Hi Anthony.
There are a couple of good pinpointing methods that help you get the best out of the Ace.
The first and most popular method, is to use the 12 o'clock position of the inner coil. Once you have located the target, press the pinpoint button and centre the coil over the target and using the Minelab wiggle, pull the coil back till you loss the signal. (the wiggle helps at the point where you lose the targets as it gives you the precise location of your target.) By listening to how long it takes for the audio to fade, it actually tells you how big the target is. This doesn't work if the targets is closer than 2 inches. All close targets give an instant drop off of audio, which does give great accuracy though. Do allow some leeway when listening because you'll get frustrated if you get too fussy with it. Listening to the fade, you can easily tell a coke can that is deep because the audio will keep hanging on instead of a close small target that will will give a fairly rapid audio drop off. Something that you need to be aware of, is when pinpointing, if there is a second target that comes under the coil when you draw back, then the audio will NOT alter till the inner coil has pass over over the last piece of metal that is under it. If a target is longer than you think it is, then turn the coil through 90 degrees and re pinpoint but this time move your coil from side to side, to see if you get a break in the audio. If you don't, re hit the pinpoint button to detune (as this will give you a 3 inch wide signal) and recheck the target. If you do have some difficulty in isolating a target, then use the tip of the inner coil (in pinpoint) to feel around a target or to feel your way between targets.
The other method, to be used to located deeper or more difficult targets, is to use the cut out in the middle of the coil. This is a very accurate method but doesn't give you as much target info as the first method. Hit your pinpoint button, go over the target and when you are a bit away from it, re hit (detune) the pinpoint button. As mentioned before, it shrinks the width of the target to 3 inches, but it also only leaves the front half of the inner coil active.(Sometimes the back half will stay active. If this happens, try again.) Because the back half of the coil is now switched off, instead of pulling the coil towards your self, you push the coil away and listen for the audio to stop (making sure you are centred over the target). When it stops, pull it back towards your self till you pick up the audio, moving the coil a quarter of an inch after the audio is heard. At this point you will have the target right in the middle of that cut out! If the detector nulls, the go through this process a couple more times. If it keeps doing it, then the detector is just telling you that it's a large target and you can move on.
Practice on a coin you can see and have fun.
Mick Evans.
