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When To Use Single Frequency?


Happa54

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Hey everyone...

I've had my Nox for approx 10 months now and have approx 200 hours on it. 

I'm getting more comfortable with its various modes and have fallen into a good groove with the machine. I've done well with it in great finds. 

The area that I'm weak on is single frequencies because I have not given them a chance to prove whether it is even worth it to hunt in those modes.

My questions are... When do you use 5kz or 10kz? Trashy or moderate trash sites? Do you use single just to cross reference a signal against multi frequency?

Has anyone dug anything significantly better in single vs multi? Has anyone been impressed at what single frequency can do vs multi? 

Note: For the most part I hunt trashy sites with relic/jewelry/coin mix. At the parks I simply put it on Park 1 or 2 and do not think about single frequency. But when in lot sites, and I'm running into lots of trash, I wonder how the single frequencies will work for me. Or better yet... what should it be doing for me that's better than multi?

Any feedback is appreciated. 

 

 

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Over the past 11 months I've experimented between the single frequency and the multi-frequency functions of the Equinox and can say, I've yet to find a single frequency to outperform the multi-frequency programs.  I know and understand that a single frequency has an advantage over multi-frequency function, but I've not had it happen yet.  Multi always give a cleaner audio report with a more stable ID.

 

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If there is a specific target you are looking for, you pick the single frequency that excites the targets the best.

For example, a silver coins optimal frequency is around 850Hz for the large coins and up to around 3.6kHz for the small coins.
If all things were equal, mild soil etc the single frequency could have an edge on exciting targets a touch deeper.

Multi IQ's strength is identifying targets, deeper, whereas a single frequency might excite a target deeper.

So for maximum depth on silver coin sized objects I would choose the 5kHz single frequency. If the conditions are tough for various reasons, then switching back to multi might be deeper or just more productive because it may ID better or run smoother. 

Gold jewelry and real nickle peaks out in the 15kHz to 20kHz range I believe. So 15kHz or 20kHz frequency is probably going to be your deepest frequency for jewelry sized jewelry. Higher frequencies are more sensitive to smaller stuff, but they also start to loose depth and actually excites the jewelry sized objects less. (Just as 15kHz excites a silver dollar less then 5kHz)

For a reference, the Equinox seems to have like a 8.6kHz fundamental frequency in all the multi IQ modes for comparison. Don't quote me on this, I could be reading it wrong. I dont really know how it works. For comparison the Etrac et al. transmit somewhere around 1.6kHz which may be why they pound silver but aren't necessarily known for fine gold.

Long story short, a single freq might be deeper for a specific known target in clean ground.

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The only time I switch to a single frequency is when there's enough interference in the area with power lines or a strong electric fence in the area and a noise cancel doesn't do do it's thing enough.

When that happens, I switch to my old friend, 15KHz and after a fresh noise cancel, I'm usually good to go for that hunt.

Good luck!

-Bill

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Thanks for your responses everyone. 

The 2 statements that really stuck out for me...

Mark Gillespie: "I've yet to find a single frequency to outperform the multi-frequency programs."  

Alluminati: "If there is a specific target you are looking for, you pick the single frequency that excites the targets the best."

I have used single freq (10khz) just a tad bit in my trashy relic/coin site. Still looking for my big barber quarter, half or dollar under all this trash and hopefully a single freq will make the difference. When I want to place more emphasis on the V's, buffs, niks, relics and hopefully, another gold ring, I"ll just move over to Field 2.

Onward with my testing....

 

 

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Hi there,

A lot of Equinox users switch to single freq. when EMI is bad.

But also use 5 or 10khz as a way to check iron ...and have it as a User profile for a quick button press operation.

I have inadvertently left 10khz on and found coins.

have you seen this (Minelab link) yet ?

https://www.minelab.com/eur/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/dealing-with-bottle-crown-caps?fts=89261&f89261=321321

 

happy swinging

NSC

 

 

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Like a lot of folks I find that a single frequency can help in bad electrical interference situations.

The other use is for those who encounter hot rocks. Many rocks that hit hard in Multi will be much weaker or disappear entirely at the right single frequency. This principle can be used anytime you are dealing with undesired targets that throw off signals at multiple frequency levels.

For those hunting jewelry lower single frequencies can make thin foil less responsive or invisible while still retaining better signal strength on most jewelry items.

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39 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Like a lot of folks I find that a single frequency can help in bad electrical interference situations.

The other use is for those who encounter hot rocks. Many rocks that hit hard in Multi will be much weaker or disappear entirely at the right single frequency. This principle can be used anytime you are dealing with undesired targets that throw off signals at multiple frequency levels.

For those hunting jewelry lower single frequencies can make thin foil less responsive or invisible while still retaining better signal strength on most jewelry items.

This is interesting and good to know. My relic/coin site has tall Edison power lines overhead so I'll just work in single a little more and see how it works for me in the long run at this site. 

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It just depends on the electrical interference. In general in the United States, the lower the frequency, the more chance of interference. 5 kHz is generally the worst on Equinox. In Multi you can’t avoid the problem in some locations because, well, it’s multifrequency! Higher frequencies are usually more resistant, and so 15 kHz or even 20 kHz on the Equinox 800 can really quiet things down. There is no rule other than jack up the sensitivity and cycle through the single frequencies. You can then observe directly what the problem frequencies are and choose the quietest. Once you find the quietest frequency, lower the sensitivity until you are satisfied.

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It's nice to have the option of single frequencies for adverse conditions, but aside from sometimes using as a cross-check, I haven't really used them.  My sense is that Minelab put more work into the algorithms that analyze multifrequency signals.  In single-frequency mode, the Nox is likely inferior to dedicated single-frequency machines.

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