1.. Make sure your GB setting is spot-on for the All Metal / Pinpoint mode. If anything, it could be just very slightly more positive, but not much. Just slightly.
[size=small](Having an improper GB, especially a setting that is too negative, can result in a weaker signal or loss-of-signal .. *an audible Threshold* .. based upon search coil height repositioning during a Pinpointing maneuver. [/size]
2.. Move the search coil to the side of the located target so the edge of the coil is just past the presumed location.
[size=small](To begin pinpointing, the coil's outer edge should be perhaps 1" or so past the target to isolate it. Depending upon the search coil size, shape and type this distance from coil's edge to the center-axis of the target can vary. Especially with a Double-D coil because of the differing behavior from one side compared with the other due to the overlapped Tx and Rx inner windings and EMF.)[/size]
3.. Before you access the Pinpoint function, make sure the search coil position ... * the ground-to-coil distance * ... is where you are going to move the search coil. Make sure you maintain a uniform / consistent coil-to-ground relationship when you go into Pinpoint and move the search coil across the suspected target position.
[size=small](This can be very important, especially if the GB adjustment is set too negatively. Quite often I have watched people who have had the nulling, or going silent, behavior when they accessed Pinpoint. The cause is that they might move the coil off to the side of the target, which is correct, but they hold the search coil higher when they have pressed the button or pulled a trigger to access Pinpoint, and then they lower the search coil toward the ground. Some might move the coil sideways at a proper search height, go into Pinpoint, then even get the coil closer to the ground or even on the ground.
If the GB setting is just even slightly negative, and especially if hunting a more mineralized ground environment, then if the coil is lowered toward the ground that will drive the Threshold audio lower, even into the null or to be silent, and there might not be sufficient target response from a smaller and / or deeply positioned target to produce a response that is above the Threshold level and thus hearable.)[/size]
4.. Once an operator has a proper, functional GB setting and Threshold audio setting, then they can learn to master the Pinpointing technique to be able to quickly narrow the target spot down and even de-tune the Pinpoint to isolate the target position more exactly. But first you must adhere to the above basic fundamentals so as not to do anything wrong to start with.
I hope I haven't left anyone confused.
Monte
