talking about settings...

[Calabash Digger]

A talk about settings etc....

 

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[dirtlooter]

so many variables, so many responses by the machine. it is so easy to actually have your machine at less than desirable performance just because of one or two settings. I guess that for a new operator, it can be easy to not realize what some options can do for or against you all according to where and what you are doing. I thought that I had a good grasp on the machine after reading Andy's book before getting it. I used a program (that I created) that actually cost me depth for several months before I realized it. Videos like this one helped to open my eyes to what I was doing wrong or just plain misunderstood. Pretty cool to see what a few changes did for the performance of the LF coil as well as explaining why you did it. The guy should be happier for sure. Jerry

 

[GreenMeanie]

I have only had mine for a little while and think most of the stock programs will get you close to where you need to be.
EX - I take GM Power and just drop the FREQ down use Full Tones and call it GM Silver there doesn't seem really anything else I need to play with on it in my area. If I need more depth Drop reactivity down to 1 and it is still as fast as other machines out there. It is a decent machine and I really think most people can stay near the stock settings and do quite well.
Also people need to realize this is a HOT machine target ID's will be jumpy it won't be as stable as a CTX because it picks up so much of whats in the ground.

 

[vferrari]

Calabash nailed it and instantly optimally tweaked the settings. The huge mistake on settings was the 40 on discrimination. Anything above 15 to 20 will just kill depth, under 15 depth is not affected at all (you really cannot gain depth by lowering discrimination below 10 or 15, it will have no effect).

Regarding GM power (GreenMeanie) - the thing you got to watch out for is that the default silencer setting of 2 will affect depth. I run my silencer no higher than 0 so as not to affect depth. Silencer is tricky because it will change automatically when you change reactivity so if you every change reactivity you need to always go back in and make sure silencer has not increased above 0. Good to lower frequency for high conductor depth. Otherwise, the GM power settings are fine.

I typically use Deus fast as my base program for all my customizations because it defaults to silencer being off (-1 setting). If the machine is chattering, then I will nudge silencer up to 0.

So I like (version 4.X software):

Disc = 8 -10 (in full tones I run with slightly negative disc because I want to hear the iron)

Tones = variable because I can use full tones (typically with no discrimination as described above), 5 tones (normal hunting), or pitch (unmasking in thick iron) depending on what I am hunting and the site conditions.

Sensitivity = 90/Tx Power = 2

Frequency = as desired (14 khz or 28 khz > I exclusively use the HF coil)

Iron Volume = 3

Reactivity = 2/Silencer = 0

Audio Response = 4

Notch = None

GB = Tracking

ID NORM = OFF (by default on the HF coils, not adjustable)

I also like to use Gold Field for relic hunting in highly mineralized soil.

 

[Calabash Digger]

I too use the hf coil alone. Hugh got any ideas on the new coils. I like the adjustable tx on them. I can run a tx of 3 here. 27kh and a tx of 3 hmmm interesting.

 

[vferrari]

The 3.7 khz will be DEEP on high conductors. I am interested because I can finally run low frequency WITHOUT tx power locked at 3 which will be great in mineralized soil where the high TX power rendered the LF coil useless at 4 khz. I still like the HF coil, and am not sure if I will spend the bucks on the LF coil just for what I described to you. But in your soil, if you got some deep silver somewhere, that LF coil will likely find it and I like the fact, as a relic/button hound, that you can run the the new "LF"'s up to 27.7 khz and TX=3, as you say. Not sure what TX =3 at 27.7 on the LF compared to TX2 on the HF at 28 khz practically means though from a button depth perspective. Theoretically it should eek out more mid-conductive depth. But no way to know if TX 2 on the new LF coil = TX 2 on the HF coil. I think the only way we will know is running a depth test comparison to be sure.

 

[Calabash Digger]

Cant wait to try one...just more money. lol

 

[GreenMeanie]

I agree I have the 9" LF l might have to pick up the 11" X35.

Cant wait to try one...just more money. lol

 

[vferrari]

I agree I have the 9" LF l might have to pick up the 11" X35.

