Discrimination in metal detectors

[Noah Huebner]

I recently got into metal detecting since my uncle bought me a Bounty Hunter Platinum Pro. I was wondering if there is some kind of coin mode on this metal detector. How do I discriminate against nails and other junk if nails contain many metallic compounds similar to that of coins and jewelry?
Thanks!
Noah

 

[u2robert]

Sure it does Noah that's a nice detector.
Have you watched any YouTube how to video's?
You can also download the manual.
The main thing a new detectorist needs is patience.
There is a whole slew of people on this forum that will be happy to help you when you need it.
Good Luck

 

[Noah Huebner]

I have watched YouTube how to videos, but they leave out some of the things on the display pictures in the manual. I live in a house that was built in the 1850s, and I should be finding good things, but I cannot get past all the square cut nails. To be fair, I found suspender straps and an oil lamp from the late 1860s today, but still, I would like to find more valuable things like coins. I have a large coin collection, and I would like to put coins in that I found myself.

 

[Noah Huebner]

In this image, it shows a pickaxe and shovel, and a VH sign. There is also H,M, and L. Can anyone tell me what these are and how to use them? I have a Platinum Pro. I could not find anything about these options in the manual, besides the picture.

 

[IowaRelic]

IMO I would try this... with the machine on, press menu until number of tones is highlighted. Use the plus arrow and go to 3 tone. Instead of silencing the targets with discrimination, use the tones to determine the type of metal. You will have a low, medium and high tone. Low is iron. Medium is foil on up to small brass and larger aluminum, and high is coins and other high conductors. Good luck!!!

old homes will be a barrage of metal signals. Take your time and dig what you want. It’s your house. What a great place to develope patience and learn the machine. Good stuff WILL come up.

 

[jmaclen]

You have received the best advice. Discrimination is never perfect on any detector and as you have noticed iron can break through the discrimination filters just about anywhere on the target ID scale especially rusted, older, hand forged iron objects and modern nails which have many different alloys and coatings. The best way to deal with it is by using IowaRelics suggestion. That way I know you will hear a lot of targets but you will also not have as many good targets be accidentally discriminated out by discrimination of iron which can result in good targets being "masked" or silenced like they are unwanted targets when iron and non-iron targets are close together. If you are in an area with little or no iron you could use your strategy of discriminating the iron targets.

The pick and shovel (I think they are active on the Teknetics Gamma 6000 which is what the BH Platinum is based on) show you the amount of magnetic mineralization in your ground which is shown VH=very high to L=Low mineralization. That is not something that is adjustable, it is a readout like the battery meter. If it changes a lot or is indicating High or Very High, when you are not swinging the coil over a target it means that your ground has varying levels of magnetic minerals and you might need to do frequent ground grabs.

When you use the Platinum in discrimination mode you want to keep your sensitivity/gain at 89 or so in the beginning. If you go above 89, your detector's threshold tone will automatically kick in and it can get pretty noisy. So hunting in 3 tones with the gain around 80 or at a level under 90 where your Platinum is nice and quiet is the best way to go in the beginning.

 

[Noah Huebner]

Okay, Thanks!

 

[Nomad terry]

I had play with my bounty hunter discrimination mode but i picked up gold; i fixing to move up to 4 inch coil improve performance.

 

[Odanscoils]

I had play with my bounty hunter discrimination mode but i picked up gold; i fixing to move up to 4 inch coil improve performance.

Now that's impressive.
Maybe you could help Noah figure his out.