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Chapter 6 MXT Searching
Coin & Jewelry MODE
The Coin & Jewelry MODE provides good general
purpose searching for a wide variety of targets and
environments.
From residential yards, parks and school grounds,
farm fields, to beaches (for beaches use TRAC
Salt), the Coin & Jewelry MODE should be used if
there is any doubt at all regarding which of the three
available MODEs is most practical for your current
search.
As the name implies, Coins & Jewelry are the
primary goals of this mode, however, these settings
and features will also respond to any better alloy
including common relics and any other item made
of a valued metal alloy.
The 1st choice a user should consider is the selec-
tion of an appropriate TRAC toggle setting for the
area. The Ground setting and Salt settings should
be almost self explanatory. If you are searching in
typical ground, use the TRAC Ground setting. If
you are in a salt water or desert alkali ground
condition, use the TRAC Salt setting. When to use
the Lock setting can be less obvious. If it seems
like something is wrong with the detector, wildly
fluctuating Threshold hum (only while sweeping
the search coil), try the Lock setting. If the detector
smooths out and starts operating more predictably,
you made the correct choice. If there isn't any
change, you may need to either reduce the Gain
control counterclockwise and/or increase the Dual
control (Disc) clockwise and try again. An area
littered with man made iron would dictate the Lock
setting. On the other hand an area littered with
small aluminum foil would not, such an area would
dictate the Reduced Gain and/or higher discrimina-
tion settings.
The 2nd choice is Gain. Some areas require, and
some operators just prefer the more predictable
operation reduced Gain settings provide, where as
others prefer to push Gain to the limits of their
patience to find the deepest targets. There is a point
of diminishing returns either indicated by the
display telling you to lift the loop due to a Gain
setting too high for the ground, or a user missing
targets because they can not sort them from spo-
radic noise experienced at high Gain.
The 3rd choice is the alternate MODE "Pull Tab
Notch" accessed by pushing the Trigger (on the
hand grip) forward. Many prefer, after locating a
target in the primary Trigger center position, to
check targets with the Pull Tab Notch, others use
the Pull Tab Notch as their primary search mode. It
depends a lot on the area and degree of aluminum
Pull Tabs present. Remember, the display will
indicate if a metal target is in the Pull Tab range in
either Trigger position. Also remember a metal
target that indicates in the Pull Tab range however,
provides a deep depth indication, is more likely to
be jewelry than a Pull Tab. There are three types of
targets that typically indicate in the Pull Tab range,
Aluminum, Lead, Brass, and Gold. Without consis-
tency in size/shape, all a metal detector can tell you
is that it indicates within that range of targets. It is
up to the operator to identify the common trash
items of each area and then gamble with the odds
weighing the likelihood of good targets compared to
wasted time digging trash.
The 4th choice is the level of audio Discrimination
(DUAL CONTROL). The "P" setting provides a
popular setting rejecting most iron and small foil
and accepting nickels and most jewelry. Remember
you have the display to further sort out accepted
metals. However, if the common trash of the area
consistently produces an audio to the point of
distracting from finding anything at all, an operator
can increase discrimination (clockwise) and cherry
pick the area for silver and copper. If a hot spot of
multiple coins is located an operator may then want
to search isolated spots within that area at lower
discrimination settings. Even with modern discrimi-
nating metal detectors, it takes a good deal of
patience to search high trash areas.
The 5th choice is Threshold level. It is best to
search with a continuous hum or threshold (edge of
sound). You can hear rejected targets (threshold
fades) and be made aware when and where concen-
trations of trash items lay, indicating traffic areas
more likely to produce good targets. It, however,
requires more patience and concentration. Finding
the Threshold, and then setting the Threshold just
counterclockwise of it (Silent Search), provides
good performance for those who can not tolerate the
continuous Threshold hum all the time.
Chapter 6 MXT Searching
