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Right Settings and Headphones

Cody

New member
When I first used the Explorer series it was necessary to hear an ultra deep target so I could compare the sound to other detectors I have used. It really helped to go to IM-16 and search for a very faint deep target as indicated on the dept indicator and modulated sound. I then just focused on that faint target and adjusted the threshold up and down to see what happened. I then did the same with sensitivity, audio gain, deep/fast ON/OFF and Normal sounds vs Audio1, 2, 3. This way I was not dealing with air test or targets I have in a test garden. That early test laid the foundation of how to adjust the detector. I will still find targets that are ultra deep and play with the adjustments to see what produces the best signal such as sweep speed, noise cancel, and have found there is a best sweep speed that is not too slow or too fast. It is a very comfortable one for me but a target will sound better with the correct sweep speed. Sweeping the target from different direction will make a huge difference in many instances.

Someone asked about headphones and I use Gray Ghost Originals, have the stock headphones, some Whites, Uniprobe, and other that are really not designed for metal detecting, and also hear some good reports on the brands of the sponsors of the site. I like volume controls on each ear which is not what I have on the Gray Ghost but use them as I can really hear faint sounds with them. Our individual hearing is so specific that I think we really need to test a couple of different brands to see which ones are best. I have very poor hearing in one ear at high frequencies and not so bad in the other. I need volume controls and would love to have tone controls for each ear. In addition they can really fit nice and be comfortable in hot weather or weigh a lot and constantly need to be adjusted. I do plan to get a pair of the Sun Ray Pros as they have very good specification and as I said want volume controls for each ear. I think there are some really top brands out there that other can vouch for but for me the headphones are extremely important. I am a testing type of person so have taken several pairs to the field and then tested them on deep targets. The headphones, for me, are a world of difference in what I hear. With the different headphone I think can change the setting of the Explorer since I hear a lot more with one brand than another. It is fair and important to realize that our hearing is so specific that the ones I like best may not work best for someone else. I am not trying to doge the question but know that our hearing needs to be matched to the headphones.
 
Cody raises some excellent critical points that "will" make the difference between success and getting discouraged I would like to expand upon with my 2 cents worth. I don't claim to be "Joe Detector" but I am finding my share of goodies in old hunted out parks. Each time I go out detecting I seem to learn something, resulting in more neat finds.

First and foremost, you will not find old coins or relics in modern places where the earth was bulldozed and removed (generally). Hunting at old undisturbed ground where people frequented is always much more productive (old homes, churches, parks, swimming holes, picnics, etc.).

Second: Sound is everything! My first reaction to ANY target is the sound! On a personal note, I have found 75% of my finds in the first 1-2 hours of hunting. When I continue to hunt longer in trash areas I seem to start to day dream and stop listening? Most likely it is me, my hard hearing, and my attention span. But that is my experience! I agree with Cody about headphones. I have had great success with my Grey Ghost NDT. You need the best headphones possible and the best brain to keep listening to all those tones driving you NUTS! There are many excellent head phones on the market and I do not endorse one over the other. But get the best you can afford if you want the best chance of hearing the coin.

In these hunted out old park areas, many times I get the high silver sound "ONLY" in one direction. Meaning, doing a 360 degree circle around it will not convince you it is a coin not sound in but one direction. Most times in pinpoint it will only pin point in one direction. DIG IT! When I'm not to impatient to find out if it is a coin or not, I found the coins on edge, normally silver dimes or Indian/Wheat cents. My honest average is digging 6-8 ghost holes for every find, but it will pay off.

My second reference to determine if is a silver coin or copper penny with the Mine Lab II is with the curser. Let me regress for a moment. In the midwest where I hunt I normally have manual settings of IM -15, fast/deep on, gain 10, sens: 22-26, etc. But those settings are personal prefrences and for the ground and conditions here where I am hunting. Yours will no doubt be different for optimum performance of your machine.

On a normal outing the last year in hunted out parks, I will average between 0-4 silver coins (mostly dimes) and a mess of wheat cents and other desirables. When I hear a possible silver coin, I treat it like a lady! I carress her for some time and play with her to get stimulated and ready to burst and dig. What gets me excited, is when the curser on the smart screen wants to go off the screen to the top and right! If I want more foreplay, I'll switch to digital mode for that 00-28, 00-29, 00-30 stimulas errection before planting my digger into her to make her my own...

Always remember: For best results, you must go very slow and keep your coil as close to the ground as possible. Hunt the same area in different directions and under different soil moisture conditions. I am absolutely convinced soil moisture is conductive to finds.

A side note: We all know the Minelab is capable of great things. Just about every post I see asks if this machine goes deeper? Will this machine detect at a depth of 24 feet to determine if the bronze age man used steel?

My personal experience: I have retrieved 50% of my old coins between 3-5 inches. Twenty five percent between 5-6 inches deep, and 25% between 6-9 inches deep, less next to tree bases. The Minelab sniffs them out, period.

No amount of forum will replace experience detecting and experimenting with your machine. Get out and find those nice coins! Dig, Dig and then dig some more...


HH> Holedigger
 
A setting of audio 1 may benefit those with excellent hearing, but most use normal.
As far as headphones many excellent brands and a lot comes down to personal preferences and ones personal hearing abilities so do experiment what works best for you.
Nice post Cody...
 
Although in our Ground old coins seek deeper and average silver coin is about 6 inches and have even found them at at about a foot certainly a nice beneficial post for the forum to peruse...
 
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