how many of you regularly run your detectors in the ALL METAL mode?

[sandtrout]

i've read in some of these forums that some dirt hunters regularly run their detectors in the ALL METAL mode. i know some people will at least discriminate out the iron if nothing else. has running your machine without any discrimination worked out for you? i dig the pull tabs but to use just the ALL METAL mode seems like a TON of digging.

 

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[KYBuzzBox]

I use all metal mode on my V3 when I am relic hunting in a clean area (cornfield..ect). Yes, you do dig a lot, but you will not miss any good targets. I have also used all metal mode when I was MDing around old houses to find deep silver. My V3 displays a VDI range which basically tells me what the target is so discrimination really isn't an issue.

Good Hunting
KYBuzzBox

 

[Blacksheep]

We are using all metal at the moment, my son and I are detecting our small yard (our first experience with a detector). Need to adjust something as many of our targets seem to be ghosts (non existent) or targets marked "quarter" turn out to be foil/tabs/pennies.

 

[P.B. and Dylan]

I usually detect in all metal mode then when I get a signal I'll switch to discriminate and tone. Depending what I get on those setttings I'll decide to either dig or let it mature.

 

[Frankn]

Sandtrout: Always mention what detector you are talking about, you will get a better answer! Now when I am running My Surfmaster PI It is only "all metal" so there is no choice, but when I am running my XLT in dirt I use the coin and Jewerly program. The indicator will still tell me every metal down there and I will get an ID# but it will not sound off on iron.

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[Frankn]

Lets get this straight from the start! There is no such thing as a gold detector! Whites sold goldmasters & coinmasters in years gone by. They both picked up gold, coins, pulltabs, etc. the only difference I could see was the goldmaster had a larger controll box. Modern detectors can be anything you want them to be. My XLT for example has several set programs and several custom programs. You can select a coin & jewelry program and it will not sound off on iron, but it will indicate it on the display. The prospect program will sound off on any metal and goes down deep. Some frequencies are more sensitive to gold, but I really don't think this amounts to more than a sales point. Except for water usage, a high end detector can be anything. Of course you will see more bells and whistles used for sales. The next big step is GPR & the new units that can see thru walls that the police & military now have. O.K. open for rebuttal, but back it up with facts please.

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[FCCDFEd]

I run in all metal mode with some adjustments as much as possible on my DFX. Only time I run in a modified coin or coin/jewelry program is when the trash is too much. Yes I dig a lot but isn't' that what we are suppose to do with metal detectors.

 

[mts]

It all depends on where I am hunting. If I am in a clean area then I will sometimes hunt in all metal mode and then switch to discriminate mode to determine what it is that I will potentially be digging. If I am in a REALLY trashy park then I will sometimes even discriminate out everything except for silver/clad. It all depends on how much junk I intend to dig. And this can change every five minutes or so.

As far as gold machines are concerned, metal detector design is always based on tradeoffs. What works well for small gold does not work well for iron relics or even coins. Therefore, it is reasonable for a "gold machine" to exist that has been designed in order to maximize the potential for finding small gold. That doesn't mean that a "coin machine" can't find gold and vice versa. It just means that a machine made to find deep relics or coins might not be optimal for finding small gold nuggets. In the case of PI detectors this is especially true.

 

[Frankn]

Spooky: I am not an expert! I am more a generalist. That is jack of all trades, master of a very few. I tend to call things as I see them like you do. I realize that you got me in experience in life at 80 something. But I spent 32 years in electronics. I also spent a couple of years in sales so I know how a colorful description enhances sales. If I offended you I am sorry.

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[mainer]

I have been running my detectors for 4 or 5 years wide open. I started doing it with the XLT, because I noticed that stuff that was deep it had a hard time giving a good ID, and somtimes it would bounce back and fourth between ferrous and non-ferrous, and going by the sound you couldnt tell if it was doing that unless you ran it wide open. I dug a lot of good deep items that were back and fourth. Now switching to the explorer I just naturaly started out wide open, my buddy Iron Patch has tried to talk me out of it but I am sticking to my guns. Although I do see his point on why he does it, I just have got use to it now and find it hard to switch. But I am hunting older sites and digging anything that I consider not to be iron, so my style of hunting differs from alot of other folks.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I hunt beaches, a lot of times I will run my Excal in all metal, then switch to descriminate when it finds a target.............

