Hi David,
IMO, ground balancing and THEN slipping into auto track makes no sense because the moment you hit the autotrack button, anything you may have set in the manual or auto GB procedure is overwritten by the autotracking feature, so, why bother, right?
IF I did not use auto track, I would surely GB the unit, probably using the auto feature because it does so well.
If I had any indication of noise I would also surely use the Noise Cancel feature. I know, I am sure there is noise which I cant hear but the detector can, however, this is how I use it, not saying its right or best,
As for your question on the HF for relic detecting.... I dont think I agree on this. HF is sooo sensitive to tiny specks that it tends to waste my time often enough. If there was a MF 6inch DD coil you can bet I wouldnt have this HF 6 in DD. Till then, this one does great and does require you to try and rule out that the item is not a tiny speck. I havent figured out the BEST way to do this yet because there are soooo many variables.
I think a MF 6 inch DD coil or ANY MF coil is the BEST AVERAGE freq coil you can possibly be swinging for all around use. If you are after gold, as in prospecting, a HF will surely have you digging the tiny stuff.
Later
Tony