Explorer trivia questions for the pros.

[Anonymous]

1) Why does iron sometime read as #31? 2) What useful purpose does this serve since Minelab could have programed this signal to be displayed with a lower number in the iron range and not in the area designated as the best conductors. 3)Why does none of the patterns in Andy's book not block this area out? 4)How does one tell if the magnatite is a)low, b)high, c)increasing, or d)nonuniform over the search area since no feature is monitoring it specifically? 5)Is any traditional action needed if one feels he is in a heavy magnatite area or does the FBS combined with semi-auto sensitivity,gain control and the explorer's mysterious form of ground balancing negate this matter and one mearly needs to learn it is not an issue with this detector even though all detectors must compensate for magnatite in the soil since it distorts the EMF. 6) Do you believe the Explorer is using any form of auto ground tracking whos recovery speed is based on the soil matrix controlled by the CPU which would lead to superior depth/stability in all matrixes or just typical 2 and 4 filter circuits that filters it out according to the level detected? 7)How does the different levels of iron "masking" differ from the different levels of iron "discrimination" on a traditional detector? <IMG SRC="/forums/images/glasses.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">Logic says higher levels of "Iron Masking" should allow one to detect a coin lying next to or under a nail,however,many at this site have stated the Explorer can "unmask" nonferrous targets easier with lower levels of iron masking. If this is true, then what are higher levels of iron masking for? 9)Explain exactly when iron masking is a)our friend or b)our enemy and give story example so it is crystal clear. 10)What is the differance between sensitivity and gain? Is it true sensitivity is the amount of transmitted power and gain is the amount of amplification of the return signal before the signal is processed? Then how should one set these two sister controls for different types of soil and trash matrixes? Give examples using combinations of a)low mineral/low ferrous trash b) high mineral/low ferrous trash c)low mineral/high ferrous trash d) high mineral/high ferrous trash matrixes. 11)What is the advantage of listing to rejected items null out when detected? b) Disadvantages?(assuming the explorer can silently reject targets which I believe it can). 12)Last but not least- This entire message forum has no mention and discussion of the Explorer's greatest claim to fame- It can seperate similuar condictive items based on each's specific condunctance. Either a)it works as advertised and everyone is silently happy or b)no one really needed that capability and don't realize if it is or is not filling their pouches with more keepers. This is assuming it does work as good as Andy presented in his book. c) Even a few die hard water hunters who should benifit the most have not posted, why? I belive they will not buy such an expensive detector since it is not water proof to a mere two meters for shallow water hunting. Summary: If Minelab remanurfactored the chassis with a fiberglass/expoxy blend making it bullet proof, improved the quality contol by testing each detector before shipping and made the unit waterproof, I believed this detector would be a big big winner. As it is, a year later with no major changes to address all field usage problems, I believe sales will suffer unneccessarly. I though about buying one but I'm afraid of getting one in a busted box, wrapped in plastic bags, brecking off the lower stem or armcup, and screen scratches showing it is a demo/reconditioned unit as many have posted. The magic with the new Explorer can die as fast as it was born if Minelab doesn't move quickly to update its product. I invite all pros on this site like Mike, Mitch, and Jim to anwser each question if known so we can all understand this revoluctionary new instrument.

 

[Anonymous]

Just kidding. I don't know all the answers but I know I got mine from Will and he bought it right when it came out and I am a big guy and I haven't broke nothing yet.No cracks and I am hard on stuff.I don't baby it at all.Its muddy right now.I check the coil cover every time I go out though to make sure there is no built up dirt and water that can make it false.

 

[Anonymous]

