Threshold Question for the V3i

I have noticed that some guys like to run the threshold off.
In your opinion is it better to run it on? I run a threshold on when i'm in stereo mode.
This is so I can here the whisper targets better. I have found a lot of targets that were looked over because they were masked by another object. But in single frequency I have been wondering if it would be better to run the threshold off due to a lot of iron in the ground to quiet things down more. And does turning the threshold off take away from hearing the target or take away from the machines response? :detecting:

While I can't speak specifically about the V3i as I run minelab detectors I think the philosophy is pretty much the same. The idea behind being able to hear the threshold hum is to know that some signal is being blanked out when it goes silent. This can be helpful under many conditions where there may be a lot of iron or other targets being discriminated out. The idea is just to set the threshold level to a barely audible level so that it won't interfere with the "whisper" signals, while still allowing you to take note of blanked out spots. Areas that blank out a lot may also be covering a lot of good targets because the machine often can't transition from the blank to a signal fast enough. So in these cases you could open up the discrimination to hear most or all the signals to look for the masked targets just peeking out and barely detectable. When running with no discrimination it should be no issue to turn the threshold down below audible level for silent running.
Hope this helps!

I run a DFX which is the machine just prior to the V3i and a lot of its setting ideas and attributes stemmed from. In my type of detecting i prefer to run the thresh hold at a very slight hum to hear the subtle nulls from the small bits of iron. this lets me know to slow down in the areas of activity.

As stated above by going silent the threshold allows for an audible notification as to when a target is being discriminated out. It also can be an indicator for detector stability. I have always used it as it allows me to focus on the ground, and coil movement instead of watching the screen all the time. It should not be set excessively loud as to cause a signal from an accepted target to be interfered with. Yes, excessive noise from trash can be maddening, but that's where the good stuff is hiding! A quiet detector is a bad thing in my book. :)

Jack

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by del

In my type of detecting i prefer to run the thresh hold at a very slight hum to hear the subtle nulls from the small bits of iron. this lets me know to slow down in the areas of activity.

---

...Interesting, Dan. You been saying I've had a lot of improving finds lately with the white's. It may not be the V3i. The medal spill and WL were the TRanger (older machine) due to the EMI. BUT I will say with the TPro, I hear the iron even if it is discriminated. Maybe the headphones help a bit more. I hear the iron and know to check more thoroughly in those area. The swing speed doesn't change much, but the sweeps get overlapped more and I double check any numbers that sometimes provide a VDI. I don't use the threshold on my machine, even though the function is available. Sometimes with the iron I hear a very tiny pop. Sometimes it's a grunt. Sometimes it's a quick run through all the tones (4 or all 8 if that is what is selected) and a high VDI. Sometimes it's a high tone and no VDI, or a 93/94 in one direction. I never knew about the small null in threshold mode.

The response to my question is what I expected. Thanks for your help. I went to a High Scool and found a pipe in the ground.
I ran single frequency with no threshold and I did not here or get a response of a target. I then turned the treshold on and i heard a dip and dug the target and found a clad Quarter. With the threshold on it is better in this test. Your swing speed and setup will also play a part in the target response. Iron will mask a target. I was using the 13 inch Ultimate when doing the test. Using a smaller coil will help even more because you can get in between the trash better. I found my first silver dime with the ultimate in iron and it was down 8" and I had to go slow but it picked it up, where other MDers went right over it. :thumbsup01: