Air testing an Explorer SE

[swansea jack]

Hi Gents,
I am sure that all of you have done air test with your chosen detectors, the weather is so awful at the moment I can't get out so I relieved my boredom with a few air test. Mine isn't particularly scientific basically strapping a wooden ruler to the stem and wiggling sixteen or seventeen different items including all modern coinage, silver florin, silver sixpence, old copper penny, 18c gold ring 9c gold ring, crown cap, and a ring pull. I gradually worked them away until couldn't hear a good signal I didn't include any scratchy sort of signal only a easily heard positive signal.

I started with the factory presets and to be honest I thought I had a problem with my machine the results were what I considered pretty poor. Just to recap I've not done any metal detecting for at least ten to twelve years, so suspecting Explorer SE wasn't out of the ordinary. I was using the 10'5 stock coil as it's the only one I have lol. Just to give you an idea of the factory preset results a 2 £ coin 7.5 ins. a 50p 6.5 ins, 18c gold ring 6.0 ins, ring pull 5.5 ins and a copper penny 6.5 ins

I conducted the same test with the sensitivity the same 22 but switched off the auto, wow what a difference at least 25 % to 30% increase on every item. The signal wasn't quite as cut and dry with it in auto, and the signal seemed to die very quickly going from a positive signal to nothing in 1/2 an inch whilst with the auto off it was still there and something I would investigate. A cooper penny went from 6.5 ins to an unbelievable 10.75 ins. As a rough guide it was about 2 ins extra for each
item. the modern didn't give a signal in auto but did with it off though it still nulled very close to the coil. As its going to rain again tomorrow I'm going to experiment with a few other things like putting the gain up and switching to deep on and a few other things. Would you expect such a dramatic increase in depth between auto on and off.

[geoff]

I run the etrac, there is a massive difference between sens auto and manual, as you have found.
I like gain fairly high as it magnifies the weak signals, but watch out for falling if you go flat out, and with deap on.

[swansea jack]

but watch out for falling if you go flat out, and with deap on.

Sorry but what is Falling please

[geoff]

Sorry mate, my auto spelling correct or my eyesight.
Falsing or false signals,often given if sensitivity is to high, or gain ,deap on, or combination of.
I would maybe try deap off, gain higher, or visa versa, as on the etrac with all these things cranked up or turned on you can get false signals.

[swansea jack]

Hi gents
I Added a few more simple test around the Preset programme. I reengaged the
automatic sensitivity and put it up to 32 and surprisingly the results were again better than with auto Sens off and set at 22. Another 20% increase in depth, as I said a bit of a surprise. Next I turned the Auto Sensitivity off and left it at 32, unsurprisingly another increase of about 10%. These simple test have taught me the auto Sensitivity in the preset program is seriously limiting depth, but if you can run Auto near the top 32 its quite respectable. Without auto at a setting of 32 the results are fantastic, of course running at 32 is going to be very difficult unless you cam cope with the detector singing the star spangled banner.

[jcmaloney]

Air testing multi-frequency machines is completely pointless.
They need soil/ground to work properly.

[swansea jack]

Air testing multi-frequency machines is completely pointless.
They need soil/ground to work properly.

Would you say the air results are worst in or better compared to a target in the ground.

[Wigeon]

Would you say the air results are worst in or better compared to a target in the ground.

I have two MInelab FBS machines and entirely agree with @jcmaloney that air testing is pointless.
As for ''better/worse'', I would say unpredictable and meaningless.

[Dave8472]

I can only echo others comments. I’m an experienced ML user and the machines circuitry is balanced and adaptive to the ground conditions. In air the machines react badly as there is nothing blocking the signal to the target. Be careful with sensitivity, yes it’s true higher amounts will increase the weak targets but it will amplify iron and mineralisation by a far greater amount. Only run it high on very clean ground or your signals will get smothered by iron and falsing.

Less is more, I always add if you want greater depth just slow down your swing and recovery speed, it gives any MF machine a better chance to adapt

I’ve used these for years
Explorer SE Pro
CTX3030
NOX 800

PS the same applies to target ID numbers, the ground can distort them, I’ve had romans read almost as iron in bad soil

Dave

[beaubrummell]

As above. I've owned an Explorer 2 and an Etrac and in air tests they can be outperformed by much inferior machines. But on land they are depth monsters maxed out as much as possible settings wise.

[swansea jack]

Many thanks for the replies as I said in the beginning, the test were born out of boredom lol. The depth in actual figures are unimportant but the improvement when certain things are tweaked should hold up when tested out ion the beach or land, I hope.
Many thanks again for taking the time to express an opinion

[jcmaloney]

Would you say the air results are worst in or better compared to a target in the ground.

Far worse in air.
FBS doesn`t work effectively in air it needs "ground" to function properly otherwise its like switching a table lamp on without plugging it in to the electric.