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Lets have a look at the AKA Berkut 5
The Berkut 5 is a lightweight metal detector, the detachable control box is a well presented module with clean lines.
All the plastic mouldings are very high quality, coil bolts, cables, arm cup, etc follow with the same standards of engineering.
I think this entry level machine from AKA is simply showing off, it's a statement to the mainline manufacturers showing what Russian engineers are capable of, I really think it's something the big boys should be paying close attention to.
As many of you know this is my third AKA machine, I have reviewed the AKA Sorex Pro and the AKA Signum a few months back. All three are based on the same platform but are really quite different in their behaviours and overall feel, it's like they all have individual characters.
The features are all simlar but work in different ways...If that makes any sense...probably not ! |
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Berkut 5 Control Box
As mentioned before the control box simply slides off the stem, it is held on with a sturdy tapered clip, which clicks into place.
The Berkut 5 is powered by 4 AA batteries located behind the door at the back of the control box.
Probably the only thing I don't like about this machine is the 3.5mm headphone jack plug which is located on the side of the box.
The external speaker can be found on the base of the box which is a very clever idea, you really have to look for it tucked down there out of the way.
Also located at the back is the on / off switch and the coil plug.
Pressure pad controls and features
The buttons have a dual action....press once for basic features....press and hold to access the sub menus. The plus and minus keys raise and lower settings, up and down keys scroll up and down menu's.
While we are talking about menu's let me tell you the features on this machine are packed in so tight it's ready to explode.
Don't be fooled by it's basic livery, this machine is all behind the scenes in a very clever way. |
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Behind the scenes what have we got ?
There are two basic way's of running the Berkut 5, firstly it's a switch on and go machine with 4 pre set programs. You can access 5 regularly used "hot key" settings by pressing the arrow down key.
Hot key settings
RS : Recovery speed adjustment.
CC : Coil power 1 or 2, 2 is known as a Turbo mode.
AT : Audio threshold (meter sensitivity).
IT : Identification threshold (Discrimination channel Sensitivity).
GN : Gain adjusts the machine's overall power.
For some reason the lower numbers represent the higher settings.
To scroll through programs 1 - 4 press the PR button
Each program has its own memory so whatever changes you make is only valid for the program you are in.
Another neat feature is the facility to have the choice of having 1 - 4 programs, I found when learning the machine I preferred to have only 1 program on the menu, so I didn't get confused as to what setting was in what program.
So for people new to the Berkut 5 I would suggest having just one program and learn the features from there, also beginners will appreciate the simplicity of just having a switch on and go machine.
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A more in depth look at the Berkut 5
This is where the machine starts to light the after burners and spread it's wings...you really have to get your thinking cap on !
Press and hold the PR button to access the main menu and start rolling the dice, there are lots of features not mentioned in this article, I will just give you some brief examples as I don't want to spoil all your fun.
Scroll down to your preferred page and press the plus button to open it up.
 
As you can see the pages are clearly listed, some menu's have sub menu's noted as page 2.
When you have made your selection press the PR button to go back one page and then again to go back into the detect screen.
At the bottom of the list you will see "coils"...the Berkut 5 has the facility to plug and play any coil from the AKA range no matter what frequency. My test machine used the 7Khz 10" round coil which I think is a good all rounder. |
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Here are some basic explanations, I have chosen three out of the menu list, just to give you an idea of how feature rich the Berkut 5 is.
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The pin point screen is accessed by pressing the arrow up button, the same button is used to switch it off.
Also in the menu are other pin point options available.
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The Berkut 5 detect screen
AKA still use the Hodograph system to help the user analyse the target, the hodo gives so much more information compared to a lot of metered machines on today's market.
However deciding to dig or not to dig depends on the user's ability, personally I always trust the audio sound over any meter, and the spade is always the best discriminator.
As you can see in the left picture, the screen is split down the middle, theoretically anything on the left is ferrous and everything on the right is non ferrous.
The lines determine the conductivity of the targets, short lines normally mean a deep or small target.
Large loops rather than lines are a typical signature of a junk target.
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AKA introduction video
Watch my AKA Berkut 5 introduction video here >>>>
Testing the Berkut 5 in the field
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Field test due out soon !!!
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AKA Berkut 5 field test and information By Gary's detecting
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