jmaclen said:
There is no ground balance button, setting or even mention of ground balance in the Vanquish user manuals. Like Toy Soldier said, simultaneous multi frequency operation requires that two or more optimal ground balance points from two or more frequencies in use have to be automatically processed and averaged in order for the detector to arrive at one optimal ground balance setting. If I remember right, even the Etrac (could be the CTX......) only has a normal and difficult ground balance setting adjustment. The Vanquish does not have a threshold based All Metal mode. It does not have single frequency operation either. All of its modes are discrimination modes that use simultaneous multi frequencies. So, ground balancing is done automatically in the background.
The fact that the Equinox has several user friendly ground balancing options is a real plus for difficult ground operation and is one of the reasons I own two. For gold prospecting in really bad ground using the Gold modes, it is truly amazing.
Jeff
Good reply, Jeff, and it was the new Vanquish I was mainly referring to.
That said, most other manufacturers provide some sort of Ground Balance reference number or description the user can view. That helps indicate or suggest a comparative GB setting being used. However, quite a few show a GB number, such as a default '90.0' with a Simplex+ or '83.0' with an MXT Pro or '90.0' with a T2+ for examples. The users at least have an idea of what the GB reference number is for the All Metal mode, or an All Metal based Pinpoint mode/function.
But one issue I have encountered is that with some makes and models, this in not a working GB reference or setting for the motion-based Discriminate mode. I have checked out quite a few detectors that provide a manual GB adjustment, but using manual GB does NOT have an effect on the Disc. mode.
In other words, when activating the manual GB function, the detector resorts to a true All Metal mode and the GB is achieved there. But manual adjustment is not capable in the Discriminate mode, or at least not fully functional. Some makes might have a narrow window of GB change, but there are models that rely on a fixed, or maybe 'regulated' GB in the Disc. mode. That's why I have long favored using a detector that allows ME to be the one in control of the functioning Ground Balance in a search mode of choice.
Will some Equinox or Vanquish user do me, or us, a favor and perform one test. Get 2 US Silver Dollars, or 3 or 4, and maybe 2 Silver Half-Dollars. Sweep over them with your favorite coil and settings, individually, and note the audio and VDI response. Sweep directly over them with the center-axis of the search coil.
THEN, stack at least 2 Silver Dollars and 2 Silver Halves ...
all touching and not in a carded holder or plastic holder. Let the four coins be making physical contact. 2 Dollars and 2 Halves on top of them.
NEXT, sweep directly across that short-stack of Silver Coins and listen to the audio response and glance at the VDI visual read-out.
FINALLY, report back with an honest report of that comparison. Can't fib because others with the same detector can use the same coins and should have comparable results.
Just use the Multi IQ function because that's all the Vanquish allows. For fun you can select a single frequency with the Equinox, but the big rave is the Simultaneous Multi-Frequency so give this one test a try with YOUR detector and report back.
I have detectors in my personal Outfit that will NOT give a good audible hit or visual lock-on to this test .... but I also have some models that will give a very good audible and visual report. The key point to this test is to help a detector user know how the unit performs based on that mode's Ground Balance setting ... #1, and possibly a Discriminate setting for some models that have a Disc./GB design glitch. There have been some through the years.
Now, back to what I was working on.
Monte
