The first thing to understand is that the Iron Audio 'button' is a completely different function than the Iron 'Volume' adjustment. Let's consider these three things:

IRON TONE: The Apex is an (up to) 5-Tone audio ID detector. That is, the Apex is a motion-based Discriminating detector that only offers motion-based Discriminate modes: Zero, Coin, US Coin, Jewelry, Relic and Custom. It does not have a conventional Threshold-based All Metal mode, providing only a similar behavior with the Pinpoint function. It is a Discriminating-only detector.

IF, and remember that IF you are searching in the ZERO Disc. mode, that simply means you have Zero Rejection and most all ferrous and non-ferrous targets will be Accepted. Since the full-range of conductivity levels are Accepted in the ZERO Disc. mode, you will then benefit from hearing all 5 of the audio Tone ID ranges. If you increase the Disc. level and reject all of the notch segments that cover the Iron range, then you will not hear the lowest Iron Audio Tone and the Apex then will be working in a 4-Tone function.

The same holds true for using any Notch Disc. approach of rejecting, or eliminating, all of the Notch Segments that cover a particular Tone ID Range and you will eliminate that Tone range and reduce the Apex to working with one less Tone. (Learn the different audio Tone Break-Points to know where the 5 different Tones cover.)

So, as you can see, the Iron TONE range is associated with the Accepted Iron range. If you Discriminate or Reject those Iron Disc. Range segments, you will NOT hear Iron / Ferrous target responses that fall in that range. Let's say you opted to use the factory default COINS mode that eliminates Iron and Foil. You are not going to hear the detection response from common Iron Nails and most other ferrous debris. You won't hear any Irion so there is nothing to adjust the Volume on in such a search set-up.


IRON VOLUME: The Apex provides an Iron Volume adjustment in the Settings Menu. You can adjust the Sensitivity level, then the Volume Level of all detected targets, then the Iron Volume Level. That adjustment is functional to reduce the Volume or Loudness of targets that are ACCEPTRED in the Iron Tone Range. If you are using any Discriminate mode with settings that REJECT the Iron range targets, then that Iron Volume level is useless because you're not hearing anything to adjust.

Note that if you then press the Iron Audio button for a quick-check of a suspicious target, you're temporarily Accepting Iron targets and that Low-Tone Iron Audio loudness will then be regulated by the Iron Volume setting.


IRON AUDIO: This is a 'button activated' function that is designed to be used ONLY FOR A DISCRIMINATED IRON RANGE. As most of us know, a Coin Hunter might get into a littered area with a lot of discarded crown-type Bottle Caps. Most of them are made of a magnetic-based metal make-up and, thanks to their man-made shape, they can tease us with some jumpy or iffy higher-conductive VDI's. Since the Iron range is generally rejected, they can be difficult to distinguish.

There's one way to help eliminate recovering those so-so signals, and that is to use some form of A.T.C., which stands for Audio Target Classification. There are several search techniques to do this that I've been using since the early '70s and instructing in my seminars since '81, and some detectors have provided circuitry-designs that help with those types of trash targets. The one I have enjoyed using the most since '94 is on my White's XLT which is an adjustment function they labeled 'Bottle Cap Reject.' An appropriate name for what that function was designed to do, especially since most metal detecting hobbyists are Coin Hunters.

To benefit from those types of circuitry designs, you generally are hunting with enough Discrimination to Reject most Iron nails and a lot of other ferrous debris. Garrett engineers came up with their approach to Iron Audio. It is a useful function the operator can activate when desired with the push of the Iron Audio button. It is NOT for use when hunting in the ZERO Disc. mode or any other mode setting that is ACCEPTING the Iron Range. It is only functional / useful when you are searching in a mode that Rejects most of the Iron targets, such as the COINS mode on the Apex.

It is useful for 'checking' a probable or questionable target response. Here is a link to a You Tube Video done by Steve Moore of Garrett using an AT Pro that you might find useful to explain the difference better then I just tried. Note that he has Iron DISCRIMINATED and uses the Iron Audio for a brief check on a questionable Bottle Cap response:

[www.youtube.com]

Just remember there is an Iron TONE and IF it is accepted you can adjust the Iron VOLUME. If, however, the Iron Range is Discriminated, you can use the Iron AUDIO for a quick audible check of a suspicious target. The Iron Volume function only controls the loudness of Iron targets when the Iron Audio feature is momentarily used when the Iron Disc. segments have been rejected in the search mode.

Monte

"Your EYES ... the only 100% accurate form of Discrimination!"
Stinkwater Wells Trading Post
Metal Detector Evaluations and Product ReviewsI'm now 'back home' in Farr West Utah monte@ahrps.org ... or ... monte@stinkwaterwells.com 503-481-8147Detector Outfit: A selection of my chosen makes and models, with the best coils mounted for the tasks I'll take on.F-19 * F-5 * Racer * Racer 2 * V-540 * Relic * Silver Sabre µMAX * Bandido II µMAX * XLTPinpointers: Garrett AT Pro-Pointers .. Headphones: 'Hornet' .. MS-3 Z-Lynk .. ML-80 *** All working well today to make memories for tomorrow. ***



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2020 05:29AM by Monte. (view changes)