woof!
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Got a PM today from a guy who just got a T2 and was asking for advice on how to set it up for relic hunting, esp. working in areas where due to grass or stubble you can't get the searchcoil down to the mineral ground. After replying I realized it would probably make a good post here, so here it is, slightly reworded.
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If you're working through vegetative cover where you can't get the searchcoil close to the real dirt, the "boost" process will probably do you best. Otherwise the default process will usually be best.
There's no one "right" way to use the machine (if there were, we wouldn't have put a selection of processes in the menu). However a good choice of settings for learning the machine is 2+ tones, and discrimination 5. Sensitivity low enough that you don't get any spontaneous chatter (don't worry, even with sens cranked 'way down the machine is still fairly hot). Don't forget to ground balance, preferably in all metals mode so it's easier to hear if you accidentally GB'd over a metal target and have to try again on a different spot.
With these settings, you'll hear the iron as low tones -- a bit of earbashing if there's a lot of iron trash-- but you'll hear most of the good stuff as well. In order to learn the machine responses, as well as to dig most of the good stuff, dig anything that's a questionable signal. With experience you'll hear the subtleties of the signals better and will dig less iron trash.
The T2 has a reputation for being a fast machine, the target separation even when you're whippin' it is just amazing. Boost process is slower, and if you're using boost process over ground where you get the searchcoil within a couple inches of the dirt, you'll get better results by slowing down a bit. But not like the "Minelab crawl". Also, target ID (including discrimination tones) will usually be most accurate with a wide, deliberate sweep, even if there are multiple targets: dawdling over the target (esp. the "Minelab wiggle") will usually deliver inferior results. The whole thing is very different from a Minelab.
In relic hunting it's best to rely on the audio, and don't place much importance on the visual ID. Visual ID is just one number but the audio carries a lot more information about the target. In relic hunting, you'll be digging all nonferrous anyhow, and on some sites you'll even want to dig some of the ferrous depending on what kind of site it is.
Enjoy, and for further advice it's probably best to ask on a Teknetics forum where there are people who have many hours' experience on the T2 and can tell you stuff based on that experience that I'm not smart on.
--Dave J.
************************************
If you're working through vegetative cover where you can't get the searchcoil close to the real dirt, the "boost" process will probably do you best. Otherwise the default process will usually be best.
There's no one "right" way to use the machine (if there were, we wouldn't have put a selection of processes in the menu). However a good choice of settings for learning the machine is 2+ tones, and discrimination 5. Sensitivity low enough that you don't get any spontaneous chatter (don't worry, even with sens cranked 'way down the machine is still fairly hot). Don't forget to ground balance, preferably in all metals mode so it's easier to hear if you accidentally GB'd over a metal target and have to try again on a different spot.
With these settings, you'll hear the iron as low tones -- a bit of earbashing if there's a lot of iron trash-- but you'll hear most of the good stuff as well. In order to learn the machine responses, as well as to dig most of the good stuff, dig anything that's a questionable signal. With experience you'll hear the subtleties of the signals better and will dig less iron trash.
The T2 has a reputation for being a fast machine, the target separation even when you're whippin' it is just amazing. Boost process is slower, and if you're using boost process over ground where you get the searchcoil within a couple inches of the dirt, you'll get better results by slowing down a bit. But not like the "Minelab crawl". Also, target ID (including discrimination tones) will usually be most accurate with a wide, deliberate sweep, even if there are multiple targets: dawdling over the target (esp. the "Minelab wiggle") will usually deliver inferior results. The whole thing is very different from a Minelab.
In relic hunting it's best to rely on the audio, and don't place much importance on the visual ID. Visual ID is just one number but the audio carries a lot more information about the target. In relic hunting, you'll be digging all nonferrous anyhow, and on some sites you'll even want to dig some of the ferrous depending on what kind of site it is.
Enjoy, and for further advice it's probably best to ask on a Teknetics forum where there are people who have many hours' experience on the T2 and can tell you stuff based on that experience that I'm not smart on.
--Dave J.
