Legend Iron Filter Stability Setting?

[Zaj56]

The IF stability setting seems to be the least talked about setting on the Legend. The manual says that in the default settings for IF at 8 or 9  the stability setting is inactive in Park,Field,  and Gold Field modes.Does anybody ever change the default stability setting of 3 and if so what would the reason be to change it?

[Digalicious]

I hunt a lot of iron infested sites, and the 10 setting range of the IF is more than enough for me. Even a 5 setting range would be enough for me.

The 5 stability settings for the IF, is fine tuning for the IF. I just leave it at the default of 3 and forget about it. I see no need for fine tuning of the IF, when the IF already has plenty of range, and both subtle and major differences within that 10 setting range.
 

[AirmetTango]

8 hours ago, Zaj56 said:

The IF stability setting seems to be the least talked about setting on the Legend. The manual says…

Don’t get me started on the Legend manual! One of my pet peeves about the machine is the manual’s “fuzzy” treatment for many settings. I come to the Legend after 5 years using and fully understanding my Equinox 800 settings, so I had no problem filling in the glaring gaps in the Legend manual with my existing knowledge. I often wonder just how confused I would be if I were a new detectorist just starting out and reading the Legend manual.

That said, all we are told about the actual function of Stability for Iron Filter on the Legend is this:

 

Not a lot to go on, but I’ll assume that stability (for Park, Field, and Gold modes only) is just that - a fine adjustment of iron filter for those users who feel they need a little extra tweaking on a given Iron Filter setting. If you’ve ever used a good, old school scientific microscope, the instrument has two focusing knobs - a coarse adjustment and fine adjustment. The coarse focus would get you in the ballpark, but the fine adjustment would really allow you to bring an object into the sharpest focus. That’s how I think about Stability on the Legend. For example, I’m assuming that IF 3, Stab 1 is a slightly higher iron bias setting than IF 2, Stab 5, which in turn is a slightly higher iron bias than IF 2, Stab 3. I’m guessing Nokta decided to provide Stability as a separate setting to IF, because for most folks, the 10 IF settings available in each of the Park, Field, and Gold modes is sufficient for most hunters. Combined with adjustments available at IF 0-7, adding Stability essentially means there are 42 potential Iron Filter settings, which might seem overwhelming to most users if IF ranged from 0-41.

Anyway, to answer the actual question…no, I don’t really actively change the Stability setting. I generally set IF at 2. When I first started using the machine in January, I left stability at the default 3. For the last few weeks, I’ve moved stability to 2 just for kicks and giggles, but I haven’t noticed a real difference. But the theory would be, if you’re noticing more iron falsing than you’d like, you can bump the stability up a number or two as opposed to going up a full IF number to address the issue…using a scalpel as opposed to a butcher’s cleaver, so to speak.

For me, the question about stability extends into Beach mode. The manual specifically warns that Stability in Beach mode is not the same thing, and then gives a functional description that leaves me scratching my head a little:

I’m not sure how that description of Beach mode’s Stability describes something different. If Stability in the other modes is “just” a way to fine tune Iron Filter, and I can use Iron Filter to help minimize false signals and, by extension, some ground noise…I don’t see or understand a difference here. 

 

[Jeff McClendon]

I have found the iron stability feature to be very useful at some iron infested and highly iron mineralized sites.

I am not the kind of detector user that can hunt with iron rejected or with the iron filter setting very high. Usually it's on 0 or 1 due to ground conditions.

At some locations where the nails are the same type, similar size, from the same time period and in basically the same condition, I will use the iron stability feature to fine tune the amount of iron falsing or non ferrous responses with as little iron responses mixed in as possible as suits my hearing and the conditions. I use the same concepts when I am hunting mostly non-ferrous targets in thick non ferrous trash but with higher iron mineralization. It helps me.

I am more of a "I will gladly use whatever features are available" kind of person and I do experience differences when I use the iron stability fine tuner.

