Here's a video done by Steve Moore of Garrett Metal Detectors as he explains and demonstrates some performance abilities of the new Apex. I watched this video three times to make sure I was sure of the settings he used, Let me point out that, just like any make or model out there, the higher you adjust the Discrimination, the more difficult it will be to find (respond to) coin-type targets in a very littered site, especially when that rejected trash is iron.

Personally, I have always tried to use the least amount of Discrimination I can tolerate, and with model like a Tesoro Bandido II microMAX or Silver Sabre microMAX, when the Disc. is set to the minimum position, it is just a little above most Iron Nails rejection. With other makes and models, especially the modern units with a 2-Tone or more Tone ID, I set the Discrimination to just barely accept Iron Nails and rely on the Tone ID to listen for nails and other ferrous debris then carefully work around it to unmask any potential good targets.

On my Apex I sometimes use the ZERO mode that accepts all ferrous and non-ferrous targets, or sometimes the RELIC mode because it uses a little low-end Discrimination but doesn't have a bold amount of Iron Nail rejection. My primary-use mode is CUSTOM, and in that I am 'accepting' everything from '20' on up. That way, since using some target rejection, the Iron Audio feature can be used to help audibly classify questionable targets that suggest they are ferrous-based, such as crown-type Bottle Caps.

My Volume is all the way up to '8' and Iron Volume is set at '3'. Sensitivity is also maxed out at '8' bars. Here's the Garrett video:

[www.youtube.com]

I took a little extra time late yesterday to use both my Nail Board as well as three coins and rusty nails to duplicate the testing Steve did. I will be pleased when Garrett gets a smaller-size coil out for the Apex, but using the 6X11 DD 'Viper' coil I accomplished the following:

Nail Board Test: I used an early-date Wheat-Back Cent, my CUSTON mode settings, and then made a complete side-to-side sweep on all four marked routes. Once I was comfortable with the best sweep speed using that 6X11 DD coil, and finding the best coil height to use, I managed to get 7-out-of-8 most of the time, and 6-out-of-8 if I swept the coil too fast. I want a smaller coil!

Series of Coins and Iron Nails laid down end-to-end and 2 fingers from the coins: I was able to get a good hit on all 3 coins. I used MF as well as the single frequencies, but as I expected, 5 kHz gave the weakest performance due to the close association of the Iron Nails. Still, the Apex hit on all of the coins, but that was after I found the best sweep speed and coil height to use. If the coil is too close, say about 1" or so, there is too much warping of the EMF. When I worked the search coil side-to-side at about a ±4" height, I had solid hits from all three coins. That was when using the ZERO mode, the RELIC mode, and my CUSTOM Disc. setting. Coin's mode struggled because the Discrimination was set too high, resulting in a bold rejection of the Iron Nails.

Like any make or model detector, we just have to work with them to learn what they can and can't do, and what each model requires to get the best performance out of it.

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. ***