Bounty Hunter Tracker IV Metal Detector Reviews

• Bounty Hunter Tracker IV - No Experience Necessary

  
  By A1TSFJJY1PWWT5 on 2002-02-13
  I figured that any metal detector would find the '32 Chevy buried in my backyard, but I wanted to find coins, rings, and Civil War relics in my 5 acre woods. It took 5 minutes to assemble the Tracker IV and about 15 minutes to review the instruction manual. Round up a few coins, a gold ring, and some nails and run through the demonstration on page 5 of the manual. It will give you an idea of how different objects respond to the 3 detection modes.

  I borrowed my wife's headphones (highly recommended) and headed for the woods. Within minutes I found beer cans, shotgun shells, nails. The detector will pinpoint an object close enough that you can dig it up with a few scoops of a garden trowel. On my second attempt I found a man's silver ring.

  Tracker IV appears to be well constructed and a good value. I don't have any experience with other detectors, but I can't imagine that any are easier to use than this one. Tracker IV is a great choice for your kids to use, if they can get it away from you!
  
  

• Fun and Easy to Use

  
  By A39NC24HTWFEFE on 2001-05-09
  The Bounty Hunter was exactly what I was looking for. My 11 year old son and I wanted to expore metal detecting together. I didn't want to invest a large amount of money in something that was too high tech or that he would lose interest in. I didn't want to spend too little and get a cheap product. This item was priced right and so far has proven to be a quality item. It was easy to assemble (maybe 5 minutes), takes 2 standard 9 volt batteries and is lightweight enough for my 11 year old to handle with ease. The shaft adjusts in height so when I finally get my turn, I can adjust it to fit me.

  We are having a ball so far with it. We haven't found any high dollar finds yet, but the neighborhood kids have gone with us the last few days and made it a fun treasure hunt. In our search of a couple vacant lots, we have found 17 cents, lots of nails, an old bottle cap, a saw blade and other misc items. We plan on taking this into the mountains soon, as it is waterproof so you can look for gold in the rivers. We can't wait!
  
  

• Great for casual metal detecting.

  
  By A1ZOPX3N6QCCRO on 2006-10-23
  As a low cost metal detector I give this thing five stars. I bought this Detector several months back and enjoy it's relative ease of use, and it DOES find what you are searching for (coins, rings, earings, necklaces, etc). The other reviews here pretty much wrap it up as a good (affordable!) unit, but I wanted to make a few comments from an amateur's point of view:
  
  - This detector has, of course, the discrimination circuitry used to tell the difference between the various metals helping you to avoid digging up junk like soda can pull tabs which are everywhere. It does work pretty good, BUT - I have found that by using the Tracker IV discriminator, you will most likely be missing some good stuff. I have gone back over "Discriminated" areas again in "All Metal" mode and found some nice stuff that Discriminate didn't catch. Granted I am no pro, but the fact is if you want to get every coin, every ring, or every cool item of various metals, you may want to consider just using "All Metal" mode. I almost exclusively use it now and although I sift through some absolute junk. I have found a bunch of coins, necklaces, pendants, etc that I would have otherwise missed. Use the Discriminate mode when looking for that gold wedding ring your wife through at you in the back yard...
  
  - Invest in the 4 inch "Gold Nugget Coil" which is far superior at pinpointing metal. The stock coil works fine but is a tad ambiguous as to precisely where your coin, ring, (or pull tab) is. The smaller coil reduces search time and I am glad I have one.
  
  - I bought the recommended Bounty Hunter Headphones (to save battery power), but have found them to be a bit more trouble than help. When I detect something I squat or sit down and dig. I set the detector down so the coil is near the dig zone so I can waive clumps of dirt (or sand) in front of the coil as I search. The problem is the headphone's wire tends to be always in the way when I perform this move. I get tired of "untangling" so I don't use them anymore. Maybe I'm just getting old.
  
  - The meter is of no value for anyone who can hear the audible report. It has no "range" to judge metals you are passing over. It simply swings hard to the right no matter what from what I can tell. I have tried different modes and different metals to test it, but it seems to merely swing hard to the right as you pass over any type of metal / alloy. I can see how this would still be useful to a deaf person, but it just as easily could have been a bright light bulb instead of a meter. I won't ding this low cost detector for that though because I'd still dig if it was half scale or pegged.
  
