Who thinks that settings make any difference.

[The Coin Magician]

I did some tests on non ferrous targets detected in the field , what i found is that all of the programs usually hit the target , i often wonder if the large amounts of so called programs or modes
are just put in to the detector by the manufacturer to make the detector look better and get more sales. Try it your self , find a target and try all of your programs on the target , you will probably
find they all hit the target. I no longer get excited when a new top of the range detector comes out as i think it's just a re hash of the same old VLF Technology .Nothing truly NEW comes on the scene.
I find the best way to get more depth is to detect when the ground is soaked wet or moist.

 

[sprchng]

I find the best way to get the most depth is to use the settings correctly. If you turn the gain setting way down it won't make any difference how wet the ground is you will lose depth. Granted , some settings have a greater effect on performance than others but to imply settings have little to do with how well a detector performs is painting with an awfully broad brush. Todays SMF VLF technology compared to the BFO of the past is like comparing Secretariat to a Shetland pony.

 

[JCR TX]

The adjustability of a detector is key to optimal performance when conditions get challenging. Even a cheapo unit will do some good in a Tot Lot woodchip pile.
If you hunt in trash, bad ground or for targets deep enough to start blending in to the ground signal, you better be able to adapt if you want success.

 

[sube]

I did some tests on non ferrous targets detected in the field , what i found is that all of the programs usually hit the target , i often wonder if the large amounts of so called programs or modes
are just put in to the detector by the manufacturer to make the detector look better and get more sales. Try it your self , find a target and try all of your programs on the target , you will probably
find they all hit the target. I no longer get excited when a new top of the range detector comes out as i think it's just a re hash of the same old VLF Technology .Nothing truly NEW comes on the scene.
I find the best way to get more depth is to detect when the ground is soaked wet or moist.

There's a lot of truth to what you say factory programs are pretty much on par with one another .
But enter the button pusher and these can go south awfully quick . sube

 

[gfatizzi]

I did some tests on non ferrous targets detected in the field , what i found is that all of the programs usually hit the target , i often wonder if the large amounts of so called programs or modes
are just put in to the detector by the manufacturer to make the detector look better and get more sales. Try it your self , find a target and try all of your programs on the target , you will probably
find they all hit the target. I no longer get excited when a new top of the range detector comes out as i think it's just a re hash of the same old VLF Technology .Nothing truly NEW comes on the scene.
I find the best way to get more depth is to detect when the ground is soaked wet or moist.

I believe all modes will hit the target within a reasonable depth but depending on the SINGLE frequency used, they will give a better signal on certain kinds of metal than others. Also, I know a lot of folks love using 4Khz for great depth on the high conductors like copper and silver but the drawback (besides using more juice) is it likes to false more on iron. There's always a tradeoff! For me, personally, I enjoy using M3 the most out of the multi-frequency modes. I bought this machine to use that way. If I want to use a single frequency, I can but a lot of the sites I like to hunt won't permit it. Again, the trade off being a little more susceptibility to EMI in multi. Like I said, always a trade-off!
Most of the settings are just for tweaking the detector for better performance but a few are extremely important for it's optimal operation.

 

[Picketwire]

Settings make a lot of difference in what you hear that tells you to dig. Sensitivity has been mentioned. What all have you discriminated out? Just because it hits the target doesn't mean you are going to dig it. If you don't hear certain frequencies well, it is nice to be able to change them. If you can't hear at all, vibration is a good adjustment. Put a dime on the floor. See how high you can raise the coil and still get it in M1. Change to 40khz. Notice the depth loss. Put a pull tab on the floor at least a coil's length apart from the dime. Sweep over them both in M!. The pull tab is barely louder than the dime and its detection depth is only slightly more than the dime's. Switch to M2. The pull tab is much louder than the dime and detection depth is much greater than the dime's. If a certain adjustment was right for everyone, there would be no adjustments. Some hunt in the ocean, some in alkaline soil, some in ferrous. Some hunt for tiny gold, other's for silver coins. There is no one size fits all, therefore "adjustments".

 

[Monkeys Uncle]

IMHO, it's exponential...the more settings...the more frustration. I prefer KISS.

 

[gfatizzi]

IMHO, it's exponential...the more settings...the more frustration. I prefer KISS.

I THIS is exactly why I keep an old Sovereign XS around. So simple, analog and above all POWEFUL! I still can't believe its 30 years old!

 

[The Coin Magician]

There's a lot of truth to what you say factory programs are pretty much on par with one another .
But enter the button pusher and these can go south awfully quick . sube

I bet that is one reason a lot buy the latest detector and "tweek it south" and find next to nothing and sell on the detector. I just detect in the factory programs most of the time and tweek very little, i for one have tweeked them south
at times i am sure. I bet many others have too.

 

[The Coin Magician]

I THIS is exactly why I keep an old Sovereign XS around. So simple, analog and above all POWEFUL! I still can't believe its 30 years old!

