2 Much Trash said:
Thanks Guys for your responses. I only used the T2 as an example because that's my main detector. I have other machines as well, automatic ground balance and manual. I've been swinging a detector going on 40 years now and still couldn't tell you the difference between a kilohertz and a gigawatt , or is that jigawatt.
Bill, I can tell you that the majority of the people I know today, and have known for 49+ years of detecting, haven't got a clue what most of the technical terminology is, or what a lot of the features of many detectors does that results in us finding good targets, rejecting junk, and being able to deal with an assortment of ground mineral environments. Too often I read or hear peoples comments about the differences between the EMF of a Concentric and Double-D coil, and they are most often quite incorrect.
There's also a good misunderstanding of operating frequencies and their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of that is based on the how we USED to recognize the differences between lower and higher frequencies that was recognized in the latter '70s and early '80s when we were seeing a lot of changes, and noted some models that worked better for Gold Nugget Hunting Vs Coin Hunting Vs Relic Hunting compared to the advancements we have made in circuitry design, improved VLF-Disc. [size=small](motion Disc.)[/size] circuitry design, and other refinements.
The majority of the metal detectors made today or over the past three decades probably have factory preset Ground Balance. Even adjustable models, like the Tek. T2 and Omega and G2, the Fisher F75, the White's M6 and MXT's in the 'lock' setting, and all the manually GB'd models without first being adjusted for a proper, functional GB, start out with some sort of already set or adjusted Ground Balance.
Unless the GB is radically 'off,' most average hobbyists haven't a clue if the GB is 'spot-on' or perhaps too positive or too negative. If too negative in the Discriminate mode, you can experience a lot of falsing, but otherwise, most people can't tell a difference or know if there would be a difference.
2 Much Trash said:
I guess what I'm really trying to find out, regardless of the detector being used that has manual ground balance, does it matter performance wise, what settings you are in when you ground balance the machine.
MONTE 
I like to keep things 'simple' so the
'simple answer' is .... YES.
Still, many people don't know what the GB really is with some silent-search Discriminating modes. With some makes and models, the Ground Balance adjustment only affects the Threshold-based All Metal mode. Some detector models were designed with some glitches where they have a factory preset GB, but if the operator adjusts the Discrimination control, it can shift the GB setting, and that can be a bad thing, too.
I can take some detector models and increase the GB to max or close to max [size=small](too positive GB)[/size] and the result is there will be no response to big Silver Dollars or Half-Dollars, and sometimes even Quarters won't respond, or the detection depth will be very reduced. Most of those I refer to here are Tesoro's or close copies of the Tesoro circuitry. By their design, most Tesoro's have a Disc. mode that has a somewhat positive offset to the manual or internal All Metal mode GB adjustment, and that helps eliminate noise from a too negative GB, but adds to the limitations if it is too positive.
No, I am not going to leave Tesoro out there as the only manufacturer with a GB issue because I have seen it with other brands as well. I have had two [size=small](2)[/size] brand new Teknetics Euro-Tek Pro models with an 8" coil. These have an internal trimmer for GB adjustment, but I don't think the All Metal Pinpoint GB setting and motion Discriminate mode settings function the same with this adjuster. On my first E-T Pro, I checked it with an assortment of coins and it responded weakly to a Morgan Dollar. I wanted to use my 5" DD coil on it for trashier old town sites, etc., so I checked it with that coil, as well as with a brand new 11" DD [size=small](BiAxial)[/size] coil.
The GB was way too positive for the All Metal Pinpoint mode as it responded very briskly [size=small](got louder quickly)[/size] as the coil was lowered from about 6" to 5" as I approached the ground in a pretty mineralized area. In the Discriminate mode, with those two search coils, I couldn't get a response on a Morgan Dollar or even a Walking Liberty half. On that unit I tweaked the GB and reduced it. It was still a little too positive in PP, but not as bad, and I tweaked it using all three coils [size=small](5" DD, 8" Concentric, 11" BiAxial)[/size] so that the Disc. mode would respond to all coins reasonably well.
The next Euro-Tek Pro I got worked okay with the stock 8" and the 5" and 11" DD's I checked on it. Checking in Pinpoint it was not as positive as my first unit before or after being tweaked.
One of the features I like on the Teknetics Omega is the Ground Error read-out on the left side. It will let the operator know if a GB is close to on-the-nose, or alert the user if it is too positive or too negative and needs a quick re-adjustment.
It is my own belief that for peak performance, any detector with an adjustable Ground Balance, be it a quick automated 'Ground Grab' / 'Fast Grab' type or a manually adjusted setting, be properly set when you start your hunting, and checked and adjusted as needed. "
As needed" can mean when you change search coils, if you change settings, and if you change locations, or if the ground mineral conditions change at the site you're searching. I think I double check my detector's GB setting maybe every 15-30 minutes or so, or when I observe a difference in terrain color or texture that suggests I ought to check it.
I used to have a couple of T2's and there were times I'd use them at the turn-on preset setting and they worked, but I felt much more comfortable after I made a quick GB for best performance.
So, do you HAVE to GB? No, not usually.
Will you notice a difference in performance if you do GB? Possibly, but who knows without comparing a before and after check of the target?
One way to determine what might or might not favor you, would be to GB at a site and check the detector's Ground Phase/Ground Balance reading [size=small](if a model has that)[/size] and see if there is a pronounced difference from the turn-on/preset GB and the automated or manual GB setting.
Another way is to hunt a site without making any GB change from turn-on/preset. Then, when you get some target signals that are more challenging, such as deeper or in unusual ground, pause before recovery. Off to the side, adjust the detector's GB setting, then sweep back over the target you already located. Is the response any better or worse? Learn from experimentation.
Monte
