I have been reading the forums regarding automatic ground balance and I thought I had it figured out. Minelab sent me out one of their DVD's and I watched it yesterday. The guy demonstrating the coin and treasure mode ground balanced the machine by moving the coil up and down after he pressed auto, but the guy demonstrating how to ground balance in prospecting mode didn't move the coil at all. Therefore I am left wondering which way is the correct way to ground balance in prospecting mode. Any suggestions?
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Ground Balance Question
- Thread starter BobNV
- Start date
doesant matter realy mate, being auto tracking your detector will adjust to the ground just by staying in one spot for about 20seconds,and then of you go with your good old x-terra70 auto groundbalancing as you go. THE ONLY TIME YOU REALY NEED BOTHER WITH GROUND BALANCING REALY IS IF YOU WANT TO USE MANUAL BALANCING INSTEAD OF AUTO. regards ken+marg
BarnacleBill
New member
Both Coin & Treasure and Prospecting use the same GB procedures. What is on a DVD I have no idea about and really don't care, and that is not meant to be flippant. The Tracking on the X70 in my opinion makes the Auto-GB kind of a mute point. It's really not needed because the Auto-GB is a vertical GB process, move the coil up and down, versus the Tracking GB which is a horizontal process, move coil left<> right.
Why do I like Tracking better? For about the first 5 seconds after you turn Tracking on the X70 is in a fast tracking mode where it will zero in on the ground very quickly, but so fast that it would track targets out. After this initial fast tracking it slows down automatically on it's own without you even knowing it.
With Auto-GB there's always the question of how high off the ground to hold it to start, how high to pump it, how fast to pump it, and am I over a target when I do it? If you Auto-GB over a target then you've defeated the purpose. Even if you plan to manually adjust the GB more positive or negative afterward I would still use Tracking. Let it fast track in and then turn off Tracking and do your manual adjustment.
Experiment with it, you're not going to hurt anything, Auto-GB, then check the reading, Track it in in the same location and check the reading, manually adjust it in and compare it.
Many of us like the Tracking because it's like Lazy Man's Lobster, eat your Lobster with a fork, why get Butter all over your fingers, might not even have to use a bib!
HH
BarnacleBill
Why do I like Tracking better? For about the first 5 seconds after you turn Tracking on the X70 is in a fast tracking mode where it will zero in on the ground very quickly, but so fast that it would track targets out. After this initial fast tracking it slows down automatically on it's own without you even knowing it.
With Auto-GB there's always the question of how high off the ground to hold it to start, how high to pump it, how fast to pump it, and am I over a target when I do it? If you Auto-GB over a target then you've defeated the purpose. Even if you plan to manually adjust the GB more positive or negative afterward I would still use Tracking. Let it fast track in and then turn off Tracking and do your manual adjustment.
Experiment with it, you're not going to hurt anything, Auto-GB, then check the reading, Track it in in the same location and check the reading, manually adjust it in and compare it.
Many of us like the Tracking because it's like Lazy Man's Lobster, eat your Lobster with a fork, why get Butter all over your fingers, might not even have to use a bib!
HH
BarnacleBill
Tracking is the default GB for the Prospecting mode. And it will work well in either mode (Prospecting or Coin/Treasure) for many. But as a coin shooter, I sometimes hunt in areas with lots of targets and don't always remember to turn off tracking when I am Xing over the ones I want to investigate further. When I coin hunt in C/T, I use a combination of several GB techniques. I typically use Auto GB and then set it manually for (what I consider to be) optimum performance. My process is to sweep the coil over the ground (all metal in C/T or Prospecting mode) and make sure there are not any targets in the area I am trying to set the appropriate GB. In C/T all metal, I'll hold the coil (steady) about 4 inches above the ground and set the Auto GB. Once it is set, I use manual GB to confirm the Auto GB setting. This is done by bobbing the coil from about in inch off of the ground to about 6 inches. Up and down, up and down, listening for that blended tone. The AUTO usually is spot on. But I like to run mine a digit or two more positive. It might chatter a bit more than some like. But in my mind (which don't mean it is right) running a bit positive makes me think I am doing all I can to hear those deep, narrow target signals. JMHO HH Randy
For a newbie just looking to identify a target learn the machine wich route do I go?BarnacleBill
New member
Turn GB Tracking on and just start detecting. Once you get more comfortable with all the other controls and what the detector is trying to tell you via the screen & audio, then you can start to worry about more detailed nuances.
