Nowadays, a question that is up there alongside ‘How deep will it go?’ and ‘What is it worth?’, is ‘What is the best programme for my detector?’ Modern detectors make this an obvious question, particularly when new to a detector. We all want the quickest way to hunt at the limits of performance, and we all want our detectors set to Formula 1 spec. But when you think about it, there are so many variables that influence how your detector should be set, the question becomes almost pointless.
For instance, driving at 100mph is great, but no one is going to drive at that speed down the high street! I make no apology for the car/driving analogies in this blog, as I believe it is a simple way to get the message across.
Understanding the Variables in Metal Detecting
The Importance of Context in Detector Settings
Let’s stick with the car analogies for a while. On more than one occasion, we’ve had a customer in the shop because their detector is ‘falsing’ or behaving erratically. Usually, a quick look and re-jig of the settings settles things down. For perspective, I usually quip, “You had it set in ‘Ferrari’ when really you needed it in ‘Fiesta’.”
Further conversation is almost always followed by “My mate put the XYZ settings in for me,” or “I got the ‘Carlos Fandango X4’ setting from the internet.” Now, I’m not knocking these settings. They have their place. Try them and experiment with them, but never fall into the trap of believing that’s all you’ll ever need. The point is, they are not and cannot be suitable for all users and all sites.
The Pitfalls of Relying on Pre-Made Programmes
Common Issues with Pre-Made Settings
A performance opposite can also be true. Where a setting has been misunderstood or the internet’s ‘whizzbang-blue-flame’ (yes, the names often are that ridiculous!) the programme is just plain rubbish, and the detector has little or no performance! I know of at least one programme out there, peddled by ‘An Expert’ for the Equinox 600/800 detectors, that is okay for the most mineralised site you could encounter. But for most detecting sites, it’s basically like having a block of wood under your accelerator pedal – you’re on the open road, but you can only do 30mph! Yet those using it are happy to trust the expert and remain ignorant of their detector’s full potential.
How to Achieve Optimal Detector Performance
Patience as a Key Ingredient
So, how do we achieve this? How do we realise the full potential of our detector on any given site? For most of us, the answer is much easier said than done. We all tend to look for shortcuts. Sadly, however, there are none! The two key ingredients are patience and confidence, and with those, you will get there.
Cars again! Let’s assume you’re lucky enough to have bought the Ferrari. You know its potential performance; that’s why you bought it, but you also know realising that performance is going to take time. You must build up slowly, learn the power, learn the performance, and learn the limits. You know that putting your foot to the floor on day one in a beast like that is foolhardy. At best, it’s an expensive mistake; at worst, it’s fatal. Now, if we replace ‘expensive mistake’ and ‘fatal’ (obviously, setting up your detector wrong isn’t going to kill you!) with ‘fewer finds’ and ‘frustration,’ you begin to see where the patience comes in.
Why Starting with Factory Presets is Crucial
Establishing a Baseline Performance
The best place to start with any detector is the factory settings. Use the factory preset most appropriate for the land you’re detecting. Manufacturers like Minelab, for instance, spend many thousands of hours developing the preset programmes to perform perfectly well ‘out of the box,’ and this is how you should use the detector initially.
I cannot emphasise the importance of this enough, and it is really the crux of this blog! Be patient and resist the urge to tweak or install anything for a good few hours of use. Why is this so important? Simply because if you don’t, and try to skip this important phase, you have no frame of reference, no baseline performance to refer future settings to. Without that underlying knowledge of a basic level of performance to expect, how can you possibly have any idea if ‘Carlos Fandango X4’ has made your detector better or worse?
Building Confidence Through Experience
Avoiding Frustration and Ensuring Success
This patient approach will then automatically introduce the second ingredient: confidence. Many, if not most users, take the shortcut of ready-made programmes because their lack of patience and subsequent lack of knowledge means they have zero confidence in their own abilities—they feel they have no choice but to trust others.
Spending time in factory presets, however, means you have many hours of learning under your belt. You will have a feel for the performance, and you are getting to know what to expect. So when you do make adjustments, you are confident you are making them for the right reasons, earning you a few more goodies in your finds pouch. If it doesn’t do what you expect, at least you have that baseline to refer to and the knowledge to think again. Most importantly, you are not trudging around like most of your mates with a programme that is most likely unsuitable for that site!
Key Takeaways:
In summary, patience and confidence are essential to unlocking the full potential of your metal detector. Start with factory presets to establish a solid baseline, then gradually make adjustments as you gain experience and understanding. This method ensures you can make informed decisions about the settings that will truly enhance your detecting experience, leading to more successful and satisfying hunts.