Have a question about silent search

[Anonymous]

I have a friend that I hunt farm fields with. He finds alot of stuff and always hunts in silent search with his explorer. He actually hunts in number 6 in Threshold which on our machines is silent. I usually hunt in 7 threshold so I can bearly hear the threshold. I have been hunting in silent search just to try it out and it is nice because you know how the machine can tend to be a little noisy at times. My questions is do you miss anything by hunting in silent search that you wouldn't in a low threshold? Does anyone else out there hunt in silent search? Just curious.

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

I feel that one of the "edges" you have with a Minelab (and I have had a Sovereign Elite and have a Quattro, Excalibur and Explorer II) is the threshold. Because it can be the difference between walking past a deep target and catching it.

When dealing with deep or small targets, you don't always get a "standout" signal. Sometimes if you miss it by an inch you may as well have missed it by a mile. If you have a threshold machine, those targets you may have otherwise missed are very likely to cause the threshold to "break" and for you to go back and take a closer look at what may turn out to be a good signal after you properly investigate it from a few different angles. And where you're running it, barely audible, is just right. All you need to be able to do is hear it when it stops.

It is my opinion that if you hunt silent will will indeed miss a few things. There isn't much difference between where he is running it at 6 and you at 7, other than you can just barely hear it. Spend a couple of hunts like that and see how many times you end up digging someting because you initially were "tipped off" to it by the threshold going away for a moment. In my case, it's all the time.

 

[John (OH)]

Can you clarify a little more about "the threshold going away for a moment." If you run all metal (iron mask at -16) would your statement still apply? Or does the threshold go silent only for targets that register below current discrimination settings being used - as in iron mask -6 for example? Thank you.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Basically threshold nulls for items not discriminated to answer John's question...Basically you know how much junk is in the ground, can tell if your unit is stable, and can grab goodies next to trash if experienced. Heard many arguments which is deeper and never heard a positive statement either way. Personally sometimes its like the buzzing of a mosquito and sometimes its off...Minelab gives you a choice...Use a CZ along with an Explorer and its silent search and goes as deep as any if that tell us anything...

 

[Anonymous]

n/t

 

[Anonymous]

On my machine if you set the threshold to 6 you don't get a threshold, hence the silent search. I don't set mine in -16 so I can't answer your question for you. If you set my machine at 7, that is where the threshold begins. I will have to test it out as to whether to set it to hear a low threshold or to hear a silent threshold to see if I miss anything or not. Thanks

 

[Captain Kirk]

John,

Any target that is discriminated out will produce a noticeable null. But, even the audio signal from a good target is followed by a null. The null following the good target is so short that the hunter may not even notice it.

HH,
Glenn

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

Yes, it would still apply at IM -16. I run that most of the time (though I do switch back and forth from IM to Disc) and on the deep targets or those that are on the edge of your sweep the machine can still produce a momentary break in the threshold. It doesn't have to be a null, though it can do that too, although at IM -16 it's a lot less often. It can be a break in the threshold and a broken signal, for example. Which when you go back to see what made the threshold break, you re-sweep it from a couple of different angles and now you all of a sudden have a better signal...maybe a coin...maybe only from one specific direction or angle. Could be a coin on edge or co-located with something else masking it.

That's the best I can do...

 

[mattockman]

n/t

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Heck try both ways...Remember examine your signal before you dig a 8-10 inch hole. Our ground is like a rock and a few minutes examining from the top is worth 15 minutes beating for piece of junk..