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THE BASICS OF METAL DETECTING

4. GROUND GRAB

All soils contain minerals. Signals from ground minerals interfere with the
signals from metal objects.  All soils differ, and can differ greatly, in the type and
amount of ground minerals present. This detector incorporates ground
balancing algorithms which eliminate interference caused by the ground
minerals found in most soils. 

The GROUND GRAB and MANUAL GROUND balancing feature allows the
user to more precisely calibrate the detector’s internal circuitry to the specific
ground you are searching. 

We therefore recommend that you use GROUND GRAB to most accurately
calibrate the detector to the specific ground conditions where you are hunting. It is
a quick and automated process, and will instantly grab the ground reading of any
patch of ground you are standing over.  This process will maximize the detector’s
target identification accuracy and depth detection capability.

AUTOMATIC GROUND BALANCING PROCEDURE USING GROUND GRAB

1. Find a spot of ground where there is no metal present.
2. Hold the detector with the searchcoil about one foot

above the ground.

3. Enter the GROUND GRAB mode.
3. Push and hold

.

4. Physically pump the searchcoil and detector up and

down over the ground.
Lift it about 6 inches above the ground and lower it to within 
1 inch of the ground, about once or twice a second.

5. A 2-digit ground value will appear on the display. This is the

Ground Balance setting.

6. When the 2-digit ground value stabilizes, release the button.

Note:

GROUND GRAB will not automatically balance over highly conduc-

tive soils, such as a wet salt water beach. Automatic balancing is not possi-
ble in soils with gound values less than 40. The screen will display “--” and
an alarm will sound if over metal or in ground with a value less than 40.

MANUAL GROUND BALANCING

In most situations, it is preferable to use GROUND GRAB to automatically
ground balance. Generally, it is best to first let the detector automatically
cancel interference from ground minerals. However, for gold prospecting,
searching on a wet saltwater beach, or searching in an area with so much
metal trash that there is no clean ground for the computer to sample, we
recommended that you manually ground balance. Manual ground
balancing requires a bit of skill, acquired with some practice.

A hobby metal detector is intended for locating buried metal objects.  When
searching for metals, underground or on the surface, you have the following
challenges and objectives:

1. Ignoring signals caused by ground minerals.
2. Ignoring signals caused by metal objects that you do not want to find,

like pull-tabs.

3. Identifying a buried metal object before you dig it up.
4. Estimating the size and depth of objects, to facilitate digging them up.
5. Eliminating the effects of electromagnetic interference from other

electronic devices.

Your Gamma 6000 metal detector is designed with these things in mind.

1. Ground Minerals

All soils contain minerals. Signals from ground minerals can interfere with
the signals from metal objects you want to find.  All soils differ, and can
differ greatly, in the type and amount of ground minerals present. You
therefore want to “calibrate” the detector to the specific ground conditions
where you are hunting. The detector incorporates a semi-automated
ground-balancing feature which will eliminate false signals from most types
of soils. But if you want to maximize the detector’s target identification
accuracy and depth of detection, use the GROUND GRAB function to
calibrate the detector to the ground where you are searching. See the
section on GROUND GRAB for details.

2. Trash

If searching for coins, which will induce higher tone sounds, you want to
ignore items like aluminum foil, nails, and pull-tabs. These undesirable
items induce lower tones.  You can listen to the sounds of all objects
detected, and decide on what you want to dig up. Or you can eliminate
unwanted metals from detection by using the DISCRIMINATION feature.

3. Identifying Buried Objects

When searching in the DISCRIMINATION mode, different objects induce
different tones (high, medium, low) and are classified on the display screen
in different categories from left to right.  A 2-digit numerical reading is also
provided in the middle of the display for more precise target identification.
The DISCRIMINATION mode requires motion: sweep the coil over the
metal object.

OPERATION and CONTROLS

cont.

GROUND BALANCING

Summary of Contents for Gamma Sports 6000

Page 1: ...s detector is for outdoor use only Many household appliances emit electromagnetic energy which can interfere with the detector If conducting an indoor demonstration turn the sensitivity down and keep the search coil away from appliances such as computers televisions and microwave ovens If your detector beeps erratically turn off appliances and lights Also keep the search coil away from objects con...

