Handling Your Detector
The detector should be held in a position that is comfortable for you
as shown in the "
Adjusting The Pole & Searchcoil
" section in
GETTING STARTED
. Swing the detector from side to side in about a
three foot arc, overlapping succeeding strokes. This motion is called a
"sweep." The DeLeón was designed to get maximum depth without the
frantic pace required of earlier motion detectors, so go at a pace that is
comfortable for you. In fact, trying to hunt too fast may even cause a loss
of depth in heavily mineralized locations.
Regardless of which mode you are using, try to keep your searchcoil
height constant and close to the ground. Most people tend to raise the coil
at the end of a sweep—much like a pendulum—especially if they are in a
hurry. Try to avoid this as any increase in height from the ground will
cause a corresponding loss of depth.
In areas with well-kept lawns, the easiest way to maintain a constant
searchcoil height is to allow the coil to rest on the grass as you sweep
from side to side. In rough and rocky areas, it is best not to "scrub" the
coil on the ground, as the rocks will act like abrasives and wear away the
coil bottom (an optional coil scuff cover will protect against this). Sweep
the coil as close to the ground as possible without touching. Hitting the
ground or rocks may cause a false signal, much like a desired target
would. Sweeping the coil too high above the ground results in a loss of
depth.
Pinpointing a Target
When pinpointing a target, the All Metal Mode can offer advantages
over the Discriminate Mode, such as no false signals and no need to move
the searchcoil to get a target response.
A good method for pinpointing in All Metal Mode is "X-ing" the tar-
get with the searchcoil. Remember that the target's response sound is
always greatest when the target is directly under the center of the search-
coil. To "X" a target, sweep the searchcoil over the target from side to side
and then from front to back until you can identify the center of the X—
the spot on the ground where the target response sound is the greatest.
Pinpointing a target in Discriminate Mode is probably best done by
OPERATING TECHNIQUES 22
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