Does anyone have any suggestions for settings for a competition hunt? Targets are mostly (but not all) coins, and of course speed is important. I played with the settings a little earlier today and turning the recovery delay down definitely helps with faster swings, but I thought I'd ask if anyone already knows the sweet spot combination of settings of delay, filters, and swing speed that would be most useful in a competition hunt. I don't think ground mineralization is an issue, or at least not much of one. EMI from other nearby detectors probably will be. I have three coils I can use -- the stock 10" DD, a 12" concentric, and an Eclipse 5.3. I'm most comfortable with the 10" coil. Has anyone used their V3 in a competition hunt? How as the EMI? There will be other V3's there, some minelabs, some Whites, and others too, I'm sure. This will be my first competition hunt ever, so any suggestions are welcomed.
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Competition hunt settings suggestions?
- Thread starter robertk
- Start date
I don't do these hunts, too hyper for me. Depth sure won't be a problem so any filter, etc. will work. If it's like most hunts, the targets will be shallow 2" - 3" so I would plant a coin at that depth, theirs are freshly plant also. Then turn your RX down to get a good signal but minimize picking up outside interference. Then I would use a faster filter to match your swing and use a band filter to cut down on EMI and other detector interference. Delay I would set between 35 and 45, again depth will not be an issue.
Another thing if you know the target types you might be able to do some discriminating to quiet things down. You V guys should also pick different frequencies before the hunt. I'd also get close to a Minelab before the hunt and do a little adjusting so I didn't hear them. Rob
Another thing if you know the target types you might be able to do some discriminating to quiet things down. You V guys should also pick different frequencies before the hunt. I'd also get close to a Minelab before the hunt and do a little adjusting so I didn't hear them. Rob
tony (Orlando FL)
New member
IF you have wireless headfones, be sure to pick another channel NOW just in case someone else has the wireless phones as well. Its amazing how far the headfone signal travels even when set at low power.
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
I used the V3 the day after it was released in Longview TX last year and I used the stock coins program......it did just fine. I do like Rob's suggestions though, high filter, faster recovery. I also might suggest a coil that you pinpoint easily like the 950 or the Bigfoot. I used the Bigfoot last year. The WHP headphones might not be a problem, but again, I might suggest a corded set just too eliminate the possibility if there are other V3 hunters.
Good luck at the hunt.
Good luck at the hunt.
Thanks much for the suggestions, guys. The hunt was yesterday. I created a custom program by copying the coin and jewelry program, then setting the recovery delay to 45, filter to 10 band, and RX gain to 4. I also changed the headphones to another channel, and the frequency offset to +4. In testing, that combination of settings let me swing the coil insanely fast and still get solid hits on shallow dimes. I actually swung a little closer to normal speed during the competition, because it would have been impossible to swing as fast as I did in testing for more than a minute at a time without killing my arm (but I bet I would have had that end of the field to myself! 
)
Other V3 users weren't a problem, and Minelab users weren't a problem. In fact the only trouble I had was one guy there hunting with a DFX. My machine would go completely unstable when I got too close to him. BUT -- a couple of taps down on the RX gain and it would quiet down again, then when I got away from him I'd bump it back up. The live control was extremely handy for that!
I didn't win any of the big prizes, and didn't place in the top five hunters, but then I didn't expect to, since this was my first ever competition hunt. I did have a lot of fun, and found a nice handful of silver. (I totaled 25 dimes, three quarters, three halves, four prize tokens, and four CW bullets.) I'll definitely do it again next year.
)Other V3 users weren't a problem, and Minelab users weren't a problem. In fact the only trouble I had was one guy there hunting with a DFX. My machine would go completely unstable when I got too close to him. BUT -- a couple of taps down on the RX gain and it would quiet down again, then when I got away from him I'd bump it back up. The live control was extremely handy for that!
I didn't win any of the big prizes, and didn't place in the top five hunters, but then I didn't expect to, since this was my first ever competition hunt. I did have a lot of fun, and found a nice handful of silver. (I totaled 25 dimes, three quarters, three halves, four prize tokens, and four CW bullets.) I'll definitely do it again next year.
Rob
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
For your first time, I'd you did very well Robert..........