After Taking my DFX to the beach Several times. I have found the following.
I Started In beach/jewelry setting then, Set the Preamp Gain to 3 bump Up AC sens to about 75 , pull the pinpointing trigger ...If it makes false signals while holding it at chest level... immediately press the Up or Down Arrow to return the the last adjusted option.. adjust AC until the number is as high as possible without becoming unstable. This Number is 75 for me on central California Beaches. I like to use Mixed Mode ..or All Metal Mode on the beach.
Forget about target ID (NO tone ID..unless you want to go insane) and Take mental note of the VDI number when hunting. Listen for the high tones and watch the signagraph. When Finding A target..if its not a for sure solid signal..like 85vdi quarter... Look for a repeatable trend in the readings tending toward the upper (non ferrous) range.
Mixed mode on the beach is a good thing, just don't dig up anything obviously, mostly Iron like nails. Go slowly especially in the trashy areas.
This Machine takes some practice. The more you learn about it, the more it will pay off.
In my humble opinion.. so far this seems to be an Exemplary Beach tool!
Once again.. Watch the signagraph for metallic objects falling in the Right hand side of the graph. Use mixed mode and adjust to your conditions. If nothing else you will learn a whole bunch about your machine.
If I got something wrong or somebody has a better suggestion or something to add. I'm all ears.
