The Bounty Hunter manufactures different models of detectors, but the most popular model is the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV metal detector. It is a great metal detector that comes with a simple control panel and lightweight design. It is an excellent budget-friendly and entry-level detector that is the ultimate choice for both youngsters and adults.
Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV metal detector Review
Since there are many other entry-level detectors in the market, what makes the Hunter Tracker IV an ideal metal detector for beginners? Well, read on to find out what the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV has to offer in terms of features in this in-depth review.
Design Appearance and Ease of Use
The Hunter Tracker IV is designed to be straightforward when it comes to operations, even if you are a beginner. It has a rugged appearance that makes it withstand the regular used in rugged environments.
It has an inbuilt speaker, but you may want to but the headphones to use with the ¼-inch jack that the detector has. Using headphones is essential, especially when hunting in noisy environments or you desire to spare people nearby the annoying tones.
It is worth mentioning that this detector is designed with clarity and ease of use in mind. Although with 4.2 pounds is not a lightweight detector, it is designed to be suitable for children and for use for long hunting sessions without tiring the use.
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Basic Controls
The Bounty Hunter Tracker IV has only three adjustable settings which include search mode, sensitivity, and discrimination. Although it lacks advanced settings, the simple settings it has makes the detector easy to learn and use.
Sensitivity Knob
The sensitivity knob will enable you to set your desired sensitivity for hunting depending on where you are hunting. When you set the sensitivity higher, the detector will be able to detect the smallest target size.
However, this doesn’t come without a problem. When the sensitivity is set to the highest, the detector will search deep into the ground. However, you will be risking being triggered by mineralization in the soil. Higher sensitivity makes electromagnetic interference from power lines and outdoor appliances probable.
As such, you may want to lower the sensitivity to reduce false and excessive chatter. Adjusting the sensitivity by turning the knob left to lower levels, but still high enough to reject false signals.
Discrimination Knob
The discrimination knob allows you to adjust discrimination. Discrimination is the ability of the detector to ignore unwanted targets such as lead and iron trash. When you set the discrimination knob to the highest level, the metal detector becomes more aggressive in discriminating.
Whereas the high discrimination allows you to detect highly conductive metals without iron signals from silver and copper, it may reject potentially valuable items made from nickel, brass, or gold.
The discrimination knob in the Tracker IV detector is easy and even simple to use than other metal detectors. However, it doesn’t come with the flexibility that other models like the Garrett 250 have.
Search Modes
The Bounty Hunter Tracker IV comes with three search modes. The search modes are activated by switching at the bottom right of the control panel. Here are the three search modes:
- All-Metal Mode: The All-Metal mode detects all types of metal including aluminum, brass, iron, copper, silver, and gold. A single high-pitched beep is produced once you go over a metal. One advantage of all-metal mode is that it provides maximum depth and great for hunting relics.
- Tone: The tone mode comes with two-tone audio with automatic iron rejection. It produces a low or high audio signal depending on the type of metal detected. Also, the tone mode respects the discrimination setting.
- Full Discriminate: The full discriminate mode automatically rejects most trash items. You can set the full discrimination mode by using the discrimination dial. Just like the All-Metal mode, this one also uses a single tone.
Waterproof Search Coil
The Tracker IV comes with an 8-inch waterproof concentric search coil. This search coil isn’t a DD coil, so don’t expect the object separation like in those models that come with a DD coil. Nonetheless, this coil delivers a decent balance between sensitivity and ground coverage.
Note that the control box is not as waterproof as the search coil, so don’t submerge or wet the control box when hunting in shallow water.
Headphones
When you are looking at the control box, you will note that there is a headphone input. The Tracker IV accepts any headphones that use a 1/4-inch jack. You can either purchase a good set of metal detecting headphones or use any existing pair of headphones you have as long as they have the right size jack.
The Tracker IV doesn’t come with headphones, but we highly recommend them for the following reasons:
- The headphones will help extend the battery life of your detector since you don’t have to use the onboard speaker system.
- Headphones will enable you to hear clearly what the detector is detecting.
- When hunting in noisy areas like along the beach, the wind and crashing waves can be deafening thus making it difficult to hear the signals. A good set of headphones will do an excellent service.
Batteries
The Tracker IV comes with two standard 9V batteries. These sets of batteries are expected to deliver around 20 to 30 hours of detecting. However, this time will vary depending on your sensitivity settings, especially if you are using the headphones or relying on the onboard speaker.
Performance in the Field
The Bounty Hunter Tracker IV is a great metal detector that delivers excellent value for money. It does this by doing a fantastic job in detecting any types of metal, even the relatively small targets.
It comes with a 6.7 kHz operating frequency that does a great job, especially when it comes to target separation compared to detectors of its level. It also has good sensitivity. Its discrimination feature is adjustable thus can be relied upon to provide good discrimination. The two-tone audio mode is excellent in discerning signals from the trash.
With the Tracker IV, you can expect to detect a depth of 6 to 7 inches in good ground condition. However, like all metal detectors, maximum depth detection will depend on factors such as sensitivity setting, search mode, ground conditions, and the size of the target.
Although this detector is easy to learn and use, carefully read the owner’s manual before you start using it. You can also benefit from the plenty of YouTube videos to help you get the most out of the Tracker IV.
Final Thoughts
The Bounty Hunter Tracker IV is a metal detector that comes with a simple design, better sensitivity, and budget-friendly. With this detector, you can be sure to have value for your money.
However, some drawbacks are notable in the Tracker IV detector. For instance, it lacks the digital target ID and notch discrimination which makes it less versatile than slightly expensive models like the Fisher F22. Also, it doesn’t come with a pinpointing mode, but it has a pre-set ground balance.
Regardless of these drawbacks, if you are trading on a tight budget, or looking for a detector to gift your teenager to kick-start his metal detecting adventure, then the Tracker IV is a decent pick. It is affordable, yet it delivers an excellent performance in the field.
