With five different modes, it's easy for some to get lost in options and ideas. Which mode do I use when? Which is the deepest? Which mode provides best separation? Why use all metal? These may be some of the questions floating around in your head.
I look at it this way. i choose a mode based on the type of targets available. I break down sites into two categories:
Producing
Not producing
A site that is considered producing, is one that still has at least clad, or, a new site I've never hunted before.
Not producing, is one where it is very difficult to find coin size targets(coins, bullets, buttons, etc).
I would use 3-tone exclusively for producing sites. Keep in mind, the target identification numbers jump around and can be in both, or even all three tone bins. Also, 3-tone is not the mode of choice when seeking deep coins.
3-tone set-ups i would use would be:
Low discrimination set-up:
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-8
no notch
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 75
tone preferance-250-500-700
So what does this give us strictly speaking common wise?
9-34 is some iron, small gold, foil, beaver tails, nickels, and some tabs at the 250 tone.
35-75 is square tabs,medium and large gold, indians, zincs, screw caps, bottle caps, and copper pennies at the 500 tone.
76-99 is copper pennies, wheat pennies, dimes, quarters aluminum cans, halves, silver, dollars, and iron wrap around/falsing at the 700 tone.
moderate discrimination set-up:
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-24
notch-97,98,99(96 also reads as falsing sometimes) to remove iron wrap around/falsing but more can be used as needed
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 80
tone preferance-250-500-700
This gives us:
25-34 is small gold, beaver tails, nickels, and some tabs at the 250 tone.
35-79 is square tabs,medium and large gold, indians, zincs, screw caps, bottle caps, and copper pennies and dimes at the 500 tone .
80-96 is wheat pennies, dimes, quarters aluminum cans, halves, silver, dollars, and some iron wrap around/falsing at the 700 tone.
You can go further with discrimination, depending on what you like. A trashing park(Bill S.'s phrase of choice lol) setting might be like this:
u]Trashy park discrimination set-up:[/u]
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-26
Notch- 34-64 and 97-99
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 79
tone preferance-350-550-700
We have a tighter nickel notch with 27-33 with a higher tone of 350.
65-78 zincs(maybe indians), copper pennies, and dimes with the 550 tone.
79-96 maybe copper pennies, wheats, dimes, quarters, halves, dollars, and silvers with the 700 tone.
Got a non-producing site? Don't worry, part two coming up with more tips!
I look at it this way. i choose a mode based on the type of targets available. I break down sites into two categories:
Producing
Not producing
A site that is considered producing, is one that still has at least clad, or, a new site I've never hunted before.
Not producing, is one where it is very difficult to find coin size targets(coins, bullets, buttons, etc).
I would use 3-tone exclusively for producing sites. Keep in mind, the target identification numbers jump around and can be in both, or even all three tone bins. Also, 3-tone is not the mode of choice when seeking deep coins.
3-tone set-ups i would use would be:
Low discrimination set-up:
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-8
no notch
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 75
tone preferance-250-500-700
So what does this give us strictly speaking common wise?
9-34 is some iron, small gold, foil, beaver tails, nickels, and some tabs at the 250 tone.
35-75 is square tabs,medium and large gold, indians, zincs, screw caps, bottle caps, and copper pennies at the 500 tone.
76-99 is copper pennies, wheat pennies, dimes, quarters aluminum cans, halves, silver, dollars, and iron wrap around/falsing at the 700 tone.
moderate discrimination set-up:
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-24
notch-97,98,99(96 also reads as falsing sometimes) to remove iron wrap around/falsing but more can be used as needed
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 80
tone preferance-250-500-700
This gives us:
25-34 is small gold, beaver tails, nickels, and some tabs at the 250 tone.
35-79 is square tabs,medium and large gold, indians, zincs, screw caps, bottle caps, and copper pennies and dimes at the 500 tone .
80-96 is wheat pennies, dimes, quarters aluminum cans, halves, silver, dollars, and some iron wrap around/falsing at the 700 tone.
You can go further with discrimination, depending on what you like. A trashing park(Bill S.'s phrase of choice lol) setting might be like this:
u]Trashy park discrimination set-up:[/u]
gain-as high as i could go
id filter-26
Notch- 34-64 and 97-99
iron audio-10
tone breaks-34 and 79
tone preferance-350-550-700
We have a tighter nickel notch with 27-33 with a higher tone of 350.
65-78 zincs(maybe indians), copper pennies, and dimes with the 550 tone.
79-96 maybe copper pennies, wheats, dimes, quarters, halves, dollars, and silvers with the 700 tone.
Got a non-producing site? Don't worry, part two coming up with more tips!
have plenty of one and 2 tone machines 3 well probably isn't going to help me much, I will add it really does depend on why a person wants a detector, none are perfect so we get what closest meets our needs 3 tones just isn't gunna do it for me.