  - And lastly a warning. If you go into a park, or any area attended by kids, you will be spotted. Within a short amount of time you will be surrounded by kids "helping you" to dig up buried treasure. At that point you have to decide whether to be a meanie and bark at them, or write the rest of the hunt off and let them shred the area every time the detector beeps. I generally tell them how it's been a long day and "see ya" since they will invariably have their hands in there digging away no matter what you say...
  
  
  

• It's good, but.......

  
  By A29CUCGRX04TS8 on 2002-07-05
  I collect rare bottle caps, and try to take care not to lose any of my collection. I was coming back from a convention recently and one of my collection boxes hopped out of the back of the pickup as I was crossing an old hump-back bridge, and fell into a small stream.

  So I bought the metal detector to try to get my valuable collection back. This one said it is waterproof so I figured it might do the job.

  Well, after three weeks of wading up and down the stream I have had mixed fortunes. A Celtic chalice, the silver cumtach (cover) from a medieval bible, two viking swords, a couple of daggers, a mound of celtic, roman and viking coins, an array of viking hacksilver, medieval broches and buckes from shoes and belts, delicately filigreed celtic gold jewellry and most notable of all (since the Romans never made it to Ireland) the metal fittings from eight complete and six incomplete sets of roman imperial legionnary armour.

  OK, so I am famous now amongst scholars of the Romano-Celtic world. I have been awarded three honorary doctorate degrees for my finds, and I have been given freedom of the cities of Dublin and York, and I had to decline a Royal knighthood offered by the English Queen (I do have principles and I am an Irish Republican). But what is all this fame? I have lost a box of 200 bottle caps and not found a single one with the detector.

  In that collection was a rare 1950's Kirin blue, a 1945 victory V double diamond crown cap and most valuable of all a Grolsch porcelain stopper from the first ever commercial batch. What does it profit a man to gain the world if he loseth his bottle cap collection?

  If you buy the metal detector I hope you have more luck than me!
  
  

• Great way to start!

  
  By A3I9B5G93STQJN on 2006-01-16
  When I started researching metal detectors before buying one for my husband, I was overwhelmed with all the reviews, ads, etc., I found on the internet. I printed out all the information that seemed to have a "voice of authority" behind it; it wasn't long before one brand/model seemed to take first place as the best choice for units under $300. Reviews from novices to experts concurred that the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV was a great buy as well as a great metal detector for novice to intermediate users. My husband is not someone who reads the instructions before using anything, but I showed him some of the printouts that warned against trying to use any metal detector without getting familiar with the instruction booklet first (because if you don't know what you're doing, you'll be frustrated and decide the detector doesn't work right). For once, he did spend time reading the instructions and then practicing with the detector as the directions advised. It wasn't long before he was out in the yard and up a mountain actually using his Bounty Hunter IV with success. I also bought him the Bounty Hunter earphones because I read that using earphones prolongs the battery life of the battery in the detector. Earphones also raise the user's chance of success by blocking noises that might cause some of the more subtle indicator sounds to be missed. We live in a windy, windy canyon, so the earphones were a must for blocking wind noise. So far my husband loves his Bounty Hunter Tracker IV, and the learning curve, according to him, was pretty short.
  
  
• Impressed........nice features
  By A25CL9LD752TP4 on 2002-08-07
  I bought one used for [$$$] on .... I started scanning my Girlfriend's yard (house built in 1940's) and immediately picked up all sorts of signals. After a day I became used to the different tones and began discriminating what to and not to dig. That day I found 3 spoons, one of them is silver, and 5 wheat pennies. The next day I searched a sledding hill and found about [$$$] in change. I think its a great deal for the money.
  
  
• Very good, but...
  By A29C7Y04IV3A8O on 2005-02-24
  This Metal Detector is a good intro to metal detecting. It finds coins great and has even paid itself over and over again for me. I've found 3,000 dollars in coins with this thing! It works great and is solidly built, I've dropped it a few times and it just kept on going. Now for the "but" part.... because it is a "mulit-purpose" Detector it's not so good at finding small peices of gold, like small nuggets. It can find the big stuff(at least thats what I've heard) but I have yet to find any nuggets with this thing. BUT! Don't let that discourage you from making a good purchase, afterall, if you find the big one, who cares? But it really is good for coins. For large caches it has a depth of 3 feet! I kid you not! So if for you or as a gift for the kids, pick this up. Who knows, you may find a kings ransom!
  
