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Reading The Manual And Learning My Detector


ks1652

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Thats hilarious. Looks like the younger skinny me. Yes....so much to absorb but I have time now. 

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Glad to hear your detectors now speak your language, we all learn different ways.  I struggled with the manuals and found nothing better than just using mine and figuring it out myself.  The more time I spent using them the more we become one, now my Equinox is like an extension of my arm and my GPZ is starting to do the same.  Some detectors speak a language I just can't learn though, I'm certainly not someone that can pickup any detector and use it, or more so enjoy using it. 

Age of a detector doesn't overly matter if you speak the same language, you'll do just fine.  Enjoy your new found understanding of your detectors. 

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Manuals? They make manuals for these detectors, I have never seen one of them, so I have read about the detectors that I use on this forum and ask questions.

I have learned that just using the detector and figuring out what it is telling me has helped more than anything.

With advice from the great people on this forum and actual use of the detector, I have found many nice items and know more about the unit than a manual could ever tell me. When I want to change up things in the settings, I can tell what it is doing and if it is better I use it, and if not I go back to the settings I had before.

I know that you will do fine as long as you take your time and let it tell you what is in the ground. You will learn what the unit is doing and become part of it as you are learning to make it easier to have an excellent hunt.

Good luck and happy hunting.

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Reading the manual is the first thing I did when I finally bought a detector, although I'm the sort that would read new VCR, stereo, or computer manuals and what not. 🤓 Detecting books, magazines, Youtube, and forums have all been great. I'm astounded at the amount of knowledge available out there. I still consider myself a rookie. I can at least sort of understand what you guys talk about!

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Don't beat yourself up, ks.  Looks to me like you are doing things just fine, particularly keeping an open mind.

True, there are multiple ways to learn, and not every one works equally well for everyone.  In my case I always start out by reading the detector manual twice when I get a new (to me) detector.  I also reread it after a couple hunts.  Then I refer back to it from time to time.   You can be confident what you read in it is true, but don't expect it to be a graduate level textbook.

Learning to be sensitive to the sounds coming out of the detector has been for me the most difficult part of detecting, and I continue to work on that every time out.  But, IMO, every output a detector posesses has value at some time or other.

It annoys me when people make flipant statements here which include "I never do that..." as if you're an idiot if you use some particular 'hint' a detector is capable of making.  Fine, they don't; goodie for them -- here's a medal.  But they shouldn't discourage others from doing it.

For me, learning is part of the fun of detecting, and it's one component of the endeavor I never get 'skunked' doing.

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There are some basics as you have discovered from the manual...the rest is beep and dig...metal detectors are really not that complicated the more you beep the more you dig...and the more cool stuff you find. Even the iron targets are cool sometimes. 

strick 

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Lead shot (various sizes) also makes a great nugget test target, but they should be flattened to be about the shape of naturally occurring tiny gold.  Yeah, can't beat a natural piece of gold but likely not as easily to locate one beforehand and I don't feel bad if I lose one of my lead imposters (which I have done).

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Thank you all for the input and advice. The level of knowledge and willingness to share on this site is unrivaled. A virtual brotherhood!

While working the practice grid yesterday  I played with all of my machines settings and different controls and I found at least in my yard what worked and what doesn't work. The big eye opener for me was the simplest and most important fuction of getting my ground balance adjusted for the terrain. It changed everything. Being able to eliminate hot rocks and nails is a game changer.

At Rye Patch where I park on the claim it looks like someone designed a dancefloor hardpack with every rock imaginable. When I get out of the truck and set up I start detecting right at the truck hoping the find of the day is right there. It's hotrock city. No longer will that issue prevent me from enjoying the day. I might still run into them but at a much lesser rate.

So my rant is all about the obvious.Start with the most important function and that is mastering ground balancing. Get more in tune and learn the machines language and different dialects, and try different settings to match the specific site and soil conditions. 

The folks on this site and incredible....thank you all for respectfully sharing. I hope to post some findings soon....as long as Reno and the outlying areas remain hospitable in the near future. SNOW GO AWAY

20220106_110059 (1).jpg

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