History of the 100 hour competency

[chub]

Where exactly did the guide line of 100 hours familiarisation with a new machine come from? Was it from a detector manufacturer or enthusiasts?

I agree with it and often repeat it but was thinking today that all machines are different...

what about E trac v's Mojave ?

Equinox Vs Sea hunter

You see where Im going with this. Beep and dig vs multiple programme, multiple coil options etc.

Anyway, was just curious.

Chub

 

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[smokeythecat]

I don't know where it comes from but it doesn't take me that long to find good stuff and ignore junk. Most of the newer computers on a stick are pretty reliable as to target id although no machine will ever get it 100% right.

 

[Toecutter]

I think it more for new guys and something a good dealer came up with, i can only imagine how frustrating some customers might get when they are new and having problems or the guy that knows everything after 2 hours of hunting but can only get bent nails...

100 hours? Iv noticed that I am more in tune with my machine after lots of use but cant say how many hours it took...

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

I don't know about the 100 hours thing, but there's no question that the more you use your machine the better you will become with it. I think some people will definitely need more time than others. You can't expect to become proficient with it using it only a few times a year, that's for sure.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Ive never heard of dealers advocating this, and I've never seen it as a "general guideline" for any/all detectors. I personally (and others) have advocated this for Minelab FBS detectors. Too many new Minelab users were complaining about the detector, and not understanding it. Those of us who had a lot of hours all had the same general timelines which basically broke down as 10 hours to the get the hang of controls. 20 hours to understand controls, tones and pinpointing. By 50 you should have a good solid grasp of the detector, and by 100 hours you should be fully "in sync" with your machine. By then (if you actively study the responses) you should understand how the controls interact and affect each other, how target response changes with ground and co-located targets and depth. You shoudl also understand how iron responses sound, how they false, and how to identify most of those falses.

 

[eman1000]

I wondered about this as well. I couldn't find the first place I heard the 100 hour rule but never agreed with it. I've put about 100 hours on my V3i and have barely scratched the surface of what there is to know about that machine. (Even the terminology of the menu is a learning curve). I find myself more often just sticking with the base program and adjusting recovery speed down and that works for me..

I had 232 hours on my Nox 600 before I sold it but felt like I had a good feel of it within the first 40 hours of use. ( I think minelab created a bit of confusion with the park1/2 options, I think a simple park, field would have been fine IMO) If you could adjust the VDI range on the Nox (OMG I would love that machine!)

The Tesoro's take a little practice learning to manual ground balance if you have never had to do this before.

The MX5 is probably the easiest learning curve of any machine I have had it does have a little quirk in that you lock the pinpoint on and off. I would say within a few hours or less about anyone who has metal detected before would have a good feel for that machine.

The F2 and F22 by Fishers are also very easy to learn but the teardrop coil on the F22 I had took some getting used to pinpoint correctly. It also has a coin and a jewelry mode that have subtle differences.

- Learning to hear threshold drop off is kinda separate and I think somewhat universal to all machines - More of a preference - now I can't hunt without it.

 

[IDXMonster]

If all targets were the same,it would take considerably less time to learn what each function and adjustment does,or CAN do. But they are ALL different,sometimes very much so. To have a single operator to think that they have mastered their machine and all targets that it may encounter is the height of arrogance. You can take the simplest of machines out for many years and hours...and still learn something. I don’t believe in any time frame,as we,like all target,are all different people.

 

[Clad2Silver]

I think it depends on the detector you have and also a little bit it depends on the user. Some people are fast learners, others not so much. Some machines are simpler to learn and probably require less time to learn it well. An Ace 250 must have a shorter learning curve than an Equinox 800. I think that most of us can learn a machine in less than 100 hours, some maybe never learn no matter how long they have the detector. How about the folks who hunt only once a month or so for a few hours each hunt? It would take them years to learn what their detectors are telling them. Best bet is get out there as often as you can.

 

[pulltabfelix]

It depends on the location. 100 hours in trashy parks or 100 hours on good permissions?

I bought my Nox 800 March 2018 and used it in trashy parks and creeks for about a year going out maybe once a week. So that was maybe close to 100 hours. For me on the Nox 800 it was a long learning curve.
But I spent too much time learning to use all the features especially setting up tone breaks to cherry pick parks.

Had I just settled on park 1 or field 1 I think I could have cut the learning curve down to half or 1/4 that time. The 800 also forced me to learn more about the art and science of metal detecting. And with the help of great people on this forum like Vferrari, I learned a huge amount theory and practice.

Now i focus on just hunting good permissions. My good to bad target rate has greatly improved towards the good finds.

 

[smokeythecat]

Maybe I'm just old, but a machine that takes 100 hours to learn needs to be wrapped around a tree and left there. These new computers on a stick, using a stock mode should be reliable out of the box. Even my old analog machines with a "yes" or "no" kind of function, did better on the learning curve.

