*OFFICIAL* Garrett Ace-350 Thread

TheIVJackal

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126
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Goleta, CA
I joined the "social group" but what I don't like about it is that I don't think threads or discussions from that group come up on searches. Harder to access that information, a lot less web-traffic on those groups.
 
How to narrow down target

So I have a slight issue, when I'm scanning and I get a good signal, as I swing I get what seems like two or three hits. Does that make sense? There is one target under the soil/sand and as I swing over it to try and figure out where to pinpoint, it sounds like there are three targets when there is only one... Any ideas? Seems like the edge of the DD coil causes it to signal or something.
 
Is it a big target? I remember with my ace250 big items would sometimes act like a few smaller ones. Does it still sound off when the coil is a foot off the ground over the target?
 
So I have a slight issue, when I'm scanning and I get a good signal, as I swing I get what seems like two or three hits. Does that make sense? There is one target under the soil/sand and as I swing over it to try and figure out where to pinpoint, it sounds like there are three targets when there is only one... Any ideas? Seems like the edge of the DD coil causes it to signal or something.

Anyone else got an idea on this?
 
No, not big targets, it tends to be a good target like a coin or a pop-tab.

Yeah I get the same thing it will register from nickel to penny sometimes. - what I usually find is dense pebbles in the holes and at times it will kick signals up to quarter/halves even. I have turned machine off and then back on to recalibrate for soil conditions. It seems to help and make sure your cord is screwed tight... mine came loose and sounded like a mariachi band. ;)

Sent from my SPH-M840 using Tapatalk
 
I was told by my local dealer that turning the unit off and back on doesn't change the ground balance, it is set at the factory and not adjustable.

Hey thanks for the correction, im still learning the machine. I did try this myself and thought I noticed a change. My imagination. LoL

Sent from my SPH-M840 using Tapatalk
 
I thought I would write a quick informational post about the ACE 250 to try and help new operators. More specifically, how the ACE 250 seems to differ from other entry level detectors and how it may cause confusion for new operators. Keep in mind, this is a general guideline based on my personal experience where I hunt. There are many variables that dictate how a detector will perform and accordingly, your experiences may differ from mine. For the purposes of this post, details of how I run my machine aren't important, but I'll list them anyway. Mode: Coins, Sensitivity: 7 (One level below max), Coil: standard 6 x 9 that comes with it in the box.

Execution: (How I'm operating the detector)
Coil low to the ground, often touching the ground. Coil parallel to the ground. Smooth even sweeps side to side without raising the coil on either side of the sweep.

Target: Modern clad coin (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) at a depth of up to 6 inches.

How does the 250 respond: You need to understand two main ways the response of the 250 differs from most other detectors. The first is timing. Many people have posted on the forums that the ACE series has a delay in indicating a target. With most entry level detectors, you receive a tone/signal when a single target passes underneath your coil. The other way the ACE series differs from others is in the frequency with which you will receive a tone/signal.

For the purposes of explaining these differences, I am going to use the word bell in bold italics to represent a single bell tone coming from the detector speaker or headphones. Assume that you are standing still in one place and a penny is directly in front of you at 12 o clock. With most detectors, when your scan passes over the penny, your detector will signal bell. Pass over the penny, bell. Pass over the penny, bell. Every time you pass over the penny, you get a single bell tone. With this type of detector, you can continue to pass over the penny, narrowing your side to side sweep until you have narrowed down to where the penny is. With the ACE series detector, as you are sweeping side to side, the signal that you will likely receive from the detector just after it passes over the penny will be bell bell bell bell. The big difference here is you are getting multiple bell tones even though the target passed under the coil one time. In addition, you may receive the multiple bell tone a half second or so after you passed over the penny. Unlike other detectors, you aren't getting one bell every time the detector passes over the penny but rather multiple bell bell bell bell's. For this reason, you really can't use the method of narrowing your side to side sweep as you would with most detectors until you've nearly pinpointed the target because you are receiving multiple bell's that may be somewhat delayed. The ACE series however has another quirk related to this that you can use to your advantage. Most often, the multiple bell bell bell signal that you are receiving, will occur even without sweeping the detector side to side on shallow coins.