With Tracking On the X70 can be equated to one of the "Turn On & Go" detectors that has a preset GB. There is no learning hump to get over about learning how to GB properly. The trouble with the cheap preset GB machines is that they can start to be noisy if the ground minerals get nasty. With the X70 for the most part it will just hum along tracking the ground with little fuss unless you get into some truly bad ground.
So don't worry.....Tracking ON and go detect.
HH
BarnacleBill
With Tracking On the X70 can be equated to one of the "Turn On & Go" detectors that has a preset GB. There is no learning hump to get over about learning how to GB properly. The trouble with the cheap preset GB machines is that they can start to be noisy if the ground minerals get nasty. With the X70 for the most part it will just hum along tracking the ground with little fuss unless you get into some truly bad ground.
So don't worry.....Tracking ON and go detect.
HH
BarnacleBill
I questioned that same thing a few months back. But after getting a 70 all that DVD stuff kind of went out the door. The 70 is almost fool proof. Turn it on and hit noise cancel then hit track and find treasure. Heck sometimes I forget to noise cancel and just start detecting. Who cares?! Just have some fun! You'll learn as you go.
If your hunting gold nuggets or species I wouldnt hold the coil high off the ground stationary to ground balance. Reason being is that you will not be hunting at that height, when you do hunt your coil will be within a cm of the ground or actually on it depending upon conditions. If you balanced say 4 to 6 inches stationary off the ground you will be lessening the mineral effects and will probably achieve a false ground balance. What could then happen is you could be bombarded with false signals if you hunted in fixed after balancing, loose depth and performance.
I balance the "pump" method to start, from about roughly 4 inches above ground to within a smidge of ground surface. I use tracking on and give the machine a wake up call now and then by hitting the track button twice to initiate fast track. This is advantageous in ground where the changes fool the Terra and it either hesitates to track, doesnt notice a subtle ground change, or a mineral of some kind causes it to hickup. By this "hickup" I mean it sounds like the Terra does not know which way to track, pos or neg, and sounds all wiggly in the audio. When it does that just hit the track button twice and it will instantly go stable. So your in tracking, goes weird or hesitates to track, hitting the button the first time takes it out of tracking and hitting it the second time takes it back into it initiating fast track. After practice it becomes second nature and takes just a second to perform. Lots of people though have their own ways and preferences of doing things which they find works for themselves and their own peculiar hunting style and conditions. TTE, try , test and experiment to see what works best for you.
I balance the "pump" method to start, from about roughly 4 inches above ground to within a smidge of ground surface. I use tracking on and give the machine a wake up call now and then by hitting the track button twice to initiate fast track. This is advantageous in ground where the changes fool the Terra and it either hesitates to track, doesnt notice a subtle ground change, or a mineral of some kind causes it to hickup. By this "hickup" I mean it sounds like the Terra does not know which way to track, pos or neg, and sounds all wiggly in the audio. When it does that just hit the track button twice and it will instantly go stable. So your in tracking, goes weird or hesitates to track, hitting the button the first time takes it out of tracking and hitting it the second time takes it back into it initiating fast track. After practice it becomes second nature and takes just a second to perform. Lots of people though have their own ways and preferences of doing things which they find works for themselves and their own peculiar hunting style and conditions. TTE, try , test and experiment to see what works best for you.
stewartlittle
New member
The way I ground balance my 70 most of the time is put it in AM mode and swing the coil to make sure there is no metal under it.Then while in GB mode I hit Tracking for a few seconds while pumping the coil up and down and shut it off.I then sometimes manually push the + and - till there is least amount of difference in the tone,still pumping it up and down.
I normally only reGB when I go to another site or to a different type of soil like sand or wood chips.
I dont know the main difference between manual and tracking GB,but you can't manually GB it without pumping the coil.
I normally only reGB when I go to another site or to a different type of soil like sand or wood chips.
I dont know the main difference between manual and tracking GB,but you can't manually GB it without pumping the coil.
Jackpine Savage
Active member
I have to question pumping the coil while in tracking. If the detector is seeing ground and air in tracking you may not be getting the best balance. In fact its doubtful.
It does not matter if the 70 sees some iron/trash while sweeping the coil when using tracking to set the GB. Just be sure to leave it on long enough to switch out of the inital fast track mode for a bit.
HH Tom
It does not matter if the 70 sees some iron/trash while sweeping the coil when using tracking to set the GB. Just be sure to leave it on long enough to switch out of the inital fast track mode for a bit.
HH Tom