Depth vs. Stablility

[jlopez5555]

So many folks wanna run their machines at maximum sensitivity (and trust me there are times when deeper is better, haha) but I'd like some true reports where the machines are setup at a stable sensitivity level. The best advice I've seen is Uncle Willy telling folks to run their GTI's sensitivity set at no more than 6 to start out. That nugget of info has made all the difference in the world. Ever since then my air tests are more accurate and the cursor doesn't bounce so much on the target ID, when it does start bouncing usually it's trash. I can tell you more than 75% if the tab is bent or a full pulltab before I dig it. I can also tell you with confidence if a gold ring might be laying under the coil. Can't wait to hear what he has to say about the AT Pro's sensitivity.

Until then how bout some AT Pro air tests with a more reasonable sensitivity level, like say setting it a three or four....if nothing else, just for giggles to see how much it affects depth.

 

[synthnut]

Sensitiviity is a double edged sword on ANY machine .....It can hurt you , or it can help you .....In soil or sand that can handle the higher sensitivity , it will help you go as deep as you want to go .......In highly mineralized soil or sand , it is hte " deer in the headlights " situation ..... Sometimes in trashy area's , the Sensitivity too high will bring bad results too ...Too many targets to bounce off of ...... Trashy area's are usually better searched with a smaller coil for better seperation ...You can also sometimes raise the sensitivity on a smaller coil higher in these cases also Judicial use of Sensitivity is alway best when starting out .....You can then slowly raise it to see if it helps you later ......Jim

 

[jlopez5555]

Sometimes, I think the sensitivity setting is a gimmick selling point. With the detectors I've tested if you turn sensitivity up just for air testing the cursor will start to bounce on known targets which tells me that the unit is running unstable. Most of the factory defaults are set too high right out of the box. If the detector can't run a stable air test it's not gonna run any better in the field. I'd rather get less depth and have a better idea of what's under the coil than have the cursor bouncing and dig up lots more trash for it. Which is why I'm curious to see some air tests with this new detector with the sensitivity turned down. The few I've seen have factory default or higher and the digital ID number is bouncing. I wanna see where the ID hits and stays on the same number the majority of the time. That's when you truly start to see what's under the grass. And get a real sense for how field deep this machine is.

 

[synthnut]

If you're running air tests in your home or anywhere near your home, chances are you are picking up a lot of interference from sources around your house !!......High or Low sensitivity , the machine will pick up the intereference either way ..... Just to let you know ....Just because your detector has a GREAT distance while air testing , does NOT nessesarily mean that it will go deep when on soil or sand !!.....Some machines don't air test worth a darn , and are some of the deepest machines out there ......I'm not sure why people do air tests anyway , other than getting numbers for various targets , that will ALSO change in sand and soil , depending on soil conditions .... Air Testing better serves as a number indicator of targets , but does NOT indicate whether a machine will go deep or not ..... I put NO stock in air tests as a depth indicator , but do use Air Tests for initial averaging numbers for targets .....Jim

 

[Southwind]

Agreed. It is the proper balance of sensitivity and stability that gives the best depth/performance.

 

[TellYaWhut]

I air test detectors at Sensitivity levels that I can honestly run in the field. This level will vary with detector, coil, and location. Air tests are like the MPG sticker on cars.....cars are tested in perfect staged environments (not real life driving situations).... no traffic, pot holes, weather, stop signs, ect... in a shop on rollers. The MPG sticker will still give some idea of fuel economy because all car models and brands are tested the same way. Since we don't live in a perfect world and don't detect for air, we won't get the depth in the ground as our (air) tests indicate.

 

[Willee - Texas]

Can't wait to hear what he has to say about the AT Pro's sensitivity.

Well ... at the beach where the AT Pro ground balances at 70-80, I run max sensitivity in the Standard Mode.
It is fully stable set up there.
In Pro Mode that is a bit high and needs to be cut back a little for stability.