Here is how I operate my ACE 250 knowing everything I covered above and assuming the same penny at 12 o clock. Just after passing over the penny I hear bell bell bell. It takes a little bit of practice to get used to the slight delay, but once you do, it's no problem. Knowing there is a delay, I know my bell bell bell signal is for a target just behind my coil sweep. I back my sweep up and what I hear is bell bell bell. Sometimes I may have to move the coil around a bit to get the detector to continue the bell bell bell signal. Knowing in my mind that I'm not going to be able to narrow my sweep from side to side to try and get a detailed idea on the exact location of the target, I immediately go to the pinpoint mode on the ACE by pushing and holding down the pinpoint button. Once you go directly to pinpoint mode, you can pinpoint the location of the coin by making small movements side to side and front to back noting where the signal strength is the strongest. When I am in pinpoint mode, I get it narrowed down side to side until it is in the middle, then I pull the coil back until the signal drops then move it back up a half an inch. Most often, that puts the coin just behind the point of the inner ring of the coil. While still in the pinpoint mode, when you have the coin centered as I just explained, release the pinpoint button and most often if the target is a penny, nickel, dime or quarter, the detector will proceed to produce a bell bell bell bell bell bell. Many times, this bell signal will continue non stop until you move the coil off of the target. If it doesn't, you can wiggle the coil ever so slightly and it will most often start producing the repeated bell signal. At this point, I take over with my Garrett Pro Pointer and Lesche to quickly recover the target.

It is my experience if during your second check of the spot where you got the bell bell bell signal, if you don't receive multiple bell tones over the area and just a single tone or multiple different level tones, it's probably not a coin. Also, I have found that the multiple bell tone behavior does not occur on nickels quite as much as it does on pennies, dimes and quarters. I have found on most nickels, it behaves more like other detectors in that you get a single tone per pass over the nickel and not the repeated tones. As for the depth gauge on the ACE, I only use it after using the pinpoint function on the detector and then checking the spot with my Garrett Pro Pointer. If the Pro Pointer doesn't pick up the target, you can reasonably depend on the depth gauge on the ACE, if the Pro Pointer does pick up the target, it is so shallow, you don't really need the depth gauge on the ACE.

Reading this it's seems very complicated, but once you understand the ways the ACE 250 communicates with you, it becomes second nature. I would caution you as well that the technique I am referring to above is for common clad coins at 6" depth or less. This is just one kind of target that we often hunt for and only operating in this fashion may cause you to miss other targets however I have found it to be dead on reliable for picking clad currency up at the local park and such. Hope this helps!
 
more than one targets

So I have a slight issue, when I'm scanning and I get a good signal, as I swing I get what seems like two or three hits. Does that make sense? There is one target under the soil/sand and as I swing over it to try and figure out where to pinpoint, it sounds like there are three targets when there is only one... Any ideas? Seems like the edge of the DD coil causes it to signal or something.
try dig one target at a time; there could be many trashs in the area which will create multiple targets; use 5" coil for trashes area. i use both ace 350 and AT Pro. i like the AT Pro over 350 because the coil is lighter and less tiring during longer hunt. the orginal 10" coil is too heavy on AT Pro, i changed up to 8" coil, much lighter and longer hunting time.:cool::cool::D
 
Shaft length and support?

My arm was getting a bit strained when detecting so I moved the shaft up to the third notch and I think it helped, I'm 5'10". I'm thinking of sliding the arm support further up my arm for better comfort but I'm not sure that would help.
Any suggestions?
 
Try adjusting it so the coil is just in front of your feet. This will take the weight off your arm & put it in your hand.
 
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