Starting to get the hang of the Safari, but...

[njnydigger]

Hey gang, just a quick update...

I had my first all-dayer with my new Safari yesterday (a full 6 hour hunt) with fellow T-Net'r "Rafter Layout Tool" here in NJ yesterday. It was an AWESOME day. Thanks again for the great company Jim!

Anyways, starting to really "get it" in terms of the various sounds the Safari makes - or shall I say music Yesterday for instance, I was basically digging every high tone I received. Even if it wasn't 100% smooth. If it had ENOUGH of a "good" tone in the mix, I would dig. Now on to my questions...

On these Minelab's, what does it mean when I get a nice smooth, "good" tone with a grunt, low tone immediately following it? This happened a lot yesterday. Does it mean that there is a bad target near the good target??

Also, how do you guys judge the tones, meaning, do most of you JUST dig the smooth tones only, or, do you also dig the scratchy, mixed & jumbled high tones - as I have been doing?

I have posted on here a few times looking for VDI numbers associated with various targets for the Safari, but, all of you said you pretty much MUST hunt by ear with the Minelab's, so, a little extra information on the different types of sounds I should be aware of and will encounter and what they mean would be GREATLY appreciated.

Finally, I do remember seeing a DVD or CD for sale online somewhere which explained the various sounds for one of the Minelab machines. Think it was the Explorer or the Excalibur. Anyway, you guys ever tried this thing before? Looking for any edge I can get aside from hitting the dirt for many months to come.

P.S. - Found my first oldie yesterday as well - a perfect condition skeleton key from the late 1800's. I was stoked to say the least. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

 

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[Iron Patch]

Hey gang, just a quick update...

I had my first all-dayer with my new Safari yesterday (a full 6 hour hunt) with fellow T-Net'r "Rafter Layout Tool" here in NJ yesterday. It was an AWESOME day. Thanks again for the great company Jim!

Anyways, starting to really "get it" in terms of the various sounds the Safari makes - or shall I say music Yesterday for instance, I was basically digging every high tone I received. Even if it wasn't 100% smooth. If it had ENOUGH of a "good" tone in the mix, I would dig. Now on to my questions...

On these Minelab's, what does it mean when I get a nice smooth, "good" tone with a grunt, low tone immediately following it? This happened a lot yesterday. Does it mean that there is a bad target near the good target??

Also, how do you guys judge the tones, meaning, do most of you JUST dig the smooth tones only, or, do you also dig the scratchy, mixed & jumbled high tones - as I have been doing?

I have posted on here a few times looking for VDI numbers associated with various targets for the Safari, but, all of you said you pretty much MUST hunt by ear with the Minelab's, so, a little extra information on the different types of sounds I should be aware of and will encounter and what they mean would be GREATLY appreciated.

Finally, I do remember seeing a DVD or CD for sale online somewhere which explained the various sounds for one of the Minelab machines. Think it was the Explorer or the Excalibur. Anyway, you guys ever tried this thing before? Looking for any edge I can get aside from hitting the dirt for many months to come.

P.S. - Found my first oldie yesterday as well - a perfect condition skeleton key from the late 1800's. I was stoked to say the least. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

"On these Minelab's, what does it mean when I get a nice smooth, "good" tone with a grunt, low tone immediately following it?"

- Why not just dig it and see?


"Also, how do you guys judge the tones, meaning, do most of you JUST dig the smooth tones only, or, do you also dig the scratchy, mixed & jumbled high tones"

- I think of "scratchy" as being broken tones, almost like what a bad speaker or a Tesoro would sound like, but that's not how I would describe Minelab sounds so it's hard to answer a question that the general context doesn't relate to my own experience.

 

[njnydigger]

Hey Iron Patch,


I have been a member of this forum for a couple of years now. However, being a former White's owner, I mainly hung out on the White's site, only posting on here occasionally. Also, been out of the loop for a while due to some personal set-back's. However, recently got the Safari and am back in full swing now.

I love this forum with all my heart. And I've read many of your posts before as well. You seem to be a really great and knowledgeable detectorist. However, with all due respect, I feel like I am getting ZERO help regarding my new Safari. You seem like a personable, genuine guy. One I'd even have a beer with. But, your responses coupled with the others I've gotten have been very general. Maybe I'm not asking the correct questions. If not, I apologize.

When I first got my MXT, the folks over on the White's forum would break everything down for me - or anybody for that matter. From set-up to sounds, technical problems, etc., there seemed to be very knowledgeable folks who wanted to help. I made many friends there. However, that "brotherhood of information" just doesn't seem to exist on here.