I wont pretend to know all the answers to the questions you posted, but will take a stab at my thoughts...
1) Why does iron sometime read as #31?
A. I think iron is a fairly good conducter especially if its round or square in shape. the disc circuits may in fact not work soley with conductivuty but ferrousity. While some iron may read 31 on the digital screen, it is almost always on the left side of the smart screen which measures ferrousity. the good thing here is not many good targets read 31
2) What useful purpose does this serve
since Minelab could have programed this signal to be displayed with a lower number
in the iron range and not in the area designated as the best conductors.
A.As far as usefullness, like I stated before not many good targets read 31. I would have liked to have seen the digital mode switchable from conductive to ferrous mode like the audio is, but for the most part I use the smart screen which is very accurate on iron, and iron does have a distinct tone and for the most part is very easy to distinguish audibly. and dont forget you have the ferrous mode of response which will give low tones on iron.
3)Why does none of the patterns in Andy's book not block this area out?
A. never read Andys book not sure what area your talking about.
4)How does one tell if the
magnatite is a)low, b)high, c)increasing, or d)nonuniform over the search area since
no feature is monitoring it specifically?
A. you can tell what type conditions your in judging by threshold nulling and in some cases getting high pitch stuttering over these conditions, usually going to auto sens will take care of the falsing, however it may or may not affect depth, when you get into high iron mineralized soils best to check targets in both modes to see if you want t o live with the falsing to gain depth, or if the depth is not being affected badly then staying in auto
5)Is any traditional action needed if one feels
he is in a heavy magnatite area or does the FBS combined with semi-auto
sensitivity,gain control and the explorer's mysterious form of ground balancing negate
this matter and one mearly needs to learn it is not an issue with this detector even
though all detectors must compensate for magnatite in the soil since it distorts the EMF
A. other than previous answer I dont know how it does it.
. 6) Do you believe the Explorer is using any form of auto ground tracking whos
recovery speed is based on the soil matrix controlled by the CPU which would lead to
superior depth/stability in all matrixes or just typical 2 and 4 filter circuits that filters it
out according to the level detected?
A. I dont know how it works, but to the best I understand its measuring returned signals from different frequencies and seeing which ones are doing the best in that ground and only proccesses those returned signals. which expolains why the BBS/FBS machines need more time or a slightly slower sweep speed to work its best on depth.
7)How does the different levels of iron "masking"
differ from the different levels of iron "discrimination" on a traditional detector? Logic
says higher levels of "Iron Masking" should allow one to detect a coin lying next to or
under a nail,however,many at this site have stated the Explorer can "unmask"
nonferrous targets easier with lower levels of iron masking. If this is true, then what are
higher levels of iron masking for?
A. I am not really sure how all disc circuits work to eliminate responses from iron, and as far as I know there is no machine that will not respond to iron at all. and if there is I am sure that machine will not work wel in iron. might not hear it but you probably wont hear anything near it as well. I suppose the easiest way to explain iron mask affect on good targets is, because the explorer(and other machines as well I suppose) will try to null anything disced out, Now remember just because your not hearing it that doesnt mean the machine isnt seeing it so if you are using high levels of iron mask and there is a coin nearby, the nulling affect may override that target, the good thing is lowering the iron mask to accept a bit more iron makes uit easier for the explorer to respond to the target. a level of -10 on the explorer still knocks out 99 percent of iron signals, but you may hear more quick falses from iron on the edged of being disced out, however you add a coin in there and it will sing out. I guess the higher levels are for those sites where iron is spread around enough not to really interfere much, so it would be a lot less falsing with higher levels. a single nail with high iron mask will not affect a coin nearby as much as a coin in the midst of a dozen nails, so even with the high iron mask you sjould hear it.. Personally I use =8 to - 10 at most of my sites, as my ear is pretty good at telling iron
9)Explain exactly when iron masking is a)our friend
or b)our enemy and give story example so it is crystal clear.
A. see above <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">
10)What is the differance
between sensitivity and gain? Is it true sensitivity is the amount of transmitted power
and gain is the amount of amplification of the return signal before the signal is
processed? Then how should one set these two sister controls for different types of
soil and trash matrixes? Give examples using combinations of a)low mineral/low
ferrous trash b) high mineral/low ferrous trash c)low mineral/high ferrous trash d) high
mineral/high ferrous trash matrixes.
A. I think you got it right, sens is a measure of power transmitted and gain is simply an amplification of the audio response. your other questions are more related to how the explorer "ground balances" so I dont think gain will affect much. sensitivity can be put in auto to compensate or you can just raise or lower it in manual to try and see where you get a fairly steady threshold,
11)What is the advantage of listing to rejected
items null out when detected? b) Disadvantages?(assuming the explorer can silently
reject targets which I believe it can).
A. not sure what your asking here.. please explain further.
12)Last but not least- This entire message forum
has no mention and discussion of the Explorer's greatest claim to fame- It can
seperate similuar condictive items based on each's specific condunctance. Either a)it
works as advertised and everyone is silently happy or b)no one really needed that
capability and don't realize if it is or is not filling their pouches with more keepers. This
is assuming it does work as good as Andy presented in his book. c) Even a few die
hard water hunters who should benifit the most have not posted, why? I belive they will
not buy such an expensive detector since it is not water proof to a mere two meters for
shallow water hunting. Summary: If Minelab remanurfactored the chassis with a
fiberglass/expoxy blend making it bullet proof, improved the quality contol by testing
each detector before shipping and made the unit waterproof, I believed this detector
would be a big big winner. As it is, a year later with no major changes to address all
field usage problems, I believe sales will suffer unneccessarly. I though about buying
one but I'm afraid of getting one in a busted box, wrapped in plastic bags, brecking off
the lower stem or armcup, and screen scratches showing it is a demo/reconditioned
unit as many have posted. The magic with the new Explorer can die as fast as it was
born if Minelab doesn't move quickly to update its product. I invite all pros on this site
like Mike, Mitch, and Jim to anwser each question if known so we can all understand
this revoluctionary new instrument.
A. I am positive the learn/reject feature works better than any notch system out there, you can and I have tested this take two like readig conductive targets and reject one and still get the other. in other words using a Sovereign with digital meter take a gold ring that reads 164(sov measures conductivity alone) and a pulltab that reads the same 164, reject the tab with the learn mode and still pick up the ring. the system is not infallible as the more things you reject the more chances you might get that exact spot where a ring or coin might read, so I would use it sparingly if I used it all, maybe rejecting 3 of the most troublesome trash targets you are getting from a particular site. However I prefer to run open and listen to everything dow to my iron mask setting. first of all because ther just isnt that many signals left at the majority of my sites, and the ones that are loaded with trash I just switch to a coin accept mode and get what I can from that high trash. As for beach hunters I thing being most beaches are fairly easy digging they would rather dig it all than take the slight chance one of their rejected targets might knock out a ring. One thing that isnt mentioned enough is that no matter where the target reads on the meter, the audio tells it all, good targets simply sound good, while trash targets generally sound bad. train your ear and you dont need to even look at the meter, letting tone and sound quality be your guide on what to dig if overwhelmed by signals(I miss those type sites) As far as your quality concerns I cant say, havent had a single problem with either of my explorers yet, and I too am not gentile with my machines, hunting mostly wooded and rocky areas banging it around..maybe I am lucky or maybe its because I dont use an arm strap, which I think outs pressure on the arm cuff and I hate having to pull my arm out to dig a target, I have had the sunray cover on since day one, I have had the sunray stand/headphone adapter on also so very seldom remove the 1/8th jack. I donmt know.. I also do not leave mine in my car which I think is where some problems come from, from things bangin it around or falling on top.. All I know is I was worried about having any new sites to hunt this year because mine were very slowly dwindling out last year with targets, and with the explorer I have had one of my best years ever finding things that mine and other machines left there, and thats good enough for me <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

