Recovery Deep..Need Your Input

[Bell-Two]

This is an article from Minelab.com by Phil Beck on using recovery deep.

Treasure Talk
'Recovery Deep' in depth
Phil Beck

The Recovery Deep setting on the E-TRAC, Explorer and Explorer SE detectors is designed to enhance the detection and identification of deep targets. This article will explain the way in which deep recovery mode enhances the operation of the detector and points out those situations when you may not choose to use this setting.

When Recovery Deep is turned on, it only has an effect on weak signals, stronger signals remain completely unaffected. When Recovery Deep is turned on and a weak signal is detected, the identification signals undergo stronger filtering to smooth out the data. This leads to more stable and consistent Ferrous and Conductivity values. Given this, it may seem that as Recovery Deep could be turned on all of the time. Unfortunately, as in all things, there can be too much of a good thing. There are two situations when the Recovery Deep setting is undesirable.

In the case of weak, shallow targets, the stronger filtering of the Recovery Deep setting will cause the strength of these short, sharp signals to be decreased. The grid below shows the effect of Recovery Deep and these different classes of target.

(see chart below)


Also as a result of the stronger filter, signals from weak targets become smoothed. In environments with multiple deep targets relatively close together this smoothing may make adjacent targets start to appear to be merged. In this case the ID that the detector displays may become mixed between the two targets.

In summary, the Recovery Deep setting should be used in situations where you are expecting to find sparse, large, deep targets (sounds like relic hunting) and in these situations you will experience more stable and consistent IDs.

Ok you experts out there does this mean that a "shallow target" that is masked by some trash that the "good signal" would be weaker than if the recovery deep is off? Would it be better if hunting in an area where "good targets" are generally not more than 6 inches or so to turn recovery deep off?

 

[UtahRich]

I use Deep - ON and FAST - OFF most of the time. My experience shows me that it is much easier for me to differentiate by ear a deeper target when using this than when not. That seems to coorelate with your information above. HOWEVER, I have found that there are times when I turn DEEP - OFF and FAST - ON and the target sounds improved greatly. For me, this was on mid-depth targets in the 4-6" range. Not deep, but not surface targets either.

I've not had any trouble hearing shallow targets with the E-trac. I frequently find shallow small brass eyelets, nuts, silver charms and so on.

This isn't an issue for me.

DEEP - ON
FAST - OFF
GROUND - DIFFICULT
TRASH DENSITY - HIGH

I adjust sensitivity by site. Most of the time I set it manually. For widely varying areas, I turn it to Auto +3. I listen to how the detector is operating, nulls, signals, and I watch the display. If my audio is struggling and the display is having difficulty with showing me a cursor or a FE/CO target reading, I know that my sensitivity is too high and I back it off until it smooths out. Some areas change too much to keep changing and changing manual and I will finally relent and set if for Auto +3.

It is very easy to sit in front of your computer and fret over the perfect settings for your detector. Don't get paralyzed over your settings. Simply go out hunting and find yourself some deep targets and some shallow targets and some difficult targets and some middle of the road targets and try turning your DEEP setting ON and OFF and listen to the response. Then turn the FAST ON and OFF. Is it better or worse? Try it on targets that are shallow. Changing the settings is pretty easy with the E-trac, so try it and see what you get.

Not everybody on the E-trac forum uses the same settings. Many are similar, but each of us have personal preferences.

Most of the older targets I recover are not that deep. Most are in the 4-7" range. Most detectors out there are capable of that depth. Some are much deeper. I like that my E-trac can go DEEP if needed. Having used an Explorer and now E-trac for many years, I find than many of my good targets are in the same hole with rusty nails, foil, and other trash. Not all detectors will find targets with the trash mixed in so closely without going into DIG EVERYTHING MODE.

Day before yesterday, I was finishing up the last section of the yard of an old home. The shady side of the house finally thawed enough to hunt. Near the front walk was a deeper target in with a null. I dug up a older wheatie from 6". I closed the hole, leaving the null, only to find that I had left a good target in the hole as well, most likely another wheatie by the reading. I reopened the hole and found a large rusty bent nail at 8" in the wet dirt with my pinpointer. I knew there was still a good target in there somewhere. The second signal I had found was good from all directions and my pinpointer quickly found a 1910 wheatie just under and adjacent to where the nail had laid.

You'll get a bunch of different opinions here and probably some pretty good arguments as to why each is right. After reading the responses, do yourself a big favor and go out and do a little experimenting and develop your own opinion. After all, your opinion is the one that should matter to you.


Good luck,
Rich (Utah)

 

[mikeeatsbugs]

i run with DEEP off and the gain at 29. the less filters the better for me. i dont feel that i miss much. also i run with the FAST on. most of the sites i visit are somewhat trashy but i hit clean fields too, with the big coil and the same settings, and i dont have a problem. it actually seem to run hotter and grabs targets at the outer edge of the coil. i think most of it is user preference tho and you should run what works for you and your specific area. - mike

 

[HaroldILL.]

I always was a set it and forget it type of guy. When I get a new machine I will try different settings for a month or so to see what works for my ears and the areas I hunt. I run deep on all the time. One reason for this is I run my gain down to 18 so as to tell the deeper targets from the shallow ones. The deep on gives me that little extra for my ears with out disturbing the modulated audio that I love.