Manticore ground balancing

[randy]

Been using an E-Trac for so long I haven't had to think about ground balancing in a very long time. I find the Manticore manual on GB as clear as mud, so maybe a pro can explain it.

I turn on the machine and it says GB is "0". Not sure what that means. Is that "auto" GB? It makes a recommendation for "tracking" for beach hunting, but no recommendation for dirt hunting. It doesn't really say if it is in "auto" mode or not.

So, what do the pros do?

I pump it holding the GB button down, then set it to tracking and forget about it, unless things get really noisy, then I just do that again.

I haven't noticed much of a difference no matter what I do, in all honesty. So, should I leave "tracking" on for land hunting, just pump it. or do neither?

TIA

 

[BobOso]

are you pushing and holding the top right button while in the GB tab? mine will always has the numbers change when I do that.

 

[randy]

are you pushing and holding the top right button while in the GB tab? mine will always has the numbers change when I do that.

Yep. I guess my question is should I have it in Tracking mode or not when done.

 

[UT_Dave]

I personally prefer not to run auto tracking. Not that there is anything specific about auto tracking I can point to as a reason though. I just prefer to let the stability of the machine tell me when the ground has changed and know that it has changed and do another ground grab to see how much of a difference there is and note how it effects the way the machine is running.

I typically hunt moderate to highly mineralized soil and GB definitely does make a difference in how well the machine operates.

It's not clear that the GB numbers correlate to anything. Certainly not how mineralized the ground is. I read one guy that is involved in the development of Minelab machines say that the numbers do indicate what "type" of mineralization, but I'm not the least bit sure that is correct and even if it is I don't know what the correlation is.

- Dave

 

[longbow62]

I can't tell any difference between Manticore GB numbers and Equinox GB numbers. They both seem to give close to identical numbers when both are GB'ed in the same soil. I hunt basically two types of dirt. One sandy and super mild with GB numbers in the upper single digits to the low teens. The other is clay that is generally 30-40 points higher than the sandy ground. I get max depth in the sandy ground, but not as much depth in the clay. Also at max depth the numbers don't lock on as good in the clay as they do the sandy soil. There must be some correlation to how high or low the numbers are with mineralization. At least in my ground it appears the higher the mineralization the higher the GB number.

I never use Tracking. For whatever reason every time Tracking is on the GB numbers invariably get higher the longer I hunt. I know this because I have accidently left tracking on a few times. I think both the Manticore and the Equinox perform best with a good GB. I think in very mild ground a person could leave either machine on zero and be fine, but if you have very much mineralization you better GB.

 

[Beachhunt1]

I turn on the machine and it says GB is "0". Not sure what that means. Is that "auto" GB? It makes a recommendation for "tracking" for beach hunting, but no recommendation for dirt hunting. It doesn't really say if it is in "auto" mode or not.

With manual GB selected your start value is zero unless you go through the GB procedure. You have to select tracking to have it on.

When I hunt a salt beach, I am always in Tracking GB. Regardless of the machine.

 

[BobOso]

I was prospecting a few years back, had the tracking on, herd a target, tried to zero in on it and then the target was gone. I turned the tracking off and went back to that spot and found a 5gm nugget. I have never used tracking since.

 

[tnsharpshooter]

In 2 bar ground as indicated by Fisher F75 behind my house in a field.

Deep dime with Manticore sounds better with Ground Balance to ground vs leaving it at zero.
I have checked this dime loads while prerelease testing of Manticore.
Got same every time. Ground phase in window around 34.
This would not be considered very mineralized ground yet having detector balanced yields better results.

Cheers.

Btw Equinox 800 behaves very similar comparing deeper coins in this same field with ground balance at 0 (default). Vs balancing detector to actual ground.

 

[marcomo]

I was prospecting a few years back, had the tracking on, herd a target, tried to zero in on it and then the target was gone. I turned the tracking off and went back to that spot and found a 5gm nugget. I have never used tracking since.

Bob, I had a similar experience with a target a while back with the Nox. I swung over a target a few times and it disappeared. I checked and realized I had accidentally turned the auto tracking on. That is what happens if you swing multiple times over a target with auto tracking. That's why I never do auto.

 

[Beachhunt1]

I was prospecting a few years back, had the tracking on, herd a target, tried to zero in on it and then the target was gone. I turned the tracking off and went back to that spot and found a 5gm nugget. I have never used tracking since.

