Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Review

Welcome to the ultimate Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV review.

These days, there’s no shortage of entry-level metal detectors on the market to scratch that prospecting itch.

However, not every device you come across will have the performance features you need to find metals in tougher environments.

Luckily, Bounty Hunter has you covered.

The Best Metal Detector?

We’re on a mission to review all the best metal detectors out there.

Although the Bounty Hunter TK4 is a good value for the price, it doesn’t beat some other metal detectors.

The Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV is an affordably priced metal detector with a lot to offer. Despite its accessible price tag, this machine is fully capable of addressing many of the unique challenges you’ll face during your detecting journey.

The TK4 Tracker IV has far more performance options than most metal detectors at this price point. The biggest issue novice metal detector enthusiasts come across in the field is a lack of versatility.

Most entry-level models simply aren’t equipped to deal with issues like ground mineralization or water. While they can certainly find basic metal objects, they’re not suited to find deeper items that require higher sensitivity levels to unearth.

Bounty Hunter has included those necessary features in the TK4 Tracker IV. It’s designed to help you find a wide range of metal items in the soil. Best of all, it’s easy to use. Even with its adjustable settings, Bounty Hunter has kept the design of the metal detector simple and streamlined so that everyone can use it.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Design and Appearance

This metal detector from Bounty Hunter is a solidly built device that can serve you well in a range of environments. Take one look at it, and you’ll notice that it’s built out of higher quality materials than other models at this price point.

It features a durable metal pole that is strategically balanced to help you stay comfortable. On one end of the device, there’s a comfortable arm cuff. It sits below your arm to counter-balance the coil and control panel. There’s some light padding to prevent irritation on your skin and openings to attach a strap if you want some added stability.

The control panel box sits just below the padded grip. Because it doesn’t utilize a large LCD screen like some other metal detectors, Bounty Hunter was able to keep the control box very small. It has a low-profile design that’s sleek and lightweight. Durable textured plastic encases the important components, keeping the metal detector safe in even the roughest environments.

Overall, the TK4 Tracker IV is very lightweight. Tipping the scales at only 4.2 pounds, it’s light enough for kids to use without any issues.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Noteworthy Features

Beyond its good looks, the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV has a lot to offer. Whether you’re searching for scraps of metal in your backyard or scanning the shores at the beach, it’ll get the job done. Here are some of the most important features you can take advantage of.

1. Notch Discrimination

One of the most useful features of this metal detector is the notch discrimination knob. When you’re looking for hidden treasures, you’re bound to come across a ton of junk metals. Everything from a soda pull tab to rusty old nails can trigger a detector. Unless you want to waste your time digging those junk metals out, a discrimination filter is a must-have.

Notch discrimination works to filter out certain metals based on conductivity. All metals will generate eddy currents when they encounter the electromagnetic field produced by the detecting device. However, the strength and frequency of that eddy current are going to be different between a high-value metal and a cheaper one.

Cheaper metals usually have lower conductivity levels, so you can set the discrimination filter to ignore everything below a certain threshold. It saves a lot of time. Typically, this feature is something that’s reserved for high-end metal detectors. Thankfully, Bounty Hunter has included it on this entry-level model so that you can hunt efficiently.

2. Ground Balance

Another big issue you’ll encounter while you’re hunting for treasures is ground mineralization. Soil is often infused with several minerals. This isn’t always the case, but it doesn’t take long to come across heavily mineralized soil. You’ll often experience this issue around beaches or old plots of land that have had a lot of exposure to humans.

The issue with ground mineralization is that many metal detectors can’t distinguish between those minerals and a distinct metal object. Those minerals make the soil more magnetic, which sets the machine off.

The ground balance feature of the Hunter TK4 Tracker IV works to overcome that problem. It overlooks the responding ground signals so that you can focus on finding specific objects.

The cool thing about this particular metal detector is that the ground balance feature is completely automatic. There are presets built right in. The system will detect ground conditions and make performance adjustments accordingly. There’s no need to fiddle with settings or make those adjustments yourself.

3. Durable Search Coil

As we mentioned earlier, this metal detector is a great option if you plan on searching in tough environments. In addition to the ground balance feature and notch discrimination, this device has a waterproof search coil.

While it’s not entirely waterproof, the coil’s intricate components are fully protected from splashes. You can submerge the coil a few inches to search in shallow waters. It’s even safe in saltwater, which is prone to speeding up the oxidation process.

The design of the coil ensures that you can search efficiently without having to worry about accidental electrical shorts or long-term damage.

