Running a threshold with QED

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I gave running a constant threshold a try after seeing one of northeasts videos (and something rush said in the 50c test thread). Boy that was a nice suprise (mostly). Much clearer and more sensitive to very faint signals.. the down side being i might need a panadol or two after lostening to it for a whole day. It seemed less irritating to me with a low pitch.
To achieve the threshold i had to have gain on 1 or 2, and put thsa right up to 90. Then bumped thsb up or down (dependant on size of coil/gold chasing i assume?) until the theshold became steady.
I plan to detect like this now to avoid missing small/or deep targets.
Can always resort back to no threshold at performance expense if i start getting a headache i guess..
Does anyone else think threshold is better? Does anyone out there think silent is better?
As a complete begginer i am fairly happy to discover this aspect of the settimgs anyway. It feels like another step forward
:clap:
 
Ded Driver said:
Always with a threshold ...or else you're missing targets ... Could be the big one down deep :goldnugget: :eek:
Adjust the tone to suit your hearing .
does the QED have tone adjust?

I guess i am describing a "loud" threshold with my settings (thsa90). I was shown settings with a "low" threshold (thsa30) (silent as i was calling it as i didnt really hear any theshold as such) on training day... i see it explains it in the manual, but doesnt really include the details in the easy setup section (maybee Importance of threshold could be explained briefly in there).
Anyway. I know about it now so thats the main thing. Am looking forward to the weekend more now
:D

Ps. The qed has a pitch setting. I guess its same/similar to tone
 
With the goldbug2, and some hearing loss.... wearing earmuffs.
Set the volume so it's a comfortable when waved over a surface 10cent coin say.
Then adjust the ground balance and have the threshold to just be able to hear the tiniest of a hum.
Any adjustment of sensitivity will also affect the threshold, thus needing to reset it again.
Too much threshold will mask the small signals given off from small targets.
Do an air test with the threshold up heaps and then wave a tiny peice of gold or lead over the coil.
Lucky to hear it.
Then do the same with it just auditable.
And you will hear the variation in the threshold sound.

I'm pretty sure that if a detector did not have a variable sensitivity, the threshold would be factory preset without the need for adjustment.
There was a good vid on YouTube explaining how a coil works and how threshold works in with it.
 
Reg Wilson said:
Hippyhunter, you don't need to have your threshold very high at all. Barely audible is what I would recommend. The older you get the more a low tone or pitch is best as you lose the high end.

I definately appreciated the low tone more than the high tone. More out of tolerance than hearing ability. I will try winding the threshold volume way down tommorow. Will be more tolerable, plus sounds like will be more sensitive. Thanks reg :Y:
 
mudgee hunter said:
With the goldbug2, and some hearing loss.... wearing earmuffs.
Set the volume so it's a comfortable when waved over a surface 10cent coin say.
Then adjust the ground balance and have the threshold to just be able to hear the tiniest of a hum.
Any adjustment of sensitivity will also affect the threshold, thus needing to reset it again.
Too much threshold will mask the small signals given off from small targets.
Do an air test with the threshold up heaps and then wave a tiny peice of gold or lead over the coil.
Lucky to hear it.
Then do the same with it just auditable.
And you will hear the variation in the threshold sound.

I'm pretty sure that if a detector did not have a variable sensitivity, the threshold would be factory preset without the need for adjustment.
There was a good vid on YouTube explaining how a coil works and how threshold works in with it.

Cheers for that tip mudgee. I wouldnt have giessed the louder threshold would decrease sensitivity. I will definately have a fiddle with fine tuning that threshold sound to the most effective spot. I dont have a 10c coin but definately have a 50c. Lol. Will set it with that first then break out a .3g nugh i have to try to dial it in further.
 
I will have a look for the threshold vodeo on youtube too. Good excuse to get on there to check out goldmans new instructional videos too.
Thanks
 
I think this extract on Threshold from the Minelab website Treasure Talk column 'Understanding your XTerra' by Randy Horton (relevant to most detectors), helps to explain it, & is much in line with what Reg said above.
1581424839_xterra_-extract_on_threshold.jpg
 
I am interestestes in trying out the aluminium foil thing. Have seen a couple of spots where little bits of tin foil where scattered around the place which was super annoying. Obviously it wouldnt be ideal, but would be good to have a last resort option before chucking a tanty and leaving the area. Haha
 
Hey DED, I realize this is the QED thread, but your mention above about setting your detector up with a "negative" Threshold intrigues me.
Do you actually mean something like balancing over the stuff that is annoying you, like eg., foil so it then gets ignored?

I currently run my NF DD X 25" using a setting of 5 on the Iron Reject (more than happy to say goodby to anything gold attached to Ironstone if it means I don't have to constantly dig up small pieces of corrugated iron or fencing wire in a rubbishy area), and i'd also be happy to p1ss off small gold as well as aluminium foil and other non-ferrous crap in a highly mineralized area if it meant I could ignore all of the crap on the surface.
 
Reg Wilson said:
Hippyhunter, you don't need to have your threshold very high at all. Barely audible is what I would recommend. The older you get the more a low tone or pitch is best as you lose the high end.

