Discrimination question

[Ted S]

Is everyone leaving the settings factory?

 

[IDXMonster]

Well, we’ll just have our normal conversation Ted, just you and me Keep in mind, the factory Coins pattern is set from a variety of coins around the world. If you bought an Explorer in Syria, the pattern would be the same. So if you are ONLY looking for Indians and above, then you in the USA would adjust that pattern to your needs. Theres no earthly reason to have any more than the upper right quadrant open. If you’re going to start looking for gold coins and nickels...WAY different story. If ANYONE disputes this notion, I need them to make a VIDEO of a high conductor hitting anywhere else.

 

[Ted S]

I am glad you popped in Kevin. I did go in and put the discrimination back to factory settings. I have about 5 hours under my belt with the 10x12 sef coil. Nothing earth shattering to report. and handful of modern clad and two very deep wheat cents. Both wheats were a couple of inches deeper than my Whites TRX probe. Sensitivity was 25 manual. That worked ok with little chattering. If I went much higher,it got noisy. Iron mask on at 22. I also ran in smart screen and conductive sounds. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Coinboy007]

Right now I am at the beach in Florida with the etrac (darn equinox shaft would not fit in my suitcase ) and I’m running it with only iron disced out since I’m looking for jewelry. (27 FE line). In Iowa in the Parks I use a much tighter pattern that IDXmonster gave me, accepting only high conductors. In the older parks (usually 1930s and before) I open up the pattern a bit to accept nickels and Indians. If I’m on a private permission I disc out only Iron since I want to find the relics too. I don’t know how those settings transfer to an explorer but I assume they will work well since both machines run on fbs.

 

[Colour]

If looking for silver, yes. In fact, you can leave everything factory except maybe the threshold and that's all you'll ever need for everything other than gold.

 

[MikeO]

Nope. Never have never will.

 

[BigTony]

The normal settings will not get you large coins, ie: halves or silver dollars never mind about multiple coins stuck together!
Advance settings is your go to option after you really learn the sounds.
Get a copy of And Sabich book on Etrac/Explorer it’s worth it! Programs inside and explanations are very helpful.
Tony

 

[Ted S]

Hi Tony! I just saw your reply...I have Andy's book.

 

[BigTony]

Hi Tony! I just saw your reply...I have Andy's book.

Ted, I also suggest you test both screens, numbers then switch over to digital screen. Get a better idea of where stuff falls.
I would also test gold rings in both screens, don’t forget to notch out the bottom far right on display screen to eliminate bottle caps
Tony

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

I've been meaning to add my two cents to this thread for quite some time. When I first got my explorer back when WWII was raging I started out using the factory settings. Within days I noticed that when I swung multiple times over the same target; some of the times I got a nice coin sound, other times a null; sometimes the coin sound was quite rare. I remembering digging a few of these targets and sometimes getting a coin. Made me curious I ended up very early in my Explorer XS days continually decreasing the amount of discrimination from the factory presets. And lo and behold, the less discrimination the more often I would get a coin sound instead of a null. I discovered on certain passes over target the target ID was much farther to the left of the screen than where it should have been. With the factory default coin program you wouldn't be able to see the target icon hitting way left because it was in the discriminated region.

Ted, I also suggest you test both screens, numbers then switch over to digital screen. Get a better idea of where stuff falls.
I would also test gold rings in both screens, don’t forget to notch out the bottom far right on display screen to eliminate bottle caps
Tony

Quite soon in I had the set up BigTony mentions above. Completely open screen except for bottom far right notched out to eliminate bottle caps. And it must be emphasized that one must be in ferrous mode for this to work, otherwise every bit of iron sounds like a coin. I think about 75% of the early explorer uses came to the same realization on their own, and then many more as we discussed this issue on MDing forums. Some went ferrous and commando like me, some stayed in conductive and kept a very little bit of iron discrimination on the left side of the screen.

