Excaliber threshold vs no threshold

[bluediamounds 55]

I have had my Excalibur for about a year and half i hunt with no threshold how much depth am I loosing the humming drives me crazy I have found a few gold rings but none over six or seven inches deep I have found quarters a foot deep and big fishing weights as well I hunt fresh water beaches and some of the sand is a couple feet deep I know I am missing the deeper gold rings maybe different ear phones my help thanks

 

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[lookindown]

Good question...one of the reasons I bought a CZ21 instead of an Excal is I didn't want to listen to a constant hum.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Only depth your losing is not being able to hear the very soft breaks in threshold from the very deep targets. I have hunted with no threshold when the water was rough and constantly causing false signals, I was still digging very deep targets.

Over all after 7.5 years the threshold doesn't bother me, I set it to sound like a small mosquito in my ear....

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Beach Papa]

I don't use an Excalibur, but I am familiar with threshold machines. I would suggest you go to the Minelab web site. I saw a graph on their site showing what you are missing in terms of depth as you lower or raise the threshold. The threshold is not suppose to be loud and annoying. You will loose depth if the threshold is set too high as well as too low. "Barely" audible is optimal. The further you move from barely audible the more depth you loose. Good luck and happy hunting. Papa

 

[TheRingFinder]

Good question...one of the reasons I bought a CZ21 instead of an Excal is I didn't want to listen to a constant hum.

I actually like the threshold, it's very soothing.........you can control the volume of the threshold so it is barley audible, yet your target volume can still be VERY LOUD. I would hate to be detecting for a long time and not realize that my detectors not working, threshold is there for a good reason. I went from a CZ21 to an Excal because the CZ is very uncomfortable, it floats away on ya and the battery pack leaked more than once on me. A bunch of us used to call it - My lunch box on a stick. I have to be truthful, I really didnt like anything about the CZ21. My humble opinion.

 

[CSMPEREZ]

T-hunter is right on target. My mentor told me to start that threshold very slow and stop when you barely hear the hum. you won't miss a thing!! I have Excal 1000 and the Excal II. Good hunting! Ray

 

[Les West Central Fl]

With a slight threashold it should not annoy you. The Excal threashold gives you a lot of information especially how the tone ends when going over a target. A faint change can tell you if something is deep. You may be missing out on a lot of small gold items.

 

[NJcigarman]

I love the threshold.

 

[bigscoop]

I went from CZ's to Excal's...hated that constant threshold at first, drove me silly - now I wouldn't dream of hunting without it. The trick is learning how to set it. I turn my machine on until I can hear a good threshold - then I slowly dial it back until I can just barely, yet comfortably, hear it. And Les is dead on - that threshold can provide you with a lot of information as well as indicate the presence of possible targets you might/will otherwise pass right over. Even if you hunt in disc the threshold can still be very important, i.e., I'm betting you've completely ignored many nulls, never paying any attention at all to the pitch of the returning threshold immediately after the null - if so, this is a huge mistake! The thing to keep in mind is that the threshold might actually be best thought of as an entirely different target response process - so in essence think of it as swinging two different machines at once - one machine may completely miss or misidentify the target while the other one might not.

 

[bluediamounds 55]

I will start using the threshold I do notice after it nulls the different pitches and usually just run back by my scoop to get the humming back but they r just to many nulls not sure if they r good or bad I just don't like to halft to rest the threshold every few swings of the coil thanks for all the info everybody I will go back over the areas that I have hunted and see what I have left behind thanks again

 

[bigscoop]

I will start using the threshold I do notice after it nulls the different pitches and usually just run back by my scoop to get the humming back but they r just to many nulls not sure if they r good or bad I just don't like to halft to rest the threshold every few swings of the coil thanks for all the info everybody I will go back over the areas that I have hunted and see what I have left behind thanks again

Most nulls will be iron, but not always. It will take you some time to get the feel/ear for it.

 

[Les West Central Fl]

If it nulls you went over iron and he threshold will change to low but if the threshold goes low without nulling check the spot, there may be something interesting there.

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Most nulls will be iron, but not always. It will take you some time to get the feel/ear for it.

Les: I usually hunt in the discriminator mode, with a minimum discrimination setting of 1 (the lowest you can go on a stock Excalibur ll 1000).

, If I understand it correctly, the Excalibur Nulls (no threshold) under two conditions in the discriminator mode:
1: When it positively identifies iron
2 : It initially tones when it detects a non ferrous target or a false signal and nulls when it cannot confirm that target.

After it Nulls ( No threshold) the threshold tone will be that of the next item it detects:
If it is high pitched: it is a highly conductive target such as copper or hopefully silver.
If it is lower pitched: it could be aluminum or hopefully gold as they are less conductive

Usually it comes back with an annoying grating sound, which can be hunted with,
Most hunters reset the tone by moving the coil near the basket of their scope, It is better to reset it with a nickel as it is closer to the tone of gold.