4. User-Friendly Controls

Unlike other metal detectors that are filled with confusing buttons, the TK4 Tracker IV keeps things simple. The control panel box only has two knobs. One adjusts the sensitivity levels while the other allows you to manipulate the notch discrimination filter.

The knobs move freely and make it easy to fine-tune adjustments to the metal detector’s performance.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Performance

When it comes to performance, the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV does not disappoint. It’s quite powerful and can detect smaller objects up to 6 inches below the surface. If you come across a larger item, the metal detector can penetrate up to 2 feet down.

That’s not all. The machine has a few notable performance features that can take your prospecting to a new level.

1. VLF Technology

This is a VLF, or Very Low Frequency, metal detector. This technology is pretty common in metal detectors because it works well to find a range of different metals.

Basically, the machine is comprised of two separate coils. There’s a transmitter coil and a receiver coil. The transmitter coil is the large unit you can see at the end of the metal detector. It’s responsible for transmitting an electromagnetic field into the soil.

When you come across a metal object, it reacts to the electromagnetic field by producing an eddy current. This current is then picked up by the receiver coil to produce an audible response. The eddy current uses a different phase than that of the transmitter coil. Thus, the metal detector can distinguish between different targets and filter out certain metals.

The Hunter TK4 Tracker IV uses this technology to help you find metals. It has an operating frequency of 6.7 kHz. While that’s not the highest frequency you’ll see on the market, it’s a nice middle ground. That frequency is suitable for finding a wide range of metals with varying levels of conductivity.

2. Available Search Modes

To help improve your efficiency in the field, the TK4 Tracker IV comes with three separate operating modes. You can easily switch between modes with a simple flip of a switch.

The first option is the All-Metal mode. As the name would suggest, this operating mode is designed to alert you to any metal in the soil. It’s great if you’re looking to remove junk metals from the soil.

Next up, there’s discrimination mode. When you go metal detecting with this mode on, you can take advantage of the aforementioned notch discrimination filter. You’ll be able to fine-tune the discrimination settings to find suitable items you want to unearth.

Finally, there’s a 2-Tone audio discrimination mode. This feature works similarly to the discrimination filter. However, it’s designed to automatically give you audible feedback based on the conductivity of the metal. It will provide one tone for non-ferrous junk metals and another for things that have some potential value.

3. Adjustable Sensitivity

Finding smaller items is relatively easy with the Tk4 Tracker IV. That’s because it has an adjustable sensitivity knob. This knob allows you to make adjustments to the way the metal detector responds to weaker electromagnetic signals.

When you turn the sensitivity up, you can find smaller items that you might have overlooked when you searched on a weaker setting. The adjustment is great for scanning deeper into the earth.

For more info check the bounty hunter tracker 4 manual.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Pros and Cons

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV find gold?

This metal detector is fully capable of finding gold jewelry and nuggets. Thanks to the ground balance feature, you can search in highly mineralized areas, which is where gold is frequently found. Plus, you have the sensitivity knob to overcome gold’s low conductivity levels.

2. Is the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV metal detector waterproof?

The search coil is waterproof but not the entire machine. You can submerge it for a few inches without a problem, but it’s not suited for diving.

3. Does the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV come with a warranty?

Yes, the Bounty Hunter offers a generous 5-year warranty on the Hunter Tracker IV.

4. Is the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV suitable for children?

This metal detector is an excellent option for kids. Because it doesn’t have all the complicated settings that other units have, it’s easy for newbies to pick up. Not only that, but it’s relatively lightweight as well. In fact, the Tracker IV is in our list of the best kid’s detectors.

Conclusion

The Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV is an excellent investment if you plan on looking for high-value metals in challenging environments. It made it to our list of the top Bounty Hunter metal detectors. Most metal detectors aren’t capable of working in areas that don’t have pristine soil.

Unfortunately, some of the best hunting spots aren’t ideal. They have high ground mineralization that could just throw the detection technology off. If you want to find anything good during your metal detecting adventures, you need a machine that’s going to be able to look past all of those problems.

The TK4 Tracker IV does that in spades. Thanks to its notch discrimination filter, you’re able to ignore trash metals. The machine also has a built-in ground balance to ignore high mineralization that would render the detection technology useless. Finally, there’s the waterproof search coil. The Tracker IV lets you search in rough environments without having to worry about damage.

Give this metal detector a shot. You won’t be disappointed. Click the link below to check it out!