I understand your point but in terms of ur variables listed, let me provide my perspective. I have dug this lot under every weather condition. Rain, snow, and shine. I've dug this property with the ground frozen and I have dug it thawed. I have almost given up on this property many times due to my lack of finds. I barely even get good signals anymore, my signals that I choose to dig with the pro. I have dug about 20 wheats, 2 buff nickels, dimes quarters, crap rings, shell casings and a ton of junk. Batteries, always fully charged. No overhead wires, the closest house is 300 yards away. I, not knowing my new machine, had a piece of paper in my hand with vdi numbers that was given to me by the previous owner for coin signals to dig much as I have done with my pro and by ear prior. There's two different number readings on the minicab which makes it a lil more confusing. I dug very few targets. I just didn't get many solid hits and with the amount of junk at this location, I choose not to dig the iffy signals. The signals that I dug and found the dimes were coin signals interpreted by the machine, the same as the coin signals I dig with my pro. The reason I bought this different machine was because I have questioned the depth I was getting with it. After digging up many different varieties of coins in the past year at depths no deeper than 5-6 inches I knew something wasn't right. I have dug large cents, a half dime, IH's and mercurys, barbers and even a capped bust dime with the pro. It has done me well. So is it a coincidence that this lot, that I have put in over 20 hours detecting and never produced a silver with my pro, and in the first twenty minutes with the explorer I find a barber?Maybe but not likely. The previous owner also owned a pro and a F2 and said he found coins that both of those machines passed over in his yard with the explorer. I'm keeping both detectors but I wanted to go deeper and in my first impression with the explorer, it does.