Posted this in a diferent section, but it might help:
For most high end machines, go slow! both learning the machine and with your swing(Fisher/Teknetics excluded) The factory programs are actually quite good. There is plenty of time to experiment and upload later.
If the factory manual reads more like a PhD physics thesis than an owners manual and you're left wondering what they're trying to say, find a book by an author that makes sense to you. And, don't be afraid to check out different authors. The local library should be able to get you different books by different authors through their loan program. Once you find a book that explains your detector to you in terms you are comfortable with, go out and buy it. You will also find that after you start to understand the basics, the owners manual starts to make sense.
Hold on! It's not time to start messing with new programs yet!
Leave the factory as they are for now. Use your machine in as many different situations(parks, fields, tot lots, etc.) as you can. After a while, what you've read and experienced starts to come together and makes sense.
At that point, it's time to make a change or two to the factory programs. This way, you can see what minor changes affect, and your understanding increases. Slow and easy with the changes.
Whatever you do, don't load one of those super hot, "it'll find silver at 84 inches" programs. First off they won't find silver that deep, and secondly, they will leave you wondering "what's wrong with your machine?". And, they'll likely increase your learning time.
Sooner or later, you'll either find or adjust programs to fit your hunting style and conditions. And, then, it's all good. Even though it was all good getting there.
How do I know this? Easy - I did it all wrong. Got so frustrated, I nearly sold the best detector I've owned, or wrapped it around a tree. Figured I could learn it all right away. It just doesn't happen that way. Probably increased my initial learning time by 300%, maybe more.
You live. You learn. And, sometimes, maybe you can help.
ATB & HH