earthmansurfer
Active member
I've been out about 4 times in the last two weeks and just wanted to share some information, especially with those newer to the Omega
1. It goes deep. I have been digging targets from 6" to 8" quite regularly. I dug a hammered coin as wide as a Nickel at around 7". It gave a very very faint signal but it was clear and it VID'd at 81 - SILVER. This is amazing. This is up there with any high end detector in my opinion, especially considering the frequency. I've dug dime sized copper coins at around 6 or 7". Soft sounds. There is no mineralization and the GB was around 57 to 60. Sensitivity is all the way open, d2 mode and signals checked in d4 for clarity. (I do wish that the coins would hit a bit harder considering the conditions. Just 2 or 3 more inches and I'd be happy - Omega LTD anyone ;-) )
2. I have dug over 20 mini balls (I am pretty sure some of them are from the 30 year war which took place in the 1600's). They hit at around 61 but are hard to pick up quite often. I pulled a lot of them out of iron so the VID was jumpy. I guess lead is not the Omega's strong point due to it's frequency.
3. I have pulled so many coins that were close to iron. After pulling a coin I always check the hole. Quite often there is still some iron in or near the hole. So, don't only search for solid ID's as when a coin is in iron it usually won't hit like normal.
4. I'm no longer using a discrimination of 16, I am hooked on running no discrimination and hearing everything. It's soft enough that it doesn't but me (The T2 was louder from memory and I had to run some disc.) It has helped to find some coins, not often but it has helped. I rarely find coins that aren't within a foot of iron. Iron and coins go hand in hand. When I hit long patches of clean earth, I rarely find coins there. Something to think about (depending on where you hunt of course.)
5. It is REALLY IMPORTANT to keep your unit properly ground balanced. When you hear more chatter, just ground balance it and see if it helps. I thought it was often caused by EMI but that has been proven wrong time and time again. What I do is an automated ground balance by pumping the unit but then I do a manual balance. It is super easy, just listen to what you hear closely. (First GB at 60 in AM then up it to the max sensitivity your site can handle.) What has helped me (starting today actually) is to pump the coil much faster than I used to. I was watching another detector video and this guy did it pretty damn fast and I thought why not, so I tried it. It works, it gets me pretty damn close to optimal. I also always run a slightly positive GB. If you are having problems with iron falsing and most of your targets are shallow you can really drop the GB like 20 points. (That hint from Tom Dankowski). I haven't gone down that much though.
Guys, this machine does not perform like a $600 machine. Really, outside of not have as many options/flexibility, it is just about as deep as units costing 2X as much and so far appears on par in iron and with target separation. That is what excellent design and newer technology will get you.
1. It goes deep. I have been digging targets from 6" to 8" quite regularly. I dug a hammered coin as wide as a Nickel at around 7". It gave a very very faint signal but it was clear and it VID'd at 81 - SILVER. This is amazing. This is up there with any high end detector in my opinion, especially considering the frequency. I've dug dime sized copper coins at around 6 or 7". Soft sounds. There is no mineralization and the GB was around 57 to 60. Sensitivity is all the way open, d2 mode and signals checked in d4 for clarity. (I do wish that the coins would hit a bit harder considering the conditions. Just 2 or 3 more inches and I'd be happy - Omega LTD anyone ;-) )
2. I have dug over 20 mini balls (I am pretty sure some of them are from the 30 year war which took place in the 1600's). They hit at around 61 but are hard to pick up quite often. I pulled a lot of them out of iron so the VID was jumpy. I guess lead is not the Omega's strong point due to it's frequency.
3. I have pulled so many coins that were close to iron. After pulling a coin I always check the hole. Quite often there is still some iron in or near the hole. So, don't only search for solid ID's as when a coin is in iron it usually won't hit like normal.
4. I'm no longer using a discrimination of 16, I am hooked on running no discrimination and hearing everything. It's soft enough that it doesn't but me (The T2 was louder from memory and I had to run some disc.) It has helped to find some coins, not often but it has helped. I rarely find coins that aren't within a foot of iron. Iron and coins go hand in hand. When I hit long patches of clean earth, I rarely find coins there. Something to think about (depending on where you hunt of course.)
5. It is REALLY IMPORTANT to keep your unit properly ground balanced. When you hear more chatter, just ground balance it and see if it helps. I thought it was often caused by EMI but that has been proven wrong time and time again. What I do is an automated ground balance by pumping the unit but then I do a manual balance. It is super easy, just listen to what you hear closely. (First GB at 60 in AM then up it to the max sensitivity your site can handle.) What has helped me (starting today actually) is to pump the coil much faster than I used to. I was watching another detector video and this guy did it pretty damn fast and I thought why not, so I tried it. It works, it gets me pretty damn close to optimal. I also always run a slightly positive GB. If you are having problems with iron falsing and most of your targets are shallow you can really drop the GB like 20 points. (That hint from Tom Dankowski). I haven't gone down that much though.
Guys, this machine does not perform like a $600 machine. Really, outside of not have as many options/flexibility, it is just about as deep as units costing 2X as much and so far appears on par in iron and with target separation. That is what excellent design and newer technology will get you.
