ll be able to operate your 1266-X for an hour or two after the tone goes silent. 6. OFF/VOL: Power on-off and volume control. This control turns the power off at the full counter clockwise position and adjusts volume to maximum at full clockwise. 7. TRIGGER SWITCH: This spring loaded trigger has three-positions: 1. Relaxed position: Maintains the 1266-X
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DISCRIMINATION POINTS 2. Pull the SENSITIVITY control out and turn full clockwise. (Back it off slightly if circuit noise is too loud or annoying in the full clockwise position.) 3. Turn the OFF/VOL control full clockwise. (If you’re wearing headphones reduce the volume to a comfortable level when the search coil is over a large target). 4. Set DISC 1 and DISC 2 at zero. 5. Hold the search coil about 2 inches above and parallel to the ground. Move it slowly over the samples and note the sharp lo
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DISCRIMINATION POINTS others. You have now determined the approximate discrimination points for the rejected objects. For example, the small nail discrimination point may be 4 and the pull-tab discrimination point 6. 7. Push and hold the TRIGGER-SWITCH. The 1266-X is now operating in the DISC 2 mode. 8. Repeat steps 5 and 6 and you will note that the DISC 2 discrimination points are about the same as DISC 1 discrimination points. 9. The actual discrimination points for different targets may vary
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DUAL DISCRIMINATION 1. Minimum Depth a. Very slow or fast sweep speed. b. Discrimination set at “10.” 2. Good Depth a. Moderate sweep speed. b. Discrimination set at “5.” 3. Maximum Depth a. Moderate sweep speed. 1 b. Discrimination set at “0.” 2 4. Missed Target Many targets within the range of 3 your 1225-X will not be 4 detected unless you closely overlap your swings. Figure 4. Search coil detection pattern and the effects of sweep spread, discrimination and ground mineralization.
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DUAL DISRCRIMINATION may be detected in DISC 1 and pinpointed in DISC 2. (Lower levels of discrimination produce stronger signals on deep or small targets and it may be difficult to use the pinpoint mode if there’s a lot of nearby trash.) SEARCHING Good search techniques are every bit as important as having a good metal detector. 1. Adjust your SENSITIVITY control. Only experience will tell you how to set it in every situation but start out in the ‘pull” position, turned fully clockwise. As a ge
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SEARCHING important for maximum coverage and depth. 4. If you’re hunting on a lawn you can set the coil right on the grass and search. 5. Take your time and overlap your sweeps by at least 50%. 6. Search in a methodical manner. Pay close attention to where you’re going and where you’ve been. 7. Keep the search coil moving at a comfortable rate. Remember that the 1266-X is a motion detector and responds only when the search coil (or the target) is moving while in the DISC modes. 8. TAKE YOUR TIME
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PINPOINTING ZERO MOTION PINPOINTING MODE Target location is a snap using the Zero-Motion Pinpointing mode. You do not have to keep the coil moving to get a response in this mode. 1. Once the presence of a buried target is indicated by the “beep-beep” of the 1266-X, simply place the coil LIGHTLY on the ground, away from the target area. Pull the TRIGGER- SWITCH and hold. (At maximum sensitivity you may hear a faint tone, which will disappear as soon as the coil is raised. If the tone doesn’t disa
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PINPOINTING lose the audio signal. You MUST keep the coil moving at least slightly to determine the location of the strongest signal before you stop it. 1. For very strong signals, you may improve your DISC mode pinpointing accuracy by, adding one or more of the following steps. a. Lift the coil until the signal is just barely heard. b. Reduce the sensitivity level. c. Increase the discrimination level. d. Rest the coil on the ground and move it back and forth very slowly. 2. For very weak signa
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RECOVERY TOOLS 1. A heavy duty, blunt screwdriver is commonly used by expert Treasure Hunters and the tool of choice for cut lawns. 2. A sturdy hunting knife with a 5-inch blade will do the job in most other soils. A high quality double-edged “survival” knife is even better (and more expensive) choice since it will be almost impossible to bend or break. CAUTION: Using a jack knife without a locking blade is a good way to lose a finger! 3. A narrow garden trowel will work in loose or wet soil. 4.
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OPERATING TIPS ground mineralization, the higher the sensitivity loss. For example, you may be able to detect a penny 6 inches deep at zero discrimination, but no deeper than 4 inches at the pull tab discrimination point. Also, ground mineralization can reduce a detector’s ability to discriminate accurately. In highly mineralized soil, some trash targets may not be rejected. 6. If a target gives a good strong response in the search mode but no response in the Zero-Motion Pinpoint mode, you may h
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FALSE SIGNALS Due to the extreme sensitivity of the 1266-X, you’re bound to get some “false signals” once in awhile. A false signal occurs when something that shouldn’t sounds like a good target. The 1266-X does a good job of rejecting junk but it is so sensitive that “hot” mineralized spots in the soil, large, can fool it pieces of junk, some kinds of bottle caps and pull tabs or trash less than 2 inches from the coil. So what do you do about false signals? Well, 90 percent of them will sound s
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FALSE SIGNALS the beeps or, if you sweep at right angles to your original direction, you’ll receive a single beep directly over the target (except for the very shallow coin). One way to tell the difference between a coin and a nail is to set your discrimination at about 5. Most small nails will be tuned out while most coins will respond with a good, smooth signal. 5. EXTREMELY TRASHY SOIL: May result in a constant chatter or “snap, crackle and pop” with assorted, hard to find “good signals”. The
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BATTERY REPLACEMENT 1. Two drop-in battery packs are located in the battery housing below the armrest. Each pack contains four 1.5 volt AA batteries. 2. Remove the battery end cap by partially unscrewing the knob on the battery end cap. 3. Remove the battery packs and replace the batteries. Make sure the batteries are oriented correctly as indicated by the polarity marks on the inside of the packs. 4. Reinstall the battery packs, connector end first. Note that the large split connector with the
