Using Audio 2

[Joe G]

After finally getting used to using the Exp II, I started experimenting with the repsonse modes and have been using Audio 2 for the last 6 weeks or so. I've tried going back to "normal" but I'm kinda used to the Audio 2 response and the tones of various targets at the beach. I've dug enough junk to know what the most common stuff sounds like. Bottle caps are easy to pick out and rusted ones have a sound all their own. Coins just "lock" right in, gold and silver too. I've come across multiple (clad) targets in close proximity and have been pretty good at figuring out what's there before I dig it up... The only thing I have a problem with (get fooled by) are crushed screwcaps (just like silver) and an occasional squaretab that gives a nice round nickel sound.

My question: Is there any real disadvantage to using audio 2? I haven't read any posts from anyone that actually uses it... I'm just curious if there's anything the filtering does that could be causing me to miss targets, especially in trashier areas?

Thanks for your help

 

[Cody]

I almost always use Audio1 for the same reasons you post. Audio2 is a little smoother sounding tune on co-located targets than Audio1 as you know. They also smooth out ground noise chatter and will give a better ID on deeper targets than Normal in my opinion. I just about always use Audio1 so have very little experience with Auido2 to suggest it is better than Audio1 as far as ID or stability of operation is concerned. I find Audio1 to be so effective that I have no reason to do much with Audio2.

HH, Cody

 

[Dennis(WI)]

I have been using Audio 2 for the last 6 months exclusively. Swinging fast or slow its just plain easier to hear targets for me. My good finds as well as clad & silver rings has gone up. I also use ferrous, fast and deep on and with my other setting I find that screw caps have a slightly more hollow sound compared to clad/silver. I use a discrim pattern for just silver (loves barbers, merc, rosies, wheats and of course clad). Sometimes switching to a more open pattern (similar to one of Cody's). As far as missing targets I don't think it's happening. Just recently I found a 1936 mercury dime next to an old time rusted bottle openner and under a rock at approx 6". This was a lot of noise and I was still able to hear the sound (just one way and just a chirp) of good silver. I don't think I'd have been able to find it without using Audio 2 and the help of the periscope and x1. I also found a 1872 seated dime about 2 feet away, just 3" down! This was from a circa 1850's pounded park. Proves you just got to dig them all. In WI soil I usually run 20 sens and manual, 25/28 gets kinda unstable. Threshold just barely audiable(mostly to let me know the machines still on). At 20 targets lock in nicely. I tried going back to audio 1 but I'm so used to the stretched out sounds of audio 2 I can't get back now. I pretty much run the stock 10.5 coil but have tried the wot and still haven't found any real solid settings. The best I found this year with the wot was a 1942 mercury dime on edge at 4".
Sorry for the long post. HH Dennis(WI)

 

[Joe G]

Thanks so much for your post! I'm relatively new to the Explorer (have it since April). I've just never heard of anyone else using Audio 2 and wondered if there was a reason. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something that was losing target for me. I find it much easier and less confusing than Audio 1 or Normal. I just can't seem to go back to the others...

I'm working an area near my church that has an 1827 Quaker meeting house on it with an old cemetary. There's plenty of trash but I know there's got to be some silver around (I did find a Washington and a Merc there). I mostly beach hunt but I love digging dirt and I'm dying to find something older than me I guess I'm just going to have to dig a lot to learn what to listen for on those iffy signals; the ones everyone else has missed. I must be doing something right because I found some gold and silver at the beach last week at a place that was pounded... Very small gold ring, 14 kpendent and 2 very small stud earrings.

Since you work in Audio 2, can you shed some light on what you listen for? Do good targets still "lock" in, even if it's only one way? Does the filter average the tone of co-located targets or can you still separate them?

My experience so far is that I'm getting better separation in Audio 2. From what I can tell so far, junk targets can't hold a good tone and tend to break up; I don't know how to explain it...

Thank again for your input,

You too Cody! Very helpful as usual.

 

[Dennis(WI)]

We're a fan of the digital readout and use it most of the time. Today we had a one way 1926 wheatie at 5-6" lock in around 03/28 and we have seen them at 04/28. You must wait a second or two for the system to catch up on the digital readout. Probably due to our discrimation pattern. What works good for us are the following settings. Everything is maxed out except Tone Threshold and thats at 8 and gain which we find 3 works the best. We hardly ever switch unless the ground is really clean and then it's usually to 6 or 7. Everybody has their own preferances on this but we find if you hunt at 6 or 7 all the time you tend to lose your mind with all the noise and mostly everything sounds the same depth. Using 3 and a decent pair of headphones (we use Sunray) you have plenty of volume to hear every blip or strung out tone and go back to investigate. our setting do not come without problems. If you can't stand high pitched sound its not for you. Silver coins and clad quarters will knock you headset off. Wheaties and dimes are a lower non-ear pearcing tone for the most part and most clad pennies have a lilty wilty sound. Bottle caps have a hollow sound in the pleasent dime sounding area. Kinda hard to describe. But if you try these setting you'll know what I mean. We used the learn function to make up a discrimination program of silver and wheatie coins only. Using this program in conjunction with Audio 2 and the above setting we are able to move as fast or as slow as we want, in trashy or clear areas. Sometimes we work at an IM of 10 in very clear areas but with audio 2 in trashy areas this can be a handful. Hope we've been of some help.
HH Dennis(WI)