Bob, I had a similar experience with a target a while back with the Nox. I swung over a target a few times and it disappeared. I checked and realized I had accidentally turned the auto tracking on. That is what happens if you swing multiple times over a target with auto tracking. That's why I never do auto.

OK, here we go. More urban myths. I challenge anyone to find or make one video that shows tracking GB will erase any audible target on an Equinox.
I only hunt in GB tracking with the horseshoe on. NEVER>ever, have I had a target track out. Not only that, but I recover my targets in tracking with the horseshoe mode, never using PP mode. I have dug the faintest of targets. Targets one would never even hear in discrimination mode. I also use some of the best headphones made. So, I await the proof.

 

[marcomo]

Damnest urban myth I ever seen...

 

[BobOso]

believe what ever you wish.

 

[BobOso]

here is another discussion on tracking

Equinox ground balance...

 

[marcomo]

Very interesting discussion, Bob. I wonder if Tom Dankowski knows he's fallen for an "urban myth"?

 

[Beachhunt1]

believe what ever you wish.

here is another discussion on tracking

Very interesting discussion, Bob. I wonder if Tom Dankowski knows he's fallen for an "urban myth"?

So, it has been 4 days and I was hoping and am sure others were too for something more than words and hearsay.
If this tracking out happens it should be easy to provide proof on a cell phone or GoPro.

Guess I am still waiting for conformation.

 

[marcomo]

Beachhunt, just because you've never experienced something, that doesn't mean that nobody else could have either. If you don't want to believe what Bob and I have witnessed, that's you're prerogative. But what makes you think you have more detecting knowledge than Tom Dankowski? He says: "Ground Tracking can indeed 'track out' deep/faint targets and/or tiny targets" And do you really think you have more knowledge than Andy Sabisch? He says: "when using the tracking ground balance option...if the coil is swept across it often enough a smaller deeper target can simply disappear"

 

[randy]

All he was asking for was evidence. If someone has not experienced Bigfoot, it is not unreasonable to ask for evidence from someone who claims Bigfoot exists. BTW, none has ever been provided, yet people still believe in Bigfoot. The same can be said for LRLs and a host of other things. Its the same logical problem.

I don't know, no do I care, who Tom Dankowski is. I do have a book by Andy Sabisch, and IMHO, it is pretty weak. If these people wish to chime in to my question and answer it, they are welcome to, otherwise, namedropping these people, whoever they are, has no value, at least not to me. It would be like namedropping a Bigfoot expert.

In any case, thanks to those who were constructive to my question.

 

[marcomo]

Sorry Randy, I don't do videos. Quite honestly, I could care less whether you and beach believe a target can track out or not. I've seen it happen which is why I shared my thoughts here. To be clear, my experience was with inland land hunting. I don't beach hunt so I can't speak to that. Another thing I didn't mention before, I tend to swing over iffy targets several times from at least a couple different angles. Someone who swings over them less wouldn't be as likely to have a target track out.

As for name dropping, the two people I mentioned are highly experienced at metal detecting. I am confident they do not disseminate urban myths as facts. Especially when my personal experience mirrors what they are saying.

 

[Martin_V3i]

Sorry Randy, I don't do videos. Quite honestly, I could care less whether you and beach believe a target can track out or not. I've seen it happen which is why I shared my thoughts here. To be clear, my experience was with inland land hunting. I don't beach hunt so I can't speak to that. Another thing I didn't mention before, I tend to swing over iffy targets several times from at least a couple different angles. Someone who swings over them less wouldn't be as likely to have a target track out.

As for name dropping, the two people I mentioned are highly experienced at metal detecting. I am confident they do not disseminate urban myths as facts. Especially when my personal experience mirrors what they are saying.

"Another thing I didn't mention before, I tend to swing over iffy targets several times from at least a couple different angles. Someone who swings over them less wouldn't be as likely to have a target track out."

I'm the same and it proved to me quick that good targets can be tracked out years back. I never run auto.

 

[Danemark1]

Hi all, I also have a Manticore (coming from an Etrac) and I have been struggling with GB - specifically in locations where there does not seem to be an inch of clean soil anywhere. I have just left the GB on zero but feel that I may be losing some performance without getting the correct GB. How do you deal with this situation? Is there a way to GB in that environment? I did find some wheaties and a few silvers and a brass token, so possibly zero is not that far off. But boy that park if filthy with trash and has been scrubbed for decades. Thanks