Sensitivity question

gee....this is an unusual, a detectorist that wants LESS depth.     Ok crystal, there are a lot of variables involved, including the type of metal, the soil conditions, and the size and mass of the object.    As a general rule, the bigger the object, the deeper it can be detected, so theoretically, you'd get the same basic signal for a quarter-sized aluminum token at 2 inches as you would for an aluminum pan lid at 8 inches.    Decreasing your sensitivity will decrease your depth (in most cases).  As for discrimination, that's designed more for eliminating certain types of signals (say pull-tabs).  The trouble with using discrimination, especially if you don't know how your detector works is that you can leave some very nice jewelry behind.

Here are a couple of things you need to do sooner rather than later.
1)  lay your detector across a couple of wooden chairs outside (or some other rig that doesn't have a lot of metal and keeps the machine parallel to the ground with the coil perpendicular to the ground).   Then one at a time take as many different kinds of metal objects (coins, rings, keys, etc) as you can find and pass them across the coil face at different distances from the coil.  Pay attention to the sound each type of object and metal makes.  Also figure out what the furthest distance from the coil object has to be not to be picked up in this air-test.   (There isn't a direct relationship between air tests and testing soil, but it gives you a general idea).

2)   Make a  test plot in a sandbox or a corner of the garden, or some other place that you can bury metal objects without causing problems (using golf tees to mark where you buried them can help).  Bury the stuff at different depths and at different angles to the soil.   Then try to find everything.   Pay attention to what the sound and the meter is telling you.   Then try it again changing the discrimination or the sensitivity a little at a time until you find the settings that work best for you.   Those will be YOUR base settings (but you'll still have to make some adjustments in the field).

By the way, unless the target is really big, I don't think you're going to have to worry about digging very deep.   If you scan through previous postings in the Beginners section you'll find lots of tips you can use with your detector even though the person asking was using a different brand.

Good luck,

BA

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I will second EVERYTHING BA posted..
This is ALL good advice..

And THANK you, THANK you BA for posting that air tests are NOT the same as soil tests..
In a lot of situations, the machine will pich up metal farther in SOIL than in air due to conductivity.



I will add to NEVER give up...
Don't try to spend all day when you first start, go a few hours at most.
This keeps you from "burning out" and getting frustrated too early.

Good Luck and Happy hunting.

 

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think of discrimation as ignore * as you increase your disc more and more metals will become "ignored" -- there is a metal scale -- its starts off with small iron -- the foil --then pulltabs then gold /nickle then zinc /copper (modern post 1982  cents and Indain cents) then copper cents 1982 to 1909 / clad coins and the silver at the high end -- big iron items (big items in general for that matter) are hard to "disc out / ignore"

the more power / sensitivity you use --- the deeper your finds will be but the toucher you machine will be 8 often if your try to "push" more "power" than the land can accept due to its mineral make up --(or near by power line  electrical "bleed off" )--you will getr a lot of falsing and feed back --and poor performace rather than better * -- you can only push as much power as the mineral levels in the soil will accept ( power line bleed off can also effect preformance as well )--thats what meant by ground balanced * -- your machine is at the maximum level of power for the land its on * thus its running at its peak ability

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