I now understand my Explorer a lot better. I just wish this snow would go away!! Thanks to JD asking the right questions and many thanks to Jim for the answers!!!!
Snow bound in Buffalo,
Jim Lagowski

 

[Anonymous]

I'll try to answer your post now but I am no Explorer expert and would never claim to be one, I only strive to excel in the hobby and gladly pass on any knowege I think will also help others. I will only give MY TAKE on your questions and they should be taken as such. I will just add what I can with out repeating Jim's excellent response.
1) Why does iron sometime read as #31?
>>>>>The explorer's coil has a magnetic field which scans the ground and when a coin or object passes through the XS's magnetic field it distrurbs(steals) a bit of the XS's field(signal) which the XS measures and translates giving the ID. Apparently certain high ferrous objects mimic high conductivity thus giving the 31. Nials, screws, bolts, stainless steel buttons, and other object tend to do this. This is obviously not useful but is really not a big deal at all and after using the XS for a couple weeks I'm sure you agree.
2) What useful purpose does this serve since Minelab could have programed this signal to be displayed with a lower number in the iron range and not in the area designated as the best conductors.
>>>>>I think the Minelab technicians would have made every consideration in that area and I trust their reasoning was based on making this new Smartfind technology work correctly.
3)Why does none of the patterns in Andy's book not block this area out?
>>>>>There are screens in Andy's book showing this area blocked out.
Getting a 31 over on the right side of the screen is an exception to the rule so whether or not to block it out becomes more of a qestion of is it worth it or not.
4)How does one tell if the magnatite is a)low, b)high, c)increasing, or d)nonuniform over the search area since no feature is monitoring it specifically?
>>>>>The XS takes a snapshot of the area within it's magnetic field, magnitite I believe also becomes part of the back ground thus limiting it's affect on performance. Other detectors lose performance in these conditions.
5)Is any traditional action needed if one feels he is in a heavy magnatite area or does the FBS combined with semi-auto sensitivity,gain control and the explorer's mysterious form of ground balancing negate this matter and one mearly needs to learn it is not an issue with this detector even though all detectors must compensate for magnatite in the soil since it distorts the EMF.
>>>>>Semi auto does a good job plus you can go to manual and set it accordingly. However, I have used Manual Sensitivity set at 32 when hunting in high trash/high iron areas and have hit 8" silver coins, this goes against traditional action results.
6) Do you believe the Explorer is using any form of auto ground tracking whos recovery speed is based on the soil matrix controlled by the CPU which would lead to superior depth/stability in all matrixes or just typical 2 and 4 filter circuits that filters it out according to the level detected?
>>>>>The 28 Frequencies are doing this but doing it by virtue of just having the ability to see and ID the target at all, not by a recovery response. Because certain freqs work better in certain ground conditions it is perpetually balancing and seeing at greater depths. Filters are only telling the XS how long it has to anylize each snapshot.
7)How does the different levels of iron "masking" differ from the different levels of iron "discrimination" on a traditional detector? Logic says higher levels of "Iron Masking" should allow one to detect a coin lying next to or under a nail,however,many at this site have stated the Explorer can "unmask" nonferrous targets easier with lower levels of iron masking.
>>>>>The Exporer unmasks hidden goodies at low Iron mask levels and at high Ironmask levels, I mostly use the preset coin screen which rejects only a slightly more of than an Ironmask setting of 0, and it does seem to -just as it does at lower Iron mask settings- allow for quicker all round target responses. So it would seem advantagous to reject as little as possible. But this is assuming the XS recovers from an Accept differently than from a Reject. Should this be, or is it an audible illusion?
(If this is true, then what are higher levels of iron masking for?
>>>>>Higher levels are for dicrimating more iron/unwanted signals. Some hunt only rejecting nails -a small area in the upper left- and do quite well, others feel more comfortable rejecting even more depending entirely on the imediate ground conditions. You can't be superman and hunt using a clear screen in all types of areas/sites, because of the many different high trash and iron levels, if you were'nt already crazy you would soon be. So you start with no Discrimination then begin adding it as needed, you may stop at a -10 iron mask or you may got as high as a tight custom coin program, all depends.
9)Explain exactly when iron masking is a)our friend or b)our enemy and give story example so it is crystal clear.