Well, we’ll just have our normal conversation Ted, just you and me Keep in mind, the factory Coins pattern is set from a variety of coins around the world. If you bought an Explorer in Syria, the pattern would be the same. So if you are ONLY looking for Indians and above, then you in the USA would adjust that pattern to your needs. Theres no earthly reason to have any more than the upper right quadrant open. If you’re going to start looking for gold coins and nickels...WAY different story. If ANYONE disputes this notion, I need them to make a VIDEO of a high conductor hitting anywhere else.

Therefore, I am going to disagree with IDXMonster. There is a huge advantage to having much more of the screen open than the upper right quadrant. Even a very high conductor target such as silver, when located near iron or steel, which is almost always the case these days, will not always ring up where it is supposed to. Often the target ID will be far to the left, but always towards the top of the screen. Same goes for nickels, classic location is target the bottom of the target icon touching bottom line of the smart screen, possibly one or two pixels above or below, and between a half and two thirds of the way to the right of the screen. Nickel with iron almost always bounces up and to the left from this position. Pull tabs and other trash tends to bounce in a more random pattern.

So the light bulb moment is.... If you are swinging over a target after you get a good hit, and only 25% of the passes over the target are giving you a coin sound and ID (though sound is better than ID) as you circle the target, the rest being nulls... One can conclude that you are missing a coin sound on 75% of the targets you swing over

 

[IDXMonster]

I've been meaning to add my two cents to this thread for quite some time. When I first got my explorer back when WWII was raging I started out using the factory settings. Within days I noticed that when I swung multiple times over the same target; some of the times I got a nice coin sound, other times a null; sometimes the coin sound was quite rare. I remembering digging a few of these targets and sometimes getting a coin. Made me curious I ended up very early in my Explorer XS days continually decreasing the amount of discrimination from the factory presets. And lo and behold, the less discrimination the more often I would get a coin sound instead of a null. I discovered on certain passes over target the target ID was much farther to the left of the screen than where it should have been. With the factory default coin program you wouldn't be able to see the target icon hitting way left because it was in the discriminated region.



Quite soon in I had the set up BigTony mentions above. Completely open screen except for bottom far right notched out to eliminate bottle caps. And it must be emphasized that one must be in ferrous mode for this to work, otherwise every bit of iron sounds like a coin. I think about 75% of the early explorer uses came to the same realization on their own, and then many more as we discussed this issue on MDing forums. Some went ferrous and commando like me, some stayed in conductive and kept a very little bit of iron discrimination on the left side of the screen.



Therefore, I am going to disagree with IDXMonster. There is a huge advantage to having much more of the screen open than the upper right quadrant. Even a very high conductor target such as silver, when located near iron or steel, which is almost always the case these days, will not always ring up where it is supposed to. Often the target ID will be far to the left, but always towards the top of the screen. Same goes for nickels, classic location is target the bottom of the target icon touching bottom line of the smart screen, possibly one or two pixels above or below, and between a half and two thirds of the way to the right of the screen. Nickel with iron almost always bounces up and to the left from this position. Pull tabs and other trash tends to bounce in a more random pattern.

So the light bulb moment is.... If you are swinging over a target after you get a good hit, and only 25% of the passes over the target are giving you a coin sound and ID (though sound is better than ID) as you circle the target, the rest being nulls... One can conclude that you are missing a coin sound on 75% of the targets you swing over

And this is what I see SO many times I lost count some time ago…I want to SEE it. The only thing I’ve dug so far by running discrimination any less than the actual upper right quadrant?….garbage. I have 2 patterns on the Explorer2 and now also on the SE which look like the Big Dipper…the upper right quadrant PLUS the handle going along the top and to the left because Lo and Behold I had read, I had heard, I took heed of all of the posts in the Explorer classroom saying that you’ll find highly conductive coins this way….I can’t remember even one. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. A video? It’s considerably more valuable than even that. If I knew it worked?….I’d be the first guy on planet Earth to run it that way all the time.