What is your serup method for reaching a barrly audible threshold reg? I seem to be able to get a loud threshold mostly stable (like what northeast seems to be running in his videos), can get a barely audible threshold with random threshold breaking (so would be unable to distinguish a real small or deep signal i would imagine), or no threshold that is stable (around thsb null or 5 points over or under) . This is at home with speaker.
Do i need to use earphomes to hear the barely audible threshold.
And will i get a smooth barely audible threshold at home or do i need to be away from emi to achieve it at all?
When i was fiddling last night i was achieving loud threshold with thsb adjustment. Thsa didnt seem to affect the threshold volume at all after that was set..
Cheers. J
 
Deepseeker said:
Hey DED, I realize this is the QED thread, but your mention above about setting your detector up with a "negative" Threshold intrigues me.
Do you actually mean something like balancing over the stuff that is annoying you, like eg., foil so it then gets ignored?

I currently run my NF DD X 25" using a setting of 5 on the Iron Reject (more than happy to say goodby to anything gold attached to Ironstone if it means I don't have to constantly dig up small pieces of corrugated iron or fencing wire in a rubbishy area), and i'd also be happy to p1ss off small gold as well as aluminium foil and other non-ferrous crap in a highly mineralized area if it meant I could ignore all of the crap on the surface.

We need howards to perfect and implement his digital filtering idea on the qed specifically for this issue (something i cant wait to hear more about its progress and fingers crossed it is possible for him to achieve). But yeah, glad to hear other workarounds as fencing wire jas stopped me in my tracks a few times in lovely looking areas.
 
Hippy - I do run a much quieter threshold through my ear buds than what you hear in the speaker on the vids. You could sort of run a faint threshold on a speaker but with wind noise, leaf noise, etc you would miss a lot of small targets.

With something like a B&Z or SPO1 with the uniden speakers on both shoulders (up near your ears) you could potentially set your barely audible threshold and then use the booster to simply increase Volume. There is a difference between changing your Threshold level and changing your Volume level.

Deep Seeker - I read the info that DED put up (the bit about dodging small targets) as it is essentially finding your barely audible Threshold and then decreasing your Threshold until it is a few points below audible. I suppose those small bits of gold, foil, etc will not be able to impact the Threshold enough to actually bob their head up enough to make a sound, thereby not requiring investigation.
I suppose it is similar to Bogenes settings although I think (maybe wrongly) that the threshold when using Bogenes is significantly lower than the 'just breaking through' level.

Cheers, NE.
 
Northeast said:
Hippy - I do run a much quieter threshold through my ear buds than what you hear in the speaker on the vids. You could sort of run a faint threshold on a speaker but with wind noise, leaf noise, etc you would miss a lot of small targets.

With something like a B&Z or SPO1 with the uniden speakers on both shoulders (up near your ears) you could potentially set your barely audible threshold and then use the booster to simply increase Volume. There is a difference between changing your Threshold level and changing your Volume level.

Cheers, NE.

Ah cool. I will give it a go with earbuds after work tommorow morning and see how that effects things.might also see if i can borrow a booster on the weekend and see if that makes a difference at all. I do get the feeling as you say with the barely audible threshold needs seperate volume to the signal volume (e.g. signal volume level needs to stay the same but threshold volume needs a boost)

Thanks n/e
Regards j
 
The system that I run incorporates the Quest WiFi cordless which has its own volume control, and Bauhn noise cancelling headphones or Bose noise cancelling ear buds.
This combination gives me the volume I need and a smooth 'just audible' threshold. For me this combination is great, as I'm not at all happy with any speaker system, and it definitely does not need a booster.
 
I ran Bogenes settings once at Longbush, not far from Ravens patch where Tim Raven found his 60 oz nugget among Ironstone many years ago. To my surprise I found a deep piece of steel about 25mm square by about 10mm thick near an old long-dead tree stump. Sure, it was only junk but the ground was rock hard and nobody else had obviously ever dug it out. It surprised me how it boomed through, so I guess it's just one more tool in the box when looking for stuff that everybody else has missed.
 
Deepseeker said:
Hey DED, I realize this is the QED thread, but your mention above about setting your detector up with a "negative" Threshold intrigues me.
Do you actually mean something like balancing over the stuff that is annoying you, like eg., foil so it then gets ignored?
I currently run my NF DD X 25" using a setting of 5 on the Iron Reject (more than happy to say goodby to anything gold attached to Ironstone if it means I don't have to constantly dig up small pieces of corrugated iron or fencing wire in a rubbishy area), and i'd also be happy to p1ss off small gold as well as aluminium foil and other non-ferrous crap in a highly mineralized area if it meant I could ignore all of the crap on the surface.
Deepseeker, I'd first like to clarify that, as noted in my post, the suggestions/images are an extract from an article on the Minelab website, & are not mine.
That said, I have never run a negative threshold ... I like to listen to the ground. Might play with that idea one day tho' to see how I go. I always run a low/soft threshold.
 

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