Nox threshold

How many of you add a threshold to your settings?

Good question. I'm new enough that I dont even know the advantages of hearing a constant threshold. I've heard of something called nulling that lets you know there is a target. Hope some more experienced hunters chime in.
 
I always hunt with an audible threshold tone.

Let's say your hunting in Park 1 with -9 to +2 discriminated out so you won't hear a target in that range produce an audio tone or see a target ID number. You will hear targets and see IDs from +3 to +39. If you set your threshold tone so that it is just barely audible and steady and pass over a target in the -9 to +2 range your threshold tone will waver or drop out for an instant. Some people call that nulling since you are passing over a target that has been discriminated out or nulled. If you press the horseshoe button after hearing that nulled target you will hear and see its audio and target ID response when you sweep over it. Hope that helps.
Jeff
 
Nice explanation of “nulling”, Jeff. But for me, I’m not sure if I see an advantage that listening for a null gives you over just hunting in “all metal” and hearing the actual iron tone - perhaps it’s considered easier on the ears? But I would think that the constant buzz of threshold with occasional nulls would be just as fatiguing as the constant ferrous hits in an iron rich area using “all metal”. Maybe a more experienced hunter can provide some insight on what the advantages might be (if any) of listening for a “null” while already hunting with no discrim?

All that said, I think the chief benefit of threshold on any detector, including the Equinox, is the ability to accentuate weaker signals and potentially eek out a little more depth from the machine. Here’s a fantastic thread posted by Rudy, an administrator on the forum, which goes into excellent detail about threshold: Confused about Threshold vs Volume?

His post really helped me understand what threshold does, how it helps a detector, and the basics on how to set it.

When I was using my Garrett AT Max, I always hunted using a slight threshold hum. I haven’t experimented with threshold yet on the EQ800 - once I have a little more hunt time with the machine, I’m sure I’ll start utilizing threshold regularly again.
 
Nice explanation of “nulling”, Jeff. But for me, I’m not sure if I see an advantage that listening for a null gives you over just hunting in “all metal” and hearing the actual iron tone - perhaps it’s considered easier on the ears? But I would think that the constant buzz of threshold with occasional nulls would be just as fatiguing as the constant ferrous hits in an iron rich area using “all metal”. Maybe a more experienced hunter can provide some insight on what the advantages might be (if any) of listening for a “null” while already hunting with no discrim?

All that said, I think the chief benefit of threshold on any detector, including the Equinox, is the ability to accentuate weaker signals and potentially eek out a little more depth from the machine. Here’s a fantastic thread posted by Rudy, an administrator on the forum, which goes into excellent detail about threshold: Confused about Threshold vs Volume?

His post really helped me understand what threshold does, how it helps a detector, and the basics on how to set it.

When I was using my Garrett AT Max, I always hunted using a slight threshold hum. I haven’t experimented with threshold yet on the EQ800 - once I have a little more hunt time with the machine, I’m sure I’ll start utilizing threshold regularly again.

+1 here. I just hunt in all metal with the iron volume turned down really low so I can just hear it.
 
Hi,
I guess it really depends on hunting style, ground mineralization and what one is hunting for. My ground is high iron mineralized. If I hunted with the horseshoe button engaged full-time or with no discrimination preset and iron tone volume on minimum I would hear 5 to 10 iron targets on every sweep. I would go crazy!!!! on a 4 to 8 hour hunt. Those targets would be tiny bits of naturally occurring iron too, not man-made.

It is my understanding that on the Equinox, the threshold tone does not act like a classic threshold tone say in all metal mode on other detectors. It is separate from the volume and intensity of the target tone, so it won't help with deeper good targets or with depth in general. It is just for indicating discriminated out targets under the coil. On the 800 the threshold tone pitch is adjustable which is really nice. I can set it so that it is not annoying like the buzz one of you mentioned. It is more like a medium low background hum.

If you are hunting with no discrimination -9 to +39 on the Equinox, I can't see any reason to use the Nox threshold tone since all targets will be heard.

Jeff
 
In my opinion hunting with a threshold is not beneficial in an area that is loaded with signals. Too much is happening to take advantage of it.

It works in an area like wet sand at the beach where a very deep target will fluctuate the threshold. Targets and signals are far apart so a concentration on the threshold is possible. Or nugget hunting where the operator is hunting for that smallest of targets.

The Equinox is indeed a detector that can be used for a great variety of hunting techniques.

The Sovereign and Excal users know full well the benefit of a threshold because it would change pitch depending on the VDI of the target that interrupted it.
 
Threshold is probably less important on the Nox than some other detectors. A lot of guys like me run a threshold on slower detectors like the eTrac. Basically it lets you know how much iron is present if you have disced it out. With certain slower processing detectors you have to slow down in heavy iron. The EQ is a fast detector and I rarely ever use a threshold. It might be a useful tool if you were running a slower recovery speed just to let you know when bump the speed up. I rarely go under 6 so I don't use it.
 
Back
Top Bottom