 

[sandtrout]

thanks a lot guys for your input...i realize it's a "newbie" question but that's what i am!

frankn...i'm using an ace 250 and a vaquero (which i'm learning) and both have ALL METAL

spooky...i don't hunt any gold at all yet but that's a good idea! i'm going on an annual trip to the eastern sierras and i hear there's some "gold country" around there. since i'll be doing a lot of stream fishing, if the fish ain't biting i can always float a bait and then check the water over the rocks for any gold (and hooks, sinkers, swivels, but i'll get used to it) i hear they got machines designed for gold but out of my league for now...the ace and vaquero will have to do unless i find something and get lucky enough to buy it with the gold i find!!

fccdfed & kybuzzbox...i guess i'll just have to get used to more digging which i'll complain about until i find something really cool, then i'll brag about the digging i had to do for it!

pb and dylan...hadn't thought of starting in all metal and switching to disc mode....have to give that one a try

mts....i used to disc out all but silver/clad myself at trashy parks, then included the pulltabs and found my 1st three rings. a cheapo kids ring, a silver ring with 2 dolphins facing each other, and a stainless steel ring (stainless? i don't know why they would pick stainless steel) with 6 small diamonds under the @#$^* pulltab setting so now if i'm going to discriminate at all i'll still include pulltabs. i was just shocked that people would hunt in the ALL METAL mode so i posed the question. i think i will use the all metal mode more, the silver ring was under foil.

thanks to all of your for your helpful replies!!!!

 

[VERMONTPACKRAT]

I have been running my detectors for 4 or 5 years wide open. I started doing it with the XLT, because I noticed that stuff that was deep it had a hard time giving a good ID, and somtimes it would bounce back and fourth between ferrous and non-ferrous, and going by the sound you couldnt tell if it was doing that unless you ran it wide open. I dug a lot of good deep items that were back and fourth. Now switching to the explorer I just naturaly started out wide open, my buddy Iron Patch has tried to talk me out of it but I am sticking to my guns. Although I do see his point on why he does it, I just have got use to it now and find it hard to switch. But I am hunting older sites and digging anything that I consider not to be iron, so my style of hunting differs from alot of other folks.

You are not so different. I run my Minelab wide open and dig non ferris targets. I will dig the larger iron too. Once in a while I will disc out the iron, but it has to be pretty thick. I usually just slow down a bit.

VPR

 

[mainer]

It can be tough to stand it at times VPR. Luckily most of my sites havent been inhabited for a 100 years or so, so sites like that make it easier.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I run in all metal as much as the soil conditions /trash permits me to.
Sometimes, with the etrac being very hot at the coil it's difficult to run all metal picking up any thing metal on yourself and shovel. But in the woods searching for the old stuff in old country I put the heat down as much as possible.

 

[wwace]

yep I run All Metal as much as I can, it doesn't mean I dig everything I just like to hear everything and choose what to dig

 

[newbieprospector]

I run in all metal and dig everything! Of course if the ground is highly mineralized, then I might discriminate slightly to try and get rid of the false signals but I like my collection of trash....I'm helping to clean up our planet! Not too mention occasionally those trash signals end up being something good! ***TIP: Some detectors....small gold signal = pull tab signal***

 

[Iron Patch]

I looked through the posts fairly quickly, but it doesn't appear anyone has brought up true allmetal vs zero disc.... and there is a huge difference! If a poster does not say what detector, or the person reading isn't really familiar with the detector they are reading about, it's apples and oranges. For example the GTI 2500 you can run either, zero disc., or true all metal. One you can still dig all good sounding tones and the other you dig just about everything in the ground. I personally have used a little disc. on every detector I've used but as I said some I could have easily run at zero and just let my ears do the disc'ing.