Page 2: ... Objects 8 Size and Depth of Buried Objects 9 EMI 9 Using Headphones 9 How To Work The Controls 10 MENU Selections Sensitivity 11 Disc Level 12 Notch 13 Of Tones 14 Volume 14 MODE Selections Discriminate 15 All Metals 15 PinPoint 15 16 Ground Balancing 17 19 Target Identification 20 21 Depth And Target Display 22 Trouble Shooting 23 Code of Ethics Back Cover Warranty Back Cover ...

Page 3: ...nails Sometimes the desired target is made of iron Property markers for instance contain iron Valuable relics can also be composed of iron cannon balls old armaments and parts of old structures and vehicles can also be composed of iron FERROUS Metals which are made of or contain iron PINPOINTING Pinpointing is the process of finding the exact location of a buried object Long buried metals can appe...

Page 4: ...your arm relaxed at your side and the search coil parallel to the ground in front of you 5 Wind the cable securely around the stems 6 Insert the plug into the matching connector on the back of the detector body Be sure that the key way and pins line up correctly 7 Tighten both locking collars 8 Secure the cable with the 2 velcro straps provided one on the lower stem close to the coil one on the up...

Page 5: ...m Rest Strap optional accessory The strap is available for purchase as a separate accessory Some users prefer to use the strap when swing the detector vigorously in order to hold the detector secure against the arm The detector can also be used without the strap with no compromise to detector balance and stability under most conditions Hand grip Nut Screw Search Coil Cable Cable Plug Searchoil S R...

Page 6: ...nt is illuminated With one segment flashing low speaker volume will be very apparent For loudest speaker volume select 1 or 2 tones under the OF TONES menu selection BATTERY INDICATOR The 2 segment battery indicator has 3 stages of indication These indications are accurate for a 9 volt alkaline battery Segments Illuminated Battery Voltage 2 segments more than 7 6 volts 1 segment more than 6 2 volt...

Page 7: ... LEVEL program Then press until 40 appears in the center of the screen a The word IRON disappears from the display VI Wave the nail over the searchcoil a The nail will not be detected b The nail has been discriminated out VII Press until 80 appears a The words FOIL NICKEL PULLTAB S CAP and ZINC disappear VIII Wave the nickel a The nickel will not be detected IX Press twice to toggle down to NOTCH ...

Page 8: ...ate the detector to the specific ground conditions where you are hunting The detector incorporates a semi automated ground balancing feature which will eliminate false signals from most types of soils But if you want to maximize the detector s target identification accuracy and depth of detection use the GROUND GRAB function to calibrate the detector to the ground where you are searching See the s...

Page 9: ...etal objects This magnetic field that the detector creates is also susceptible to the electromagnetic energy produced by other electronic devices Power lines microwave ovens lighting fixtures TVs computers motors etc all produce EMI which can interfere with the detector and cause it to beep when no metal is present and sometimes to beep erratically The SENSITIVITY control lets you reduce the stren...

Page 10: ...otion is required Sensitivity is at about 70 of maximum value reads 80 All target categories are illuminated meaning that all metal objects will be detected O MO Th 1 D Thi ord con and val dep me 2 A Thi det this 3 P To ME mo dep Me Tar a s rep Pin loc req the While in DISCRIMINATE or ALL METALS mode press and hold the Pinpoint button to actuate PINPOINT While in GROUND GRAB mode press and hold th...

Page 11: ...eep when no metal is present and sometimes to beep erratically Notice that the sensitivity settings behave differently above 90 From 05 to 90 gain is changing Above 90 the threshold level changes Setting above 94 will be noisy or sound erratic HOW DEEP WILL IT GO The Gamma 6000 Metal Detector will detect a coin sized object like a quarter to a distance of about 11 28cm from the searchcoil at maxim...

Page 12: ...lue included and therefore detected All lower value targets are eliminated from detection Use and to notch target categories IN or OUT while the NOTCH line is highlighted Whereas the discrimination feature eliminates all categories sequentially from detection the NOTCH control allows you to selectively include or exclude target categories from detection With each press of or the notched category m...