>>>>>Iron masking is Discriminating iron. So if your in a site that's loaded with iron -like a junk yard- you can run high iron(0) mask and maybe find a good target(I would not use Iron mask in a junk yard or any site that's high in trash/iron anyway). The cleaner the site the lower the iron mask setting.
I believe Iron mask is more useful in low trash/iron sites. We have no common gauge or standard discribing trash/iron levels so to use iron mask because it's better doesn't mean it's better in all trash/iron levels. I guarantee there are sites where Iron mask is not an advantage.
10)What is the differance between sensitivity and gain? Is it true sensitivity is the amount of transmitted power and gain is the amount of amplification of the return signal before the signal is processed? Then how should one set these two sister controls for different types of soil and trash matrixes? Give examples using combinations of a)low mineral/low ferrous trash b) high mineral/low ferrous trash c)low mineral/high ferrous trash d) high mineral/high ferrous trash matrixes.
>>>>>That depends on many things, but site unseen......a) Manual Sensitivity 28, gain 7. b) Semi-auto Sensitivity 32, Gain 7. c) Semi-auto sensitivity 24 or Manual 20, gain 7. This is in general and in know way would I ever get stuck using one setting only. The XS is extremely versitile.
11)What is the advantage of listing to rejected items null out when detected? b) Disadvantages?(assuming the explorer can silently reject targets which I believe it can).
>>>>> That's why running threshold can be helpful.......When I hear a null I am able to make a choice as to whether I want to check it again, if I didn't hear the null then I wouldn't have the choice. Some targets on the fringes will null once(rarely though) but when rechecked from a different angle give a good response.
Also, I see an advantage in rejecting some signals so as to not have to constantly hear everything -sometimes I want to hear everything and sometimes I don't.
12)Last but not least- This entire message forum has no mention and discussion of the Explorer's greatest claim to fame- It can seperate similuar condictive items based on each's specific condunctance.
Either a)it works as advertised and everyone is silently happy
or b)no one really needed that capability and don't realize if it is or is not filling their pouches with more keepers. This is assuming it does work as good as Andy presented in his book.
c) Even a few die hard water hunters who should benifit the most have not posted, why? I belive they will not buy such an expensive detector since it is not water proof to a mere two meters for shallow water hunting.
>>>>>I think this is a benifit to all hunters since we all have shared goals. I still don't see it happening exactly as was advertised but I also can't say that I, or any one else has given the time needed to test this so hopefully down the road it will be dicovered just how the XS can do this and how we will have read when the XS is telling us this. We have to look at this when and if the digging of finds slows down. No one going to test this when the finds are as abundent as they have been.
As far as I can tell so far the use of the Edit and Learn screen come closest to achiving this XS function.
Summary: If Minelab remanurfactored the chassis with a fiberglass/expoxy blend making it bullet proof, improved the quality contol by testing each detector before shipping and made the unit waterproof, I believed this detector would be a big big winner. As it is, a year later with no major changes to address all field usage problems, I believe sales will suffer unneccessarly. I though about buying one but I'm afraid of getting one in a busted box, wrapped in plastic bags, brecking off the lower stem or armcup, and screen scratches showing it is a demo/reconditioned unit as many have posted. The magic with the new Explorer can die as fast as it was born if Minelab doesn't move quickly to update its product. I invite all pros on this site like Mike, Mitch, and Jim to anwser each question if known so we can all understand this revoluctionary new instrument.
>>>>>The Explorer IS a big big winner, I do find it sad that many experienced hunters are missing out on the greatest thing to hit the Metal Detecting world since, I don't know, discrimination.
The XS is phenominal in every way, but seeing is believing and until one gives it a couple weeks try out in the field they will never know. I knew it was beyond just great within the first hour after pulling finds out of sites I had picked clean using the Sovereign and had also been picked clean by CZ's, XLT's, and every other detector you can think of. 5 or 6 silver coins one month using the Sovereign, 25 silver coins the next month using the Explorer.
I never read where it said hunters should be overly rough with their XS, I believe in the back of my mind that some of the post telling of broken Explorer cups, shafts, and other parts is due to abuse. I paid big bucks for my XS, you can believe that I won't be rough with it.
I hope I've been some what accurate, wouldn't want to put any one on the wrong track.
GL/HH