  
• Great Detector For The Price!
  By AQ34DH1Q4BKFI on 2005-03-02
  This was my second metal detector I had purchased in the past 20 years, my first one also being a Bounty Hunter. I was pleased to see that all aspects of the detector were a vast improvement over my 1980's model. The current model is lightweight and easy to use and does not require constant "re-tuning". Although it lacks a "no-motion" detection mode (only found in detectors costing hundreds of dollars more) the light weight and well thought out design make sweeping the target area easy. It has an easy to understand instruction booklet and is a cinch to assemble. Quality is first rate overall and I would recommend this detector to any beginner or even to a seasoned pro as a decent back-up detector.
  
  
• Thrilled in Michigan
  By on 2001-05-27
  I bought this product for my 13 year old son's birthday, and he was thrilled. I was thrilled because it was easy to put together, works great over many different terrains, and is so easy to use, the whole family has enjoyed it! It is the perfect Tracker for us.
  
  
• Great Detector
  By A3HSEMZB0KBXBC on 2005-08-11
  I think the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV metal detector is a great buy. Took only a minute to assemble, and a few minutes to read the manual and I was out finding items in the yard. Has three different detection modes to eliminate most trash, that is iron and steel. Headphones would be a great addition, makes it easier to pick up faint sounds.
  
  
• This item really works; notify Frodo!
  By A2SOII7Y4YCZ8W on 2007-05-29
  38 years ago my wife lost her wedding ring on the lawn of our summer house. Yesterday, we found the ring after a search of two hours. Much of this time was wasted in low probability areas.
  
  The keys to success in searching for a gold item seem to be:
  
  Set the sensivity to high and the discrimination knob to about 75%; then "calibrate" your ears by scanning a known gold target and some other metal trash. With these settings we were able to ignore dozens of other metal objects. You want to hear a "low" alert tone.
  
  Use the optional gold nugget detector for more accurate location of the target, although the standard coil did find the ring, about two inches deep in the sod.
  
  Among the many objects detected, only 4 gave the characteristic low tone: 2 pieces of gold colored foil, a brass dog tag from a long dead family pet, and the ring.
  
  Four metals seem to produce the "low" tone, although there be others.
  
  Lead
  Nickel
  Brass
  Gold
  
  Rapid searches can be made in the non-discrimination mode and targets then checked by changing to the "tone" mode.
  
  
• Wonderful for Absolute Beginners!
  By A119S8FMR47N2N on 2007-05-17
  I purchased this metal detector about six months ago and I have been having an absolute blast with it! It was my first metal detector and I knew almost nothing about them. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about blindly buying a metal detector, especially since I knew virtually nothing about them. However, after doing a lot of reading on Amazon (and other sites), I finally came to the conclusion that this is the model for me!
  
  Here's why this is a five star product:
  
  1) Light weight. It is extremely light weight, which means that you can have hours of searching fun, without having a terrible arm ache afterwards.
  
  2) Extremely easy to use. This model has the power of the more expensive models, but the ease of use that makes it perfect for novices. It has several modes that make it easy to filter out garbage (such as nails, pulltabs, wire, etc.) from being detected. This comes in extremely handy when checking out commonly-used, public places, such as parks, beaches, etc.
  
  3) Comes with a quick training manual that is extremely easy to understand. It also comes with tutorials for you to try, so that you get hands-on experience with the device, before you head out to do some real searching.
  
  The main disadvantage of this model:
  
  1) The meter in the middle of the detector simply shows when you have found some metal. It really doesn't provide any valuable information about your find. The only purpose that I can see it having would be for a deaf person, who couldn't hear the beep produced. Besides this, the meter is virtually worthless. However, besides this, it is a great detector - a bargain considering that most detectors of equilivant abilities cost several times as much.
  
  My advice: If you would like to learn how to metal detect, this is a great one to start with!
  
  
• metal detector
  By A3VHSIAL857PUJ on 2005-07-28
  we are very happy with our new bounty hunter metal detector. No problems with it at all. Sure is a lot of fun.
  
