Tracking Ground Balance Offset

[TerryETex]

ok, I was looking at it askew. I see what your saying.
thank Terry

 

[Old Longhair]

To further clarify.....
Tracking is tracking, regardless of whether there is any offset or not.
Tracking Offset tracks with whatever amount of offset (-15 to +15) that the user determines and enters in the Tracking Offset menu.
If you have any offset entered, it will track with that amount of offset all the time when in Tracking Mode.
To track without any offset, the number displayed in the Offset menu must be "0". Offset is not a feature that can be simply switched on or off like the Tracking feature itself.

 

[Digger]

Does Tracking offset gb only work if you manual gb, or can you set it off of auto gb first.

OL is right on target. I like to think of it this way......Tracking "replaces" having to ground balance your detector because it constantly maintains the proper ground balance level "on the fly". Implementing an offset allows the user to run with either a positive offset or a negative offset in ground phase. If you choose to not use Tracking and "lock in" the GB with either manual or auto GB, you can offset the ground phase (either more positive or more negative) by simply increasing or decreasing the ground phase number, after you acquire the "proper" ground phase setting. When you implement Tracking with an offset, either positive or negative, the X-TERRA applies that chosen offset in addition to what it is adjusting for ground variances. With a proper sweep speed for the area you are hunting (trash, terrain, etc.) I find Tracking with an offset can be a valuable tool, pretty much eliminating the use of a "locked in" setting. JMHO HH Randy

 

[TerryETex]

A question about the + and - #'s for tracking ground balance offset. I may be missing something, not surprising, but Randy in your book you say to make a positive GB you use negative numbers and visa versa but in the owners manual, page 44, it says to set it positive us positive numbers. What did I miss? Thanks in advance, Terry.

 

[Digger]

A question about the + and - #'s for tracking ground balance offset. I may be missing something, not surprising, but Randy in your book you say to make a positive GB you use negative numbers and visa versa but in the owners manual, page 44, it says to set it positive us positive numbers. What did I miss? Thanks in advance, Terry.

It is a good question that requires a somewhat confusing answer. So hang with me on this.......the numbers on the X-TERRA are a measurement of ground phase, not ground balance. Ground Balance is a form of discrimination allows you to adjust the ground phase of your detector to compensate for the mineralization in the ground. Ground phase is an indication of the type of ground, such as magnetic, conductive or a mixture of both. The ground phase number is in reference to the X-TERRA's compensation for the phase angle of the ground. The lowest GB setting for any X-TERRA models is the most positive ground phase adjustment available and represents a phase angle of (approx) -1. The largest GB number for any X-TERRA models is the most negative ground phase adjustment available and represents a phase angle of (approx) +9. On Tracking GB Offset in the 705, you can adjust the offset to be anywhere from +1 to +15 or from -1 to -15. I think the use of the word “Offset” is what makes this confusing. Setting a + number into the Tracking GB Offset will provide a more negative ground phase than the number the detector has chosen as “neutral”. On the other hand, if you want to run a positive Offset, you’ll need to enter a negative number. HH Randy

 

[TerryETex]

Thanks Randy. I didn't know they were different. I had just assumed they were the same thing. Just different wording.

 

[TerryETex]

So if my soil GB's at +45 and I offset by a -5 I'll be running a + 50.

 

[Digger]

So if my soil GB's at +45 and I offset by a -5 I'll be running a + 50.

Nope, just the opposite. Don't overthink the process. Just think about what you're trying to accomplish. We know that the lower the ground phase numbers are displayed when mineralization is greater. The more mineralized your soil is, the lower that ground phase number will be on a properly adjusted X-TERRA. (That is why I recommend using a DD coil when ground phase numbers are at or below 18 on the X-70 and 705). When I use a positive offset, my objective is to "fool" my detector into thinking the ground is more mineralized than the Tracking ground phase selects as "neutral". By lowering the ground phase number, my X-TERRA now performs as if the mineralization were greater. To lower the ground phase number, I put a negative value in the offset, as explained in the examples below. The negative value in the ground phase setting "duplicates" what the detector would have set had the mineralzation been greater. Setting a negative ground phase allows your X-TERRA to operate with a positive ground balance.


Here are a few paragraphs from page 22 in my eBook.

There has been some discussion as to whether lowering the ground phase number makes the GB of the X-TERRA more positive or more negative. I think the use of the word “Offset” is what makes this confusing. Setting a + number into the Tracking GB Offset will provide a more negative ground phase than the number the detector has chosen as “neutral”.

For example, if you are hunting an area in Tracking, and let’s say the X-TERRA has determined at a given time the proper GB setting is 35. That means the 705 software is going to set its ground phase at 35 in an effort to best neutralize the effects of that soil. If you had programmed your 705 with Tracking Ground Balance Offset of +5, your X-TERRA will actually indicate a 40 on the display. In this situation, the 40 that you see on the screen is the sum of what the X-TERRA software has determined to be required (remember it was 35 in this example), plus the +5 Offset that you programmed into it. By setting a +5 in your program, you have told the 705 that you want to run a negative Offset of 5, in combination with what it determines to be the proper setting.

On the other hand, if you want to run a positive Offset, you’ll need to enter a negative number. For example, if you want to track with a positive Offset of three, you would need to enter a -3 into the procedure. If, as in the situation above, the 705 determines that the perfect setting would be 35, your positive GB offset of -3 would actually make the display indicate a 32. Personally, in most of the sites I hunt, I like to run my X-TERRA with a slight positive Ground Balance (ground phase setting).



HH Randy

 

[Old Longhair]

I think that a lot of people get confused with positive being negative and vise-versa, which was exactly my motivation to write this earlier on in this thread, trying to keep it simple.

Whatever you enter will be like a simple math equation, in that if you enter +2 for instance, the machine will add 2 to the actual GB number, telling the machine that you want it to treat the soil as if it were 2 points milder than reality. Likewise, if you enter -2, the displayed number will be 2 points lower than reality, and the machine will respond as if the soil were 2 points more mineralized.

 

[TerryETex]

You're right Randy. I'm overthinking something that I should already have a handle on. I too like to run in a slight + gb so I see it better now. What I'm going to do is get out there and run what you and OL have suggested. I think then it will become clearer and I can go with it no prob. Thank you very much. Terry

 

[TerryETex]

OL I just told Randy I'm getting in the field starting in the morning and use what ya'll have been telling me. I think that when I get a few hours under my belt I will be able to go with it without the confusion. I just need to apply what I've been taught by you and Randy. Thanks for everything. Terry.