Ground grab ?

[rog007]

I was noticing the area I am hunting in, I kept having to ground balance my machine MXT PRO, should I use ground grab / and some info on how to use it. I seem to lose some hits and when I rebalance it it comes back, am I doing something wrong? Thanks for any help.

 

[LuckyDig]

I have been hunting lately in the locked position and using the ground grab button to update my ground balance on my MXT pro. If you are hunting in the locked position all you have to do is hold the button and pump the coil over some clean ground to get a good ground balance. I believe the default turn on ground balance in the locked setting comes on at 83, in the ground position it comes on at 40 (someone feel free to correct me if I mis-stated this). I start in locked, find some clean ground, hit the grab button and pump the coil then start digging all the beeps. If you are hunting in the "ground" setting the ground grab button will stop the ground tracking while held so you don't track out a weak/faint signal (deep coin ect.). Hope this helps a little.

 

[Monte]

set the toggle to 'Lock' just as LuckyDig said, and then YOU are in control of making the Ground Balance adjustment/setting.

The MXT/MXT Pro/M6 have a very brisk auto-balance function which is great, but if you're hunting a site with some problem ground (such as hot rocks or cold rocks) or a bunch or small iron junk, it can cause the fast AutoTrac circuitry to shift from a 'proper' GB setting. I ALWAYS lock the toggle on the MXT and M6 after I get a good GB, then check periodically using the Pinpoint function. if it's off a little, I quickly re-balance.

With the MXT Pro it is much quicker as it is all one-handed! Just Lock that toggle, then do your GB bobbing using the Ground Grab function and get busy hunting! If the ground conditions change enough, simply find a clear spot, use Ground Grab, and off you go! I wish my M6 had Ground Grab.

Monte

 

[rog007]

Thanks a lot guys I will try this, I just wasnt quit sure how to use it but it sound easy, I have been in a lot of iron pieces about two steps and bang a hit, I hope to clear it out a little and find some good pieces while at it again THANKS A LOT.

 

[burried gold]

is it just as easy with the MXT to shift from lock to ground to rebalance then back to lock as it is to use the ground grab feature on the mxt pro? i would think it would be just as easy so what is the point of the ground grab if you can do it anyway?

 

[Monte]

is it just as easy with the MXT to shift from lock to ground to rebalance then back to lock as it is to use the ground grab feature on the mxt pro? i would think it would be just as easy so what is the point of the ground grab if you can do it anyway?

Here are a few reasons why I like the Ground Grab concept feature and was pleased to see it added to the MXT Pro. To be fair I have used Ground Grab (called Fast Grab on the Teknetics T2) in the past on several models, so it wasn't a new concept to me. I have owned 6 MXT's in the past and had 4 M6's (still have one) and they all use the same toggle-function select feature.

Since about 1971 I got annoyed with having a dirty detector, with mud and dirt on the sensitivity needle meter, on the knobs and buttons and toggles and grip. So, back about forty years ago, when I was in my seventh year of detecting, I started doing most recoveries with my left hand and I kept my right had clean as it is the one that handles the detector. Less mess to clean, and when I became a dealer it was much easier to sell my personal unit and 'upgrade' if mine looked more like a display/demo unit than a war relic.

With the MXT's and M6 models I have to bob the coil to GB and hold the search coil still while I reach over and lock the toggle. It also means that if the ground make-up changes while I am hunting, I have to pause and reach over and move the toggle from 'Lock' to 'Ground' in order to re-balance, then reach over again to toggle back to 'Lock,' all without moving the search coil. Movement could cause the GB to shift from being just right.

In addition to the tidiness I like, the standard MXT and M6 need the toggle switched, the coil bobbed, then have the toggle moved back to 'Lock,' so there is some pause or hesitation to the steps. No, it isn't a long and annoying process, but I also hunt many sites that have changing ground minerals and that means I can use a more frequent GB adjustment.

I am not a fan of auto-tracking circuitry, most of the time, so the Ground Grab works fine for me. It wasn't on the pre-MXT Pro prototype i used for three weeks and I was rather surprised, pleasantly, to see that added I usually GB and then Lock the toggle so with the Ground Grab I can just quickly re-balance "on the fly" single handedly. Maybe I am spoiled.

Monte

 

[burried gold]

no not spoiled that makes alot of seance i just never looked at it that way I knew there was a benefit to it other wise they would not have put it on the machine. I was under the impression that you still had to pump the coil while using the ground grab. with all the good things I have heard about the mxt any thing extra they put on the pro was just going to be the cherry on top of the sundae.

 

[Monte]

I'm referring to achieving a 'proper' Ground Balance.

I was under the impression that you still had to pump the coil while using the ground grab.

Yes, you are supposed to bob the search coil to achieve a proper and most accurate Ground Balance. It usually only requires a very quick bobbing action from about 6"-8" high down to about