Full Transcript for Ground Balance

or soil. 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:54.919 And then you want to know all about it. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:02.800 To talk about ground balance, you first have to talk about and understand what mineralized ground or soil is. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:07.400 From a physical point of view, mineralized soil can have a reddish hue. 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:16.199 Just picture that Australian goldfields and you'll see this reddish hue radiating from the soil. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:27.080 That's an indicator of possibly highly mineralized soil and without ground balance, mineralized soil can render your detector unusable. 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:36.879 Sometimes called hot ground, mineralized soil can affect your detector in that it can reduce detection depth and mess with target I.D. 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.039 and even target mask out smaller targets. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:49.199 This interference is caused by a relatively high amount of magnetic susceptible particles called ferrets. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:52.159 Are hematite within the soil or ground. 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:59.240 A low percentage of these particles, ferrite and hematite, will have very little effect on your detector. 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:07.719 However, if these particles get into an elevated state, they can have, like I said, major impact on your detectors performance. 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:14.400 Mineralized soil can create almost like an EMI fog or an electromagnetic induced fog. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:24.240 This is because those magnetic susceptible particles stand up a field just like a normal target within the ground and obviously more particles. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:27.480 The bigger the field, the bigger the field, the bigger the interference. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.519 So bear that in mind from a geological point of view. 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:38.439 Mineralized soil is generally the oldest of soils that have been exposed to the elements over thousands of years. 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:42.959 And we're talking like long periods of time, like from now to the Ice Age. 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:46.279 And that's why they are generally found in desert like conditions. 00:04:46.800 --> 00:05:04.759 However, mineralized so can be found on farms where the soil has been excessively nature netted are too much, nitrogen has been put into soil, but it also can be found on beaches where iron rich sand is churned up onto the beach, causing an EMI fog. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:08.000 So how do you know you are hunting on mineralized ground? 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:26.279 Well, in mild situations, your detector, if it doesn't have a mineralization graph on it, and I know older detectors used to have that, but if it doesn't have that graph, you can tell by the simple fact that your detector will not be detecting at depth. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:33.800 Another issue that may arise is that target IDs will be reporting in as lower than expected. 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:38.319 So, for example, a silver coin might report in like a copper coin. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:49.519 This effect on target ID will also drop their copper coins into the iron zone and you may even be discriminating out some good targets on mineralized soil. 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:52.759 If you're hunting on highly mineralized soil. 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:58.079 Your detector will behave like there is a target under the ground. 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.920 And when you go to dig it, the target is not there. 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:02.319 That's one way. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:11.120 However, generally, your detector will go off like a Wild West Telegraph operator beeping and roaming out Mars. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:14.800 Call to you as you swing the detector over to mineralized soil. 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.879 And this is where ground balance comes into play. 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:19.920 So how does ground balance work? 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:27.519 Well, my lab have a great Cabi article online, and you can check it out yourself, and I'll read out a snippet here. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:31.399 But the Cabi article is kb a dash 19. 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:33.120 It does give a great explanation. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.759 I'll read it here word for word. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:36.920 So bear with me. 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:48.519 Just like Target's mineralized ground produces its own field in response to the metal detector M field, this field has two components An X signal and an hour signal. 00:06:48.759 --> 00:07:00.199 However, mineralized ground, due to its large volume, produces a much stronger x signal than either the X or Y from a deeply buried target. 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:14.160 The proportion of X and R signal produced by mineralized ground varies randomly from one location to another over a short distance to remain reasonably stable due to the grounds large x signal. 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:20.000 Accurate detection relies on being able to detect the r signal from a target. 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:26.839 Ground balance can balance out by picking out the proportional X and R signal from different ground types. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:31.879 So to put it simply, every target gives off two signals an X and R signal. 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:37.319 And when you divide these signals by each other, this produces a percent edge value. 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:41.000 And the lower the percentage value, the higher to mineralized ground. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:49.560 And because your detector is able to process this mineralization like that, it is quite easy for your detector to filter out mineralized ground. 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:52.199 Ah, so the lab CBR article says. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.480 So how do you use ground balance? 00:07:54.480 --> 00:08:05.720 Well, most detectors these days will come with either art or ground balance already built in where you don't actually have any input towards it or on a higher end machine. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:11.120 You may

have the facility to have all the ground balance, but also manual ground balance. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:15.000 How it works is very much dependent on the type of detector you have. 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:23.800 But in general, it involves some process of starting the ground balance and then pumping your detector up and down underground. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:29.600 Just another one of those weird flamingo type dances that us detectorists have to do to set up our detector. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:41.279 But generally, it involves pumping the detector up and down repeatedly till you can find a setting where you can't actually hear the ground anymore. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:42.879 More within your detector. 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:44.639 However, that's how it's implemented. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:45.600 In my experience. 00:08:45.600 --> 00:09:00.039 However, I would advise you to RTA FM, read the flippin manual, read the manual and understand how ground balance operates and how to do it effectively. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:04.159 So I do suggest you do learn this feature as one of the first features. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:14.879 You try to learn and understand on your detector, simply because it is the first step in your setup process that you should be doing along with noise control, which we get onto at an early stage. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:24.639 But you should always kick off a ground balance process, make sure your detector is ground balanced to the type of soil you're going hunting on. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:31.159 If you're operating on a beach, I would actually suggest you ground balance quite regularly, at least once an hour. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:36.519 If we're operating on ground that has potential to be highly mineralized. 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:38.879 It could be farm ground that is highly nitrogen. 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:42.919 It you will need to ground balance regularly as well. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:54.080 So just be aware that you may need to ground balance periodically during your hunt to ensure you still have depth and extra sensitivity isn't being affected. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.360 Reducing the detection of smaller targets at depth. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:06.159 If you're hunting on a normal field or parked and the automatic ground balance may be sufficient enough and maybe sufficient enough just to do it once. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:28.360 However, if you've noticed some of the telltale signs that we talked about earlier, like reduction index or sensitivity, accept false signals, your detector going off like a morse code operator in the Wild West and maybe wise to either adjust up or down your ground balance manually if you have that facility. 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:30.039 And that's it, guys. 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.720 That's it for ground balance this week. 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.720 Nice and simple. 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:33.879 Nice and short. 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.720 I do want to take a second to tank my patrons. 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.840 I have sent out another lot of stickers out to you guys. 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:41.120 Your names are here. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.399 You've got Dan Diggs. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.399 Check out his channel. 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:48.960 Robert Dyer and Mervyn Cooney, who have been long time supporters of the podcast. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.279 Thanks a million, guys. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.279 I really appreciate your support. 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:55.480 And you've got Todd actually, who's a patron over on Buy Me a Coffee. 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:56.840 So, guys, thanks a million. 00:10:56.840 --> 00:11:02.080 I hope you received your T-shirts and I hope you like the new stickers that I sent out in the last week or two. 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:08.320 But I do appreciate your support and your future support in the podcast for the next coming years. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:09.759 That's it, guys. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:11.320 Don't forget to, like, subscribe. 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:13.759 Don't forget to send your questions in to Dr. Detector. 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:16.320 And all that's left to say, guys, is get out there. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:18.440 Good luck and happy hunting. 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.960 And we will talk to you all again next week. Bye.