[Digalicious]

Here's the 10 IF numbers in bold, large numbers, with the ST in between 1 and 2 as the example:

0,1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

The ST increments are so small, that there is practically no difference if they are used, compared to using the main 10 IF adjustments. The exception to that, is in a controlled test with a specific ferrous and nonferrous object, at a specific orientation and depth.

 

[Badger-NH]

I've been running IF at 0 and ST at 1 in Field mode relic hunting and haven't noticed any drawbacks.

[Digalicious]

5 hours ago, AirmetTango said:

But the theory would be, if you’re noticing more iron falsing than you’d like, you can bump the stability up a number or two as opposed to going up a full IF number to address the issue…using a scalpel as opposed to a butcher’s cleaver, so to speak.

 

"Using a scalpel as opposed to a butcher's cleaver, so to speak".

I don't think that's a valid analogy when it comes to the IF. I would say it's valid if we were talking about a detector like the 540 which only has a low and high iron bias control. That definitely is a cleaver like change in the iron bias 🙂 But, were talking about a 10 range control. 

Granted, it's not going to hurt to have the fine tuning control, but with the existing 10 range control, I find the fine tuning to be unnecessary, and it also creates a lot of unnecessary confusion. For example, on the Legend's main Facebook page, a common question I've come across in the last few years is, "What is the point of the IF stability"?

Put another way, if the Legnd did not have the fine tuning for the 10 range iron bias control, NO ONE would have asked for a fine tuning control for the iron bias 

[JCR]

8 hours ago, AirmetTango said:

Don’t get me started on the Legend manual! One of my pet peeves about the machine is the manual’s “fuzzy” treatment for many settings. I come to the Legend after 5 years using and fully understanding my Equinox 800 settings, so I had no problem filling in the glaring gaps in the Legend manual with my existing knowledge. I often wonder just how confused I would be if I were a new detectorist just starting out and reading the Legend manual.

That said, all we are told about the actual function of Stability for Iron Filter on the Legend is this:

 

Not a lot to go on, but I’ll assume that stability (for Park, Field, and Gold modes only) is just that - a fine adjustment of iron filter for those users who feel they need a little extra tweaking on a given Iron Filter setting. If you’ve ever used a good, old school scientific microscope, the instrument has two focusing knobs - a coarse adjustment and fine adjustment. The coarse focus would get you in the ballpark, but the fine adjustment would really allow you to bring an object into the sharpest focus. That’s how I think about Stability on the Legend. For example, I’m assuming that IF 3, Stab 1 is a slightly higher iron bias setting than IF 2, Stab 5, which in turn is a slightly higher iron bias than IF 2, Stab 3. I’m guessing Nokta decided to provide Stability as a separate setting to IF, because for most folks, the 10 IF settings available in each of the Park, Field, and Gold modes is sufficient for most hunters. Combined with adjustments available at IF 0-7, adding Stability essentially means there are 42 potential Iron Filter settings, which might seem overwhelming to most users if IF ranged from 0-41.

Anyway, to answer the actual question…no, I don’t really actively change the Stability setting. I generally set IF at 2. When I first started using the machine in January, I left stability at the default 3. For the last few weeks, I’ve moved stability to 2 just for kicks and giggles, but I haven’t noticed a real difference. But the theory would be, if you’re noticing more iron falsing than you’d like, you can bump the stability up a number or two as opposed to going up a full IF number to address the issue…using a scalpel as opposed to a butcher’s cleaver, so to speak.

For me, the question about stability extends into Beach mode. The manual specifically warns that Stability in Beach mode is not the same thing, and then gives a functional description that leaves me scratching my head a little:

I’m not sure how that description of Beach mode’s Stability describes something different. If Stability in the other modes is “just” a way to fine tune Iron Filter, and I can use Iron Filter to help minimize false signals and, by extension, some ground noise…I don’t see or understand a difference here. 

 

 The Stability setting in Beach Mode is a type of Salt(very low conductor)sensitivity filter.