Notch discrimination can be used either to reject a narrow band of targets (a notch reject), or to respond to a narrow band of targets (a notch accept). It is usually used to reject pull-tabs while still finding small coins and gold target that do not have the same response as pull-tabs. The notch level control generates a 'window signal' whose width is set by a small component on the PC board. This 'notch window' can be moved up and down the discrimination range until it properly covers the desired range of target response.
If the detector is being used to eliminate the response to the pull-tabs, you must remember that any good targets which have the same phase response as pull-tabs, and which therefore fall within the same window, will also be eliminated. Such good targets consist mainly of gold items and rings.
The 'notch accept' feature can be used to tune the detector to a particular type of item, such as a known type of ring. The detector will then only find items which fall within that narrow notch window.