Rick said:
Has anybody, after ground balancing, adjust the ground balance more lower (negative) to see if it hits deeper silver?
I hear it works good with AT Pro and Tejon.
You didn't mention which search mode you were referring to using. There are a number of variables to consider, such as search cil size and type, the ground mineral make-up, etc., but after using most makes and models through the years to evaluate their performance in working other types of sites I mainly hunt, I like to have a 'spot-on' Ground Balance in the All Metal mode most of the time. That is difficult to achieve with some detectors because they are a bit touchy, so if anything I like it every-so-slightly positive rather than negative. Remember, I am referring to searching using the threshold-based All Metal mode.
With many makes and models, perhaps most of them these days, the motion-based Discriminate m ode is a silent-search of operation. Due to that you don;t have a Threshold reference to hear and do a quick check of the Ground Balance setting. By about this time in the '80s, three decades ago, I had found that some models were designs with a Discriminate mode GB 'reference' or 'off-set' that was resulted in a more positive GB in the Discriminate mode.
Through the '80s and into the early '90s I found this to be especially true of many/most of the Tesoro brand models I used. There might have been a reason for this added or more positive GB reference for the Disc. mode, but I am not sure of the real intent in the design. We do know that if the Discriminate mode's GB setting is too negative you will then get a 'beep' or audio response with any abrupt change in the ground mineral reference, such as lifting the search coil away from the ground, or if you sweep over a depression in uneven ground or a void, such as a hole in the ground cause by plugging, etc.
Because most of the Tesoro models, or close copies of them through the years, offer a factory preset Ground Balance, if it is set right on the mark or a little positive for All Metal searches, the Discriminate mode's GB reference will usually be quite a bit positive. It might be better to describe it as TOO positive for peak performance, especially in more highly mineralized ground. By being set positive or maybe extra-positive, the end user will not hear a lot of false signals ([size=small]aka 'beeps'[/size]) if they errantly lift the coil away from the ground or sweep over a hole, etc. If the average user doesn't hear the false responses, then they can't complain about having a noisy detector. That's good, from the company's customer service standpoint.
However, if the GB reference is too positive, the avid detectorist who wants to get the maximum performance out of their detector won't if they are hunting in 'bad ground' conditions. Well, I consider myself to be an above average detectorists and long ago, wanting to find the best setting possible for the detectors I was using, I determined that I really needed to make sure I had the best Ground Balance setting for the search mode I was using. Because I was adjusting the Ground Balance in a non-threshold, silent-search Discriminate mode, which hadn't had any instructions for, I termed this method of GB adjustment
'Power Balancing' and it definitely increased my overall detector performance for depth, small target or fringe-range target response on a deeper located target.
I have been teaching and explaining
'Power Balancing' for about thirty years in my seminars and such, especially to those using a Tesoro or Tesoro copy or other detector which might benefit from having a more functional GB setting. If the GB is too positive, a detector can lose performance, even to the point of not signaling on a high-conductive silver or clad coin.
For those using a Tesoro model with manual GB they can try this simple test.:
NOTE: This is an 'Air Test' comparison.
Select the threshold-based All Metal mode.
Set a 'proper' slight audio Threshold setting.
Adjust the Ground Balance fully 'positive' to the maximum setting. ([size=small]I have hear and read of some Tesoro Dealers who used to explain this technique to new hobbyists who had difficulty adjusting a GB control[/size].)
Next, with an audible slight Threshold and a full positive GB setting in the All Metal mode, use a big ol' silver dollar and a silver or clad 50
