16
Reading the Display
Most gold prospecting and relic hunting is done by ear. Listen for the louder sounds,
riding on top of the constant background hum.
As you sweep the searchcoil, notice the Fe
3
O
4
(iron oxide) scale to the left of the
display.
This indicates the amount of ground mineralization.
Most black sand is made of magnetite.
Gold nuggets are often found in concentrated black sand deposits.
For the best depth detection in highly mineralized soils, use the All-Metal mode.
For the most accurate Fe
3
O
4
reading, pump the searchcoil over the ground.
While sweeping the searchcoil, also notice the GND PHASE value in the middle of the
screen.
GND PHASE is the ground phase; this indicates the type of minerals in the soil.
Within an area, the ground phase may change.
After ground balancing, periodically compare GND PHASE to GND BAL. If these two
numbers differ by a great deal, you may want to ground balance the detector again.
When not adjusting the knobs, the GND BAL setting will always appear on the
bottom-right of the display.
GND BAL is the detector’s internal ground balance setting. The detector’s default
ground balance setting is 82.9, which is the best starting point for achieving the
correct setting.
After you perform the Ground Grab procedure, the GND BAL number will change
to match your soil.
You can change the current GND BAL setting by pressing the
+
or
–
buttons.
See section on Ground Balancing for a more detailed explanation.
Experienced users often prefer to adjust the ground balance to get a weak
audible response when lowering the searchcoil to the ground. This is called
adjusting for positive response and is achieved by increasing the GND BAL
number with the
+
key.
Target Scale
The arc across the top classifies metal objects.
Each time a target is detected, three segments will illuminate above the arc.
The segments will remain illuminated for three seconds.
This indication shows the approximate classification of the buried metal object.
See the section on Target Display for a more detailed explanation.
Iron is on the left. U.S. dimes and quarters are to the far right.
In an air test, gold indicates right of center -- the larger the gold piece, the
farther to the right.
In the ground, the I.D. of gold may jump around with each pass of the searchcoil.
If searching in All-Metal mode, you may want to switch back into Discrimination mode, after
finding a target, to see a more accurate target identification, viewing the 2-digit Target I.D.
GROUND BALANCING
What is Ground Balancing?
Why do I need to Ground Balance?
All soils contain minerals. Signals from ground minerals are often tens
or hundreds of times stronger than a buried metal object. The
magnetism of iron minerals, found in nearly all soils, causes one type
of interfering signal. Dissolved mineral salts, found in some soils, are
electrically conductive, causing another type of interfering signal.
Ground Balancing is the process by which the metal detector
cancels the unwanted signals coming from the ground minerals
while still detecting the signals from buried metal
objects. This is accomplished by matching the
detector’s ground balance setting to the phase of
the ground signal.
When the detector is calibrated to the soil, the
result will be deeper target detection, quieter
operation, and more accurate target
identification.
How to Ground Balance your detector:
Ground Balancing procedure with the “GG” touchpad.
1. Turn the detector on and set GAIN at the 12:00 position.
2. Click on the right knob to the ALL-METAL mode.
3. Rotate the THRESHOLD control knob to the point where you hear a slight
background hum.
4. Sweep searchcoil across the ground to find a clear patch of ground with
no metal present.
5. Press and hold the GG touch pad, and pump coil over the clean ground.
See illustration.
Pump coil from within 1” of ground to 6”- 8” above ground.
6. When the GND PHASE settles down to only 1 or 2 numbers in variation,
release the GND GRAB button while still pumping the coil. Note that the
audio response to the ground changed and “Evened Out” when you
released the button. Also note that the GND BAL value changed. After
balancing, you can hunt in ALL-METAL... or return to Disc Mode.
The most accurate GND PHASE value is the value displayed when “pumping”
the searchcoil over the ground in an area free of metal.
Ground Balancing continued on next page
Pumping coil
to ground
balance with
GG button.
21
OPERATING IN ALL - METAL M ODE
