Static over head fones and speaker on 4500

Hi guys, I recently headed to Flat Creek station with a friend to do a little detecting.. In the morning everything seemed fine and I was merrily digging the usual ring pulls and nails etc etc.. Suddenly my machine began to generate a little static, just like trying to tune in the old transistor radio.. In the beginning it was bearable but as time passed it increased and was a down right pain in the ort after another hour or so.. I tried different settings and in frustration turned and flicked every knob to try and get rid of it but nothing made any difference. I think the machine was still operating though, from what I could still hear over the static.
It was a cloudy day, and although it didn't rain where we were I suspect there could have been a thunderstorm somewhere nearby.
We headed back to camp for some lunch and a brew, and the inevitable mid day siesta and when I tried it again in the afternoon the static wasn't as bad but still there.. The next day however everything was back to normal with that beautiful sing of the thresh-hold.. I had a 17" Nugget finder elliptical on at the time.. Has anyone had any similar occurrences of static? or can someone confirm/deny that it was a thunderstorm? The machine is brand new, purchased from Finders Keepers in Kalgoorlie.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can give advice

Regards

SD

G'day SD....I dont know whether this helps but I had a similar problem recently which was caused by my power cable. Not only did I have static on and off but also some total loss of audio as well from time to time .. mind of its own. Wasnt happy. I purchased another cable and havent had the problem since. The old cable was tested locally and they couldnt find any fault with it and believed it was working ok. It is now my spare. Good luck

Mal

Thanks Mal... But I gave the cable and connections all a good checking/wriggling... nothing seemed to make the static any better or worse, as I said I think the machine itself was operating properly from what I could hear underneath the static. Also, my outfit was brand new so one would hope a dodgy cable or similar would not be the cause. I do hope to do a little more isolated detecting so a few spares will be on order, and a power cable will be one of them. Thanks for the comment

SD

This was a fault with 4500's a while back apparently....... if you do a search on some of the forums or google you will find info on it.
It usually ends with a trip back to minelab.... I believe they know about it.
The above reasons can also be a cause for it as well, so just keep an ear on it, and don't let it run out of warranty if it keeps happening.
Mine did it once, out at ohpir , but has not done it since.... so I'm still out to lunch if it was the fault or just some form of local interference, ie another detector in the area , etc.......
When mine did it it only lasted 10 mins or so.........during which time I changed batteries , leads , speakers etc etc....no change at all.
My wife was detecting with her 4500 about 100m away, but did not have the problem with an identical setup, both hardware and software wise.....

cheers
Harb

Thanks Harb, I might give Mine Lab a call on the club number and see what they say.. I hope its not one of those finicky internal components thats going to wait until I've driven 3000 mile before it says "this looks like a nice place" and dies permanently! I will post the context of Mine Labs feedback

Cheers

SD

Well I haven't been in contact with minelab like I said I would but I have just finished 2 weeks in the whipstik near Bendigo.. I heard nothing like the static up near Flat Creek station so I am presupposing it was caused by a nearby isolated thunderstorm. There was some beautiful clear days down there and even though there was a bit of rain too, there were no storms. If it ever happens again I'll try to take more note of the weather around me and maybe even try to see if there are local storms out of visual range... something had to be the cause of it and thats the only thing I can think of.

Cheers to all and may your pockets rattle and hang low............................................check for holes!

SD