is going to vary based upon the particular detector, and the type of site, by that meaning the amount of small iron debris and how closely spaced it is to favorable targets. It would be nice to say "
use any detector and any smaller-size coil" but that just isn't going to get the job done. Many detectors, even with a quick-response and fast-recovery, and even when using a 5X10 DD or round 5" DD, might have blazing recovery time between two or three accepted targets [size=small](such as three coins laying in a row only inches apart)[/size], but their circuitry design doesn't have an efficient processing time if it is also trying to Discriminate and reject a closely-positioned iron nail that replaces one of those coins.
Also, an ability to "handle iron trash" is not going to be a guaranteed specific certainty because some iron is too large to handle rejecting and still finding desired targets close to it. Worse yet, there is a lot of man-made/man-shaped ferrous/magnetic junk out there that, due to its shape, has higher conductivity values making them difficult to deal with. So, if you don't mind, let me clarify some "iron target" descriptions and say the biggest problem ferrous target we encounter is an iron nail, therefore, iron nail rejection should be the main level or ferrous trash rejection we should use.
Treasurechic said:
[size=medium]What are the best settings for cherry picking through trashy sites with the MX5?.[/size]
Here you said "trashy sites" but in the subject heading you specified 'iron,' so let me address iron junk first. I never use more Discrimination, if possible, that only enough to
just barely reject common iron nails.
I then try to select the smallest and most efficient search coils I can for the detectors I plan to use. In some cases, such as with the models listed below in my signature, I like to keep the 4.[size=small]7[/size]X5.[size=small]2[/size] '
OOR' Double-D coil mounted on my Makro Racer, a round 6" Concentric coil on my Tesoro Bandido II, Siler Sabre µMAX [size=small](microMAX)[/size] and Bandido II µMAX, a 7" round Concentric on my 'original' Bandido, the round 6½" Concentric [size=small](Blue Max 600 or 5.[size=small]3[/size] Bullseye)[/size] on my 'modified' White's IDX Pro, and when I used the MX5 or MXT Pro, I kept a 6½" Concentric coil [size=small](5.[size=small]3[/size] Eclipse)[/size] mounted to them.
Then, I make sure the efficient-size coil is mounted to an equally efficient detector to best handle iron nail trash [size=small](all of my models below are!)[/size] which only leaves the need to learn to use a slow-and-methodical sweep speed. That's the more difficult task for some people to master after coming from "coin hunting" big grassy areas using a faster-motion sweep speed. To search any trashy site, especially when dealing with iron trash, you need to use a slower, more methodical sweep speed.
Treasurechic said:
[size=medium]I have the 5.3 coil ....[/size]
That's the best coil, in my opinion, for the MX5, M6, MXT Pro in the 'Eclipse' compatible models, to hunt iron littered places.
Treasurechic said:
[size=medium]... and I know that alot of the other brand machines do better in all metal because you can sort through the good and bad targets.[/size]
Yes, some makes and models do handle dense iron littered conditions better than others. I like the MXT Pro best of all the 'V' Rated models for hunting such sites, and those are where I plant myself most of the time. Iron infested ghost towns and other old-use locations from a long-ago era. I also like the 6½" Concentric coil on the MX5, but for me and the conditions I try to search, it fell behind in performance compared with the MXT Pro.
On a scale of 1-to-10 with '10' being the best, and having used both the MX5 and MXT Pro quite a bit in areas where very dense iron nails exist, I give the MX5 a rating of perhaps '7' and the MXT Pro a rating of '9' when iron nail and other smaller iron conditions are the most challenging. As noted below in my current detector arsenal, my Makro Racer, all six Tesoro models, and 'modified' White's IDX Pro are all examples of models that score a '10' when I want the best performance in my hand when things get really ugly. Unless you have hunted some of the old RR ghost towns I have frequented for over 46 years, you might not be able to picture or understand what I am referring to as 'ugly' when it comes to handling terrible iron conditions.
Now, in this comment you referred to "All Metal" and that calls for a little discussion. If you are hunting in a true, Threshold-based All Metal mode, you are not going to be able to easily sort through good and bad targets and tell them apart very well because they are all simply going to 'beep!'
However, SOME makes and models do provide the ability to search in a Zero Disc. or All Metal ACCEPT mode, and if you're hunting with the right detector in the motion Discriminate mode it might provide some audible Tone ID that can help and you can couple that with any visual TID the detector provides to help sort iron from non-iron. On my Makro Racer's I leave the Disc. set where I accept all metals, but I select a 3-Tone Disc. mode. That gives me a Low-Tone audio for
most Iron-range targets, a Mid-Tone for mid-range conductors, and a High-Tone for the higher-conductive targets.
I used a similar approach to accepting ALL targets and a 4-Tone audio on a Teknetics Omega 8000. With the MXT Pro I almost always hunted in the Relic Disc. mode and opted for the Iron ID which was a Zero Disc., All Metal Accept setting, and it assigned a Low-Tone for
most ferrous targets and a High-Tone for non-ferrous. With the MX5 I could also accept all Disc. segments and I ALWAYS hunted in the 2-Tone Discriminate mode. If Iron Nails and some iron was too bothersome, I rejected ONLY the first 3 Disc. Segments as that was sufficient to reject most iron nails without having the Disc. too high. That would cause more good-target masking.
Then, just use a slow and methodical sweep speed, overlap, and don't believe the TID a lot because nearby trash will mask/partially mask a favorable target and shift the read-out a little higher, or lower, or usually just cause it to be erratic.
Treasurechic's signature line said:
SAVE A LIFE! VISIT YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER AND ADD MORE LOVE TO YOUR FAMILY!
My #1 buddy is Rikki. I got Miss Rikki at a Pet Rescue in May of last year and she is perhaps the best dog I have ever had. She's just growing out of the 'puppy' stage at 1 yr. 7 mo., but is full of energy and really enjoys the ghost towns and other out-of-the-way places we like to hunt. I don't know if I really saved her life, but I feel she is extending mine a bit, if you know what I mean.
Monte
