Why is my detector discriminating out Horseshoes?

[brvan71]

My Dad, brother and I had the opportunity to hunt a Civil War Battlefield today. Found one small caliber pistol bullet and my brother found a horseshoe. Not sure if it's CW era or not, but possibly. Anyway, I was hunting in relic mode, but my detector blanked out as it passed over it. My brother found it with an old Fisher 1212x and I was hunting with the White's Eagle Spectrum. Can anyone share what I can do to make sure I won't miss anything like that in the future?

Thanks in advance!

Bryan

 

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[Kentucky Kache]

Have you got it set to "null" over a target?

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Don't know specifically about the Spectrum - but, could be discrimination set too high or incorrectly, or not nulled properly (tuning).


B

 

[brvan71]

Have you got it set to "null" over a target?

I have metal detected off and on for about 10 years, but I have never been informed about this "null" setting. Where is it found in the programs? I assume this would be for the older spectrum and the newer XLT. My dad discovered the same problem at this field we were detecting. After my brother found the horseshoe, neither dad or myself could get a signal running our coils over it.
Thanks,
Bryan

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

I don't own a Spectrum, but I do own a White's of a different variety, so I'm speaking only for my White's, and making an assumption that the Spectrum is similar.

When I talk about "null", I'm talking about tuning. I'm still assuming here, but my Whites has several different setting, some are "basic" settings that you start out with and then you experiment with different discriminations (I find, with my White's, the lesser the discrimination, the better).
The rest is experimental, for your surroundings, amount of trash, etc., where you reach a point where it can let go of most of the ground matter and still pick up good signals. That's MY null position.

Now, I don't know specifically about yours, but my Whites is not a "turn on and go" machine. I have to re-do it every single time I turn it on.
(also if I hit a rock or something - it needs to be reset). Also, I have a little collection box, it has a penny, nickle, dime and quarter in it, along with a couple of different types of ring tabs - with my White's, it scans different kinds of tabs differently - and a couple of small pieces of different metals - I use that when I start out for the day, and if I knock it out of null, to reset it. If I can detect these (and I don't insist on the nickles), then it will pick up just about anything, in most types of ground.


B


PS - One thing I forgot - you really need to listen to the sounds your detector makes . My White's has a gauge to tell you what is in the ground, but it is not always right - the noises it makes, after you use it for a good period of time - I can usually tell if it is something good or not. (depending on what you call good, of course - I like digging up horseshoes.)

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Have you got it set to "null" over a target?

I have metal detected off and on for about 10 years, but I have never been informed about this "null" setting. Where is it found in the programs? I assume this would be for the older spectrum and the newer XLT. My dad discovered the same problem at this field we were detecting. After my brother found the horseshoe, neither dad or myself could get a signal running our coils over it.
Thanks,
Bryan

You might not have a program called null, but you can set your machine to disc out certain targets, or make different sounds for different targets. One of those settings makes your detector go silent over those targets.

 

[sniffer]

instead of relic try using prospecting, there is no discrimination on prospect mode only a beep when you're over a target.
also, you'll only get VDI #'s when you find gold
good luck

 

[manganos]

You are overloading the detector. Try it while your coil is farther away from the horseshoe

 

[Sky Pilot]

I believe Kentucky Kache is correct. Especially if you happen to modify the factory Relic Mode, and this is really easy to do accidentally, as the XLT allows the user to "drag" the numbers that are accepted or rejected up and down as a "group" and not just individually. The "null" is simply the opposite of a "good" signal, i.e.; A "good" signal, (one with the VDI not discriminated out) will make the detector produce a beep or whatever sound your XLT is set up for OVER the threshold and an iron signal, (more to the point, ANY VDI that is discriminated out) will cause the detector to become QUIETER than the threshold, and is most often called a "null". Hope this helps! Regards, Richard

 

[DGDancer]

I dont recall properly if the Spectrum's auto GB can be turned off but I believe it can. After tuning
go to manual GB and leave it alone unless the soil is really erratic. Old Iron will often trigger
the GB to ratchet itself up and thus tune out old Iron. A thought.

 

[Iron Patch]

It might not be all bad, depends on how much it's knocking out. My explorer avoids horse shoes quite well but is able to detect all the better iron relics I want to find. It disc'ing the shoes I think of as a good thing.

 

[Silver Searcher]

I'm buying one

SS