 

[Cody]

You have about nailed the method I use to create a patter. I open up the upper left of the screen but about an inch square. Then learn several different sizes of gold rings. I open the foil area and expand this to catch thin gold, nickels, and other valuable low conductive metals. I close the lower right side of the display a little less than half the height of the screen and about 1/8 wide. With the upper left of the screen open there is almost always a low threshold and a growl for iron. With the gain at 4 or 5 and my headphones adjusted I hear these in the background. Another other tone needs to be investigated and is easy to hear compared to the low chatter and sound of iron. I am using manual sensitivity, Audio1, and if I see the numbers on the digital screen jumping around and not solid with no target then back the sensitivity down a click or two.

I use learn and Edit in this way. I first accept rings/pulltabs with the medium cursor then reject pulltabs with the small cursor. When sweeping I catch the ring/pulltab hit then in pinpoint with a pulltab centered it will breakup or go away completely. If I find I am hitting tails then use the learn with smallest cursor to reject them. I realize that something is going to be missed but that is what I try leave for the other guy. Take a little and leave a little is not a bad way to go.

These settings are very productive and what I really like is they are a pleasure to hunt. With the settings too high it is like a bucking horse that we can ride but are worn out afterwards. I don't see any depth loss by backing the gain way down on test targets or in the field. I do see those little tick sounds for bits of aluminum kicked way up to the point where they get in the way of the true good targets. In clean ground then I switch to IM-16 and kick the gain up to a higher level. I should add these are settings for trashy parks where there is some clean ground.


HH, Cody

 

[Joe G]

One of the things I hadn't tried to do was lower the gain... I was going to do that on my next outing. It was just getting a little too "busy" and I didn't like everything sounding as if it were the same depth. Even the tiniest scrap of metal sounds big. In trashy areas, it's just too much.

I also run mostly in digital for no other reason than the numbers "mean" more to me than the smart screen coordinates (although I do flip back and forth sometimes).

I did set up a couple of discrimination patterns. (I'll have to try Cody's method... sounds interesting) I've used my X-1 to learn accept my collection of silver coins, nickels, wheaties. Also did the same for some jewelry. I learned / accepted all the gold (big cursor) and then learned / rejected a variety of tabs and beaver tails I picked out from a garbage bag full of trash I'd found over time. I then went back and re-checked all my gold (and nickels) and re-accepted anything that happened to reject (along with the tabs/tails). I ended up with a pattern that accepts all of the silver and gold but still rejects most of the pull tabs and tails. When I'm in a new area and getting a fair amount of the same type trash, I'll learn reject that with the small cursor. You can still hear them a little but they tend to break up if you know what I mean. Am I missing something? Well, maybe, but at least I'm not losing my sanity

Now, when I'm near the surf in packed wet (very clean) sand, it's a different story. I can run flat out and mostly hunt in a IM-14 or -15 and flip to a cleared pattern if I need to check out something.

Regarding the "scream" of high tones... I love that! Now, I've never used any other headphones so I have nothing to compare the stock phones that came with my Exp, but they seem to work very well. I very rarely have to have the volume pushed any higher than 5 (except at the beach on windy days). Maybe my hearing is just good, but I don't think I'm missing anything.

I really do appreciate both your input. It's more a confidence thing for me really... At least I know I'm on the right track. I've read so much about "THE" perfect settings but have come to realize that they may not be "perfect" for me or the conditions where I'm hunting. So, I'm just in the process of learning and trying to refine what I'm doing and hopefully find some more goodies.

Thanks again,

I'll let you know how this weekend turns out.

 

[Cody]

I have felt for a long time that we really only need two tones, one for iron and one for all other. I do have my Ex2 set for three but I am going to evaluate any hit that is not a clear low iron growl anyway so it does not matter if the tone is mid or higher. Once something other than a low growl then it is the tune it plays that tells the user what is there. A wavering sound for co-located targets or targets close together is the tune that we can compare to the digital readings to see what those notes are. I have found many good coins when the sound wavers and I could see a 0/28 or so peeping through the 31/31 of a piece of iron that cast a shadow that had prevented the old coin from detection. The last few months I have been going to old parks and looking for the trashy area and picking through. I do better in terms of coins and jewelry found that in clean areas on ultra deep targets. I think a lot of guys can get a larger coil and slowly work through the clean ground for those deeper good targets but not many seem to be willing to work through heavy trash and iron.

Looking forward to how you do,

HH, Cody

 

[Joe G]

I've printed out your post on selecting the number of tones so I'll also give that a shot this weekend. Be interested in seeing your heavy trash program too...

Thanks,


Have a great holiday!