Metal Detector Hire Guide

This guide covers what you need to know before you start searching. Read it before you head out. It will save you time and give you a much better chance of finding what you are looking for.

If anything is unclear, call Shaun on 0433 164 587. A quick question now is better than a frustrating search later.

Before you leave the pickup

When you collect the detector, you will get a hands-on run-through for your specific model and search task. This guide is a reminder for when you are out in the field.

Do not wear steel-cap boots or steel-toed shoes. The detector will pick them up on every step and make searching impossible. Runners or regular boots are fine.

Ground balance: do this first, every time

Ground balance is the most important setting on the detector and the one most people skip. The ground itself contains minerals that cause false signals. Ground balance cancels those out so the detector responds to your target, not the soil.

On the Minelab X-Terra Pro:

  1. Hold the coil about 20-30cm above the ground in your search area
  2. Press and hold the ground balance button
  3. Pump the coil up and down slowly, 4-5 times, while keeping the button held
  4. Release. The detector has now calibrated to the soil in front of you

Do this again if you move to a noticeably different area. Beach sand, garden soil, and lawn all behave differently.

On the Minelab Gold Monster 1000:

The Gold Monster balances automatically. Hold the coil level and press the ground balance button once. It will beep when done. That is all.

Basic settings for lost item searches

X-Terra Pro: lost ring or jewellery in a yard or park

  • Mode: Jewellery (or All Metal if the area is very clean)
  • Sensitivity: start at 20, reduce if you get constant noise
  • Discrimination: leave at default unless you are in a heavily nailed area

X-Terra Pro: beach (dry sand)

  • Mode: Beach
  • Sensitivity: start at 15, the salt in wet sand causes noise
  • Do not search in wet sand or water with the X-Terra Pro. It is not waterproof.

Gold Monster 1000: lost ring or small item

  • Sensitivity: Auto+ to start
  • The Gold Monster runs almost fully automatic. Trust it.

Search technique

Slow down. The most common mistake is moving the coil too fast. A fast swing misses small targets completely.

Search in a grid pattern:

  1. Walk a straight line, swinging the coil in a slow arc, overlapping each swing by about half the coil width
  2. At the end of the line, step sideways by half a coil width and walk back
  3. Repeat until you have covered the whole area

Keep the coil low and level. Lifting the coil at the ends of your swing reduces depth. Keep it parallel to the ground throughout.

What the signals mean

The detector gives two signals: a number (target ID) and a tone.

Higher numbers and higher tones generally mean non-ferrous metal: gold, silver, brass, aluminium. Rings usually fall in this range.

Low numbers and low tones (or a grunt) generally mean iron: nails, wire, bottle caps.

On the X-Terra Pro, gold rings typically read between 20 and 60 depending on size. Silver reads higher, around 60-85. Aluminium foil and pull-tabs also read in the mid range. Dig them anyway if you are looking for a ring.

When in doubt, dig. The detector gives you a guide, not a guarantee.

Tuning out nails and wire (discrimination)

If you are searching in an area with a lot of iron junk (an old garden, near a fence line, a building site) you can raise the discrimination setting to ignore low-signal targets.

On the X-Terra Pro, raise discrimination gradually. Stop when the iron signals go quiet but you can still hear mid-range targets.

Warning: heavy discrimination can mask a gold ring sitting close to a nail. If the area is very cluttered, switch to All Metal mode and dig everything suspicious.

Tips for specific searches

Lost ring in a yard or garden

Start from the spot where you think it was lost and work outward in expanding circles. Mark the area with stakes or string before you start. Check the edges of garden beds and lawn borders. Rings roll and bounce further than you expect.

Lost item at the beach

Search parallel to the water line in overlapping strips. The heaviest items (gold rings) sink fastest, so gridding the whole area is more reliable than guessing. If the tide has come in since the item was lost, it may have moved. Start where you were standing, not where the water is now.

Gold prospecting

Ground balance is critical. Do it every time you move to a new patch of ground. Search slowly. Very small gold pieces give very faint signals. If anything sounds slightly different, investigate it. See Shaun for a full prospecting briefing before heading out.

Manufacturer manuals

Questions? Call Shaun on 0433 164 587. Happy to help.