Questions about some important adjustments

[OregonMike]

Hi again!

None of my detecting friends have the V-3--so I don't get the benefit of their experience. They can get together and swap stories and teach each other a lot, but for me, this forum is my best source of information, so I really appreciate people taking the time to share their experiences.

Here are my latest questions:

1--I'm interested in some opinions I've been reading lately that say the preset programs might be a bit "hot." Another post likens it to trying to use hi-beams in the fog.
If I feel like I'm missing some deeper targets, should I reduce the sensitivity? That's counter-intuitive, but it sounds like it might work. Any ideas how much to reduce, or a way to tell if it's making a difference?

2--I tend to use as high of gain as the conditions will permit, based on the advice of a friend who was a very successful DFX user, but has lately moved to another brand. Is the consensus that this "highest-usable gain" approach is a good idea with the V-3?

3--Lately there's been some talk on this forum about the importance of swing speed. I tend to have a fairly slow swing speed. Does that mean I should consider changing other settings, like the ground filter or the recovery delay? One post I read said something about the V-3 being a "fast swing" detector. Sorry, but I'm a "slow-swing" guy! How do I know if I'm set up for my relatively slow speed?

For the record, I've been using the Coin and Jewelry setting, pretty much on the pre-sets except for tone ID on and gain as high as conditions permit. I'm in western Oregon where the soil has some fairly high mineralization. In the Willamette Valley, the soil is a combination of river loam and volcanic ash. In some parts of the valley there is clay 6 to 12 inches down. I have the standard DD coil, a 5.3, and a non-V3 tuned 9.5 concentric.

I'd appreciate any opinions that people might offer about my questions.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Larry (IL)]

Stability is #1 You can turn your sensitivity and RX up until it falses and then back down a little, and for a slow swing, you might want to try the 5HZ filter and recovery delay around 80 to 100. There is nothing wrong with the slow swing, that is what gets the really deep ones. Programs and most of the other adjustments are pretty much personal choice.

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Mike,

This is something you can try which should help you learn to have faith in your settings.

Next time you find what appears to be a deep target, go ahead and take the time to lower both the rx gain and the Disc Sens and notice how far in fact you can actually turn the gain and sens controls down and still hear the target well. Do this on several targets and you will soon realize that max settings are not usually necessary. Once you have the trust that your unit does not actually require settings that make the v3 sizzle in the headphones, you can then concentrate on other settings like the filters and recovery speed etc.

Let us know if you can lower the settings and still not lose the targets.

HH

Tony

 

[Rob (IL)]

1--I'm interested in some opinions I've been reading lately that say the preset programs might be a bit "hot." Another post likens it to trying to use hi-beams in the fog.
If I feel like I'm missing some deeper targets, should I reduce the sensitivity? That's counter-intuitive, but it sounds like it might work. Any ideas how much to reduce, or a way to tell if it's making a difference?
The high beams are Larry's. I have to agree with Larry, stability is #1. This was hard for me coming from an MXT which I ran hot. Tony"s got your answer on the second part.

2--I tend to use as high of gain as the conditions will permit, based on the advice of a friend who was a very successful DFX user, but has lately moved to another brand. Is the consensus that this "highest-usable gain" approach is a good idea with the V-3? The DFX was mild compared to The V3 and so were its base programs. Sensitivity has more to do with depth than the RX IMHO. But then too much sensitivity can pickup too many tiny surface targets.

3--Lately there's been some talk on this forum about the importance of swing speed. I tend to have a fairly slow swing speed. Does that mean I should consider changing other settings, like the ground filter or the recovery delay? One post I read said something about the V-3 being a "fast swing" detector. Sorry, but I'm a "slow-swing" guy! How do I know if I'm set up for my relatively slow speed? The MXT didn't care about sweep speed so I got to be a slow swinger, I've had good luck with 5K high.

For the record, I've been using the Coin and Jewelry setting, pretty much on the pre-sets except for tone ID on and gain as high as conditions permit. I'm in western Oregon where the soil has some fairly high mineralization. In the Willamette Valley, the soil is a combination of river loam and volcanic ash. In some parts of the valley there is clay 6 to 12 inches down. I have the standard DD coil, a 5.3, and a non-V3 tuned 9.5 concentric.
You should be talking to Monte. If you do get ready to use your 5.3. He's from your area.

 

[OregonMike]

Thanks for the advice.

It sounds like at least some of what I proposed is on the right track.

Thanks again,

Mike