Yep, that is the one I'd get, good depth and good coverage. The larger coil is just too heavy, stresses the shaft, and overkill as far as I'm concerned. I have the 9" covered with the HF.

 

[Geochem]

CB gave excellent instrument setting information, to get better depth on coins. All recommendations were spot on. CB is one to listen to.

VF gave additional information for using the HF coil and its performance properties. Great info.

Two items I would add that will greatly vary performance in general is first soil moisture content. The higher the water absorbed (bound) by soil particulate the better the Deus will pickup conductors at depth. Radically. Fairly high moisture content verses dry soil makes an extreme difference. Next, clay-aluminum content of the soil, speaking of the very aluminum-rich phyllosilicate sheet structures (kaolinites and clays with silica tetrahedral lattices highly substituted with Al+3, follows in depth performance degradation behind very-low soil moisture hierarchy.

 

[vferrari]

CB gave excellent instrument setting information, to get better depth on coins. All recommendations were spot on. CB is one to listen to.

VF gave additional information for using the HF coil and its performance properties. Great info.

Two items I would add that will greatly vary performance in general is first soil moisture content. The higher the water absorbed (bound) by soil particulate the better the Deus will pickup conductors at depth. Radically. Fairly high moisture content verses dry soil makes an extreme difference. Next, clay-aluminum content of the soil, speaking of the very aluminum-rich phyllosilicate sheet structures (kaolinites and clays with silica tetrahedral lattices highly substituted with Al+3, follows in depth performance degradation behind very-low soil moisture hierarchy.

You took the words right out of my mouth, I was going to say that very exact thing.

But seriously, you are right Geochem. Having at least some rudimentary knowledge of the site soil conditions is important. Some might say, "Why, you can't do anything about it." But while it is true that you may not have control over the ground conditions, you can tweak some Deus settings to compensate a little (e.g., lower TX power when the soil is mineralized to minimize transmitted signal scatter - high beams in fog effect - and improve signal penetration into the ground, know when to go into GB tracking mode) or at least set expectations on max detectable target depth. Pay attention to the mineralization bargraph on the right side of the Deus display to know when to lower TX power (if the bargraph gets really high when you pump or stays more than half way up when you are just normally swinging the coil, consider lowering TX power to at least 2 if not 1 under severe conditions). Since there is not a direct correlation between mineralization and the ground phase number, it is important to look at both numbers and see how things are varying to decide if you want to go into tracking mode. Tracking mode is pretty good unless there is not a lot of variability in the ground phase number and/or mineralization is low. Then just set the GB to match phase within plus/minus 3 points and forget it. If ground balance is way off, however, your machine will get really chatty or too quiet (indicating severe loss of detectable depth). This also explains why using the exact same settings in South Carolina will yield different results in Pennsylvania as far as depth is concerned and don't just blindly replicate settings from someone in a different geographic region without understanding their soil conditions and how settings are affected by them. It is also why I take absolute depth performance claims with a grain of salt because site conditions play a huge role and sometimes results in an apples to oranges comparison. So while the number of environmental, technical, and skill related variables in detecting is huge and impossible to fully control, having some knowledge of how they can be handled by settings and technique just makes you an even better detectorist and and takes some randomness out of the equation. Also, site selection is way more important than detector selection. However, good luck helps too. Good stuff.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Thank you for sharing!

 

[Geochem]

Very detailed explination of handling different geographic and environmental changed soil types by program varible settings. You have a wealth of real world Deus detecting knowledge. Great to read your's and and Calabash's posts.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Excellent video, I've been finding a lot of the things you mentioned as well.
I only need to experiment further with silencer at some point. Near 0-1 in silencer seems to clean up some iffy signals around here.

 

[Rookster]

I tried the setting you guys talked about on the XP and it's really helping with the depth. Just in time to hunt a new premission dated 1841. The contractor restoring the project said "Go at it." To me that means pound the heck out of it. He showed me the boundary of 4+ acres.
Thanks for the video and keep um coming.