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Metal Detector Resource is a division of Treasure Quest and was created to help people make a better decision when purchasing a metal detector. New and old to the hobby will find Metal Detector Resource very helpful.
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General Detecting Information
How a metal detector works
Metal detectors work due to the fact that metal is conductive.Metal detectors create an electro-magnetic field, whichpenetrates the ground. When the search coil senses a change inthis field (caused by a metal object) it sends a signal back to the control box which then alerts the operator. Metal detectors react to the surface area of objects, not their mass, therefore the larger the object, the deeper it can be detected.
Operating Frequencies and Sensitivity
Measured in kilohertz (kHz) the frequency is the number of Times a signal is transmitted into the ground and received back, per second. The lower the frequency used by a detector, the deeper it can normally penetrate. At low frequencies however, the sensitivity to small targets is sometimes reduced. The higher the frequency, the higher the sensitivity to small targets, but it may not penetrate as deeply. In general, gold detectors operate at higher frequencies (to find small nuggets) while coin and treasure detectors work at lower frequencies for deeper penetration (the exception to this is MPS type metal detectors that are sensitive and deep-seeking simultaneously).
Difficult Soil
Soil contains naturally occurring salts and minerals, which are known as mineralization. Areas of highly mineralized soil are generally known as difficult soils. Sandy or loam soils are low in minerals and are usually very easy to detect. Most detectors have a control called ‘ground balance’ which is used to compensate for the effect of mineralization. The most difficult ground conditions are the areas where mineralization varies. Here, the operator must repeatedly re-balance their detector Unless their machine features Automatic Ground Tracking (AGT) Technology, which will continuously and automatically adjust the detector for perfect ground balance.
Quiet Ground
Quiet ground does not contain minerals. It is neutral and Generally loam to sandy in consistency. Ground balancing a Metal detector is much easier in these conditions.
Discrimination
Discrimination refers to the ability of the metal detector to Estimate the type of metal a target is made of. Discrimination Gives you the ability to ignore unwanted objects like iron, steel, Pull-tabs etc, while detecting for valuable items made from Metals like silver, gold, or copper.
Coils
The coils sends an electro-magnetic field into the ground and receives a response that is interpreted by the control box. The size of the coil can effect the depth a target can be detected, or the sensitivity to that target. Coils may have different search patterns, depending on how they are made. For example two coil types are; Double-D and Monoloop which give a good detection coverage, depth and highest level of overall performance. By changing the size or design of coil, the detector can become more versatile for changing conditions.