BTW, I am not a noob. I fully understand that it takes many, many hours with a new machine to just get comfortable with it. I've done it before and will do it again. However, I like to understand things. Understanding things is NOT just in the doing of it, but, also in the mind. Just as in school, they don't just teach you that 2 + 2 = 4, but, also how to arrive there.

Unfortunately, there are no DVD's and such for the Safari. Even the videos on Youtube are far and few between. Most of the information out there is generally geared towards Minelab's flagship model, the Explorer.

I FULLY appreciate ALL of your help. Just a bit frustrated at the lack of information from others in terms of the nuances of my new machine.

Surely the Safari must be very similar in tones to the Explorers, yet again, very little in the way of knowledge out there.

If any other users are feeling the same way, chime in. I'd love to hear you.

 

[Don Fritz]

I have experience with the Explorer II and now use the Safari. With conductive tones in the coin mode, sensitivity set as high as possible and rejecting from -1 to -10, I listen for the high tones which repeat. I use the Minelab waggle to locate the signal off the toe of the Pro coil. If it then pinpoints in the same place and is deep, most times it will be an old coin. Occasionally you will get a rust nail. This setup is basically the same settings I used with the Explorer II. In about an hour today I found 2 mercury dimes,1940, 1941 and two wheat pennies, 1916 and 1934. This much discrimination does not seem to hurt depth as the coins today were between 6 and 8 inches deep. Hope this helps, Don

 

[Iron Patch]

Hey Iron Patch,


I have been a member of this forum for a couple of years now. However, being a former White's owner, I mainly hung out on the White's site, only posting on here occasionally. Also, been out of the loop for a while due to some personal set-back's. However, recently got the Safari and am back in full swing now.

I love this forum with all my heart. And I've read many of your posts before as well. You seem to be a really great and knowledgeable detectorist. However, with all due respect, I feel like I am getting ZERO help regarding my new Safari. You seem like a personable, genuine guy. One I'd even have a beer with. But, your responses coupled with the others I've gotten have been very general. Maybe I'm not asking the correct questions. If not, I apologize.

When I first got my MXT, the folks over on the White's forum would break everything down for me - or anybody for that matter. From set-up to sounds, technical problems, etc., there seemed to be very knowledgeable folks who wanted to help. I made many friends there. However, that "brotherhood of information" just doesn't seem to exist on here.

BTW, I am not a noob. I fully understand that it takes many, many hours with a new machine to just get comfortable with it. I've done it before and will do it again. However, I like to understand things. Understanding things is NOT just in the doing of it, but, also in the mind. Just as in school, they don't just teach you that 2 + 2 = 4, but, also how to arrive there.

Unfortunately, there are no DVD's and such for the Safari. Even the videos on Youtube are far and few between. Most of the information out there is generally geared towards Minelab's flagship model, the Explorer.

I FULLY appreciate ALL of your help. Just a bit frustrated at the lack of information from others in terms of the nuances of my new machine.

Surely the Safari must be very similar in tones to the Explorers, yet again, very little in the way of knowledge out there.

If any other users are feeling the same way, chime in. I'd love to hear you.

I would guess they are similar to explorers but even the settings will change the nuances, not to mention just our interpretation of how we describe them would probably make them seem different on paper.

What I replied I think was pretty clear, and did it not make sense? If a signal/particular sound puzzles you wouldn't digging it be the logical thing to do? That's how you learn a detector, not getting someone to try and describe what the sounds you're hearing mean..... although if I could I gladly would. Like I said I don't see Minelab tones being scratchy so I obvioulsy can't answer something which I don't even agree with. I totally understand you're hungry to learn but the only way to do it is find a place with lots of targets and go crazy. Taking advice about the sounds on here, and applying that in the field, will just be cutting yourself short.

 

[njnydigger]

Well congratulations Don Fritz! With just one little post under your belt, you've managed to give me more information than 99% of the "lifers" here on T-Net Thank you!!

That wasn't so hard, was it people?!?! Anyone else care to share their secret knowledge?

 

[Iron Patch]

Well congratulations Don Fritz! With just one little post under your belt, you've managed to give me more information than 99% of the "lifers" here on T-Net Thank you!!

That wasn't so hard, was it people?!?! Anyone else care to share their secret knowledge?

You said you had detecting experience, so I'm not sure how very basic info. which had nothing to do with sounds, or digital numbers, helps with what you asked. But if it did, great!

 

[njnydigger]

I know what I'm asking may be difficult (kinda like asking someone to describe a toothache), but, all I am looking for is a little first-hand knowledge of what the different sounds mean on the Minelab's - even the Explorer's - since the Safari's and the Explorer's are pretty alike in terms of tones.