Page 13: ...tion settings Any category whose description is not visible will not be detected For example the following settings tell us that The nickel dime and quarter categories will be detected All other categories of targets iron foil pulltab s cap and zinc will not be detected OPERATION and CONTROLS cont MENU SELECTIONS continued NOTCH continued ...

Page 14: ...s VCO VCO VCO VCO VCO VCO VCO 3 Bass Low Low Low Low Low High High 4 Bass Low Medium Low Low Low High High VCO originally referred to as Voltage Control Oscillator Pitch increases with increasing signal strength A given target will induce a HIGH PITCH when close to the coil but a LOWER PITCH when farther away The audio volume always varies in proportion to signal strength The closer a target gets ...

Page 15: ... bottom of the display All menu items can be selected and customized in this mode 2 ALL METALS Mode This mode is similar to the Fast Autotune or SAT mode found in other detectors Only the SENSITIVITY and VOLUME menu items are adjustable in this mode 3 PINPOINT To activate this mode you must first be in either the DISCRIMINATION or ALL METAL mode Press and hold to activate pinpoint This mode is mom...

Page 16: ...nd then quickly press and hold it again Now you will only hear a response when the searchcoil is right over the top of the target Repeat this procedure to narrow the zone even further Each time you repeat the procedure the field of detection will narrow further Consider Purchasing a Pinpointer When you kneel down to unearth an object you may find it frustrating as the object can appear exactly lik...

Page 17: ...here is no metal present 2 Hold the detector with the searchcoil about one foot above the ground 3 Enter the GROUND GRAB mode 3 Push and hold 4 Physically pump the searchcoil and detector up and down over the ground Lift it about 6 inches above the ground and lower it to within 1 inch of the ground about once or twice a second 5 A 2 digit ground value will appear on the display This is the Ground ...

Page 18: ...is displayed press until you find the desired setting 3 While pumping the coil press or to change the ground balance setting The range of ground balance settings indicated on the display range from 0 to 99 however each displayed number spans about 10 pad presses of the and buttons The actual internal ground balance settings change with each step there are a total of 1000 different settings The sca...

Page 19: ... the adjustment is off POSITIVE RESPONSE If the G B setting is too high a number the response of minerals will be positive This means that when the searchcoil is lowered to the ground in PinPoint or All Metals mode the sound will get louder as the searchcoil approaches the ground The sound will grow quieter as the searchcoil is raised What if anything you will hear in discrimination mode depends o...

Page 20: ...he detector must be in DISCRIMINATION mode to identify targets The ALL METALS mode does not provide target identification AUDIO TARGET IDENTIFICATION When in the 4 tone mode tones identify targets as follows BASS TONE Ferrous objects such as iron and steel like nails and tin cans Smallest sized gold objects and steel bottle caps LOW TONE Foil pull tabs some new style nickels steel bottle caps MEDI...

Page 21: ...rent number on each pass The angle of the coil relative to an object may also influence target identification If waving coins over the searchcoil for practice wave with the flat side parallel to the searchcoil this is the position you will most often find coins buried in the ground 2 Digit TARGET IDENTIFICATION Values Some Typical Values Numeric Common for Common Category Value Range Objects Objec...

Page 22: ...t and the coil the less accurate the target identification GOLD TARGETS Gold objects will register on the left side of the LCD scale Gold flakes will register under iron Small gold items will register under foil or Nickel Medium sized gold items will register between nickel and or s cap Large gold items will register under Zinc SILVER TARGETS Silver objects will register to the right of the scale ...

Page 23: ...ental Reduce sensitivity electromagnetic until erratic interference signals cease Constant low tone Discharged battery Replace battery or constant repeating tones Wrong type of Use only 9V battery alkaline battery or rechargeable LCD does not lock Multiple targets Move coil slowly on to one target ID present at different angles or detector emits Highly oxidized multiple tones target Sensitivity se...

Page 24: ...ory warranty follows the channel of distribution Warranty does not cover shipping costs Copyright 2009 by First Texas Products L L C All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review Published by First Texas Products L LC Warranty coverage does not include the cost of transporting the detector back t...

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