Me again! sensitivity

[Tugboat]

Hi guys, been out again today, and am struggling with the sensitivity or should say cant get my head around how it works! So if its a deep $2 coin ( the X-TERRA 505 should display a solid 30) but if iam getting 30 32 27 30, do i increase the sensitivity? And what is the normal sensitivity??????
Did find 2 things today, that i have seen on youtube a few times! Dug a nice plug and hanging on its side was a $1 coin in the plug! And a $2 coin that had been hit by a lawn mower!
Cheers :lol:

 

[Sa_bogan]

Let me help you understand how the ID should work. The deeper the target is the harder it will be for the detector to tell you what it is. Increasing sensitivity will only help in detecting a target, not tell you what it is. If it's shallow then the readings will be more accurate, but in saying that it's never 100% correct ( although some people will argue this) eg a pull tab on the beach will read like gold on my target ID (in using the ctx)

I hope this helps you and one thing you will find is you will get false signals if the sensitivity is too high and remember to ground balance every so often because that too will make your detector false

 

[Sa_bogan]

Sorry I forgot to add the numbers can also change depending on the metals it's made of and if its rusted etc

 

[Tugboat]

Cheers for that, the manual says 12 is factory settings! But 12 to 17 will be fine! So would i ever need to come out of this factory area? As in minus/higher settings for senitivity

 

[silver]

You can bore it up it (usually) on the dry sand at the beach to get as much depth as possible out of it.
And reduce it for wet sand to the point it stops being chattery(falsing) and starts working fine again.

 

[rocketaroo]

like Bogan says, the ID numbers are really only good for shallow targets. Size of target, and its orientation (laying flat is best, on its side degrades signal/tid). Dig on tone(headphones are best), unless you just hunting shallow goldies.

 

[PhaseTech]

Hey Tugboat, a higher Sensitivity will give a more positive ID but ONLY if you don't increase any false signals. I.e. a deeply buried 50c coin in dry sand, Sens 26 will give you a more positive ID compated to Sens 14, because you are punching deeper and dry sand is easy to work - no false signals.

 

[Tugboat]

So how do i know if i have too much sensativity or not enough! Maybe i should put some coins in the veggie patch and practice? So what are high numbers? As in the item! (40 to 47)?
Example i had high 40s to mid 30s, was thinking trash, dug a plot and found a 50c a 20c and two 5c all on top of each other and the coins were all green from where they had been touching each other coins!

 

[Tugboat]

Just found this, so this was for the Minelab 3030, would the same principle work on XTERRA?
The easiest way to set your Sensitivity is to turn it up until the machine starts to chatter. When the machine chatters, turn the Sensitivity control back until the chatter just goes away. This will give you the maximum Sensitivity without any excess noise and the maximum Metal Detector depth. If you can turn your Sensitivity control wide open without chatter, leave it there. Your machine will be operating at its maximum power capabilities.
Most metal detectors work by sending out a signal, receiving it back, amplifying the return signal, and deciding whether or not to beep. One way of making the detector more sensitive is to increase the amplification of the return signal. This works well up to a point but can cause a machine to overload the circuits and become chirpy.

 

[rocketaroo]

yep