You must understand Iron Patch, the Safari is a COMPLETELY different beast than anything from the White's line. Kinda like riding in a jet plane after owning an etsel

But, just to give you an example, when I first joined the White's forum, describing the different sounds a certain model makes was commonplace. Routine. And a BIG help. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Especially since I do not have the luxury of testing my machine out 4 or 5 days a week like some of you lucky dogs I was also told NOT to dig certain targets in different VDI ranges since they were mostly junk. Yes, I did practice it after being told, but, from their knowledge I knew WHY not to dig them. I can go on and on.

Have none of you NOT experienced a double beep as I described above? If so, what's so difficult about saying that a double beep normally means junk, or, that a good target is near a bad target, etc.? I'm NOT asking for any of you to go out and hold my machine for me or dig my holes. Just a little helpful information is all I'm after.

Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree though...

P.S. - There is indeed a CD out there available by a musician/detectorist named Tony Diana. He re-creates many of the tones on the Excalibur for users who are new to the machine and are confused. So, I guess I'm NOT the only one out there looking for this information.

 

[Iron Patch]

Have none of you NOT experienced a double beep as I described above? If so, what's so difficult about saying that a double beep normally means junk, or, that a good target is near a bad target, etc.?

I'd have to hear it because I honestly haven't a clue what you're hearing that sounds like a double beep. I used to get a double beep on my PI detector, and it was an obvious double beep, but have no idea what that would be on a Minelab. There is so much info. in the sound for the high end minelabs it's why you don't need the screen to pretty much know everything about the target, or at least as much as you can know before digging. I bet if you hunt hard for a year and get a good handle on the thing and come back to this post you won't be able to answer your own questions. If you want the basics about what settings, what sounds to dig, etc. they are pretty much the same as any other detector, but there isn't any way someone is going to be able to teach an advanced lesson on a detecting forum no matter how hard they try. .. and trust me I have tried! But I think it only makes sense to me.

 

[njnydigger]

I hear ya Iron. And hopefully you don't think I'm coming down on you or singling you out. I'm NOT. It's just that, on my old MXT, there were two tones - high & low, ferrous and non-ferrous. On my Safari, I get low tones, high tones, medium tones, the infamous double tone I mentioned above, etc. And again, I'm starting to get it. However, a little user knowledge always helps speed the learning curve up - at least for me.

I'm not having a bad day or anything like that, rather, it just drives me nuts when I'm in need of information and I cannot find it.

Glad that I started this thread though. Maybe some helpful information will be posted and others like me can learn from my questions.

 

[Captn SE]

Njnydigger,

I suggest if you aren't getting the answers you want from this forum to register and join the Safari/Quattro forum at the following site. There's a lot of threads you can read that would probably help you immensely, not to mention a lot of safari/quattro users. I think it would be well worth your time. With regards to sounds......there's so many different nuances of sounds on the minelab machines, that it would be very difficult to describe them in writing. Truthfully, you need to dig all of those signals to build up your knowledge base on the machine....the more you dig those signals, the better you will become at recognizing (dig/no-dig) them in the future.

http://www.findmall.com/list.php?3

HH,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[Detectorfreak74]

@njnydigger I am a safari user I had mine now for 1 year when I got it I read the manual and put the sensitivity on auto and coin and jewelry and dug every signal for the first couple of yards till I got the hang of the music I am still having issues in very trashy areas like iron falsing or digging phantom holes if I have a signal of a coin or something worth digging and it is choppy or one way I switch to all metal and sweep as slow as I can and listen for the same tone if I hear it I know it wont pinpoint cause of all the trash so I make a judgment on where it at and dig sometimes I get it and sometimes I do not OR I drop the sensitivity to about 12 or so and sweep slowly sometimes that helps but I have ordered Andys book on the quattro also I know the manual says to sweep slightly faster in trashy areas they are wrong SLOW you have a double d coil as long it is moving it will pick up targets hope this helps thx SQUIGGY.

 

[Don Fritz]

You might lay out different coins, rings, rusty nails, etc on clean ground and sweep the coil over them to hear the different tone pitches. Next place a good target and a junk target at various close distances and see if you can still identify the high pitched tone from the other lower pitched tone.

When coin hunting in trashier areas, I listen for the high pitched tone of silver(copper, clad). Next, I try to isolate it among all the other nearby targets which produce a confusing a symphony of tones, by getting a repeating high pitched tone from at least one direction. Then I use the technique I described above to decide to dig or not. Again I hope this helps. Don

.