I have heard that is a great detector.

 

[Odanscoils]

I THIS is exactly why I keep an old Sovereign XS around. So simple, analog and above all POWEFUL! I still can't believe its 30 years old!

Love the oll GT. Though it just can't handle EMI as well as the new machines.

 

[m880]

Yea my old Fisher CZ's are still amazing at depth and no programs to dick with.
Shame Fisher let it go unmodernized,i.e lighter and some features added like iron volume and numerical target i.d.

 

[m880]

One thing the highly programable machines like the Legend have going for them is they can be adapted to enviroments like prospecting, watched several youtube vids and the do darn good as a nugget shooter. Wanna hunt a saltwater beach no problem and can take a dip in the water too.

 

[vito]

I did some tests on non ferrous targets detected in the field , what i found is that all of the programs usually hit the target , i often wonder if the large amounts of so called programs or modes
are just put in to the detector by the manufacturer to make the detector look better and get more sales. Try it your self , find a target and try all of your programs on the target , you will probably
find they all hit the target. I no longer get excited when a new top of the range detector comes out as i think it's just a re hash of the same old VLF Technology .Nothing truly NEW comes on the scene.
I find the best way to get more depth is to detect when the ground is soaked wet or moist.

Hello Coin Magician.

The more moisture the more finds/depth is only half the truth.

The more conductive the soil is, the more of the transmitted signal is lost by increased moisture;
on the other hand, signals from long-dormant targets made of low-grade alloys are detected deeper and more clearly for sure.
(as long as the halo isn't disturbed.)

If you are honest with yourself you have to admit that high value finds are not often recovered in these conditions.

When I started detecting, many, many moons ago, I came across this phrase and yes, it helped to dig a lot of stuff,
but then I read some articles about halo and moisture, ground conditions and frequencies, sweep speed and all that variables
and that changed my finds / find rate.

As many others here mentioned in this thread,
settings and knowlege as to use them can help a lot to dig less thrash and deeper, more valuable finds.

Oh yes, and I know, the one mans trash may be the other ones treasure.

Good Luck & Have Fun

 

[The Coin Magician]

Hello Coin Magician.

The more moisture the more finds/depth is only half the truth.

The more conductive the soil is, the more of the transmitted signal is lost by increased moisture;
on the other hand, signals from long-dormant targets made of low-grade alloys are detected deeper and more clearly for sure.
(as long as the halo isn't disturbed.)

If you are honest with yourself you have to admit that high value finds are not often recovered in these conditions.

When I started detecting, many, many moons ago, I came across this phrase and yes, it helped to dig a lot of stuff,
but then I read some articles about halo and moisture, ground conditions and frequencies, sweep speed and all that variables
and that changed my finds / find rate.

As many others here mentioned in this thread,
settings and knowlege as to use them can help a lot to dig less thrash and deeper, more valuable finds.

Oh yes, and I know, the one mans trash may be the other ones treasure.

Good Luck & Have Fun

I agree what you say , but you can obtain a little more depth on copper coins too when the soil is wet, i had one part of a school field years back that would not give any signals in the dry, when i used to go after rainfall coins would be hit , coins that in the dry
were giving no response at all, it was only a cheap VLF all metal detector , but i think i got an extra half an inch or so extra depth in the wet , it worked every time until eventually no more depth could be got in the wet and the field was producing nothing as i "cleaned it out" , years later a better detector produced a few more coins on that field.

 

[DigDog]

everyone is correct in their thinking.
Settlings are for different purposes.
Yes part of it is marketing to sell to more people especially “button pushers” who like to tweak things but that’s because they help in different ground conditions and different targets.
Its a metal detector, so yes in the same area you put a certain piece of metal down i would hope all the programs would pick it up.
Settings just do fine tuning for certain conditions and targets. If you have no mineralization, are hunting for any metal and don’t care about depth than a basic vlf would work just fine

 

[DigDog]

I THIS is exactly why I keep an old Sovereign XS around. So simple, analog and above all POWEFUL! I still can't believe its 30 years old!

The sovereign was one of my favorite machines the problem is with my health i can no longer swing a 6lb detector for any length of time.
I don’t have to use all the features to enjoy the lightness of the new detectors

 

[MuddyMo]

A Fisher CZ or Tesoro Vaquero are simple. Set sensitivity and ground balance, the CZ also has a toggle switch for salt water. They don't need programs and such to perform close to the top of the line detectors. Do whatever brings enjoyment to you in your hobbies.

 

[The Coin Magician]

The sovereign was one of my favourite machines the problem is with my health i can no longer swing a 6lb detector for any length of time.
I don’t have to use all the features to enjoy the lightness of the new detectors

I think even mike tyson would get the arm ache too swinging a Sovereign all day lol. That is a lot of weight on the arm. No fun swinging heavy all day.

 

[Picketwire]

For heavy detectors, a swingy thingy works wonders. It even helps hold my pants up. Good thing, too. Crack kills! lol