Gpz Ferrite Gb Vs No Ferrite Gb Question X Coil

[nugget hunter nz]

So my gpz turned up on Friday and I'm super loving it and my 10"x-coil should be here Wednesday, as soon as I got it out the box I grabbed my we test gold ranging from 0.025 to 1.71 gram and shot out to my we test area that happens to be gravel pit in known gold area.. I found for my area in NZ I was geting the best depth and response on general and high yield with audio smoothing off.. I had a play with the ferrite ring with ground balancing then factory reset and ground balance with no ferrite ring.. So my question is does the ferrite ring gb affect depth and sensitivity at all in low to medium ground. What I noticed was our soil and were I hunt in creek beds you hit pockets of high black sand then less etc. I didn't realy notice any difference in performance but I do think that the ferrite gb did run quieter in the ground over all. Does anyone have any tests or input on ferrite balancing vs no ferrite? 

I plan to get out this weekend for my first hunt with the 10 xcoil all going to plan. So will be sure to put up a link for the YouTube video when made and my finds if any lol I'm checking out new spot 

[Steve Herschbach]

 

[klunker]

  I'll give you folks my method of ground balancing with the ferrite. It works well for me but maybe not for everyone. Start by setting the ferrite ring on the ground where you are certain there are no targets. Stand the ferrite on edge and orient it North and South  (Australians and New Zelanders may have to orient it South to North). Step away from the ferrite a few feet and ground balance the detector. Now your ready to go find gold! Don't forget to pick up your ferrite ring at the end of the day. I would love to have anyone come here and demonstrate that ground balancing with the ferrite ring in this area makes any significant improvement.

[Steve Herschbach]

I always used the ferrite but I never thought it made any significant difference in my detecting in Nevada or California. So I agree with your observation on that klunker. If I had no ferrite available it would not bother me a bit for detecting around here. Note I am not advising people not use the ferrite, just relaying my personal experience. If I was going out tomorrow I would still use the ferrite, especially with the X Coil, which by nearly all accounts is more reactive to the ground in some locations.

[fredmason]

Klunker

you will never know what you missed because you did not follow the directions.....

but that is true if you do follow the directions!

whatever works

fred

[nugget hunter nz]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

I used the ring on my first time using my GPZ a couple of days ago with the same 10" X-coil you're about to get.  I just did the quick start that did the noise cancel then the ferrite balance.  It only took one sweep over the ferrite to quiet it down and by 2 sweeps I didn't hear it.  I kept going until it told me to stop and it did a Tick saying OK.  I'd only tested the 14" genuine coil for about 30 minutes when I first got the GPZ before putting on the X-coil, I didn't do the ferrite on it so there was no ferrite balance to carry over I guess.

I'll do it because I can, and it takes 20 seconds so I see no point not doing it.   I'm sure it won't take me long to lose the ring though, then I'll stop doing it 🙂

Yea that was my first thought was man I'm guna loose this in no time 😂 maybe I'll make we clip for it on my pack 

[Jonathan Porter]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:30 AM, phrunt said:

............I kept going until it told me to stop and it did a Tick saying OK.  I'd only tested the 14" genuine coil for about 30 minutes when I first got the GPZ before putting on the X-coil, I didn't do the ferrite on it so there was no ferrite balance to carry over I guess.

There is no tick or any other sort of indication associated with X balance, the onscreen video when Quick-Trak is triggered is a GUIDE only. When we trigger Quick-Trak the Guide comes up while the QT button is pressed, release the button the Guide goes away, there is no time frame on this and there is no tick when X balance is completed. You can turn Guides off in the Menu.

If you go into the Ground Balance menu and go from Auto to Semi-Auto a GUIDE will come up recommending a Ferrite Balance be performed, this is logical because the detector requires you to perform a Ferrite balance manually now via Quick-Trak because it is in semi-auto mode, the same goes when you go from Manual to Semi-auto, to avoid the hassle of having to back arrow out of the Guide screen or triggering the Quick-Trak button (undesirable if your X balance is already good) configure the User button to the GB menu to be able to quickly change the GB modes, no Guide is triggered when go into the Menu this way.

If the Ferrite was not actually needed why then would there be so much emphasis on its use within the Menu systems of the GPZ? Not using the Ferrite is akin to digging a deep target one day and finding out it was trash so a week later in a totally different location you decide to not dig a deep target based on the previous experience. I cannot really tell if X is present other than vague impressions based on detector behaviour, however if X is present then it WILL affect performance IF the Ferrite balance isn’t correct. 

Lastly as I have said many times before a changing/shifting Ferrite balance has nothing to do with the ground changing except you’ll hear X if the Ferrite balance is out, then spurious depth reducing noises will intrude into the target signal of the detector. X signal only affects the audio if the balance is incorrect, X balance via the Ferrite is directly associated with the temperature of the electronics, so if you perform a Ferrite balance early on a cold morning and then the detector electronics and day warm up the Ferrite balance will then be incorrect (especially in winter) for the given temperature,  as such noise will be introduced into the audio which will then compete with target signals. IMHO being blasé about X balance is not an option especially when you consider it is so easy to do. 

JP

[Jonathan Porter]

12 hours ago, phrunt said:

Thanks JP. I do intend to use my yellow ring.  It must be the guide that is confusing me there, I am sure my the quick start gives a tick after I've done the ferrite balance, maybe it's just associated with the guide. I keep waving over the ring until the quick start procedure automatically stops me doing it and it gives an indication it's done.  I'll try again later today and video what I'm seeing so I can show it. I'm not bringing up the balance by changing modes but by doing the Quick Start.  I've only used my GPZ twice so I'm very much a beginner on it

Recommend not to use Quick Start, just turn on machine check for EMI with coil held flat and away from ground, change the Freq manually or do aN auto tune if required till threshold is smooth as possible then perform the Ferrite balance. The Guides in Quick Start are not actually linked to the Ferrite balance good or bad and are just there to provide a Guide and remind users to perform the process. Quick Start resets the ferrite balance and the G balance back to factory as well as the auto tune, there is no advantage in doing this other than the auto tune which can easily be done from the menu below.

As I have said before the GPZ only makes a noise on the Ferrite if the electronics X calibration is OUT, if the calibration is good then no or minimal noise, however with a faulty coil the GPZ will not calibrate to the Ferrite no matter how many times you try, this is for varying reasons as has been discussed MANY times on this forum. In cold weather, especially where ambient temperatures vary greatly from first switch on to later in the day,  there will always be some variation in the Ferrite calibration, to say it never varies is highly circumspect, the ground, mild or otherwise, only comes into the equation if X is present.  

If the unit gets into a fuddle you can try a number of things

• Turn OFF then ON again.
• Perform a reset via last menu option.
• Hold ON button in on start up till reset options come up, this will then trigger a HARD reset.

[Reg Wilson]

See, there you go. How easy is that?

Point your detector at the stars, circle it around a few times, forget about the quick start advice, then wave it over the ringy thingy and if it makes a noise then it is your fault because the X calibration is OUT. Can't you get anything right?

Make sure you have warmed the ringy up in your pocket, because if you don't then the whole exercise could be a complete fizzer, as temperature is critical.

If you get in a fuddle try turning it off then on again. If that doesn't work, send it back to where you bought it. When they tell you; 'tough titties' throw it in the river.

It all seems pretty straight forward to me.

[flakmagnet]

Reg are you trying for curmudgeon of the month here? It is getting all too predictable that you will jump into a discussion with some sour comment. 

Why?