  
• Great Product
  By A323GASAX73VYG on 2006-01-31
  Great Product and fun to use. This is my second detector and i love it. Cant beat the price also.
  
  
• It saved the day!
  By A27DPM2759LYY9 on 2007-01-12
  This is a great device. It fits with what I read about performing automatically a couple of things that beginners have trouble with. In my case I had lost my wedding ring in the yard while raking leaves. The long story resulted in a happy end when, after wondering if the device really worked after an hour of frustration, I tried a different area I KNEW that the ring could not possibly be - and the device went off LOUD AND CLEAR - and there the ring was! I am quite happy that the automatic adjustments make it an excellent beginner metal detector.
  
  
• Good introductory detector
  By A32Q805VV8T99V on 2007-07-09
  I've had this for about 6 months. I've found a decent amount of change, and a few rings. I've also thrown away a lot of trash that it also picked up--but if you're going to find good stuff, you've got to clean out the trash, as well.
  
  This detector doesn't have a lot of frills. You don't have a display screen telling you that it's a gold bracelet before you dig. On the other hand, even those fancy ones mistake a gold ring for pop tab, so it's good to dig everything. It's hard to say what I've missed from not having a better (more expensive) one...but I was not going to drop $300 on a detector and then find out I really didn't like it.
  
  
• First Metal Detector
  By ATDHRGYGN1RX8 on 2006-03-22
  Having a great time with my Bounty Hunter. Easy to assemble and use and so far just finding old hinges and sadle buckles around the property is fun while learning. Can't wait for dry weather to take it on the road.
  
  
• Just love it
  By A1M0M0Q4R14WVW on 2006-07-03
  Very very simple to use - right out of the box - This really seems like a good entry model and one that I can use for a long time.
  I recommend getting headphones - I got the Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups and they work great -
  
  
  
• Lots of Fun
  By A84F1F5GRJMHF on 2007-05-12
  This is the first metal detector that I purchased and was not sure how much I needed to spend to find a worthwhile detector for the beginner. The Tracker IV has more than exceeded my expectations and has been fun for my family right out of the box. We took it to the local beach and spent a couple of hours searching. Every time the Tracker signalled we found something. Once you hit on something it may take a little sifting to find it, but we did find something every time - from old bottle caps, to some old square nails to some pocket change that had clearly been there for a while. Some of the items were as much as 12" under the surface. So I am very pleased with the reasonable price and excellent results to date, and would definitely recommend the Tracker IV.
  
  
• Bounty Hunter Tracker IV - a good buy
  By A2DA3JJXKSWW3K on 2007-08-23
  After reading all of the reviews I decided to buy this little metal detector. Since I don't need all of the bells and whistles I figured the IV would fill the bill and it has. It's light, easy to use, and the first time I tried it I found a small nozzle that my husband had lost in the back yard. Hope to try it on the next beach we hit. The reviews I read were right - it's a great buy.
  
  
• bounty hunter
  By A2ZVDIHR2CLVTC on 2006-03-02
  I,m new at this ,metal detecting, I have fun. I just like finding something, you get all excited ,what could it be, money ,jewelry,or what.treasure hunting its kool. the bounty hunter was easy to use simple to put together.
  
  
• Great value
  By A1TEFCS2UJH78C on 2007-02-03
  Bought this for my wife. She loves it. Perfect for a first time "Bounty Hunters". It works very well for anyone that doesn't need all the professional features.
  
  
• Solid Detector
  By A18HRJL6RRWQEM on 2007-08-11
  Just wanted a dependable detector to start dabbling here and there, go to parks and see what could be found. This one does the job quite well. It is easy to use and seems quite accurate. Haven't quite mastered the whole discriminator thing yet, but getting there.
  
  No complaints about this detector. It's easy to use, light, and fun. So far found a couple coins, earring, and a whole bunch of bottle caps but I guess that's to be expected.
  
  Nice piece, recommend it highly.
  
  
• WORKS GREAT!
  By A22XYCBTCFTIIH on 2007-12-30
  Our son-in-law lost his wedding band in our front yard. After 2 days of searching, we ordered this item and found it right away! I would have given it 5 stars, but my husband really wanted it to be more compact--(maybe foldable?) and it's pretty big.
  
