Sequence before starting...

[Advent]

This V3i is still quite daunting for me as well as newcomers....
After 5 months I am still not sure of what to do after switching....
Is there a sequence of events V3 owners do before settling down
to detect? Now by this I mean after switching on the V3 auto ground
balances what should we do next...Is it select Filters, Sensitivity or Check for local noise.
Then when does recovery delay come in after switching on or just before we go off detecting?
The only thing I do know for sure is the back light should be used when dark....
No smart answers please like switch headphones on.....

 

[zeekeys]

Advent I think you are making it much harder than it is.
All I do is turn V3i on.
Select Coin or coin/jewelry mode
I ground balance
I start detecting.
With only a month of using the V3i I try not to get too concerned with all the setting and adjustments. It is just too much for me to handle.
I have changed some settings. VCO is on, Tone id is on, and I adjusted some of the volumes, some were too high and too low. I just go out and have fun with it. I was adjusting some of the targets id's but it got too confusing so just use the presets.
Thanks for reading.......Z

 

[earthmansurfer]

Advent - Just keep things simple. Yes there are lots of settings but as Z said, just touch what you have to.

I usually hunt the same site and I use the same program.
You know what I do when I get to that site? I turn it on and go. My ground balance is basically the same as last time so autotrack fine tunes it again. I might check to see if there is EMI when I turn the machine on (by pulling the trigger and doing a circle) - but I don't have to. I might adjust my sensitivity but the I know my last settings are about right.

Now, if I hunt a new site then I:

ground balance
check for EMI
bury a target and find the best filter at low sens settings (as in my video). (Checking for EMI tells me if the high filter is even worth trying.)
adjust my sensitivity as high as I can get it if the iron allows.

I play with settings here and there, yeah, but to start hunting I don't do much. You don't have to.

Hope that helped,
Albert

 

[Dude]

It's easy to over think the V3i.
As stated above I just ground balance and go. I've found the area determines the gain and disc settings. If the machine is noisy with no coil movement turn down the disc, if it false's with coil movement turn down the gain.
Picking the right filter will help you find the deepest targets, theres ways of figuring it out for a given area as earthmansurfer describes. I tend to leave the filter alone, and base the filter selection on my sweep speed, which gets you in the ball park, the V3i goes plenty deep for me.

 

[nw1886]

Yup...."keeping it simple" is all you need to do to get up and running with this machine. Look at it this way.....all basic strengths are there to be learned within a very small group of adjustments. This "group" is about the same as any decent machine on the market....and needs learned anyways. "Spend your energy here"......get strong with this and and realize that even though you have some amazing features to still learn, this "group" is what will always be the heart of what you do. Factory preset programs take you into things you don't need to understand for now and best advise is to learn just one.... say "Coin/Jewelry" (or other) very well, as this approach will be setting yourself up to step securely into others.

When you find a good spot where there are plenty of targets, it's close to home, "easy" dirt, mixture of trash concentration to wide open occasional targets, view this as your "basic" training ground to learn to learn the "basic" adjustments. This will launch you strong and "easy" will be there to appreciate at every learning step. Easy is right there for you right now.

 

[mickfin]

Hi Advent, All the adjustments are thear for fine tuneing it, All the preset programs are adjusted as a Profesanal would adjust it in the Whites Factry, So dont worry
The V3i / VX3 Has a auto Fast Grad for Ground Balance, Just turn on the V start seraching with in 20 seconds and the V will find G/B for you,
See the worst thing is to over think it???????????? Just HAVE Funnn and learn as you go, Mickfin

 

[mudpuppy]

your Mantra! You know, something you mutter under your breath when you are ready to swing! That guy who found the Staffordshire Hoard said "Spirits of yesteryear, show me where the gold appears" or something like that...Maybe you could say, "Spirits of the V3i, help me sweep this field dry"
I default to several chants, prayers, incantations, lyrics, and punchlines to keep my focus during the hunt, my favorite is, "Theres gotta be a pony in here somewhere"...that seems to work well in the trash.
Mud

 

[Larry (IL)]

I also use the KISS principal. I have the Hi Pro loaded and adjustments already made for what I want so it is turn on, ground balance and hunt.

 

[goldbill]

Excellent question Advent I have had a v3/v3i for two years and I am still wondering. I keep playing with the adjustments and every once in a while I will reset back to factory and put back the adjustments I like.

