The “sensitivity” feature, also referred to as the “gain” function on older devices, is commonly found on the display screen of metal detectors. This feature is well-known and understood by experienced hobbyists, but many people may be unfamiliar with its purpose and operation…
…What is actually the sensitivity setting of a metal detector and how does it works?
The sensitivity setting is a feature of a metal detector that determines the level at which it responds to the electromagnetic fields emitted by metal objects.
Metal detectors with high sensitivity respond to a wide range of targets, while those with low sensitivity respond to fewer targets. However, setting the sensitivity too high can result in false and inconsistent signals. It is important to properly configure the sensitivity function to avoid these issues.
I can understand that you want to know how you can set up the sensitivity level. You are lucky! In this article I will tell you everything that you have to know about the sensitivity level. This means that I also tell you how to set up the sensitivity function.
After reading this article, you will know how to properly use this function. Enjoy reading!
What is the sensitivity function of a metal detector?
The sensitivity setting is a feature of a metal detector that determines the level at which it responds to the electromagnetic fields emitted by metal objects.
This means that metal detectors with a high sensitivity level will respond to many targets, while metal detectors with a low sensitivity level will respond to fewer targets.
Properly using the sensitivity function requires a lot of experience, as there are various circumstances where different sensitivity levels are needed.
I will provide more detailed information on this topic later in the article.
When do I have to use the sensitivity function?
In fact, it is essential to adjust the sensitivity level before you begin metal detecting. This is because every terrain has its unique metallic properties. However, there are specific locations where the sensitivity feature becomes even more crucial.
The most important areas where you should utilize the sensitivity function include grounds with high mineralization, areas with abundant trash and debris, beaches, places with electromagnetic interference, and clean grounds.
Each terrain is distinct, necessitating different sensitivity levels. Often, people tend to use sensitivity levels that are too high.
The issue with a too high sensitivity is that your metal detector will respond too quickly to trash or iron components in the ground. Therefore, it is crucial to find the right balance in sensitivity to optimize your detecting experience.
Later in this article I will tell you more about correctly setting up the sensitivity function. But first, let’s take a look at the most common circumstances where you definitely have to use the sensitivity function.
Ground mineralization
Ground mineralization refers to the presence of numerous small iron components in the soil. These iron components naturally occur due to the influence of rain. Mineralization is commonly found in older and undisturbed terrains, often characterized by their red color.
These iron components can interfere with the electromagnetic field of the metal detector, causing it to generate a signal in response.
When detecting in mineralized soils, it is important not to use a sensitivity level that is too high. This is because a high sensitivity setting will cause the metal detector to quickly respond to the iron components present in the soil.
Trashy bottoms
It is crucial to use the sensitivity function appropriately when detecting in areas with a significant amount of trash. Here’s why:
In environments where there is a high concentration of trash, your metal detector will respond to both larger and smaller pieces of garbage. If the sensitivity level is set too high, the metal detector will react rapidly to the presence of trash, leading to an overwhelming number of signals.
Therefore, it is advisable not to use excessively high sensitivity levels in such areas.
To further mitigate the issue of detecting trash, utilizing the discrimination function is highly recommended. Discrimination allows you to customize the metal detector’s response to specific types of metals, effectively reducing or eliminating signals from undesirable targets like trash.
At the beach
At the beach you will find a lot of trash produced by humans. Think about pull tabs, beer caps and drinking cans. If you want to detect at the beach you should not use a too high sensitivity level. Otherwise, your metal detector will react too quickly to these little trash pieces.
Not only trash is a problem when you are detecting at the beach. The salty sand produced by the salt seawater is also a problem. Salt has the same properties as the iron components in mineralized bottoms.
This means that your metal detector will react too quickly to this salty sand if you use a too high sensitivity level.
Electromagnetic Interference
Electromagnetic interference occurs when the electromagnetic field generated by a metal detector is disrupted by external sources of electromagnetic fields that are not related to the target being detected.
This interference can occur when you are searching in close proximity to devices that emit their own electromagnetic fields. Examples of such devices include power lines, radio and TV broadcast equipment, radars, and electrical motors.
These external electromagnetic fields can interfere with the signals produced by your metal detector, leading to false or inconsistent readings.
When you want to detect close to these devices you should not use a too high sensitivity level. Otherwise, your metal detector will interfere with the electromagnetic field of these devices.
Clean grounds
Sometimes, it is actually a good idea to increase the sensitivity level of your metal detector. In clean grounds without trash and bottom mineralization, you can use a much higher sensitivity level. This provides you with the opportunity to detect smaller targets and achieve a greater detection depth.
Therefore, it is recommended to use the highest possible sensitivity level for optimal detection. However, it is important to be aware of any inconsistent beeping or interference with other devices, as this indicates the need to lower the sensitivity level.
In the next paragraph, I will explain how to properly set the sensitivity level of your metal detector.
How do I set up the sensitivity function of a metal detector?
You should gradually increase the sensitivity level of your metal detector until it starts beeping inconsistently, indicating a response to ground mineralization or electromagnetic interference.
Once this occurs, you should then decrease the sensitivity level until your metal detector provides a clear, strong, and consistent signal. While some metal detectors have automatic adjustment capabilities, in most cases, you will need to adjust the sensitivity manually.
Automatically adjusting the sensitivity level
There are some metal detectors that have an automatic sensitivity setting. This means that the metal detector will set up the sensitivity level on its own. This could be very useful if you have no experience with manually setting up the sensitivity level.
However, I would recommend you to manually adjust the sensitivity level. This is because you can adjust it way more accurate by doing it manually.
Manually adjusting the sensitivity level
The most metal detectors have the option to manually adjust the sensitivity level. This is better than automatically adjusting the sensitivity level because you can do it way more accurate. Let me explain you how to set up the sensitivity level.
- Continue increasing the sensitivity level of your metal detector until you observe inconsistent beeping or interference with other devices. These occurrences indicate that the detector is responding to small iron components in the soil or picking up on electromagnetic fields emitted by power lines and radio stations.
2. When this happens, you should lower the sensitivity level until your metal detector only gives clear, strong and consistent signals.
3. Start metal detecting. In case that you still experience too much false signals, you should further lower the sensitivity of the metal detector.
What is the difference between the sensitivity and the discrimination function?
Many people get confused about the difference between the sensitivity and the discrimination function. This is because the discrimination function is placed next to the sensitivity function on the metal detector’s display.
The sensitivity function and the discrimination function are not the same. The sensitivity of a metal detector determines the degree to which it responds to metallic objects. On the other hand, the discrimination function allows the detector to selectively ignore certain metallic objects.
Thus, the main difference between these two settings is the ability to ignore a metal. The sensitivity setting can’t fully ignore metal objects while the discrimination function can.
This means that the discrimination function is very suitable for detecting in highly mineralized bottoms and bottoms with a lot of trash. This is because the discrimination function can ignore the trash and the little iron components in these bottoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
The metal detector will choose its own sensitivity. This means that it might be possible that your metal detector uses a too high sensitivity. This lead to the fact that your detector responds too quickly to ground mineralization or trash. Therefore, you should adjust the sensitivity function based on your situation.
Not always. There are metal detectors that can automatically set up the sensitivity level. However, you should always try to adjust the sensitivity manually. This leads to a more accurately sensitivity level.
Unfortunately, you can’t fully ignore metals with the sensitivity. However, you can do this with the discrimination function. Therefore, the sensitivity function is not the same as the discrimination function.