Fisher F44
Fisher F44 Target ID Chart: Reading the 0 to 99 Scale
Quick answer
The Fisher F44 reports targets on the same 0 to 99 two-digit scale Fisher uses across the F series. Iron typically reads below 20, nickels near 30 to 40, pull tabs 40 to 55, clad and copper coins 60 to 80, and silver coins from roughly 78 to 95. Depth, soil and corrosion move all of them.
The Fisher F44 is built around a large, clear LCD, and Fisher makes that readability the headline feature rather than any exotic technology. For a lot of buyers that is exactly the right priority: a target ID you can read at arm's length in bright sun is more useful than one you have to stop and squint at.
The screen also carries a target depth indicator alongside the number, which changes how you use the chart below. A number plus a depth is a far better decision than a number alone, because depth is the main thing degrading the number in the first place.
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Fisher F44
The F44 pairs the standard Fisher 0 to 99 numeric target ID with a large LCD and a target depth indicator, which is the combination that makes the number usable at arm’s length.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
What scale does the Fisher F44 use?
The F44 manual specifies a two-digit numeric target ID running from 0 to 99, which is the scale Fisher uses across the F series. That matters if you are moving between Fisher machines, because the numbers broadly transfer: a quarter that reads in the low eighties on an Fisher F22 will read in a similar band on an F44, and the ordering is identical.
Broadly transfer is not the same as identical. The F44 runs its own operating frequency, its own filtering and its own firmware, so expect a few points of difference on the same target, and expect more than a few points once the target is deep or the soil is mineralised. If you keep records from an older Fisher, treat them as a starting point rather than a calibration.
Fisher also gives the F44 adjustable discrimination and a notch function, so what appears on the screen is already filtered by whatever you have set. A target that produces no number at all may be a target you have told the machine to ignore.
What does each target read on the F44?
These are bands, not values. The spread on each row is the honest part of the table.
On a Fisher F44, the 40 to 60 band is where pull tabs, screw caps and mid-size gold rings all overlap, which is the single most consequential ambiguity on the scale.
| Target | Typical F44 ID | Depth indicator behaviour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nails and iron scrap | 1 to 15 | Often erratic | Low tone, broken signal. Skip unless relic hunting |
| Corroded large iron | 1 to 20, can spike | Reads shallow and wide | Wrapped iron is the classic false coin signal |
| Steel bottle cap | 20 to 60, unstable | Shallow | Repeats poorly. Cross-sweep and it usually falls apart |
| Foil, small | 18 to 30 | Shallow | Shares the band with the smallest gold |
| Small gold ring | 20 to 40 | Shallow to mid | No gold-specific number exists on any machine |
| US nickel | 28 to 40 | Accurate at shallow depth | The most reliable calibration target you own |
| Pull tab | 38 to 52 | Shallow | Overlaps mid-size gold. Dig it on jewellery sites |
| Screw cap | 50 to 65 | Shallow | Reads close to zinc cents |
| Zinc cent | 56 to 68 | Reliable to mid depth | Degrades quickly once deep |
| Copper cent | 66 to 78 | Reliable to mid depth | Patina pulls the number down |
| Clad dime | 68 to 80 | Reliable to mid depth | Thin target, fades earlier than a quarter |
| Silver dime | 76 to 86 | Mid depth | Reads above clad of the same size |
| Quarter, clad or silver | 80 to 90 | Good to deeper | Large flat iron can imitate this band |
| Half dollar and larger silver | 88 to 95 plus | Good to deeper | Wide signal. Check the footprint before you dig |
Bands are the consensus of F44 owner reports on the 0 to 99 scale specified in the Fisher F44 manual. Fisher does not publish per-coin ID values, and no manufacturer does, because there is no single correct value to publish.
How much should you trust the depth indicator?
Treat it as a category rather than a measurement. Depth indicators on machines in this class are calibrated against a coin-sized target of average conductivity, so they are reasonably honest for exactly that and progressively less honest for anything else.
A large object reads shallower than it is, because the machine interprets a strong signal as a close one. A small object reads deeper than it is, for the same reason in reverse. A target lying on edge confuses it entirely. And in mineralised soil the whole scale compresses. What the indicator is genuinely good for is comparison: two signals on the same site, one reading shallow and one reading deep, really are at different depths, and on an old site the deep one is usually the older one.