 

[TC-NM]

Advent I think you are making it much harder than it is.
All I do is turn V3i on.
Select Coin or coin/jewelry mode
I ground balance
I start detecting.
With only a month of using the V3i I try not to get too concerned with all the setting and adjustments. It is just too much for me to handle.
I have changed some settings. VCO is on, Tone id is on, and I adjusted some of the volumes, some were too high and too low. I just go out and have fun with it. I was adjusting some of the targets id's but it got too confusing so just use the presets.
Thanks for reading.......Z

Hey advent, Zeekeys said it all. Good Luck and especially have FUN!

TC-NM

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

For me the sequence goes something like this:

1. Brush my teeth
2. Have a hearty breakfast
3. drink a medium Dunkin Donuts coffee
4. Press the button

 

[Rob (IL)]

You get the same there, I read them. he got his answer already. I can't stop friendly humor.

 

[Mike Hillis]

It was a good question and I was hoping someone would give a good answer. I would answer it but I don't have a V3 anymore so all I would be able to offer was a memory, which I didn't think would be good enough. So I was bugged no one had answered the question.

So...by memory....

Pick the program,
Set your Gain and Sensitivity
Ground balance.
Confirm ground balance
Lock ground balance.
Hunt until you find a deeper target (~5" +) to check filters on.
Make the filter choice,
Hunt.
Check ground balance occasionally.

HH
Mike

 

[Rob (IL)]

Well I have been gone hunting for 5 days. Use as much or as little as you like. Do you have to have the optimum settings to be successful, I guess not.

HUNTING SETUP
You want to transmit the highest signal possible while incurring as little noise as possible to achieve maximum performance. This is referred to as the Signal to Noise ratio.
It takes a stronger target signal to turn the audio on when running no threshold then it does to increase the audio a bit having the threshold audio on while searching. Therefore, run your threshold just above the threshold of sound, and you'll get better depth by hearing the weaker signals then if you run without a threshold.
Check the EMI environment to see how much noise you will have to deal with. Hold the detector waist high, pull the trigger to activate Pinpoint mode and turn in a circle. If I get a "motor boating sound", you have EMI interference. Adjust the frequency offset to compensate for the EMI. Go through the offsets and look for the least pinpoint noise. If this doesn

 

[earthmansurfer]

Advent, I think you might have seen this video I made on setting up the V3i. It pretty much goes over the important points.

Mike - I don't know where your other post went, but the question had already been answered. I don't really see anything in your last post that wasn't said before? That said, yes, this forum can be a bit unfriendly at times and I have gotten enough PM's asking questions because people are afraid to post them. Wish we all would just get along...

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MykHQ7wob0s[/video]

 

[Rob (IL)]

The guys who are having a little fun are also posting on both the other sites Mike mentioned.

EMS I don't know what his is about. That said, yes, this forum can be a bit unfriendly at times and I have gotten enough PM's asking questions because people are afraid to post them. I wasn't aware of any problems.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Rob, people have PM'd me on this forum and the other forum as they were afraid to post questions because questions were sometimes answered with "see this page in the manual", unfriendly remarks, little compassion and the like. I can understand both perspectives as most questions have been answered and it requires just the use of search. But a lot of people don't realize that and feel like they were "reprimanded" for asking a question.

It has happened to me many times before and on both forums. Just a few weeks ago on the "V3i Deep Silver" thread I really thought out the question on how we can get better performance from the V3i on silver. The original question was pretty much answered and so I was just running with the thread as is usual, clearly the same topic. I mentioned some interesting things brought up on another forum with quotes. I also brought up the E-Trac just because it seems to do well on silver and they have a few similarities (not exactly, but close enough). My intention was clear and good. I even said I wasn't comparing for the sake of comparing. I was trying to get the most from the V3i, that was my soul intention. You started talking about how Minelab keeps trade secrets, etc. (and I don't deny that). The thing is you have sooo much knowledge and it was a let down not to hear your opinion on the actual question and instead you started talking on whether Minelabe keeps trade secrets or not. Then you said "This is the wrong place to be talking about Minelabs. We need to get back on track." You skipped over all my points, started talking about something I didn't even bring up, then tell me to not talk about Minelabs after I clearly said this wasn't a comparison thread. Then you pm'd me and said I could ask any question (and I did and never got an answer.) At least a few other people seemed to like where the thread was going but I think when a mod steps in, it stops it pretty much. And I wasn't trying to cause trouble. I try to help people here, I love making videos, the posts book, answering posts, etc.

Again, my intention here is good. I'm just trying to answer your question honestly and I don't want to make things worse or the like. But, it is hard to write about these things cause words can't capture it all and are often misunderstood.

I prefer to keep this discussion here on the thread as well. I hope that is ok.

Sincerely,
Albert

 

[woodchiphustler]

Neil you forgot to hit the John.

 

[Mike Hillis]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

n/t