For many years, I detected our Florida beaches with various Minelab detectors set up in a custom 3 tone setting based on low, mid and high conductive targets. This combination served me very well over those years in the Minelab world so when I bought the Deus 2, I programmed Beach and Beach Sensitive the same way--3 tones. However, in my on-going effort of transitioning to the XP world, I quickly learned that the Deus 2, being the sophisticated detector it is, was apt to be more chatty on a saltwater beach if not set up properly beyond just my 3 tone solution.
After experimentation with sensitivity, salt sensitivity, reactivity, silencer, bottle cap rejection and discrimination, (more options than I was used to with the Minelabs,) I was able to stabilize it to what I thought was at least a somewhat satisfactory level...again in 3 tones.
But thanks to some educational exchanges with Calabash Digger and Savannah Harps, I was introduced to the Deus 2 Square Pitch option. Coupled with the right levels of discrimination and silencer settings, this set up is essentially a nuanced 2 tone program. Since I always dug both the mid and high level tones of my 3 tone set up anyway, this wasn’t all that much different in terms of dig/no dig decisions except now there was the same tone frequency for all non-ferrous targets.
Although still in the early stages of learning the finer points of this Deus 2, I’m impressed with the square pitch option. These settings hit good targets hard and ID’d bottle caps and ferrous targets much better than my original 3 tone option. Additionally, it proved to be far less chatty on my Florida saltwater beaches than the 3 tone set up.
Bottom Line; I’m a square pitch convert. If you’re a Deus 2 saltwater beach hunter also, I recommend you at least give this set up a try.
My preferred baseline settings for saltwater beaches in Beach and Beach Sensitive are now:
Discrimination 6.5 and Silencer 0: both recommended by Calabash
Square Pitch: recommended by Calabash and reinforced by Savannah Harps
The remainder is a combination of situational needs determined through on-site experimentation, testing and actual use and finally, personal preference.
Adjusted as conditions require:
Sensitivity: 95
Salt Sensitivity: 7
Reactivity 0-1.5
Personal Preference:
Notch: Off (Gold falls anywhere along the mid level spectrum so I never notch out anything.)
Bottle Caps: 3
Iron Volume: 3
Audio Response: 5 or 6
Audio Out: 9
My next step is finding the best combination of settings for detecting 19th century artifacts in fresh water. I’ll start my search with square pitch in a custom Park program—but only actual use in a fresh water environment will tell the tale.
Just the view from my converted beach front foxhole. Your analysis and conclusions may differ.
After experimentation with sensitivity, salt sensitivity, reactivity, silencer, bottle cap rejection and discrimination, (more options than I was used to with the Minelabs,) I was able to stabilize it to what I thought was at least a somewhat satisfactory level...again in 3 tones.
But thanks to some educational exchanges with Calabash Digger and Savannah Harps, I was introduced to the Deus 2 Square Pitch option. Coupled with the right levels of discrimination and silencer settings, this set up is essentially a nuanced 2 tone program. Since I always dug both the mid and high level tones of my 3 tone set up anyway, this wasn’t all that much different in terms of dig/no dig decisions except now there was the same tone frequency for all non-ferrous targets.
Although still in the early stages of learning the finer points of this Deus 2, I’m impressed with the square pitch option. These settings hit good targets hard and ID’d bottle caps and ferrous targets much better than my original 3 tone option. Additionally, it proved to be far less chatty on my Florida saltwater beaches than the 3 tone set up.
Bottom Line; I’m a square pitch convert. If you’re a Deus 2 saltwater beach hunter also, I recommend you at least give this set up a try.
My preferred baseline settings for saltwater beaches in Beach and Beach Sensitive are now:
Discrimination 6.5 and Silencer 0: both recommended by Calabash
Square Pitch: recommended by Calabash and reinforced by Savannah Harps
The remainder is a combination of situational needs determined through on-site experimentation, testing and actual use and finally, personal preference.
Adjusted as conditions require:
Sensitivity: 95
Salt Sensitivity: 7
Reactivity 0-1.5
Personal Preference:
Notch: Off (Gold falls anywhere along the mid level spectrum so I never notch out anything.)
Bottle Caps: 3
Iron Volume: 3
Audio Response: 5 or 6
Audio Out: 9
My next step is finding the best combination of settings for detecting 19th century artifacts in fresh water. I’ll start my search with square pitch in a custom Park program—but only actual use in a fresh water environment will tell the tale.
Just the view from my converted beach front foxhole. Your analysis and conclusions may differ.
