Hi Guys I know this topic has been covered SSSo many times but i was asked by as club to write some very general points for the setup of a GPX 5000 Of course there is so much more to know but here is a basic setup up for those who want to read it.
PS. If any of you PRO's disagree with anything mentioned please comment ok.
Thanks .
Some general points for the setting of the GPX 5000.
By Marcus De Santis. The ZakMan
Always read the manual a few times and get very familiar with the menu layout and settings, selections the FP in each menus represents the factory default settings.
From your manual perform an Auto-tune. This will eliminate the EMI interference, if its still slightly their after then Auto Tune, change the manual tune numbers up or down a few numbers, this should settle things down.
Now when you arrive at your new location you should make the time to carefully run through this test and setting procedure. You will save time by making time to do this every time.
With one or two small test samples around the size of a lead 22 bullet, dig a hole around 6 inch and another around 8 to 10 inch.
Cover these with dirt. Then set your detector, Front panel switching to General and Special, if your using a mono coil select Mono and tracking to Fixed. Then from the digital menu ( back side ) run down the setting, Backlight around 2 volume to FP with audio set, Normal and Special selected to Fine Gold as a starter with the (Part A) RX gain starting at around 7. NOW Ground balance the detector, by pumping (moving up and down 5 times) it slowly over the ground while pressing and Holding the green handle button In, then stop at around 1 inch off the ground pause for 2 seconds for the sound to stabilize to a steady HUM then release then green button.
Now slowly increase the RX numbers till you hear an audio change a very slight signal break down in the steady HUM then back it off 1 2 numbers.
RE:- Ground balance.
Then with the stabilizer, again start at around 7 then slowly increase it till you hear a slight miss in the HUM then back it off 1- 2 numbers.
All the other setting can just be set to FP but and make sure Iron Reject is off.
Now Re Ground balance.
Try wave the detector over the ground, if its quiet (if its noisy see Part B) then you have it well set so now try the test target, check for an audio sharp sound over then target each time you pass directly over the target in both direction (this is very important, both direction make a repeatable sound) directly over the target now as your swinging left to right (slow and level) raise the coil so to determine the depth and change in sound which you can expect with these setting when your detecting.
Your set to go, so Good luck.
BUT!!!
If you wont to really fine tune your set up then; I now try selecting under Special Sensitive Extra possibly try Sharp re Ground Balance and see if its still quiet over the surrounding ground then the test target (check if you can get any more depth from these settings) if its noisy ( Part B ) as you move over the area you will need to go back to Part A then readjust the Rx and reduce the setting by a few number and then reset the stabilizer the try again.
OR prior to doing this try changing the Audio setting to Quiet this may settle things out directly. Re Ground Balance.
Points.
Coils :- If you have other coils then do all this over again so to determine the very best combo so to get depth and sound clarity. Trust me the time taken is worth while.
When wave the coil over the buried samples actually rub the coil on the ground and listen for the noise. Skid plates are cheap and you want all the depth below the soil that you can get.
When Im looking for the best combination of coil and setting for max depth I would now write the settings down and the max height combo, determine the very best set up for this location and environmental condition ON THIS day.
In noisy ground try a DD coil with the front panel switch set INto mono (yes Mono) and see how the depth and noisy is compared with the other coils.
After doing more tests latterly, it would appear that the smaller DD coils arent as good with these setting but from a 14 inch up its defiantly worth a try.
ZakMan motto Forget the sub gramers look for gram and above>.
Good hunting
The ZakMan