50 vs 5 tones... I see no advantage to 5 tones.....

[borntofli]

a s title says, I dont see any benefit of 5 tones... All clad and silver sound the same.. In 50 tones, i dont even look at display... The ear music tells me if its a copper or a dime...zinc are distinct, (dont dig them).. I tried 5 tones, but couldnt tell a round ring pull from a square one...

I must be missing something, it seems most use 5 tone.....

Clue me in.....

 

[sgoss66]

I am with you entirely, borntofli...

Hunting by sound is where it's at, for me. Maybe that doesn't work for some -- but for me (and I've said it before), it seems to be the equivalent of someone trying to carry on a conversation, while being limiting to only a handful of words. How are they supposed to communicate complex information if you significantly limit the number of words they are permitted to use, to do so?

Steve

 

[halfstep]

It's not so much an advantage as it is a preference. With 5 tone, you can set up the tone binds to get the tones you like to make it simpler. Then when you hit a desirable target, you can look at the ID and see what it is. 50 tone will give you more audible information to individual targets but requires more time to learn and remember the tones. 5 tones is easier to remember but requires the use of the ID to get more info. Both 50 tone and 5 tone + ID lead to the same place but get there differently.

If you are a coin shooter, and you are using 50 tone, there are about 5 tones that you mostly use and learn to remember them. Nickel (mid tone)-penny (high tone)-dime (higher tone)-quarter (high tone)- silver (highest tone). So using a 5 tone profile to simplify things isn't much different. You can isolate and set most all the coins into a single tone of high or highest to grab your attention and alert you when your coil passes over a coin. Then look at the ID and see what it is.

I use the CTX 3030 and have it on 5 tone. I also use the target trace. When I get the tones I want, I can quickly look at the screen and see where my target trace is building to tell me what it is. It works very well for me. But I am also proficient with 50 tones as I own a safari and used it for several years. With the slow ID on the safari, you had to depend on tones to get any digging done in a timely manner. I do use 50 on my CTX some but do like the 5 tones option better as I have the option to customize the tones how I like them.

 

[synthnut]

Every time a feature on a detector is used, power from the CPU is lessened....... I wonder if 50 tone uses more power ???....I don’t have my Nox yet, but one of the best features of any Minelab machine that I will miss will be the smart screen......Tone to first alert me, Smart Screen to double check.....Jim

 

[Des D]

50 Tones on the CTX is brilliant - one of the best features about it.

50 Tones IMHO didn't translate well to the EQX - can create 'multiple' blips especially if there isn't any ground balancing done in accordance with the Instruction Manual.
It creates what I call 'dirty' signals (distorted tonal responses)

5 Tones can be 'quieter' and 'easier to live with'

 

[Beyonder]

Site dependent, target dependent.

5 tone is great for cherry picking. Just adjust the tone break down to 26 and now your silver range has a high tone.

50 tone is great for deepies. When targets are fewer and there are deep coins present.

 

[dbado1]

I am with you entirely, borntofli...

Hunting by sound is where it's at, for me. Maybe that doesn't work for some -- but for me (and I've said it before), it seems to be the equivalent of someone trying to carry on a conversation, while being limiting to only a handful of words. How are they supposed to communicate complex information if you significantly limit the number of words they are permitted to use, to do so?

Steve

+1.

Dean

 

[Uechi]

Who,determined that 5O tones is optimum? Why not 10,20 etc? Why not 100? Arbitrary and I believe most people may be able to hear mutiple tones but can’t discriminate what they are hearing.Basically a marketing gimmick.

 

[dbado1]

Who,determined that 5O tones is optimum? Why not 10,20 etc? Why not 100? Arbitrary and I believe most people may be able to hear mutiple tones but can’t discriminate what they are hearing.Basically a marketing gimmick.

Obviously, you have never used multi tones (99 or 50). Basically, a tone per ID number... NOT arbitrary. After some practice you can discriminate, by tone, what you are hearing. This is why experienced hunters comment that they hunt by tone primarily and VDI secondarily. I base whether or not I'm gonna dig a target more on tone than anything else. VDI numbers get skewed by co-located trash and, therefore, can be unreliable. Tones, on the other hand, can give more reliable info that there is a desirable target. It is certainly not a marketing gimmick.

Dean

 

[sgoss66]

Who,determined that 5O tones is optimum? Why not 10,20 etc? Why not 100? Arbitrary and I believe most people may be able to hear mutiple tones but can’t discriminate what they are hearing.Basically a marketing gimmick.

Obviously, you have never used multi tones (99 or 50). Basically, a tone per ID number... NOT arbitrary. After some practice you can discriminate, by tone, what you are hearing. This is why experienced hunters comment that they hunt by tone primarily and VDI secondarily. I base whether or not I'm gonna dig a target more on tone than anything else. VDI numbers get skewed by co-located trash and, therefore, can be unreliable. Tones, on the other hand, can give more reliable info that there is a desirable target. It is certainly not a marketing gimmick.

Dean

+1

One tone per ID number -- each ID number assigned a slightly higher pitch than the prior one, is not "arbitrary" at all. To call the multi-tone option on a Minelab machine a "marketing gimmick" because most people can't discriminate what they are hearing? I can't speak for "most people," but there are a whole lot of Explorer/E-Trac/CTX users out there who would vehemently disagree that you can't "discriminate what you are hearing." There are MANY that can -- with full confidence -- tell you the coin they are detecting (if it is a clean target), without looking at the screen...

