Getting to know the MK3

Having recently changed from a MK1 to a MK3 ferret finder, I am struggling to locate accurately. Any helpful tips on this, please?

It has been a fair few years since the legendary MK3 ferret finder was released. I had a lot of fun designing and testing this with Deben at the time, but I did find it annoying to begin with. Compare the two devices as if they were cars. The MK1 is a manual where you are in full control. The MK3 is an automatic where you have a slight delay between gears, or depth as is the case here. The basics are the same but the tolerance is a bit tighter when you are being told the depth rather than finding it yourself.

I have always found the MK3 to be a better tool but we are all different.

Start slowly and play a game of hot and cold with the signal. Once under 8ft, switch from search to locate and hold upright like the knocker box. Pinpoint your square of signal and dig in the middle. I have found that if you take a foot off the reading up to 2ft, I am not usually far away. With a probe, I can pinpoint my needle in the haystack quite regularly.

I know a lot of ferreters who are a bit overeager to assume that they don’t like it — whether it’s the noise or the fact it is a new piece of kit to learn to use. With practice and perseverance you will reap the rewards, especially near metallic objects. I admit the MK3 isn’t perfect — it does pick up waves and signals, and it does get interference — but on the whole, it’s the best that we have at the moment. SW