Depth indication and deep signal id.

[canslaw]

Hello,

I only received my XP Deus a couple of weeks ago and have had a bit of time to try it. It's impressive so far, but there are a couple of things I was curious about.

I know on the main display screen we have the depth horsehoe, but there isn't a wealth of information on its use in the manual.

What depth is the top of the horseshoe(which i understand to be the deepest? seems backwards to me.) Does the depth of the horseshoe vary from program to program? I think the top of the icon would be a different depth between programs.


Next, I get a lot of deep signals that seem to be good tones, but generally are iron when I dig them. Is there a trick to discerning which are the digs and which are the keep walkings?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.

 

[mtsheron]

If you don't already have Andy's book I would suggest buying it on the Deus. It really is the best $20 I spent in regards to this machine. As far as the digging...........I am still trying to discern the sounds too. I have had great solid hits that turn up to be aluminum cans and solid hits in the 90's that should have been US currency but turns up being at times junk! So if it barks loud......I dig. If it chirps or crackles then I keep pounding sand as they say.

 

[squirrel1]

The ole horseshoe: The shallower the find the more horseshoe will show up. It's only a guide to depth and remember the size of the target will affect it also. On deep good targets usually the right tip is all you'll see. Sometimes on a deep target you'll get good tone and the target will cause the tips of the horseshoe to alternate between right and left sides. Most of the time, keyword MOST the target will be iron. I've dug one good find with the horseshoe tips alternating sides. Your coil size will also affect the amount of horseshoe you will see based on depth and size of target.

Now how to recognize deep iron with deus. . First is the signal a gradual signal as the coil approaches it?? Or does it sound choppy or rise real fast and then drop off? Does it hit in the same place under the coil regardless of which direction the questionable target is approached from? This doesn't help much if only a 2 way or 1 way signal when swept. What does the horseshoe say?? I have only dug one good target with the tip of the horseshoe switching quickly from the right to left or vice versa. How deep is the target? Changing freqs may help but I don't generally do it. Pinpoint the target how big is the target. And while pinpointing do you notice any big iron adjacent to your questionable target. Sometimes you will pick up big iron on the fringes and it will yield a high pretty good sounding tone.

The nice clean gradual rise and fall of the signal is the key for me. Big iron has a harsh sound and when you pinpoint you'll see it. Small iron can at times give some real good tone and pinpointing will only show a small target i.e. bit of nail. These are the ones you almost have to dig. Don't worry if you don't dig some iron you're not metal detecting correctly and you will undoubtedly leave some good finds behind for someone to find.

Your silencer setting can also make iron sound better but increasing silencer also decreases depth. There are trade offs in metal detecting and you'll have to decide the way you want to pursue your hunting.

For a new deus user I recommend on your first 3 hunts to do these. Once detected always sweep your targets from multiple directions, listen carefully, watch horseshoe, glance at VDI#S while sweeping, pinpoint and while pinpointing not only pinpoint the target spot but outside say 6 inch radius of target, then dig.

You will find iron objects that are round with holes in them like bridle rings, They sound awfully good under the coil of the deus.
You have a very good machine and with experience it will start filling your pouch and it won't be long probably until you have a jaw dropping experience with your deus. And if hunting with buds with other brands of machines this is even more likely to happen. cheers

 

[beepsilver]

Canslaw, when you change programs it's not uncommon to see different readings on the horseshoe. Different frequencies see the ground and targets differently as does different ground balance settings. But more importantly, settings such as reactivity, silencer and sens to name a few, will cause the coil to sense targets at different depths. Here's a simplistic example: For a silver dime laying perfectly flat at 6 inches with no interfering trash, and program X having a reactivity setting of 1 and program Y having a reactivity setting of 2 with all other settings being equal between the two programs, I would expect program Y to show less black on the horseshoe when the coil sees the dime. With reactivity set at 2 versus 1, the Deus perceives the coin to be deeper because a setting of 2 limits depth more than a setting of 1. I'm sure there are other factors to consider, but you get the idea.

 

[sprchng]

This piqued my curiosity so , even though I don't put much credence in air tests , I made a quick trip to the garage and did some quick testing. I had assumed the horseshoe represented what would be a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the coil , in this case the 11". Not so under my conditions which of course could vary wildly from situation to situation. Silver dime flat , basic 1 , disc @5 , sens @ 90 , GB man 90 , reac.@1, sil.@-1 .

Tip of horseshoe begins to darken @ 9" in all frequencies except 18 where it drops to 8". It appears to darken somewhat proportionally as the distance decreases. 4 k was definitely deepest
I saw no reason to increase power in 18 , 12 , 8 khz frequencies since the chatter is bad enough in my garage already.

 

[canslaw]

Wow, thanks for all the good information. I appreciate you all taking the time to enlighten me. I'll definitely try these tips and report back if I learn anything useful.

 

[Ism]

sprchng, increasing Tx power won't increase chatter.
Chatter is a component of Rx.

 

[sprchng]

sprchng, increasing Tx power won't increase chatter.
Chatter is a component of Rx.

Good point.
It was also cold , dank and unpleasant in the garage and I was lazy