Minelab GP 3000 - Ground Balancing

GROUND BALANCING
GROUND BALANCING
The ground contains not only sand, but also many different chemicals,
minerals and salts. These extra materials are referred to as ground
mineralisation. This ground mineralization may often produce a sound
from the detector, known as ‘ground noise’.
The GP 3000 has the ability to cancel out the effects of ground
mineralisation. This minimises ground noise and retains maximum
sensitivity to metal targets. Cancelling the effects of ground mineralisation
is referred to as 'ground balancing'. This ensures that target signals from
objects, such as gold, are not confused with interfering ground noise.
The GP 3000 has automatic ground balancing. This continually adjusts
to minimise the effects of ground mineralisation when Balance is set to
Tracking.
The GP 3000 may be operated with fixed ground balance or
automatic ground balance.
• When Balance is set to Fixed, the ground balance remains at the
current level.
• When Balance is changed from Fixed to Tracking, the detector
begins to automatically ground balance through a two stage process.
Operating the GP 3000 in Fixed mode
In medium to quiet ground you will achieve better depth by operating
your GP 3000 in the Fixed position and switch back to Tracking when
ground changes or threshold becomes noisy. If the ground is highly
mineralized or variable, then Tracking is the preferred position.
While in Tracking mode, the detector usually stops ground balancing
when a target signal is detected. However, a weak target response may
not be recognised as a target if the coil is repeatedly passed over an
object and it may be 'balance
d out'. For this reason Balance should be
changed to Fixed when pinpointing a target.
HINTS
• Where possible always search in
Fixed position for best depth.
• Use Tracking in areas with
excessive ground noise.
• When searching in Fixed position
remember to re-balance
periodically by changing into
Tracking, then return to Fixed to
continue searching.
• Always Pinpoint a potential target
in Fixed.
• If mineralization is excessive you
may need to lift the coil off the
ground by a cm or 2. Rather than
keeping it right on the ground this
will help to reduce the effects of
high ground mineralization and let
you hear more targets much easier.
NOTE
The Level Adjust control also effects
the Tracking mode by altering the
detectors perception of what is
ground noise and what is a weak
target (see pages 37 and 38).
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OPERATION
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