Horseshoe Mode

[annamariaslim]

Can I get a little more information on how to use this mode? Can I leave it turned on all the time, or use it to discriminate?  Not 900 thanks!

[Chase Goldman]

12 hours ago, annamariaslim said:

Can I get a little more information on how to use this mode? Can I leave it turned on all the time, or use it to discriminate?  Not 900 thanks!

Well horseshoe mode simply removes at the touch of a button all preset discrimination applied by whatever search mode (e.g., Park 1, Field 2, Beach etc.) you happen to be currently using, so you can hear and see all target tone and visual ID.  Therefore, by definition, it is a non-discrimination mode. Discriminating is then done by your brain and your shovel.

[annamariaslim]

Does one run with it on if you want to dig everything with no discrimination?  

[Mark Gillespie]

I run mine open because I want to hear everything.  Helps to locate iron infested areas where humans have been.  Then listening for the mid or high repeatable tones that may be targets other than the iron.  Very useful.

[midalake]

On 7/25/2023 at 7:01 AM, annamariaslim said:

Can I leave it turned on all the time, or use it to discriminate?

Yes, it can be left on all the time.  Yes, you can use it to discriminate. You will hear ALL targets with the horseshoe mode on.  Deciding on what to dig can be done by the TID of the machine or by sound. 

The Equinox does a fantastic job of separating the ferrous and non-ferrous bins with the horseshoe mode ON.  Many targets that give iron-wraparound sounds will go completely iron when the horseshoe mode is turned on. 

A couple advantages of horseshoe mode> You can figure out the target center with the horseshoe mode on, you can also recover the target without going to pinpoint mode. This is a huge time saver! 

[midalake]

12 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Therefore, by definition, it is a non-discrimination mode. Discriminating is then done by your brain and your shovel.

Not entirely true. Did we get the short Chase version. 😁 

[CliveHamy]

I have the Nox 800, I prefer to use Field 2 with the horseshoe mode on so I can hear everything. Some deep coins and coins on edge give less than ideal signals. (Also, I've read on the forum somewhere that the Iron bias (possibly F2) works better with horseshoe mode on)  After a while if I get tied of hearing everything and only want to dig clean consistent signals then I'll turn the horseshoe off - but I know I'll be missing things.    

[Jeff McClendon]

13 hours ago, annamariaslim said:

Does one run with it on if you want to dig everything with no discrimination?  

Some people call having the horseshoe button activated "All Metal Mode" including Minelab. Since there are other "Modes" on the Equinox 600/800, it gets confusing.

Like Chase said, pressing that button is a short cut. It instantly allows all target IDs and their audio responses to be accepted and experienced by the user. The audio responses will be the ones that were being used in whatever search mode you were using. You can do the exact same thing by going into the settings and accepting all targets with the the "Accept/Reject" function.

Press the horseshoe button again and you are back to whatever preset or custom Accept/Reject settings you were using in that search mode. 

For me, I like to use a custom program that looks like I have pressed the horseshoe button to accept all targets, but with the volume adjusted to my liking for iron targets and with some other settings changes that are different than the default settings. So, it is possible to have a custom program with iron volume turned to minimum/OFF and when you press the horseshoe button the iron audio will still be very low or silent. So pressing that button just effects the "speedometer" Accept/Reject pattern being used, not the other settings.

That is why I cringe when I see Minelab and others call activating the horseshoe button "All Metal Mode". Being old fashioned, "All Metal Mode" for me means one or two tone VCO audio with all target conductivities having the same preset volume level.

That button is one of my favorite things about some Minelab VLFs

[Valens Legacy]

Thanks for the replies to this question as I have also learned something new about the 800.

I consider myself still a newbie so I always enjoy learning about my detector and some of the tricks that it will do.