A low threshold setting, barely audible - like the buzzing of a bee, is easiest on the ears.
Over several minutes, I have noticed that the threshold on my Excal, drops below audible, and has to be increased.
I have never been able to determine why - It could be a result of tired ears (you hear better when you first start out).
I usually have to continuously slightly adjust the threshold setting (about every 5 to 15 minutes - even if there are no targets).
As a result mounting the control pod on my back is impractical.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I will start using the threshold I do notice after it nulls the different pitches and usually just run back by my scoop to get the humming back but they r just to many nulls not sure if they r good or bad I just don't like to halft to rest the threshold every few swings of the coil thanks for all the info everybody I will go back over the areas that I have hunted and see what I have left behind thanks again

You don't really have to use your scoop to adjust the threshold tone, detector is still working and will readjust itself on next target.

Any time you get a null you should recheck the null, swinging the cool from a different direction and the detector will give a good tone if there is a good target there with the iron.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[OBN]

One thing I like about the remote PP toggle, if I'm forced to hunt in Discriminate I can quickly reset the threshold with a quick flip to PP then back.

If you hunt in PP mode the threshold continues to decline as you adjust it down then it disappears, it is important to have a threshold in this mode to hear the disruptive signal of a deep target, But Even at the lowest point you can set your threshold targets are still being masked/covered. Something I discovered by running a amp on the headphones and being able to adjust below "just audible threshold"

In the video you will see going from normal hunting of just audible then switching on the amp, the just audible becomes a extremely loud threshold then that threshold is adjusted lower, uncovering a target.

 

[bigscoop]

This is an interesting thread. It seems that the issue of threshold response is somewhat different to the individual hunter. I've not used a lot of different Excals, however, the one I am using now has three distinctly different threshold pitches, high, med, low. I keep reading replies on this topic that say/suggest the Excal only has two threshold pitches, just high and low. So just curious if this is an old Excal VS new Excal thing or if something is perhaps a bit different per machine? (I use the older blue model, a 2001 model.)

The other thing I keep coming across when reading replies about this subject is the difference in opinion on the returning threshold immediately after a null, here again, my machine threshold will return with one of either of the high, med, low pitches described - this returning threshold pitch then offering me possible clue of a misidentified target or a potential target that couldn't be accurately processed for one reason or the other. The same is also true when there is no null at all, just a change in the threshold pitch. Just not sure why there seems to be a difference in experience/opinions concerning the actual range of threshold pitches? These differences/experiences have perked my curiosity a bit.

 

[cdv1]

Random thoughts from reading this thread...... Resetting the tone with the scoop for me was due to not liking the sound of the Iron toned threshold. I've since mostly hunt in PinPoint so that problem has been resolved for me. IF however you are having to reset the tone with the scoop every other swing or so, you are hunting in an extremely iron infested area OR you have the sensitivity set to high for your machine. Cut back on the sensitivity some and see if that doesn't change how often you are resetting the threshold.
Changing the earpads of the headset to gel pads helped with the sound of the iron threshold believe it or not..... before the gel pads, I had to have the threshold turned up higher to overcome the ambient noise from wind and waves, now with the gel pads, I can have a lower threshold and it doesn't sound as bad for me. Also if you are running just a bit hot on the excal (at least on mine), in disc if I get an iron tone and go a long time between targets, all I have to do is turn the coil to an angle from the bottom and it will change tones....you can also lift the coil from the bottom and then back down to the bottom and it will change tones...(again, at least on my machine).
Another trick is to put a nickel in your boot/shoe and use that to reset the tone if that is what you want to do...

As for the threshold level changing over time after the intial adjustment, it may be the pot shaft "o-ring" resistance to shaft position change that is pulling the shaft back some and turning down the threshold....this happens to me and I have to readjust shortly after the intial adjustment.... I believe most will say it is common in newer machines..... and just maybe those that don't notice it have older machines that have been used more and are "broken in"?

When in Discriminate, go back and slowly investigate any threshold change without a null..... like when the sound just seems to change pitch/tone on its own.... I have found some good targets there.... the shift in threshold without a null apparently is a target that is deep or just outside the detecting area of the coil.... going back and checking more slowly may reveal a better hit with the coil....you may want to check the area in Pinpoint to find the target but if the machine is set up right, there is a target there.

Cliff

 

[bluediamounds 55]

Obn I need all of your upgrades from strait shaft to toggle switch and would like to be able to change coils how can I get in touch with you I see I still have a lot to learn about the Excalibur I would like to master this machine to its full capabilities I have found around 70 gold rings dunces purchased but no gold necklaces or small gold thanks

 

[s1u2r3f4]

Obn I need all of your upgrades from strait shaft to toggle switch and would like to be able to change coils how can I get in touch with you I see I still have a lot to learn about the Excalibur I would like to master this machine to its full capabilities I have found around 70 gold rings dunces purchased but no gold necklaces or small gold thanks

Holy cow!! 70 RINGS with it stock! Man, you will be off the chart once Joe gets thru with you etc

 

[lookindown]

Obn I need all of your upgrades from strait shaft to toggle switch and would like to be able to change coils how can I get in touch with you I see I still have a lot to learn about the Excalibur I would like to master this machine to its full capabilities I have found around 70 gold rings dunces purchased but no gold necklaces or small gold thanks

You have a chain and a lot of small gold in your 2012 Finds pic.