 

[BigTony]

I've been meaning to add my two cents to this thread for quite some time. When I first got my explorer back when WWII was raging I started out using the factory settings. Within days I noticed that when I swung multiple times over the same target; some of the times I got a nice coin sound, other times a null; sometimes the coin sound was quite rare. I remembering digging a few of these targets and sometimes getting a coin. Made me curious I ended up very early in my Explorer XS days continually decreasing the amount of discrimination from the factory presets. And lo and behold, the less discrimination the more often I would get a coin sound instead of a null. I discovered on certain passes over target the target ID was much farther to the left of the screen than where it should have been. With the factory default coin program you wouldn't be able to see the target icon hitting way left because it was in the discriminated region.



Quite soon in I had the set up BigTony mentions above. Completely open screen except for bottom far right notched out to eliminate bottle caps. And it must be emphasized that one must be in ferrous mode for this to work, otherwise every bit of iron sounds like a coin. I think about 75% of the early explorer uses came to the same realization on their own, and then many more as we discussed this issue on MDing forums. Some went ferrous and commando like me, some stayed in conductive and kept a very little bit of iron discrimination on the left side of the screen.



Therefore, I am going to disagree with IDXMonster. There is a huge advantage to having much more of the screen open than the upper right quadrant. Even a very high conductor target such as silver, when located near iron or steel, which is almost always the case these days, will not always ring up where it is supposed to. Often the target ID will be far to the left, but always towards the top of the screen. Same goes for nickels, classic location is target the bottom of the target icon touching bottom line of the smart screen, possibly one or two pixels above or below, and between a half and two thirds of the way to the right of the screen. Nickel with iron almost always bounces up and to the left from this position. Pull tabs and other trash tends to bounce in a more random pattern.

So the light bulb moment is.... If you are swinging over a target after you get a good hit, and only 25% of the passes over the target are giving you a coin sound and ID (though sound is better than ID) as you circle the target, the rest being nulls... One can conclude that you are missing a coin sound on 75% of the targets you swing over

I never had an entirely open screen on my Exp II. I couldn’t take all of the chatter that would produced and I have bad hearing.
I had a friend who had a completely open screen and he loved it and did well, very patient fellow…..very slow movement with his coil.

on a few occasions I saw the cursor in the top left and below the top left that produced coins…wheat, memorials and one merc but that’s it. The remaining were junkers, so I gave up that theory.
I still believe that coins will come forward in Ferrous mode after you have exhausted conductive mode….I did that very well at my sites.
Tony

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

And this is what I see SO many times I lost count some time ago…I want to SEE it. The only thing I’ve dug so far by running discrimination any less than the actual upper right quadrant?….garbage. I have 2 patterns on the Explorer2 and now also on the SE which look like the Big Dipper…the upper right quadrant PLUS the handle going along the top and to the left because Lo and Behold I had read, I had heard, I took heed of all of the posts in the Explorer classroom saying that you’ll find highly conductive coins this way….I can’t remember even one. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. A video? It’s considerably more valuable than even that. If I knew it worked?….I’d be the first guy on planet Earth to run it that way all the time.

Kevin,

I'm not sure how to take a video of this, would need to show the cursor bouncing along with the audio. Beyond my abilities, or at least ambition. When I get a interesting hit I circle while continually sweeping over the target. Some sweeps get a wonderful audio and icon location. Other sweeps only a low iron sound with a little high tone mixed in and a far upper left icon location, most others somewhere in between. Once in a blue moon get a wonderful target that hits and sounds great every almost every swing over the target; but that is the exception. Generally it takes quite a bit of circling to decide if the target is dig worthy.

Are you saying this is not your experience? Every time you swing over a target you are checking out you get the exact same tone and cursor location? Now that I'VE never seen.

I would try increasing and decreasing the iron mask from just a little to most of the screen covered. Do you get as many good sounding hits with lots of iron mask as with a little? I'll try this too, it's been many years since I've played with my basic settings. But... If memory serves me correctly, the more discrimination I had the less often I got any kind of high tone, only a null. And then could not watch cursor bounce, only the darkness of the disc'ed out area. And cursor bounce is key to deciding to dig.

If you do get less diggable sounding hits as you circle and swing over a target with more discrimination one can extrapolate that when you are gridding out a location you'll get less hits that catch your attention.

Lets get together sometime this fall.