 

[Pyledriver]

I can say that running 4 on sensitivity was definitely not cutting down performance at a tot lot I hunted last night! I did get video but it's awful...lol. I'm experimenting with targets found at one sensitivity, then jacking up the sensitivity to see what happens. I do agree that the machine is way more stable in the STD mode with higher settings than it is in PRO. However, as an overall observation, folks would do well to begin at 4 or so in either mode as they learn this machine!

 

[Steve(MS)]

Question for Pyledriver and others who have received their AT-Pros.
Is it instability in Pro mode or not being used to what you are hearing in Pro mode?
Some detectors especially with higher operating frequencies tend to be "noisier"
when there is more abundant trash levels.
While in Pro mode, are the non iron audio tones being splattered to the extent
as to not allow the telling of differences between ferrous and non-ferrous items?
I do understand there is a learning curve with any new detector but at this
point I am curious.
Maybe the gain level is increased in Pro mode?

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah the sensitivity control is the most misunderstood and most abused control on a detector.and the root of more frustration than anything else on the machine. There is this lingering myth that the higher you crank the sensitivity the deeper the signal goes into the ground. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just keep the detector stable no matter where you have to set the sensitivity and the goodies will roll in.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah it's best to start low and work your way up as conditions allow.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

All air tests prove is that your detector is operating properly. Other than that it is virtually useless. Ground conditions change from one spot to another and so does the detector's performance so it needs to be checked out over the various ground conditions to get a true picture of the overall performance and what settings are required for each area.

Bill.

 

[synthnut]

It's NOT a myth that the higher you turn your sensitivity the deeper the signal goes into the ground !! ....If ground conditions allow for higher sensitivity , you can turn your sensitivity all the way up if the ground allows it , and if there are DEEP targets down there , the machine will hit them, otherwise there would be no reason to have a Sensitivity control on your machine ......Many times the ground will not allow you to turn the sensitivity up because of minerals in the ground that only bounce the signal back to the coil without allowing penetration ( Headlights in the fog ) ......I have dug targets that did not even make a beep !!....They were only a rise in the threshold that told me something was down there .... After digging in sand well over a foot deep , I found my target !!.... My sensitivity was almost all the way up !!.....If I turned it down , I would have never found my target !!.... You're not going to hear a strong signal at those depths, and you're not going to get a good reading on your meter , but the target is STILL there none the less , and it was found because of added Sensitivity ...... Your statement about sensitiviy is not true !!.....Jim

 

[Pyledriver]

So far my experience has been that high sensitivity makes the TID jump and you do get lots of signals. Now that's only two hunts so far, so more tests are certainly in order.

 

[synthnut]

Pyledriver ,
When you are in ground that is mineralized , or has a lot of trash in it , and your Sensitivity is up too high , what is happening is your machine is trying like crazy to penetrate all these targets or mineralization , and it can't do it .....The signal that is trying to penetrate is high when your Sensitivity is turned up ..... All the signal is doing at this point is BOUNCING the signal back into the coil /machine at a high rate because it can't penetrate and feeds back into the coil and overloads the machine and makes your numbers and the machine run eratically .....If the ground were free from mineralization , and there was nothing in the way , the signal could continue on it's path thru the sand or soil and all would be well ..... As your machine is eratiic , you simply turn down the Sensitivity until the machine can handle the soil or sand's mineralization that is in the area that you are hunting in ..... With the sensitivity lowered , the machine runs smoother, and can now find targets , but the targets will now be much closer to the surface .....in other words , as you turn your sensitivity down , and the machine runs smoother , your actual depth will decrease .....This does not mean that you will loose ALL DEPTH ....It simply means that the depth will not be as great as it would be if the ground conditions were such that you could run a higher Sensitivity .... This is why only certain types of machines can hunt wet salty sand ....Salt is hard to penetrate for certain types of machines that run at a certain frequency .........I hope this explains it for you .....Jim