been out a couple of times with the Racer

[Rick(ND)]

On Sunday I had a little time to try it around my place where some old building were a real trashy, so I put on the small coil to use. Auto Ground balanced it and started swinging with the presets and it was making all kinds of noise so went to D3 so the good conductors would give the high tone. Still very noise and up the iron filter to 25 and even tried 50 which helped a little. Got a few high tones that were around 82-83 and when pinpointing and depth showed 2 inches, but when pinpointing they sounded weaker than I though they should. One was a old copper head gasket from a old car and was down a good 7 inches. the others were large iron pieces like some old covers for pots and pans, but all read at 2 inches and sounded weaker. Did find a round thin copper piece like a thermostat gasket that also read a 2 inches and in pinpoint it sounded louder and was down about 2 inches. First time out was not impressed and went back to reading the book and comments on this forum.
After thinking about it for a while I though why am I trying a real trashy area first and need to hear some different coin and how they sound in real hunting as I have to learn one step at a time. Now on Tuesday I had some time to try something different and find a ball Field and park together where I could find some new stuff, so I put on the stock coil and left to go to one of them. Got to the spot and went to ground balance and it would not ground balance as every time with the trigger push forward and bobbing the coil the threshold just got louder no mater what I did, even tried it in all metal and pinpoint to make sure there was no target under the coil. Finally went with auto tracking and started detecting in D3 in hopes of finding some coins, lot of low tones and a few overloads of some alum cans or pieces of them. Got some 82-83 with a good lock on that were alum screw caps and the meter said 2 inches mostly, but were down 4-5 inches and didn't sound real loud in pinpoint. Now when I got a 82-83 I listened to the signal more and see there was a slight difference in the way they sounded compared to the dime and quarter I though down, so maybe I am learning something by experience. Tried auto ground balance a few times, but still no luck and while in tracking I was watching the numbers and they were mostly in the 50-60s. After a while I figured how to manual ground balance as I didn't have the manual with me and had to keep turning down the ground balance and at 35 it was getting better and a 24 it was OK, so we run it there. The Racer quited down quite a bit and a quarter I threw on the ground sounded better than before and after a little while I got a 85 that locked on real nice and solid sounding at 3 inches, went to pinpoint and had a nice loud reading, not like I was getting before. Turned out to be a copper penny at around 2-3 inches and went on detecting more and got a 88 reading that was nice a clear and locked on good, so I said it has to be a quarter and it was about 3 inches down. Getting better I felt, but was tough finding much of anything and dug some more trash I figured it was just to make sure. Then I got a nice and weaker 83 signal and went to pinpoint and got nothing at all, in fact it seem to almost null in pinpoint and got to think about the ground balance as I have seen it it is too negative it can null.Went to tracking again and swept the coil a little first and went over the spot and now I could get it, so my ground balance was off and I tried to auto ground balance in and now it worked like it should and read 67. I went back where I first tried ground balance and tried it again and it would not ground balance so I switched to beach and it now it would ground balanced. Learning something new all the time and maybe this is why Monte said to spend the time to get to know this detector and you will be surprised with it. I should have known better to learn the detector in a area with new stuff in it to get to know it and then take it to the tough area as that is what I kept telling those trying to learn the Minelab Sovereigns as it makes it so much easier to learn.
Didn't get much, but 3 new quarters from the 70 and 2 pennies from the 60s, but will be out learning more and more about the Racer as I am in the learning stage right now

Rick.

 

[JimmyCT]

Rick,

Thank you for your detailed report on learning / operating the Racer. I look forward to more of your reviews. - Jim

 

[Monte]

look forward to your future experiences. 'Experiences' are just what you'll encounter as you learn any new-to-you detector, and this seems to hold true with the Nokta and Makro offerings that provide us with ample adjustment and a lot of power and sensitivity.

From those 'experiences' you will also get the "Rewards-for-your-efforts" as well in the way of keeper finds from trashy sites or those with other challenges you have encountered in the past when re-hunting former sites. I know it can happen because it has for me, quite often so far. Excellent performance brings rewards.

I have also encountered a few places where Ground Balance, with any detector, can be difficult. Sometimes it was due to the wetness of the ground and the mix of alkali ground and ???. It just takes a little time to figure it out and then deal with it. I do have a suggestion for such conditions when you plan to hunt in any motion Discriminate mode at a site with GB challenges.

One is to just turn the detector 'On' and leave it at the default Ground Phase of '90' and start searching. Leave Tracking 'Off' [size=small](00)[/size].

Another is to find a spot in the general area where you can get a good, functional Automated Ground Balance at remember that setting. Then, when you're at the problem location, just turn the Racer 'On' and Manually GB to the setting you attained nearby. If there are no problems just hunt away.

Also, try to find places to hunt at first that don't have engine gaskets and a lot of other discarded junk.

Finally, I have found that I prefer to use the 2-Tone search mode with an ID Filter setting at the default '10' when hunting in more open areas with sparse targets as I understand its language better in those environments. If I am hunting in any very littered locations I will use the 3-Tone audio Disc. mode the majority of the time, and I set the ID Filter no higher than '23' which I have found rejects most iron nails and some iron targets, but it does also allow me to hear some if the iron. That helps me know how littered a site might be and be able to work a coil around some rejected targets in search for any nearby and partially masked desired target.

Finally-Finally, even being familiar with detectors for some time, please sit back with the TV off and word-for-word, cover-to-cover, read the Owner's Manual. Well written and very informative and helpful.

Best of success as the weather improves for most of us and you can get out detecting more.

Monte

 

[bubbadirect]

I personally want to try (you might want to as well) and ground balance the unit, based on the +/- "soundings" the unit will give you. Tone going higher when coil is pulled away from the earth or pushed down/lowered to it.

Just my curiosity
Bubba

 

[doc holiday]

Congrats on finds and thanks for the detailed report.

 

[Low-Boy/LCPM]

It shouldn't be that hard the first time on any machine less you have never used a detector before