 

[Monty]

I have a Safari that I really have struggled with trying to figure out what language it is speaking. And that is from coming from a Garrett GTI 2500. I know what you are asking but I don't have an answer for you. You might try manually backing your sensitivity off just a few pegs. I get that echo tone in some areas when the factory set sensitivity is pegged out. For some reason I dig a lot of empty holes or at least I am not willing to dig a foot or more to find out. So, until I figure out a little more of its "language" I am only digging the dead sure solid tones because they always deliver something. I have trouble getting up and down to dig because of an old back injury and that's what determines my determination to dig really deep ones. Monty

 

[Iron Patch]

I have a Safari that I really have struggled with trying to figure out what language it is speaking. And that is from coming from a Garrett GTI 2500. I know what you are asking but I don't have an answer for you. You might try manually backing your sensitivity off just a few pegs. I get that echo tone in some areas when the factory set sensitivity is pegged out. For some reason I dig a lot of empty holes or at least I am not willing to dig a foot or more to find out. So, until I figure out a little more of its "language" I am only digging the dead sure solid tones because they always deliver something. I have trouble getting up and down to dig because of an old back injury and that's what determines my determination to dig really deep ones. Monty

I too had a very hard time going from a GTI to a Minelab and was also digging many empty holes the first while. My problem was simple.... not used to using a DD coil, one having a much larger footprint, and one that can see things deeper and better for on edge targets. My explorer literally was giving me headaches and I'd have to switch back to my GTI half way through the hunt. It was only when I went 100% Minelab did it start to really click. I honestly believe my experience with the GTI hurt in learning the Minelab because you can't use them the same way. I wish I had bought the Minelab to start but didn't even know of the brand when I was making my decision for a first unit.

 

[Keppy]

I think what Iron Patch was saying is if you get a certain type of sound and ask what it might be.. You would get everyone guessing and giveing you there best guess as to what it might be. ... Then you could end up with 50 different wrong guesses. ............... So the best why to find out what makes the detector give that sound is dig and there you go now you know what the sound was.

 

[Monty]

I know what you are saying Ironpatch. The GTI was like speaking a foreign language when you switch to Minelab. Every sound is different and there are many more sounds to contend with. Same experience as you here. Monty

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Safari Tips

The good tone then grunt is possibly a rusty nail.

The funny thing is once you dig it up it will ring different. Not sure why it gives the silver sound on occasion. But you will find if you turn 90 degrees and sweep it again it will only ring in one direction. (but I still dig it just to make sure)

If you are coin shooting then:
37 and 38's are what you are looking for 33 - 34 typically a copper penny

When you pinpoint you are looking for "Small" objects if it doubles up raise the coil, it could be aluminum.

The 8x6 SEF coil is a godsend for this machine.
The Safari is terrible in high trash areas as it is but trying to use te 11" stock coinl in these trashy spots is useless.

Be very conservative on the sensitivity, I have found that on many occasions I end up with more finds with sensitivity set very low 8-11 than I do with it 17-18 especially in the summer when the ground is as hard as a rock. Why detect a signal that is 10" down when you dont have a jackhamer to dig it up?

You got to swing slow if it starts to null out (threshold sound disappears). Another reason for the 8x6 SEF.

Make the test garden, practice on it before every hunt.

WHen you noise cancel, have your pinpointer ON and if you are with others have them stand within 20 feet of you when you do this. This will tell the unit not to use those frequencies.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[halfstep]

Re: Safari Tips

The good tone then grunt is possibly a rusty nail.

The funny thing is once you dig it up it will ring different. Not sure why it gives the silver sound on occasion. But you will find if you turn 90 degrees and sweep it again it will only ring in one direction. (but I still dig it just to make sure)

If you are coin shooting then:
37 and 38's are what you are looking for 33 - 34 typically a copper penny

When you pinpoint you are looking for "Small" objects if it doubles up raise the coil, it could be aluminum.

The 8x6 SEF coil is a godsend for this machine.
The Safari is terrible in high trash areas as it is but trying to use te 11" stock coinl in these trashy spots is useless.

Be very conservative on the sensitivity, I have found that on many occasions I end up with more finds with sensitivity set very low 8-11 than I do with it 17-18 especially in the summer when the ground is as hard as a rock. Why detect a signal that is 10" down when you dont have a jackhamer to dig it up?

You got to swing slow if it starts to null out (threshold sound disappears). Another reason for the 8x6 SEF.

Make the test garden, practice on it before every hunt.

WHen you noise cancel, have your pinpointer ON and if you are with others have them stand within 20 feet of you when you do this. This will tell the unit not to use those frequencies.

Good luck and have fun!

Some good info!!!

 

[toe2short]

Hi All,
I am having the same problem with the Safari. I am new to all of this.I made a test garden and I am still having problems discriminating between the sounds. Thank you all for the good advise. I was getting very confused and a little discouraged. I will look into the smaller coil. JohnnieWalker thank you, great help.
Jimmy