The main problem I see is people using someone's "wonderful" new program and messing the machine up to the point it won't find a truck in a parking lot.

Over tweaking and not digging signals in some ranges or iffy signals is the biggest mistake I have seen people make.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

It is true - 100 Hours.
I know because after 2 1/2 weeks with my new detector I was finding gold bars, silver ingots and all kinds of precious metals. Jars full of gold coins from the 1800s, buried deep down, were no match for my new detector once I reached 100 hours...I was finding gold right and left. I could not only hear but understand the language of my new detector - it was singing to me after 100 hours. In the water, gold bands and diamond rings were detected easily once I broke the 100 hour mark! 1713 Spanish fleet treasures were suddenly detectable and dug-up as fast as I could place my detector over them.
Then I woke up.

 

[smokeythecat]

A friend of mine got a new XP Deus today. We went to a local park, all I did was show him how to turn it on and off and he had a handful of coins, while ignoring the iron and most of the aluminum in 20 minutes. NOT 100 hours. All he could say over and over was "Wow!"

 

[releventchair]

Where exactly did the guide line of 100 hours familiarisation with a new machine come from? Was it from a detector manufacturer or enthusiasts?

I agree with it and often repeat it but was thinking today that all machines are different...

what about E trac v's Mojave ?

Equinox Vs Sea hunter

You see where Im going with this. Beep and dig vs multiple programme, multiple coil options etc.

Anyway, was just curious.

Chub

Owner's Manual - Garrett Metal Detectors
https://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby.../1525000_gti_2500_manual_english.pdf
Learn more about the PRO-POINTER ® at garrett.com ... SPECIAL NOTICE. The Garrett GTI™ 2500 metal detector ...... 100 hours or more. Don't forget to take.

 

[releventchair]

A friend of mine got a new XP Deus today. We went to a local park, all I did was show him how to turn it on and off and he had a handful of coins, while ignoring the iron and most of the aluminum in 20 minutes. NOT 100 hours. All he could say over and over was "Wow!"

Respectfully.
Was he calling all items that existed below his feet? (Lightbulb base. Bottle cap. small stainless screw. Carnival token. Gold ring. Ect.)
Cherry picking coins is fun.
What about the one under an iron nail?

More hours of experience with a particular machine can enhance learning it's and the users ability.
Varied soil and relic conditions. Depth of relic layer(s). Underground pipes and wires.

Spring can be interesting. Regardless of hours running detectors ,I seem to have to learn all over again to get beyond easy stuff....

 

[smokeythecat]

We did find an underground electric line, not put in to the electrical code, btw, i.e., an illegal installation. There weren't a lot lot lot of targets in the field, it was a farm now is used for parking cards during big events so there probably won't be many aluminum caps, (park is pretty new), no lightbulb bases, (no house) etc. He was having fun. It was a good place to play for half an hour, at most, plus the storms were starting to roll in. We dug everything over a "45" not to miss any gold. The Deus can pick up a Civil War eagle button with a nail ATTACHED to it, I have done that quite a few times.

 

[boogeyman]

I think the 100 hours thing came about back in the analog TR days. You basically had an analog meter that wasn't much good for anything but telling you if your batteries were good. Most of us took that long to hit enough different targets & conditions to learn what your machine was telling you. I've got a Sovereign Elite that I've only had the meter on twice to show someone how it works. The meter was just too much hassle. I could ID better without it. But I learned from an old boy that used an old BFO & could do a fine job of IDing. In todays instant everything world with machines that do everything but dig the find for you, it's sort of outdated. Even with the encyclopedic manuals and a bazillion utube videos, you need a good amount of swinging to become proficient. Do this! Have you used your machine more than say 20 hours? Ok, go back to the first couple places you searched when you first got it and search them. Now imagine how well you'll do after 50 or 100 hours? You are learning what your machines telling you.

 

[eman1000]

Owner's Manual - Garrett Metal Detectors
https://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby.../1525000_gti_2500_manual_english.pdf
Learn more about the PRO-POINTER ® at garrett.com ... SPECIAL NOTICE. The Garrett GTI™ 2500 metal detector ...... 100 hours or more. Don't forget to take.

Good Catch! Looks like the origin may be Charles Garrett. I don't know anyone who uses the GTI 2500 but I'm inclined to think if they were better than the AT Pro we would here more about them.
I like his advice about hunting in stock program for 10 hours before you go "learning" additional settings. Probably good sound advice for detectors with lots of settings.

 

[alaskaseeker]

The other thing too is how is the target positioned in the ground, I've dug stuff small targets on edge that I was amazed the detector even picked it up.. Listening is what I learned, and sometimes you dig because you heard a whisper...

 

[A2coins]

100 hours how about reading the manual first before you use it lol

 

[Slingshot]

I'm pretty sure that Charles Garrett promoted the 100 hours in the field with your detector to attain proficiency with it in his book Successful Coin Hunting, and Modern Metal Detectors.