Steve

Steve

 

[Uechi]

100% wrong I have been using detectors for over 40 years. Tone per I D number, so 50:tones means 50 specific items or type? Never have used
VDI or any other display. Always go with tones. Doubt in All those years I could place any item next to any number. A range of tones yes individual no. Ideally if your hearing is great and you are hunting in a relatively trash/iron free zone tones can be clear. Often however tones are often mixed.
If it’ works for you great.

 

[Ksdirt]

correct me if I'm wrong but you have to use 5 tones if you want to use the advance settings....example ,changing the volume of Id's...the tones of Id's etc.

 

[Des D]

"It would've been really great if they included 3 and 4 Tones - as per X-Terra series! I'd prefer that Option over the 50 Tones!"

 

[Uechi]

Multi tone is not a marketing gimmick and never said it was. I use 5. I just question whether 50 tones is a design parameter/limitation or if any tonal variation less than or more than 50 would be just as good. Why the choice of 50? In any event no matter the number if it works for you great.

 

[halfstep]

100% wrong I have been using detectors for over 40 years. Tone per I D number, so 50:tones means 50 specific items or type? Never have used
VDI or any other display. Always go with tones. Doubt in All those years I could place any item next to any number. A range of tones yes individual no. Ideally if your hearing is great and you are hunting in a relatively trash/iron free zone tones can be clear. Often however tones are often mixed.
If it’ works for you great.

The ID number on the display is a visual copy of the tones. If you can't trust the ID, then you can't trust the tones. The Tone and ID are locked together. What number is on the screen is the tone that you hear. The ID is just as accurate as the tones.

But since the screen is moving back an forth as you swing, it is difficult to keep you eyes on it. Plus with multiple targets, the numbers can jump rapidly making it difficult to keep up with. Plus, a lot of detectors have small screens or poor quality screens and most have no backlight making the screen difficult to see. But the equinox has a great screen. It is big, the numbers are big and it has a backlight. The ID doesn't lag. So it is easier to just listen for the key tones as you swing and then follow up with the ID number to confirm the target.

The ID on the equinox can be jumpy but if you locate the target and take super short swings over it, and inch or so of swing, your ID numbers will stabilize. You first line of target identification is the audio tone, then followed by the ID number. Using tones alone is a good way to detect but the use if the target ID is another tool that can add more info on rather to dig or not.

 

[Uechi]

Agree each tone with one number. This is only an indication of what might be under the coil. You know as well as I do that junk, jewelry and coins vary depending on depth, soil type, object size humidity/soil moisture and interference from surrounding conductors.

 

[dbado1]

Uechi,
Go back and re-read your first post..."Basically a marketing gimmick". Of course it's only an indication of what might be under the coil. Wouldn't it be nice if they were 100% at IDing targets.The tones and numbers are just clues as to whether you should investigate or not. The more information that you have (multi tones vs. few tones) the better. Multi tones is a choice. If you don't like it, don't use it. We are all different, as well. It boils down to preference and practice.

Dean

 

[halfstep]

Agree each tone with one number. This is only an indication of what might be under the coil. You know as well as I do that junk, jewelry and coins vary depending on depth, soil type, object size humidity/soil moisture and interference from surrounding conductors.

Those things you mentioned have always been an issue with detectors. There are a lot of jewelry that falls into the junk range. Jewelry comes in different shapes, sizes and quality which can ID anywhere along the audio or visual ID. Coins are more predictable and easier to identify. It comes down to hunting location and ground conditions. Experience comes into play here. Knowing your detector and how it performs in different conditions and knowing when to dig or not. Technology helps but can't replace experience.

I do like the target trace on the CTX. It gives very stable info on what is under ground. I rarely look at the numbers, I just use the tones and watch the target trace. I can hear the tone, lock in on it with target trace rather quickly. Some places, I will dig those junk signals in search for jewelry like around a basketball court. In other places like around a pavilion, I will skip those signals. It all depends on the likelihood of me finding jewelry. I primarily coin shoot but will look for jewelry in certain locations. I've found 5 rings so far this year and a 24" silver necklace/chain. I also found the head of a ring with a large stone in it. I don't know if it is a real diamond though. My wife and I have found about $130 in clad so far this year. I have the CTX and she has a NOX 800. When the weather gets warmer, we are going to hit the swimming holes in the creeks and rivers around here. Most of the creeks and rivers are clean and clear waters making for some easier detecting. Hope to find lots of bling this summer.

 

[Southwind]

As a musician of over 50 years now 50 tones is just a natural choice. I can hear the variance in tones and it gives my cherry pickin a more pleasant experience than the 20 tone machines.

 

[sgoss66]

"It would've been really great if they included 3 and 4 Tones - as per X-Terra series! I'd prefer that Option over the 50 Tones!"

Des --

Can you accomplish what you want by adjusting tone bins, and setting tones? IN other words, you could effectively make two different tone bins to be "one," for instance, just by setting the pitch of the tone the same in those two bins...

Steve