What's your sensitivity usually kept at?

[bgscofield6]

This will be my 3rd full year of using the Explorer XS. Of course I did very little detecting in 2007 and the first half of 2008.

I see lots of guys running their sensitivity at 25 and up. I'm just curious how your machines sound. Is your threshold 100% stable at these levels?

I RARELY get my machine above 19 or so in parks and school yards and about 12-15 in house sites. Some parks and fields I get it up as high as 22, but I have never had it any higher than that. Any higher and it just sounds really unstable.

I do dig quite a few old coins in the 8-10" range, but I'm always curious about what others are hearing from their machines when they are running their sensitivity that high. Or maybe my XS is so old that 19 for me is the equivalent of 25 on a newer machine. I also think I might have one of the "HOT" 10.5" coils because I can usually hear out deep coins as clear signals that other non Explorers can't hear at all.

I just ordered the new 11" Pro coil, so maybe that will allow me to run the sensitivity a bit higher and still be stable.

 

[mattockman]

There is so many factors that contribute to this.

Smaller coils let you run higher sens.
2 things can help settle the detector and keep a high sens. 1) lower gain to 7 or 6 if need be.....2) turn deep off
always use noise cancel and again if need be as the day goes on
If you want to see a big diff. then hurry and put that 11" SE pro coil on...your gonna love it! and the above settings can be ignored...run it hot and dig them deep!
sometimes just putting the back light on will make the detector go crazy....I have notice this at only a few places, but forget about it if you don't use back light.

use little to no discrim.
I use the XS also and by getting the 11"...it has solved the problem...

I run hot and happy!

 

[bgscofield6]

I used to run DEEP/FAST both on at the same time about 2 years ago and then turned DEEP off. I don't feel like it has made any difference, and I think I might be finding even more coins by running FAST on / DEEP off.

No matter what coil I have put on my machine (10.5" stock, 6x9 joey, 15" WOT) I still have been unable to raise the sensitivity very high, but I also don't think I am losing any depth by running it at 19/20.

The only discrim I use is iron mask anywhere from -10 to -13 and I live the screen wide open. And in fields I run AM with Ferrous.

I've noticed a number of house sites that I have had gone over an area on 15 sens and found nothing and then dropped it to around 10 and 4" deep indian heads and silver coins start popping out of the ground like crazy.

As for the new Pro coil, it's being put in the mail today!

 

[Neil]

I wet sand hunt mostly with my explorer with the stock slimline and the sunray X12 coils. The slimline I can run the sens up to 28 and then it starts to chatter a bit so I back it down to a few numbers below that. The X12 will become unstable at anything above 23 and some beaches down to 19 or lower is necessary.
but even at 19 it gets awesome depth and great coverage so the actual number I think doesnt matter as its more a tuning control I think(sensitivity). I like it to run real stable as I dont like having to recheck false signals often, such a waste of time.

Neil

 

[dewcon4414]

I can normally tell if my sensitivity is too high just by the screen recovery. If you have trouble with sensitivity have you used Auto at its highest setting? That gives the machine an option to adjust best. How much depth can you loose, especially if you are trying to set the sensitivity and gain high with Deep on? Sometimes stable is better. It is interesting to see that you dont need as much sensitivity... which takes me back to Auto sensitivity. Mine seems to run best at 24 manual in most areas. If im getting too much mineral noise doing a noise cancel with the coil at swing level seems to work for me.

 

[bgscofield6]

For me, i personally prefer my sens. at manual. I've tried auto in the past it just feels like I am losing some depth. I think maybe once in a giant empty field I was able to get mine up to manual 24, but that didn't last very long at all.

To be honest, noise cancel has never done anything for me. The only time it is ever useful is when another Explorer is swinging too close to me. Otherwise, whether I use it or not has never made a difference for me. If the signal was bouncy before the noise cancel at a certain sens., it was just as bouncy afterwards.

 

[Steve(MS)]

There appears to be no consensus on where to set the sens. or whether to use auto or manual and as far as that goes whether to use ferrous or conduct or tone range, hmmm, almost any setting you can think of.
Maybe running sens too low would be a detriment to depth.
Many have to run a lower sens. because of power lines, that seems to be the main reason most use a lower sens. setting and some use it to deal with trashy areas.
I usually run mine at 27 manual but if around power lines, I have to drop it down. I can tell if the sens is too high because the signals sound a lot more distorted or is it noisy.
I have dug some deep ones with the sens at 19 manual, sens. is another deal of personal preference and there will be some who feel strongly that high or lower sens. is the way to go.

 

[dewcon4414]

I have found the Explorer to be on of those machines that appear to allow the user to adjust it to what works for him/her. I did some adjustment to threshold tone in a park where i was getting pennies. I was surprised when i went from 5 to 10 that i started doubling the amount of dimes i was getting even found a few more nickels. Also, on occassions, i factory reset then make my adjustments which seems to reajust the processor and clears up some noise. I also found if i set my sensitivity too high i get different readings on the same target. Such as a penny 7-25 reading 3-28. So i think you are right Steve. The better you get with the explorer the more you can fine tune it to your liking. I used to have an old whites with single tone. Once i learned it i could sort out and find things others had missed just because i got used to the machine.