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

And how to find sites that have not been hunted.Maybe include a list of the online resources you use to get maps and various web sites that help you locate or,and identify your 18th century artifacts you find.Would be a good winter project for you.I would buy one.I want an autographed copy though.

 

[Anonymous]

Outstanding gentlemen!!!!!! Thank-you Jim and Mitch for taking the time to answer in great detail my questions. I hope Mike will give us his take on those soon. I've been detecting for 15 yrs and its nice to find an outstanding website with people who knows more than myself and is willing to share that knowledge. You both have convinced me to start saving for an Explorer. Do you think Minelab will make a green one for me? That way I can replace my Garrett Freedom and my wife won't suspect a thing!! Keep up your excellent responses to all in need on your vast knowledge. My hat is off to both of you!!

 

[Anonymous]

By "abuse" I mean not handling the Explorer with extra care, and I should clarify by saying I also don't think that every break or crack is do to lack of care by the user, didn't mean it that way either. I'm sure no one is purposely colliding the coil into trees or rocks, or slamming the car door on a cuff or rod. I also realize accidents happen and that flaws in manufacturing cause the detectors and detector parts early demise. Expensive does not mean or imply indestructible, and considering it has just been added to the market it should be expected that all physical parts and internal electronics may have bugs making it even more important that extra care be given. I'm not always easy on a detector and sometimes I have to remind myself that I shouldn't drop the detector from a foot high after kneeling to dig, but I do make sure it clears the trunk or door and is not about to become a lever between the car seats <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT=""> GL/HH

 

[Anonymous]

No problem JD, always glad to help.
You just might have to take a can of quick drying Garrett Green paint with you when you go pick it up <IMG SRC="/forums/images/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">
GL/HH