Chris

 

[Ted S]

Interesting guys...I am soaking this in..

 

[Robin (Big Fang)]

I've been meaning to add my two cents to this thread for quite some time. When I first got my explorer back when WWII was raging I started out using the factory settings. Within days I noticed that when I swung multiple times over the same target; some of the times I got a nice coin sound, other times a null; sometimes the coin sound was quite rare. I remembering digging a few of these targets and sometimes getting a coin. Made me curious I ended up very early in my Explorer XS days continually decreasing the amount of discrimination from the factory presets. And lo and behold, the less discrimination the more often I would get a coin sound instead of a null. I discovered on certain passes over target the target ID was much farther to the left of the screen than where it should have been. With the factory default coin program you wouldn't be able to see the target icon hitting way left because it was in the discriminated region.



Quite soon in I had the set up BigTony mentions above. Completely open screen except for bottom far right notched out to eliminate bottle caps. And it must be emphasized that one must be in ferrous mode for this to work, otherwise every bit of iron sounds like a coin. I think about 75% of the early explorer uses came to the same realization on their own, and then many more as we discussed this issue on MDing forums. Some went ferrous and commando like me, some stayed in conductive and kept a very little bit of iron discrimination on the left side of the screen.



Therefore, I am going to disagree with IDXMonster. There is a huge advantage to having much more of the screen open than the upper right quadrant. Even a very high conductor target such as silver, when located near iron or steel, which is almost always the case these days, will not always ring up where it is supposed to. Often the target ID will be far to the left, but always towards the top of the screen. Same goes for nickels, classic location is target the bottom of the target icon touching bottom line of the smart screen, possibly one or two pixels above or below, and between a half and two thirds of the way to the right of the screen. Nickel with iron almost always bounces up and to the left from this position. Pull tabs and other trash tends to bounce in a more random pattern.

So the light bulb moment is.... If you are swinging over a target after you get a good hit, and only 25% of the passes over the target are giving you a coin sound and ID (though sound is better than ID) as you circle the target, the rest being nulls... One can conclude that you are missing a coin sound on 75% of the targets you swing over

Yea, Chris, I am from the WWII days also. I use two patterns/modes (Explorer II). One for parks and homes: conductive tones with iron mask at 13, and for fields or really iron-infested sites I use ferrous tones and no disc. Seems to be deeper with these low or no-disc settings. Hope this helps.

 

[woodbutcher]

And this is what I see SO many times I lost count some time ago…I want to SEE it. The only thing I’ve dug so far by running discrimination any less than the actual upper right quadrant?….garbage. I have 2 patterns on the Explorer2 and now also on the SE which look like the Big Dipper…the upper right quadrant PLUS the handle going along the top and to the left because Lo and Behold I had read, I had heard, I took heed of all of the posts in the Explorer classroom saying that you’ll find highly conductive coins this way….I can’t remember even one. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. A video? It’s considerably more valuable than even that. If I knew it worked?….I’d be the first guy on planet Earth to run it that way all the time.

IDX,could you show me a picture of your screen? The Big Dipper program. Lol.

 

[IDXMonster]

IDX,could you show me a picture of your screen? The Big Dipper program. Lol.

Something like this Pete, even took a pic on your old gorgeous SEPro! I runner tighter than this a lot but THIS will not leave any doubt, at least not that I’ve seen. Notice that 00-31 WAY at the top right, just that one pixel….is disced out. Sorry it’s upside down…

 

[woodbutcher]

Something like this Pete, even took a pic on your old gorgeous SEPro! I runner tighter than this a lot but THIS will not leave any doubt, at least not that I’ve seen. Notice that 00-31 WAY at the top right, just that one pixel….is disced out. Sorry it’s upside down…

Thanks! I was wondering about that pattern, man I sure do miss the SE pro. I found my only two gold last year with that machine. Thanks for the photo

 

[IDXMonster]

Be SURE to keep in mind and I’m sure you already know, but just to be CRYSTAL CLEAR….this is for HIGH CONDUCTORS. Just in case someone else is looking at that pattern….