I am a little cautious with sensitivity settings and will usually test the ground in the first 2 or 3 minutes of swinging. And that of course depends on which coil I have on. For the 11" Pro Coil as an example, I set my sensitivity between 18 and 22 (Max 32) unless it's a real trashy area then I drop it to no lower than 10 to 12. I've even found that working over natural gas pipelines I can detect all but a small strip when I set it down to 2 to 4. Of course the 8x6 SEF isn't as finicky and I can easily up it to 26-28 in wooded areas but the 12x10 SEF is a big antenna and I usually run it at 16 -18.
What say you guys?
There are very few places where I can run my Safari on manual sensitivity without it producing all types of erractic bips, blops & burps. It picks up on too much small crap in the ground. Of course, this is usually with manual set anywhere from 15 to 20 (the max). If I have to drop any lower than that (and I normally do), what's the point? So, I run almost exclusively in automatic. It's calm as a turtle. Sometimes...
If I'm at a good spot, where I've pulled keepers before, I will go into a high manual setting and put up with the noise simply because I know I'm getting a bit more depth. But, I think I lose as much as I gain, as with all the racket, it makes it tougher to hear those deep whisper signals.
All metal & automatic sensitivity 95% of the time.
Joe
I only run auto about half the time. Only go to manual in the woods where the trash is less. I am astounded about the degree with which auto can quiet it down. And sometimes that scares me and I will tend to change it over a suspected target when I'm working grassy playing fields, just to "look, see".
(02-15-2015 03:28 PM)Ohio Dirt Fisher Wrote: [ -> ]I only run auto about half the time. Only go to manual in the woods where the trash is less. I am astounded about the degree with which auto can quiet it down. And sometimes that scares me and I will tend to change it over a suspected target when I'm working grassy playing fields, just to "look, see".
I know EXACTLY what you mean. Honestly, I don't think I miss an amazingly large amount of deep stuff running in automatic, simply because I more than make up for it by running in all metal, while most of the hunters out there like programs (coin, jewelry, beach, relic, etc.) which severely compromises depth. In a perfect world...
Yes, I'd run with manual all day long, as I'm sure it would give me another added edge - even if it's only a half inch - but, it's totally dependent on the locales. All metal AND manual is just TOO sensitive, and there are many false hits & chatter to contend with, which makes it MUCH more difficult to hear those deep squeakers.
Joe
I have to agree it all depends on the location.
I seriously can't think of one or two places around here that I can run anywhere near top sens. readings without a concert of falsing. I often run in dumps and can piles where the rec. sens. is 2 and I might see a 7 in auto +3. Sometimes in cinder pits I'll lock manual at 12 and endure the noise as long as I can. I do believe you get some extra depth by bumping the sens. up but at the expense of ID most of the time but at the same time , I usually dig most all good/solid target sounds regardless. Our ground is un-homogenous and the value of tracking is evident at every location I go to so I always start in auto+3 and stray from there. I can usually run about 10 points over the recommended but more than that is a problem.
One of the reasons I continue to prefer the etrac over the CTX is the ease of changing types of sensitivity settings on the etrac in comparison.
Coil choice also factors in with all detectors so there's lots to consider , but I think the highest setting you can get by with and maintain stability is an important goal on every hunt and location to feel you got the best out of the occasion.
(02-15-2015 11:52 PM)Dusty Wrote: [ -> ]I have to agree it all depends on the location.
I seriously can't think of one or two places around here that I can run anywhere near top sens. readings without a concert of falsing. I often run in dumps and can piles where the rec. sens. is 2 and I might see a 7 in auto +3. Sometimes in cinder pits I'll lock manual at 12 and endure the noise as long as I can. I do believe you get some extra depth by bumping the sens. up but at the expense of ID most of the time but at the same time , I usually dig most all good/solid target sounds regardless. Our ground is un-homogenous and the value of tracking is evident at every location I go to so I always start in auto+3 and stray from there. I can usually run about 10 points over the recommended but more than that is a problem.
One of the reasons I continue to prefer the etrac over the CTX is the ease of changing types of sensitivity settings on the etrac in comparison.
Coil choice also factors in with all detectors so there's lots to consider , but I think the highest setting you can get by with and maintain stability is an important goal on every hunt and location to feel you got the best out of the occasion.
Good info and I agree. Lot of time I change settings three or four times in in long hunt depending on what I cover as far as ground. You can tell the difference after a while of use and adjust accordingly.
Wow, great topic and plenty of information to re-read already posted here.
I have a Exp II, I use botjh small stock coil and the 10 x12 SEF.
I like high sensitivity but that doesn't get you much around where I live but I use it on farms or red clay fields.
Mostly I use around 15 and lower it if I can't find the target - then pin point to get closer to it.
Mostly I use manual and go into auto once in awhile. I have to expierment more this year with auto - then maybe go back over the area with manual.
The soil here in Northern Utah is awful, but I usually left it on all metal.
All depends on the site for me. I like running the CTX hot and chatty. If there is a ton of EMI I will turn it down some. Most of the time it is at 26 to 28 out of 30.
I run manual sens on the etrac as high as I can go 90% of the time. Going back to places I've already hunted in Auto and finding even more stuff in manual. I have 2 sweet spots I can run 30 all day long. I have one place where EMI is terrible. I let the auto sens take over here. I will say my deepest finds were in manual sens.
My average manual setting is around 25-27. We have some good soil in central Missouri.