Cal_Cobra said:
I used tracking on my Red Racer in disc modes and it seemed to work fine. I didn't use it in high density iron areas as I've always heard that [size=medium]auto-tracking in those environments could throw off the GB by tracking to a piece of iron[/size].
Does anyone have any idea why it's suggested to use tracking in AM mode vs disc mode?
Yes, I know that there might be several reasons, mainly two or three, but you cited the primary reason in your post.
Naturally it will depend on how a manufacturer designed their auto-tracking circuitry because some I've used track too quickly and can sometimes 'over-shoot' a proper, functional GB in some terrible environments, while another might be very slow at tracking and not keep up with all the changes very well in a challenging location with abrupt mineral slopes and irregularities in mineral make-up.
Then you have to add the use of a motion-based Discriminate mode which can incorporate other factors, such as a detector being able to filter out
[size=small](reject)[/size] unwanted trash targets as well as reject the ground mineral signal. I have several detectors in my arsenal and they all have different strengths and weaknesses, and none of them are really going to perform well in a Discriminate mode while relying on auto-tracking. Yes, they might appear to work okay in mild to moderate ground and when it is relatively free of ferrous-based trash, but many tracking circuitries can be challenged when you encounter a dense iron debris site.
Additionally, it is possible for auto-tracking to have a negative impact on performance with some detectors in the Discriminate mode, and it is usually best reserved for use only when beneficial and in the Threshold-based All Metal mode.
Other than that I won't elaborate because it is an interesting discussion I usually have with folks in a seminar where I can demonstrate, hands-on, the
potential negative impact of some GB tracking circuitry designs.
I do know that after reading the User Manuals, working with the various Nokta and Makro models I enjoy in a wide-range of ground environments and clean to heavily iron littered sites, that I ONLY use tracking in All Metal, and then it is only when I feel it might be beneficial to me for the environment and not as a full-time function.
Monte