Explorer II

[TONE JUNKY]

Hey Guys, I've gotten a lot of good info from this sight, but I still have a few questions.

Everybody talks about using Fast-on or Deep-on, but what about Normal mode. Doesn't anybody use normal mode & why not?

I've been advised against using too much Sensitivity. I understand that, but how do you know when you have enough & not too little.

Iron Mask off & basically no Discrimination with Ferrous noise on? Does this work OK in trashy areas?

The manual also says not to trust the Digital readout. How accurate is it? I was hoping to use the Digital readout to distinguish nickels & gold from the trash. Can this be done?

 

[NH Bob]

n/t

 

[TONE JUNKY]

Please elaborate !

 

[Jim C (Mich)]

n/t

 

[James N.D.]

Hello TONE JUNKY! Boy, you sure need some advice don't you. I use the Explorer XS which is pretty much the same machine you are using. Let's start off with your Question about Normal Response. The reason to use Fast On is if you have a sight that has a lot of Iron or Trash Content in it. This will give you a better signal from a Coin next to Trash or Iron when you swing the Coil Slow. Deep On is for more clean area's that has less Trash or Iron and it will strengthen the signal a little bit more so you don't pass it up. These signals are sometimes tough for a beginner to understand so it would be wise to dig a few until you find a few Good Targets and then you will be able to understand what type of a signal to listen for. Normal would be just that. No amplified signal strength for the real deep targets and a Normal Response Time. I would advise that I have never tried Normal before and one like yourself would have to experiment a little with it to see if it does any good in your ground conditions. I would rather run in Fast or Deep than Normal just because I know exactly how much stuff I have found over the years using one or the other at different sites. So, go ahead and try the Normal and see what you think of it. Your 2nd Question is about Sensitivity? It really doesn't matter much on what your Sensitivity is set on in the field. You can run down to 20 or maybe a little lower yet and still find Coins a good 8"-10" deep without too much of a problem. The reason for Lower Sensitivity is in Trashy or Iron infested area's. You will be able to detect deeper this way. Just think of it as High Beams and Low Beams on a Car. If you go out at night and there is a Dense Fog, are you going to use High Beams to see while driving? Of course not! You will see better with Low Beams and farther than using High Beams which will give you a lot shorter distance to see. This is the same for a Detector's Sensitivity. If you use too much in Trashy Sites, then you are not going to get the maximum depth you would want to get. The only time I run High Sensitivity is when I find a fairly clean area with a limited amount of Trash and Iron. You can then run it High until the Detector starts to get unstable, then just back it down a couple and you are set to Detect. Your 3rd Question is about Iron Mask Off and using Ferrous Tones? You would be running just like Iron Mask in Ferrous Tones if you had a Wide Open Screen. It would be like running a Pattern then. I am not totally sure about it but I think it would be just the same as Iron Mask. I would prefer to run in Iron Mask and it just depends on what kind of Trash is in the ground. If there is a lot of Iron, then I would probably go to Iron Mask -16, Ferrous Tones but if there is just the normal Trash, then I would still use the Iron Mask but a higher setting around -10 and use Conduct Tones. But that is just my preference and it could be different for other user's. Your 4th Question is about the Digital Readout and how accurate it is and if you can distinguish between Nickels and Gold? The Digital Display can be pretty accurate until you get Trash next to an item or if the item is sitting on edge or at an angle. The Digital Readout will fluctuate a bit when you come across items like this and it will also bounce around with the Deeper items as well. Here is an example. If you get a signal that is about 8"-10" Deep and the Display is showing 27 for Conduct and it is bouncing around a bit from 27 to 26 or even a little lower, then it is most likely a Wheat Cent. If you get a signal that reads 26 or lower while bouncing around, it could be a Deep older Wheat Cent or an Indian Head. It just takes a little time for you the user to get out and start digging a few of these signals so you get an idea on what the sounds are and what the items might be. As far as telling Nickels from Gold, Good Luck with that one! That is an impossible thing to do. Some Gold Rings will read just like Nickels but as far as telling which one is which, I don't think it is possible. Plus Gold Rings fall all over the place on the display. It just depends how big it is and the Karat and also the angle it is sitting in the ground. I do know that a few people that post on here say that Gold sounds Softer than other items but I do not know if that is something one like yourself could tell the difference with. I hope this helps out a bit and I hope you start using the detector a bit more and digging more signals since this is the best way to learn what the Explorer II is telling you. Good Luck and HH.

 

[erikk]

Well, not all of us are fortunate enough to live near an "expert" on the EX so we just have to muddle along and ask questions. I have been running various detectors for over 40 years and I am always learning something new every time I go out

 

[dm]

very good post James. Even the old pros here can realate to it.

 

[James N.D.]

I just hope that there is a little bit of info that everyone can use from it. Thanks again Denny.

 

[Krusty]

Also ditto from me James...Nicely put, and had to be long to explain.

Wide Eyed and Wide Open.

Krusty (EX II)

 

[NH Bob]

n/t

 

[TONE JUNKY]

Thanks NH Bob, I'm just trying to get all the info I can get. Different opinions, etc. I didn't mean to sound totally ignorant about it. I went out again this morning & tried various settings. The areas I hunt in run trashy to very trashy. I really need th 8" EX coil. (Its coming for Xmas). I can't wait to use it. HH

 

[NH Bob]

I think you'll find the small coil is exactly what you need. I hunt farm field and old homesteads. When I hit trashy areas I just slow way down and feel around the trash. Usually its confined to small areas.
As for your original post that I sounded a little harsh at as someone said, I thought you were a beginner and the questions you asked could not be answered and understood by you if you had never detected before. My mistake.

 

[jeffwv]

I am a newbie to Minelab and I can use all the info I can get. Jeff

 

[James N.D.]

n/t