dalhut,
That was quite a lot to read, but was probably one of the BEST things I have ever read. I am new to the hobby, and after quite a bit of research decided on the ACE 250 as my first detector. While I have found that it does have its quirks, and I have yet to find anything except some clad and a lot of trash, I am loving it! This is a great lil machine, and your post has helped confirmed this!
In this post was a lot of information that I was in need of! While much I already knew (or suspected) it is good to see it in writing again. Very good explanation of the pinpointing function, which should help, and some goos info about what to do when hunting in areas that could present problems (like hunting in trashy areas). I also enjoyed the definition of common terms. There is a language that is very distinct to the hobby, and there are a number of terms that are used often. I was glad to see those defined here.
If you are new to the hobby, read his post! If you own an ACE, read it twice! Good stuff there!
EDIT
I just wanted to add that, thanks to that post, I have increased my coil's ability to find targets, and MY ability to find what my coil is telling me. Of course I still get the occasional ghost image, but I am pulling stuff out of the ground with greater frequency. I haven't been out much, but just yesterday I went out and in one half hour of hunting nearly doubled my coin count from previous hunts, with a lot less trash. Thanks.
this has to be the most valued part of the forum me bein a ace 250 newbie aint cummin till xmas but im on here readin up on all the 250 posts this one bein my favorate thx from this crazy brit thx again chaps,,, and h,h to all , happy thanksgiven aswell folks keep posting .....
, no different than properly disposing of all the garbage we dig up, we really need to get the manufacturers to lead the way in this. Since rechargeable batteries only supply 1.2 to 1.3 volts a piece compared to alkaline batteries at 1.5 to 1.65 volts, the metal detectors should be equipped with an additional battery (dummy) slot to add one more rechargeable battery to allow the rechargeables to compete with the life expectancy of the alkalines, eh ? That slot should be completely seperate from the main battery compartment so that a digger doesn't accidently put too many alkalines in & fry the circuit board. Of course the manufacturers could also throw in a 50 cent voltage regulator I.C. so that would never happen. If a detector manufacturer really wants to turn heads, then that company should do this simple task. One last note is that when using rechargeables in any detector, the detectors battery monitor may tell you your batteries are only at about 3/4 charge when in fact they are at full charge. This is simply because as I stated the rechareables run at a lower voltage. Thanks Andy for standing proud on that soap box. We should all take your advice. 
