Hunting styles for all metal/pp mode GT/ Excal

[midalake]

Would like to hear from the experts? My style....Salt beach GT Black widow headphones, Sens at 11 o'clock, Machine in all metal pp,Volume up all the way both the machine and headphones and the clipper switch turned on. Machine in Threshold mode, Threshold set so the machine is on the edge of making any noise.
I find when I hunt in a silent search type of set-up it drives me less nuts number one, number two any time the machine talks I go over to investigate. Even to remove sand if needed. I really want to hear from the people who hunt with a constant threshold, pros and cons. I should also say that I have water with good force coming past my coil almost all of the time.

Dave

 

[Critterhunter]

If you set up the GT for silent search I believe it uses some form of signal audio boost to get it past the dead zone, meaning so you can hear it. I tend to prefer silent search machines myself which won't have less depth provided they were designed that way. That being said, I've learned to love the changing threshold on the GT to clue me off to the conductivity of a target that might be real deep or I just missed sweeping fully over with the coil. Once I hear that change I back up and start doing the Sovereign wiggle over it.

Silent Search is great for when ground conditions are really rough or you are being bothered with little pops and clicks from small iron bits or tiny hot rocks. It will help to smooth the machine out some, but also turning off iron mask can so something similar, as can turning up the discrimination. All three ways have pros and cons for various sites. The only time I've tried running silent search is when I'm hunting in the woods where I can walk for an hour before hearing one target. In that case the dull constant threshold with no change can drive you crazy. One an area of activity is found I'll switch back to threshold for the above reasons.

Some think by flipping over to Silent Search and then bringing the threshold up more so you can hear it again you might get some kind of audio boost that will let you hear deep targets a little easier. Some of us are still hacking away at testing that in the field so I don't think any (?) conclusions have been reached yet.

That's interesting, though...hunting in Silent Search All Metal? Never heard that combo used. Wonder what traits that would have that could be helpful.

 

[midalake]

How do you set your unit up????? WHY? What do you like and why?

Dave

 

[Rick(ND)]

My style with any Sovereign is disc off or 10 o'clock position, notch off, sensitivity at 10-11 o'clock position with max volume and a slight threshold so I can hear any change in the threshold and work the ones that sound good to get the tones better if a good target. I use the Timberwolf headphone as they are the loudest on the Sovereign and can hear the different tones for me easy. I never run all metal other than pinpointing and if the target is deep I have to pinpoint in disc as all metal can see it. On the GT I run iron mask on all the time like the older Sovereign so i can hear the good coin targets close to iron better, but with the GT it does false more being it has more power for me and found a way to tell the difference easy what is iron and what is not. I also go super slow in areas I know there is deep coins in order for the Sovereigns to see them plus the signals may just be a tone change you would not hear if going faster.

 

[Art (NWOH)]

I set up the same way that Rick does , with the exception that I run sensitivity a little lower.
I never use silent search. I will turn up discrimination in some high noise areas, as most of the falsing falls into the trash range.
The only time I use any all metal mode is for hunting for iron objects like dropped nuts and bolts , and once in a while for checking out an unusual target response.

HH

 

[midalake]

Is this your set-up for land? Do I understand you correct that sometimes a deep target will not be heard in PP? If you can not hear it in PP how do you center on it to wiggle? If the target is that deep does it tone-up on you? My experience is if PP won't grab it, the target will not ring up well at all.

Dave

 

[Rick(ND)]

From my experience on land hunting as I don't do any water hunting is that I can hear the tone change in disc enough to get me to do the Sovereign wiggle over just that small area to hear it repeat and the tones are trying to climb with some making it to a correct tone while others don't, but sure are trying. To get the first hint of a good target you have to be going very slow, the do the wiggle over just that small area, so it is something I only do in the area where I feel there could be very deep targets. A good example was around a very old merry go round in a old park where it took me over 2 hours to go around as I had to go so slow, but got 3 or 4 merc, some older wheat pennies, 1 buffalo and one V nickle plus a Barber quarter that was a good 12-14 inches deep with a V nickle with it. . Now on some of these I go to all metal pinpoint to try to pinpoint and get no signal, or one I can not hear so I have to go back to disc and work the target from different angles to see where it is and get a real close pinpoint using the tip of the coil.
For me and my old park and ball Fields disc get me more depth and much easier to use as you don't have to switch back and forth from PP to disc to check the target out.

Rick

 

[midalake]

Ok I understand. When I hunted land, I also worked in disc. Never really got into a target that did not give me a signal in PP as well. Here at the beach we dig it all though so I do not bother with Disc.

Dave

 

[Critterhunter]

Yesterday I hunted in the woods using Silent Search Disc and I love it on my GT. Targets were few and far between and hunting in silent seach kept me from hearing the dull constant threshold less distracting plus it smoothed out the quirks when I couldn't keep the coil level. It seemed to make hearing a target that wasn't a phantom uneven coil signal more easy, and once I got any sound off I checked it out. Once targets where found in any kind of quantity I switched to Threshold to search the area. All this was in discriminate.