Does it get reduced when the Sensitivity is lowered? Years ago I heard the coil power is always at maximum sensitivity when in All Metal mode, even when the Sensitivity is lowered. Disc mode too? If the coil power is always at maximum in All Metal and Disc mode then what does the Sensitivity knob do? What does the Disc knob or Notch knob do? Are they simply SQUELCH adjustments. My Golden uMax has Notch mode. Notch will knock out pull tabs, nickles, and other targets that fall in the Notch range and still detect tiny foil and small nails if regular Disc is set to minimum. My question is for all detectors. Is the coil power always at maximum and do the knob settings simply squelch the signal in the control box.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Is the coil power permanently set at maximum sensitivity by the factory?
- Thread starter jabbo
- Start date
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
The voltage (power) to the coil is same unless your detector has a boost mode which increases the voltage in ground conditions that would allow it.
The GAIN, if you have one, controls how much of the return signal is allowed to be amplified (all return signals)
Sensitivity is sometimes divided into two channels, Discrimination and All Metal and it allows the two channels to be amplified separately. Some detectors has one Sensitivity knob that amplifies both channels the same.
Disc, discrimination, is squelch..... kinda. In most detectors, discrimination turns off the audio on targets that you choose to not listen to. Notch Discrimination allows you to choose a particular area, or areas on multiple notch detectors, that you wish to accept or reject depending on the detector make or model.
I tried to make this apply to most detectors, but I think you can apply this to your Golden. This is a simple block diagram of the Whites VX3, V3i
[attachment 251344 Amp.jpg]
The GAIN, if you have one, controls how much of the return signal is allowed to be amplified (all return signals)
Sensitivity is sometimes divided into two channels, Discrimination and All Metal and it allows the two channels to be amplified separately. Some detectors has one Sensitivity knob that amplifies both channels the same.
Disc, discrimination, is squelch..... kinda. In most detectors, discrimination turns off the audio on targets that you choose to not listen to. Notch Discrimination allows you to choose a particular area, or areas on multiple notch detectors, that you wish to accept or reject depending on the detector make or model.
I tried to make this apply to most detectors, but I think you can apply this to your Golden. This is a simple block diagram of the Whites VX3, V3i
[attachment 251344 Amp.jpg]
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
Yep, that is correct, but that is not saying that the magnetic field induced into the ground can not be changed. A larger coil will produce a larger magnetic field and the smaller coils magnetic field will be smaller. That is why larger coils, generally speaking, will go deeper than smaller coils.
Critterhunter
New member
Some machines allow you to change the output power to the TX winding in the coil, while most machines by far only change the RX gain (amplification) on the receive signal via adjusting the sensitivity on your detector. Why wouldn't the output power be adjustable? Because there is a optimum setting for that that will work in most soils or sands for best depth. Any further ability to increase depth by increasing the strength of TX field has very minimal benefits but far more drawbacks and would more often than not hurt your depth, and only rarely help it when the planets are lined up just right, from what I've always read on the subject. Too strong of a field and it starts to have issues with mineral glare or getting out of balance/specs with the coil's design for stability and the delicate balance with the RX winding.
I know of one aftermarket amplifer which plugged in between the machine and the coil and would increase the voltage output (it had it's own higher voltage power source) to the TX winding, creating a larger magnetic field. Problem was that many seemed to find it unusuable in their soils or sands or things would get unstable. By the time they adjusted it's output power and that of the sensitivity (RX gain) built into their detector any depth increase potential was a wash. Not for everybody though, but many that I read anyway.
Same deal with people thinking higher voltage fed to the detector will give them more depth (like say non-rechargeables versus nimhs). The machine will never see that increased voltage due to a regulator only putting out a static set lower voltage the electronics need to run stable. Otherwise as the battery drained the detector would constantly be drifting out of tune. The only real benefit batteries have at play in terms of a detector's performance is using higher capacity ones, and all that will do is increase your run time. Higher capacity won't hurt a detector, but higher voltage attempts could very well do damage and will offer no benefit for the risk.
I know of one aftermarket amplifer which plugged in between the machine and the coil and would increase the voltage output (it had it's own higher voltage power source) to the TX winding, creating a larger magnetic field. Problem was that many seemed to find it unusuable in their soils or sands or things would get unstable. By the time they adjusted it's output power and that of the sensitivity (RX gain) built into their detector any depth increase potential was a wash. Not for everybody though, but many that I read anyway.
Same deal with people thinking higher voltage fed to the detector will give them more depth (like say non-rechargeables versus nimhs). The machine will never see that increased voltage due to a regulator only putting out a static set lower voltage the electronics need to run stable. Otherwise as the battery drained the detector would constantly be drifting out of tune. The only real benefit batteries have at play in terms of a detector's performance is using higher capacity ones, and all that will do is increase your run time. Higher capacity won't hurt a detector, but higher voltage attempts could very well do damage and will offer no benefit for the risk.