505 noob

[Minelab_505er]

Hi folks - new to Minelab, and have a few questions...

For now, I want to concentrate on silver (i.e. deep, weaker signals)... Is it better to run sens high and disc low, and maybe notch out more tones below, say 30? Also, do you pay more attention to numbers, or tones? Right now I'm set on just 4 tones - should I be using 99? And most of the areas where I hunt are very trashy... is it just a hard fact of life that I'll need to dig more signals and basically weed out the trash first?

Thanks in advance!

 

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[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

You always want a stable machine. More sensitivity does not not always mean more depth. 4 tones is good. Tones tones tones and tones...

 

[Longhair]

Audio rules!
For a newcomer 4 tones is fine, but you'll end up hunting with multi-tones (99 {actually only 19}) eventually.

Download Randy Horton's FREE e-book "Understanding Your X-Terra" and read it at least twice ASAP. Nothing will cut the learning curve as fast or as much as that book will.

 

[Minelab_505er]

Bart - thanks... I have found that to be the case with other machines I've used.

Longhair - thank you as well...! I actually have already found it and have read most of it. Some of it is way over my head, though... And I'm not sure I can handle hunting in 0 disc (just yet), but I understand the concept.
What I'm planning to do is hunt one specific place, dig everything that repeats, and keep a log of what numbers read on what targets...

 

[Longhair]

Sounds like a plan. And a good one too!

As Bart said, the machine should be stable. Sensitivity should be set so as to maintain stability, but part of the key is sweeping slowly. This is really a big reason that I encourage people to learn hunting with zero disc or All Metal, because it will help teach you what proper sweep speed is. If you start getting frequent unrepeatable high tone beeps, slow down before resorting to turning down the Sensitivity. If slowing down doesn't get rid of those random high tone beeps, then start turning the Sens down one click at a time until a stable running machine is achieved.

 

[NeilinFR]

Two things I will add, get one of the 6" coils if you don't have one since your sites are so trashy(lots of mine are too).

For disc settings, try this: lay a dime or penny on the ground and about 3" from it lay an item your trying to eliminate next to it....now practice scanning with different disc settings and you will see how the higher disc settings effect finding good stuff within the bad stuff. This will also highlight part of what Longhair was saying about sweep speed, how slowing down allows the detector to separate targets better.

Hope this helps you

 

[Minelab_505er]

Thanks guys - I'm slowly learning its language, and I did slow down today and was able to pick some good targets out, but for now I'm gonna have to stick to the 9" coil (funds).

I have started to learn what the deep weepy signals sound like, though. Just can't get any in the 40s, lol.

Thanks for all the info guys.

Oh, and I have done some air tests where I had a junk item and a coin in my hand to see how the disc works - found that if the junk is over the good it totally cancels out the good target, but if it's below it it either ignored it or chopped up the signal... I will usually dig choppy signals anyway depending on the depth.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Thanks guys - I'm slowly learning its language, and I did slow down today and was able to pick some good targets out, but for now I'm gonna have to stick to the 9" coil (funds).

I have started to learn what the deep weepy signals sound like, though. Just can't get any in the 40s, lol.

Thanks for all the info guys.

Oh, and I have done some air tests where I had a junk item and a coin in my hand to see how the disc works - found that if the junk is over the good it totally cancels out the good target, but if it's below it it either ignored it or chopped up the signal... I will usually dig choppy signals anyway depending on the depth.

Very welcome! Enjoy the machine Sir! Great hobby we have!

 

[bigtim1973]

I ran in all metal in mine with multitones. It will drive you a little bonkers but you will find some good stuff

 

[mikeraydj]

If you are looking for silver. Discrim everything below 40 and use 4 tones. Dig the repeatable high tones. Be careful of aluminum cans. The detector will say the target is shallow. If you find yourself not finding it shallow, then it is probably a deep can.