How to Set Up the V3i

[earthmansurfer]

Hey all, I made this video today to mostly help those new to the V3i.

The You Tube description:

This video is mainly a help for new users.
It will go over: checking for EMI and how to deal with it, Ground Balancing and using the Ground Probe to determine the ground mineralization and type of mineralization, Finding the best filter for your ground (really the main point of the video), a little bit on recovery delay and sensitivity zoom.

ps - I recommend watching it in 480 or 720 Full Screen, it will make a difference.

Enjoy,
EMS

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MykHQ7wob0s[/video]

 

[Schrecky]

Well done and helpful, thanks

 

[TIM CLARK]

Very good video going to try this tomorrow when I set up to hunt .

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

very good you are the earthmaster

 

[nw1886]

Haven't watched the vid yet but that sure is a good thing to have done. Just showing those basics is going to have people grasping their machine much faster. Now to the vid....Great Job EMS!!! That was a bit more than I thought it would be and you explained things well! (Nice to have the added overlayed information too.)

 

[earthmansurfer]

Thanks a lot guys. I have fun making the videos. Of course I knew there would be mistakes and Rob brought one to my attention (and right at the end!). I think what I said sufficed for sensitivity zoom but it was technically wrong.But he added some nice info and also about Rx (Which I often run lower in iron when I can run it a bit higher.)

Here is Rob's explanation of Sensitivity Zoom:

Sensitivity Zoom
In the Sensitivity Zoom window, you see the signal strength at a percentage of when the detector overloads. This isn't on any specific frequency - the reading is on the incoming signal before it has been separated into the 3 frequencies. The goal is to keep the ground signal about 20% so that you still get depth and can still see shallow targets without overload. Signal% doesn't indicate signal "loss", but rather the amount of residual signal present. If ground + null are the cause, then this doesn't take away from sensitivity. Instead, it takes away from large/shallow target response, manifested in a signal overload. None of these are losses, but rather they reduce the available dynamic range. The lower this % number the stronger the signal will come through or be received.

You can run the RX as high as you want as long as it doesn't cause overload. As long as there isn't overload it will not affect performance. I myself would not go much higher than 40%. The better the null on the coil the higher RX you can run. Try setting RX and check the % now try TX boost. The % will go up and smaller signal could cause you to overload on a target, It shows % before overload. 15% means you have 85% before overload, 40% you have 60% before overload.

 

[don tyler]

Thanks for info BIG HELP Don Tyler

 

[Advent]

I wish I knew about this last week and yesterday....
I was ground probing yesterday I did not realise I had to Zero Balance in Air Derrrrr .
I zero balanced with the coil on the ground and below here see the results....
What do you make of them?
Well next time out I will know better.
Many thanks.
Advent in England.

 

[Cedar-Acres]

Great video! It helps a lot to actually see the process. I need to get out now and try it on my V3i and see how much better the performance is. I just need to make a bulleted list of the steps shown in the video since I can't view it while out in the field.

Thanks EMS!!!

 

[Rob (IL)]

Since you didn't zero they don't mean anything.

Ground Probe

"PHASE ANGLE" is the measured difference between the transmitted signal and the signal received from the target. Different materials have different characteristics (resistivity, reflectivity, conductivity, density, etc) which affect the signal that is returned from that specific target. It is this difference between the transmitted and returned signal (phase angle) that is measured by.
The detector only reports VDIs converted from positive phase angles (0 to 180 degrees). The negative angles aren't valid assuming that the machine is calibrated correctly. In the ground probe screen, you may see negative angles if you are holding the coil in the air so there is no real signal coming in - just noise, or you haven't zeroed it first. Once you zero the machine and lower it to the ground, or read your target, your phase angles should come in between 0 and +180 (as with anything there will be exceptions - ground conditions, noise, what have you). A ferrite bead will come in very close to 180 degrees (-95 VDI) which is close to where most normal ground comes in and pure conductors will come in around 0 degrees (+95 VDI). Salt water (wet beach or fields with lots of fertilizer and wet) comes in close to 90 degrees (0 VDI) Approximate numbers.
Ground should fall between 0 and 180 degrees. In air, when you zero the detector, you will see phases of both positive and negative values - those are just noise and don't pay attention to them. If you are getting a negative phase for any of the frequencies when you lower the loop to the ground however, you probably have an overload problem. Most ground that we see is 178 (-94) to 165 degrees except salt which falls close to 90 degrees (VDI 0).

The VDI reading is converted from the ground phase normalized to standard VDI units. It's either going to be from the strongest signal if the detector is running best data, or the average of the two strongest signals if correlate is selected. If you have ground coming in at -94(VDI) with a signal strength of 2% and another ground coming in at -91 with a signal strength of 7%, it would seem to me that the ground coming in at -91 is more mineralized even though it is a less negative VDI. A signal strength of the ground as follows 0 to 10% weak, 10% to 20% Moderate and 20% and up to be strong. The lower the mineralization, the slower one should sweep - which may mean a lower filter should be selected. The phase tells you composition (between purely ferrous and purely salt), while the signal strength tells you the concentration (more mineralized).

 

[Ytcoinshooter]

Thank you! You have a talent for communication through this medium. I know I'll be using your video as my tool for setting up the detector. Just sold and shipped off my DFX yesterday. I'm looking at various deals for getting the V3i, eBay, online classifieds and just deciding if I want to go new or used based on price and accessories. I have the 5.3 & 6x10 from my DFX. Meanwhile I still have my XLT & CZ20 to use on the land. Been waiting for whites to make a huge leap forward and have been lurking on the Spectra online forums.
Thanks again and keep doing the videos!
HH-Bruce (aka Maniac)