There are no short cuts to learning how to set up your metal detector, in my opinion you should know your metal detector manual by heart.
Your metal detector manual is the most important metal detecting guide you will read and it was included in the purchase of your metal detector, the manual is not just the directions for putting the metal detector together it explains how to actually use the metal detector.
I have tested a lot of metal detectors before they were released and they never came with a manual because as a tester you have to figure it out, believe me a manual makes it so easy to hit the ground running with a new metal detector.
To this day I still immerse myself in the manual when I buy or try new metal detecting equipment, if I do google the equipment I always look at the messenger relaying the information.
Following a "Quick start" guide from the manual is an excellent way to get used to a new metal detector until you are familiar with the controls and settings.
You can familiarize yourself with the audio responses to a wide variety of common finds without the stress of background noise or distractions, call it a safe settings mode.
Once you are familiar with the basics and you know how metal targets will respond you can tweak the settings to help you detect what you are searching for in the areas you intend to search.
One of the first settings to experiment with after the quick start guide phase of using the new metal detector is the sensitivity setting, to see how hot you can run the metal detector over your favorite search sites.
Increase the sensitivity until your metal detector becomes chirpy or chattery, then back off the sensitive until the metal detector runs smoothly without any feedback from the ground being covered.
Depending where you search, you will probably now have the sensitivity set higher than it was previously set in the quick start set up or mode.
After finding the optimum sensitivity setting I check various test targets in the field to see the difference between the depths I am able to detect test targets using the discrimination search mode and the all metals search mode.
It is good to know the depth differences between searching using a little discrimination / target rejection and searching using no discrimination, assuming you can use the metal detector in both search modes.
After sensitivity settings and target testing I concentrate on audio responses, if I am able to adjust the audio responses to respond a certain way to different metals I adjust the tones or change the pitch to suit my needs.
It is good to have a wide separation between iron and precious metals, some people prefer high or low tones for certain valuable targets, making them stand out clearly from less desirable targets.
Look at your metal detector quick start guide as a solid metal detector foundation to build on.
No doubt your metal detector will have bells & whistles you will rarely use, but it is always good to know how to use them when a different situation from your usual type of search comes up.
For example, I hardly ever use any more than a discrimination setting of one, but just a couple more incremental increases of the discrimination level saves me from digging nuisance targets on a different site I have found a lot of gold rings at.
Knowing your metal detector manual by heart and testing targets in the field will let you know what your metal detector is capable of, but just as important you will find what your metal detector is not capable of doing.
Influencers what you to buy metal detectors, designers and engineers of the same equipment want you to be able to use it with no frustration and find stuff with it!
If you are interested in what the people who design and make the gear you intend to use have to say, read your metal detector manual from cover to cover for their expert advice.
www.garydrayton.com
No comments:
Post a Comment