ON or OFF

metalhound

Junior Member
Joined
May 23, 2020
Messages
36
Location
Central Jersey..on the beach
Be gentle as I am just starting out. After sweeping the detector and finding a target do you turn the unit off or do you leave it on before you set it down. Remember, I'm just learning the game. If it matters I use a White's Coinmaster with an average pinpointer. :?:
 
I leave my on and so does my buddy I detect with.

If the pin pointer/detector interfere with each other then just move the detector's coil further away.
 
Never thought about it but I always leave it on, especially as it will change my current detector settings. It's a knob style power/gain setting with a on/off switch, and a power cycle resets all settings for GB, discriminate, etc.

Thinking of anyone I've seen swing a detector, a few dozen, and none of them turn off a detector for target recovery either regardless of the detector.
 
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It's unanimous then, "leave it on"! Thanx for the replies.

Interesting question though. I was curious to see what others said too, I've been surprised before. After a few days and more members respond to the thread who knows, maybe we have all been doing it wrong? :yes:

Be gentle as I am just starting out.

Feel free to ask anything, many of us started as complete noobs at some point before the Internet was available or even thought of. I started detecting regularly with my dad as kid in 1989 (I was 8) and finally allowed to go. People have been detecting since about the 1950s, and we have a few from nearly the beginning as members here too.

After all if anyone doesn't want to be bothered they won't respond to the question. It is the FRIENDLY Metal Detecting Forum, and I've yet to really see anything say otherwise. :D
 
I leave the detector on but switch the pinpointer off when its not being used.

If you use Bluetooth wireless headphones it would be a real pain to re pair them with the detector after every target.

Also some detectors need you to ground balance and select an EMI free frequency each time you switch on, so again it would be a pain to restart the machine after every target.
 
Be gentle as I am just starting out. After sweeping the detector and finding a target do you turn the unit off or do you leave it on before you set it down. Remember, I'm just learning the game. If it matters I use a White's Coinmaster with an average pinpointer. :?:

I use to turn it off when I started but I realized it just slowed me down having to turn it back on again.

I remember wondering this when I first started. I actually turned my ACE OFF and ON too the first few times I took it out. Seems like a lifetime ago, but I started in 2017. Haha.
Don't be shy asking questions. Nice group of fellow detectorist here.

I quickly realized that turning the machine OFF and ON a hundred times a hunt would wear the button out! But, then again, back then I spent most my time confused and spending ALOT of time searching for targets without a pinpointer.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. You will come back to this thread a year from now and see how far you have come. I get a kick out of my first few posts in retrospect.

Keep at it! And post your finds. We're rooting for you.
 
Since you are a beginner I'll include this:

Sweeping and detect a target. Set detector down and dig a plug flipping over the turf.
Pick up detector and sweep hole:
No signal in hole -sweep pulled plug- signal in plug. use pin pointer and find target.
Signal still in hole- first use pin pointer and check hole including sides to find target.
If nothing from pin pointer then dug hole deeper and repeat.

Re-sweeping hole and plug is a good reason to leave detector on.
Another technique is taking a hand full (or plastic scoop) of dirt and waving it over the detector's coil. This works well to find that tiny target and can be used when you don't have a pin pointer.

The goal is to recover the target quickly and not spend too much time on this.
After you dig a hundred pull tabs you'll understand why fast target recovery is good.

Yes, I dig lots of pull tabs and can slaw. But did get a 14K Diamond ring in a farm field digging can slaw.
 
pinpointer on/off

I have to turn my Garrett pro on and off all day 6..8 hours at hunts .... can PP's with no auto light feature stay in the on position until you make contact with a target ....thus avoiding the constant on/off all day ?? I think Notka makes one that you have to manually turn the light on ....so you can use ..holster ..use holster all day with minimum battery drain ?? .....and less button pushing ! Take it out put it back..... simple right ?
 
I turn my machine on to make sure it is working before I leave home. Of course I then turn it off. When I am ready to start detecting I turn it on and when I am done I turn it off. Some times since I am old I do have to take a break from time to time. I usually turn it off while resting.
 
If I leave it on the pinpoint function seems to get confused. I'll just turn off that function from now on.

I think he is talking about a separate pinpointer, not the pinpoint feature on the detector.
 

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If I leave it on the pinpoint function seems to get confused. I'll just turn off that function from now on.

Yes a detector's pinpoint mode is not for trying to locate targets, but after a target is found. The pinpoint function is to zero in on where your target is exactly so you can dig it up using a smaller hole. See this video for how to use a detector's pinpoint mode.

A pinpointer is another device itself and used to help find your target in the dug hole, see this video to see how it is used.
 
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