  
• Bounty Hunter Tracker IV with headset
  By A7IKXBUT0T8A4 on 2007-05-13
  I recently purchased the Tracker IV with headset. They arrived in separate packages in less than one week, great protective packaging and in excellent condition. The Tracker IV is much easier to handle than a previous model because of the weight and it does a great job of rejecting junk iron or steel. The control knobs are conveniently placed and with time, a searcher can carefully pick and choose when to dig or pass over the buried item. My one suggestion for the manufacturer is to upgrade the size of the toggle switch. The headset is rather bulky and it is best to wear without a hat, however, it is very light and I'm certain it will block out the noise of a loud surf.
  
  
• Super!
  By A23NSKJLXPZMZC on 2007-12-18
  I bought this for my son's birthday. It is easy enough for him to use and is advanced enough for me to use! It is not a toy! Works great!!
  
  
• Very basic, but does the trick!
  By A3CJOEUGCSEFYI on 2008-01-16
  This is truly an entry-level device, great for someone who wants to just use it out of the box. I am an oddball though in that I am not using it to find normal metals. I am actually using it to find metal-bearing minerals such as pyrite and galena (iron and lead bearing, respectively). This detector by itself is really better for just finding plain metals, and is not very sensitive at all for finding such minerals. If it weren't for the fact that a better search coil can be had, I would give it 3 stars.
  For those searching for minerals such as pyrite and galena, and even for those looking for pure metal items or relics (there are VERY FEW people interested in minerals!) I HIGHLY recommend buying the 4" nugget coil for use with this. Having that coil and learning the differences in detectability (depth vs. sensitivity) will allow a variety of detecting options. For example, if know you don't want to DIG and you just want to find something small stuck in the grass, use the smaller nugget coil. For beach combing or looking for deeper objects, use the standard coil. See my review of the gold nugget coil for more information.
  Anyway, this is such an inexpensive model and is so easy to use its hard to go wrong. My only gripe is that it has its own threshold for detectability that is internally set, and so the notification is a binary "beep" or no beep. You can't really listen to the tone (like you can with a Whites model) to get a "feel" for the search. For the price of this model, though, you just can't find that sort of function in any detector, and therefore I really can't give it bad marks for that.
  I will say that if you think you might get serious about prospecting or metal detecting as a hobby, understand that you will likely buy another more capable model later on. Although, you'll probably not get rid of this one if you do! It's also great to have for fun with the kids on the beach or in the park - and no need for complex training for them to use it.
  
  
• Bounty Hunter Tracker IV Metal Detector
  By A1KPVI1BZB8C5M on 2007-05-07
  I had never used a metal detector before so I am not an expert. As a beginner I would say BH Tracker IV does pretty much what they say it does. I found no obvious problems or defects. It's easy to use and the instructions are pretty clear. It was ready to use within just a few minutes of being taken out of the box. The more I use it, the better it works. Meaning that as I get used to it I am learning how it works, learning the subtle differences in tones, learning how to adjust it, "tune " it, to give me more information. If you don't take the time to learn how to operate it, I bet you won't like it.
  I like it.
  
  
• Surprised!
  By A39EMFRL31JCU3 on 2007-08-03
  It's almost funny - I ordered this Monday (July 31) using "free shipping" then two days later got an email from Amazon saying the item had been shipped and I would receive it on August 13. As I was reading the email my doorbell rang and the detector was delivered! We're still dying laughing!!! Anyway, the thing is well constructed and seems to work well... now on to finding my fortune!
  
  
• Fun
  By A26M5O53PHZTKN on 2007-05-12
  This is my first metal detector and I have a lot of fun with it. easy to use and accurate.
  
  

• Able Planet Clear Harmony Over the Head Stereo Headphones
• First Texas Products Bounty Hunter Lone Star Metal Detector
• Bounty Hunter Metal Detector Headphone
• Bounty Hunter Land Star Metal Detector
• Bounty Hunter Tracker II

• Bounty Hunter Metal Detector Headphone
• Bounty Hunter 4 inch Gold Nugget Search Coil
• Bounty Hunter CBAG Custom Carry Bag
• The Urban Treasure Hunter: A Practical Handbook for Beginners
• First Texas Products Bounty Hunter TP-KIT Pouch and Trowel Combo Kit