Custom or Coins or Zero-Disc?

[Saki]

Hi all, I have a Garrett Ace 400i, previously had a 250.
On it I have my Nel Tornado.

My question is this:
Is there actually a difference If i have Zero-Disc, and notch out say the ferrous
Or go to custom and do the same settings?
Or Coins settings compared to say Custom but with the same notched out as the coins
Is there a difference other than the ease of notching or turning off certain discriminations?
I mean the machine isn't more powerful when in certain ones is it? Is it just for a quick jump from one to the other saving you doing a custom??

[jeap]

I've got the EuroAce and would be interested to hear peoples views on this - sometime ago I read a forum comment about the machine performing better on all metal with discrimination set, but I didn't know if this was a thing. From my point of view the frequency doesn't change between settings so would pick up the same stuff at the same depth but I could be way off base.

[Blackadder43]

In my opinion "Notching" is more designed for the USA market
Picture this
In the USA they do not find Hammered coins, but they DO find ring pulls tabs and foil
On a detectors conductivity scale Hammered coins will more often than not come in at around the foil/pull tab area of the conductivity scale
So in the USA they "Notch" out foil and pull tabs as they dont want to find them
In the UK you will want to find hammered coins so should never notch foil and pull tabs out

As for coin mode, this is the same principle, so in the USA using coin mode is perfectly acceptable and needed when they are detecting old houses or "tot lots" (play parks)
In the UK if you use coin mode then you will be only finding coins and by nature of the settings discriminating out foil and pull tabs, and also hammered coins.

My opinion is to run the machine in all metal, learn to ignore the iron grunt signals and dig the rest
Sure you will find loads of foil, tubes, aluminium bits, pull tabs etc, but at least you have the chance to detect hammered coins should you walk over one.

A metal detector does as it is told, if you tell it to never show you where the pull tabs are then it will do exactly that.

[Saki]

Thanks guys.
Going to try the all metal. And as you say Blackadder, let my brain learn to ignore the iron grunts.

But to get to the "power" or "Performance" of the machine. The only thing changing is what is notched out, is that correct?

[stillair1]

Hi, the programmes are just for quick jumping as you say imo. Major bug bear is lumps of molten Ali which often comes in at a higher 83 ish vdi on the East coast.
Neil

[Blackadder43]

Loads of factors come into play with power and best performance
Wet or dry soil
Ground conditions ie: stubble, ploughed (freshly or already settled)
Interference surrounding you
whether you actually walk directly over an item or miss it by 3 cm
Batterys
etc etc

So think of it as a top, middle or bottom

At the top you have perfect soil conditions, perfect atmospheric conditions, perfect batterys and perfect settings that compliment the above. Then you need a whole hoard of coins directly in your path of walking

In the middle you have an average field, you spent some effort learning your machines settings and set them accordingly, and a scattering of coins of which some are in your path of walking

At the bottom you have woken up with a hangover, forgotten to put new batterys in or charge your spares up, you turn the machine on hoping your settings are ok, then you randomly set off walking in a similar trajectory to last night when coming home from the pub

So much to think about if you really really want the best out of your machine and its not just the settings

But by going all metal and the sensitivity as best you can get it without giving you a headache from constant chirping, then if you walk over something you stand a damn good chance of your detector telling you its there. Then, the choice is yours whether to dig it or ignore it

[Dave The Slave]

You can also run with iron audio off, numbers still flash up but no ding.
Have run my 400i on iron audio off since 2nd outing in custom mode, discrim out below 60 and one off max sensitivity. Have managed a Silver Denarius on those settings. Did try these settings on a Viccy shilling I already had and this worked as well, may need to borrow a Hammy and see what it reads.
Good Luck
Dave.

[Saki]

Loads of factors come into play ..

... then you randomly set off walking in a similar trajectory to last night when coming home from the pub

LOVE IT
Its so true Blackadder.
Another factor on that is the mood. Lots of times late in the day I get fed up digging that 67 that is guaranteed to be foil or is that dodgy 83 that Stillair1 is talking about?

So I tend to ignore more than I really should. So no excuse to complain.
Iron Audio is great too (But aware it really is an indication)

...Major bug bear is lumps of molten Ali which often comes in at a higher 83 ish vdi on the East coast.

You can also run with iron audio off, numbers still flash up but no ding.
Have run my 400i on iron audio off since 2nd outing in custom mode, discrim out below 60 and one off max sensitivity. Have managed a Silver Denarius on those settings. Did try these settings on a Viccy shilling I already had and this worked as well, may need to borrow a Hammy and see what it reads.
Good Luck
Dave.

I'm the same as you Dave, with iron audio off and watching the numbers.
And would really like a few hammies to see what they are reading.

Anyone got any that they could do a small video of or give the settings. I see lots of videos on YT, but mostly US stuff.
I would appreciate a video on YT that gave the reading for each find they get.Not just some.

[Blackadder43]

Another factor on that is the mood. Lots of times late in the day I get fed up digging that 67 that is guaranteed to be foil or is that dodgy 83 that Stillair1 is talking about?

So I tend to ignore more than I really should. So no excuse to complain.
Iron Audio is great too (But aware it really is an indication)

There is actually a name for something similar to this
It is called Brain Fatigue
It is why you need to take a small break every hour
What happens is you bombard your brain with data to sort out whilst detecting, especially if your settings make your machine a bit chatty
Your brain believe it or not burns up huge amounts of energy and to conserve energy your brain will start to ignore/merge signals to lower the amount it has to process, then you stop hearing certain tones or delieberately start to ignore them through fatigue and tiredness
By taking a break and taking your head phones off you effectively reset your brain
There are a couple of threads somewhere on the forum and some input by Stephen one of the mods as he is a hearing specialist. he hasnt been on for a while due to real life throwing the lad a curve ball.

[Blackadder43]

Here you go Saki
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=66330&p=610299&hil ... ue#p610299

[Saki]

...It is why you need to take a small break every hour
What happens is you bombard your brain with data to sort out whilst detecting, especially if your settings make your machine a bit chatty. ...

I am the worlds worst for not taking a break. Even in work, I rarely take lunch.
While detecting, especially in the winter. I'm counting the hrs of daylight and with the best intention, even bringing a sarnie or bar or btl of something. But inevitably they usually have the pleasure of driving back home in the evening with me, uneaten, undrank. (Usually eaten on the road home. and then my wife will wonder why I don't eat as soon as I walk in the door )
Gonna take your advice Blackadder on the breaks, as you say even to take the headphones off every hour for a few mins. And will go searching for the posts you mentioned.

[jeap]

At the bottom you have woken up with a hangover, forgotten to put new batterys in or charge your spares up, you turn the machine on hoping your settings are ok, then you randomly set off walking in a similar trajectory to last night when coming home from the pub

This is my standard day minus the hangover. I once drove all the way to my permission without my detector, and I've forgotten my spade on more than one occasion. It's a wonder I manage to find anything.