Don't know what to do!

[Anonymous]

I am having second thoughts on the explorer in my highly minerlized ground I can"t hardly ever get a good threshold even on auto and am not finding much at all unless you count junk. I realize this is probaly the user and not the machine but it has been three weeks and I just don"t think I am picking it up.
I am thinking about a trade for alittle something easier to use any suggestions?

 

[Anonymous]

Take heart James, I've detected for a long time and when I first started using the Explorer it initially baffled me. I was used to a single tone machine, and the Explorer sounded like a Chinese fire drill to me. You have a very powerful as well as very deep machine. Use the initial settings for at least 20 to 40 hours. Then start taking some of the iron mask setting slowly back. Try using the machine with a ferrous sound so that you can hear all the iron, which will give you a low tone. Many times, loss of threshold probably means that your in a bunch of junk, and you'll be able to tell that with the iron mask set to a much more open setting. Just big initially the higher sounds unto, you can really get the hang of the machine. When you first are with the Explorer don't get in a hurry. You learn a lot by sweeping the coil slower than what you think you need to. Also remember that in metal detecting it's always about location, location, location. If you want old coins it has to be in an old area. Hope this helps. Don't give up, patience and persistence will pay off

 

[Anonymous]

Don't give up just yet. I hunt in some bad mineralized ground and sometimes you have to run the sens real low. And no, you won't get real deep but you will get deeper than most other detectors will. So if there are any coins around you should get them.
I can remember running my sens as low as 18 auto and 8-10 manual, and I still picked a few coins up 5-6 inches deep.
Also I will hunt bad ground and just swing very slow. Lots of times my threshold will be gone, but sometimes you can get a coin to squeek off at ya.
It takes time to learn an Explorer and heavy mineralization is not going to be an easy place to learn it in. But then again no detector is easy to run in bad soil conditions. Mineralization will cut down on depth on ANY brand detector and cause them to run erratic sometimes. Just my opinion but Minelab see's thru bad ground better than any detector I have ever used over the last 30 years.
Best of luck to you I know this can be frustrating.
It takes time I have been hunting with mine for over 3 years now and I am still learning things about it.

 

[Anonymous]

James,
Do you mean that:
*There is no threshold tone?
*The threshold is not steady?
*You are getting almost constant nulling?
*Are you having good success in some places and not in others where you think the ground is more mineralized
Perhaps if you describe your concern in a bit more detail, then you will get some answers from the more experienced hunters.
HH,
Glenn

 

[Anonymous]

I am getting almost constant nulling while sweeping the coil and if I let it sit still my threshold returns. I have tried to run in 16- IM but it sounded like a electric guitar in my ear. I have not had alot of success, other than on the beach, with this machine. The sites I am going I have hunted alot with other brands but would not concider them even close to hunted hard
As far as I know I am the only person to of ever detected them. one is a old shool 1887-1975 and the other is a old hotel 1870-1944 I have made some nice finds there in the past I have several other very old sites and if anyone wants to come to east texas and detect with me they are more than welcome.
Mabey even show me what I am doing wrong.

 

[Anonymous]

I wish I had a silver quarter for everyone who thouhgt the way you are feeling when they first got the explorer. Me included It was atleast 3-4 weeks befor I started finding anything. The noise was hard to get around for me.
But I just listened to the people on this forum and one day it started to sink in.
dig repeatable signals only that hit from both ways they told me over and over again.
That was 2 years ago now I can find the goods with out even trying that hard. You get to know the junk signals and keep walking.
Keep at it and I am sure you will be saying the same thing to some explorer newbe in the near future.
HH

 

[Anonymous]

I was lucky and found a local Explorer Guru and 3 hours on the phone helped a lot and along with using many units my learning period was short. Perhaps your local club has an experienced Explorer user and some time in the field will help greatly. I must say an Explorer is only as hard or easy as you want it to be and like the idea of using it in preset for a couple weeks until you get the hang of it. Indeed many Explorers are on the classifieds because of operator error or long learning periods. Do use the factory preset raising the sensitivty a bit and adjust the threshold to your hearing. As I said I was lucky and got a jumpstart but with time and patience you will excell...matter of fact even in quickstart its a formidable unit..

 

[Anonymous]

If ts making that much nois at -6 iron mask then the reason your nulling is all the iron in the ground... Like I said before nulling wont stop you from finding stuff.. try -15 or -14 iron mask and fast recovery, with ferrous tones for a while

 

[Anonymous]

If it is an XS, forget about having a threshold if it annoys you losing it. I never hunt with a threshold on the XS.
Don

 

[Anonymous]

Is determine if its really and issue of bad ground e.g. highly mineralized soil or if the site is just infested with rusty nails. Also is there any electrical interference in the area, that will make the machine very unstable.
In all three cases if adjusting the machine does not help then switch to a smaller coil, smaller coil = less ground signal, smaller antena for picking up EMI/RFI, and gets in between the iron better.
Some sites require more than adjusting settings on the machine. Don't take any sh-it from those sites, bolt on an 8 inch coil go give them a Minelab beating!

 

[Anonymous]

I live in East texas and would be glad to help ya. Going hunting this weekend in Mason or would try and help ya this weekend. Get in touch, we'll go to your old sites and I'll show you some different setups,, coils that are available and how each will react to your ground. Just leave a little crumb or two around here in the ground once you you get the hang of it!!!!!! There is not many of us EX users in this area.