The practical use is combining it with the number. A clean 78 reading shallow on a mown park is probably a modern dime. A ragged 62 reading deep on the same park is much more interesting, because depth degrades the ID downward and a deep silver dime is one of the things that produces exactly that signal.
What moves the F44 numbers around?
The same six variables move the ID on every machine ever built. Knowing which one is acting on you is most of the skill.
Depth and soil mineralisation both pull target IDs downward on the F44, which is why a deep silver dime can read in the copper cent band rather than the silver band.
| Variable | Direction of shift | What you can do about it |
|---|---|---|
| Increasing depth | Downward and unstable | Cross-sweep, and dig deep mid-range signals on old sites |
| Soil mineralisation | Downward, whole scale | Lower sensitivity, slow down, learn your own ground |
| Soil moisture | Variable, often upward when wet | Re-baseline your test garden in both conditions |
| Target on edge | Sharply downward, signal narrows | Sweep from a second angle before deciding |
| Corrosion and patina | Downward | Old copper reads lower than new copper |
| Discrimination and notch settings | Removes signals entirely | Open everything up when a site goes quiet |
General VLF detector behaviour, consistent across the Fisher F series and documented in the F44 manual’s discussion of ground conditions and discrimination.
Is the F44 the right Fisher for you?
The F44 earns its place on readability and on weatherproofing. If you hunt long park sessions, if you are over about fifty, or if you have ever given up on a screen in bright sunlight, the large LCD is not a gimmick. It is the reason people keep these machines for years.
If your ground is heavily mineralised or your sites are full of iron, the Fisher F75 is the machine in the family built for that, with a magnetic mineralisation readout and trigger-actuated ground balance that the F44 does not carry. If your budget is the constraint, the Fisher F22 uses the same scale and the same logic for less money. And if you want gold, neither of the coin machines is the answer, which is what the Fisher Gold Bug Pro exists for.
The sibling charts are worth reading side by side: the F22 chart, the F75 chart and the Gold Bug Pro settings chart each cover a different job. For a broader view of what the competing brands publish, see the budget detector ID comparison, or browse the reviews hub.
Sources
- Fisher F44 owner’s manual, target ID, depth indicator and discrimination sections
- Fisher Research Labs published F44 product specification
- Fisher F44 manufacturer listing bullets, LCD display and target depth indicator
Frequently asked questions
Does the Fisher F44 use the same target ID scale as the F22?
Both run a 0 to 99 two-digit scale, and the ordering is the same, so numbers broadly transfer between them. They are not identical machines though, so expect a few points of difference on the same target and considerably more once the target is deep or the soil is mineralised. Treat notes carried over from an F22 as a starting point and re-baseline them against your own F44.
How accurate is the F44 depth indicator?
It is calibrated for a coin-sized target of average conductivity and it is reasonably honest for exactly that. Large objects read shallower than they are, small objects read deeper, and targets on edge confuse it. Its real value is comparative rather than absolute: on the same site, a signal the machine calls deep genuinely is deeper than one it calls shallow, and on old ground that usually means older.
Why does a deep silver dime read lower than a shallow one?
Because depth weakens the return signal, and a weaker signal produces a lower and less stable conductivity estimate. A silver dime that reads in the low eighties near the surface can easily read in the sixties at eight inches, landing it in the copper cent band. This is the single most valuable thing to know about any target ID chart: on old sites, the good deep targets hide inside the ordinary mid-range numbers.
Is the Fisher F44 waterproof?
Fisher describes the F44 as weatherproof, built to withstand rain and varied outdoor conditions, rather than submersible. That covers detecting in the rain and in damp grass, and it does not cover putting the control box under water. If you intend to wade or hunt the surf line regularly, a machine rated for full submersion is the correct purchase and no amount of care substitutes for that rating.
What is the most useful calibration target for an F44?
A US nickel. It sits in the middle of the scale, it is a consistent alloy, it is cheap, and its ID is close enough to the small gold band that it tells you where jewellery will read on your machine in your soil. Bury one at four and eight inches, mark the spot, and check it whenever you change settings or move to unfamiliar ground.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.