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Auto Ground Balance Numbers


Dan(NM)

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Park 1 mode for me, in my "old standby" park (the only place I've hunted it so far) -- around 17...

Steve

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  • 3 weeks later...

From the (downloadable) Equinox instruction manual:

The default Ground Balance setting of 0 is recommended for Park, Field and Beach Modes because these locations typically have less
mineralisation than goldfields.  However, if the ground is generating many noise signals (and/or the Sensitivity level is set very low), then using Auto Ground Balance is recommended.

This "don't bother with ground balancing unless there is a problem" advice has me scratching my head a bit.  I realize that in some (typically lower priced) detectors that there isn't even an option to adjust ground balance.  These detectors usually run in the high single digit kHz frequencies (typically around 8 kHz) where ground conditions are less of an effect on performance.  From what I've read, often those fixed GB detectors don't work well (or at all) in some locations because of this 'feature'.  Is that basically what is going on with this snippet from the manual?  Or is there something special about simultaneous multi-frequency detectors in general or Multi-IQ in particular that takes away the need to ground balance most of the time?

Another thing I've read (I'm sure on this site somewhere) is that mis-adjusted ground settings can lead to loss of sensitivity even in filtered modes where you may not get any audio indication something is amiss -- kind of a 'silent killer' situation.  I have seen here that some (Steve H. in particular, but he's not the only one) do talk about ground balancing before starting to detect, so either they're in the same boat as I -- "creatures of habit" -- or there is an advantage, even with the Eqx in Park/Field/Beach, to do that.

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Is there a reason to not leave tracking ground balance on for park or field modes? I have read the recommended settings from the manual and can’t figure out why it’s only recommended for gold and beach2.

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Because tracking is designed for variable ground like prospectors run into or on beaches where going from wet to dry and everything in between causes variability. For less variable ground tracking is not required.

Defaults are just that. Best guesses for people that don’t know what the settings do. Learn what each setting does and apply to your own situation as required. Equinox is pretty forgiving on ground balance settings as long as you leave recovery speed up in the 5-6 default range which I generally recommend. There is no need for tracking unless ground is highly variable.

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Thanks for replying. There sure is a lot to soak in and wrap my brain around! The options and small changes available start to meld together and can become quite confusing. I think I just need a lot more time running stock.

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44 minutes ago, dca2 said:

Thanks for replying. There sure is a lot to soak in and wrap my brain around! The options and small changes available start to meld together and can become quite confusing. I think I just need a lot more time running stock.

Exactly. Use the recommended default settings with maybe just a bump to the sensitivity. Honestly, it really does work.

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On 3/12/2018 at 2:00 PM, GB_Amateur said:

From the (downloadable) Equinox instruction manual:

The default Ground Balance setting of 0 is recommended for Park, Field and Beach Modes because these locations typically have less
mineralisation than goldfields.  However, if the ground is generating many noise signals (and/or the Sensitivity level is set very low), then using Auto Ground Balance is recommended.

This "don't bother with ground balancing unless there is a problem" advice has me scratching my head a bit.  I realize that in some (typically lower priced) detectors that there isn't even an option to adjust ground balance.  These detectors usually run in the high single digit kHz frequencies (typically around 8 kHz) where ground conditions are less of an effect on performance.  From what I've read, often those fixed GB detectors don't work well (or at all) in some locations because of this 'feature'.  Is that basically what is going on with this snippet from the manual?  Or is there something special about simultaneous multi-frequency detectors in general or Multi-IQ in particular that takes away the need to ground balance most of the time?

Another thing I've read (I'm sure on this site somewhere) is that mis-adjusted ground settings can lead to loss of sensitivity even in filtered modes where you may not get any audio indication something is amiss -- kind of a 'silent killer' situation.  I have seen here that some (Steve H. in particular, but he's not the only one) do talk about ground balancing before starting to detect, so either they're in the same boat as I -- "creatures of habit" -- or there is an advantage, even with the Eqx in Park/Field/Beach, to do that.

I was wondering the exact same thing.  The manual implies that you should just leave the ground balance at 0 unless there's a problem, but I've been habitually using auto ground balance since that's what my previous machine (AT Pro) required.  The EQ800 has been balancing in the 40's for me in our relatively mild soil.  I wonder if I would be better off just setting it back to 0 and leaving it.  I'm strictly a dirt digger, no beaches or gold prospecting.

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