Minelab EXPLORER II User manual

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Quickstart
However experienced you are at using a
metal detector, it is important that you
read this chapter to understand how to
use the Explorer II in Quickstart mode.

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GETTING STARTED
Introducing Quickstart
Figure 5.1
WhenyoufirstturnontheExplorerII,theQuickstartSmartfind
displaywillappear andyouare abletobegin detecting.The
detectorispreparedtorespondtonon-ferroustargetswhilefiltering
outgroundsignals.
The following pages in this chapter outline the basics of metal
detectinganduseof theExplorerII.Youwilllearnhow tointerpret
itsresponsestotargetsandmakeyourownadjustmentstothe
settings.
Regardlessofyourlevelofexperiencewithmetaldetecting,Minelab
recommendsyoubegininQuickstartmodetofamiliarizeyourselfwith
basicfeaturesandoperationbeforeexperimentingwiththe
detector’sadvancedfeatures(detailedinChapter6:Advanced
Use).
Anumberofadditionalfunctionsandfeaturesthatarelikelytobe
accessedfrequentlywhiledetecting arealsoexplained.
These include:
• Target SENSITIVITY and THRESHOLD levels, adjusted with
shift buttons
• IRON MASK and PINPOINT, activated by shortcut buttons.
• MENUfunctions,accessedfrom the control panel shift
buttons.Theseenable youto adjustthedisplayandaudio,
define targets and move into Advanced mode.
Figure 5.1 Quickstart’sopeningscreen
Now that your detector is assembled, batteries inserted and you are familiar with the control
panel, you should be ready to start detecting. This chapter on Quickstart is designed to be
the starting point for all users of the Explorer II.
GETTING STARTED
Display memory
The Explorer II’s factory setting is
to start in Smartfind for your first
detectingsession.
If the alternative Digital display is
the last used, the Explorer II opens
with this screen next time you turn
on the detector. It also retains all
adjustmentsto
settings made in the previous
session(including those
made in Smartfind).
POWER
P0400b
P0400-B

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BEGINNER USE
Trying out the detector
Figure 5.2
Don’t try this at home!
If you attempt to begin detecting while you are inside your home,
you will quickly find that there are many metallic objects (such as
nails or reinforcing in the floor) which will result in almost
continuousdetection.There willalso beinterferencefrom TVsets
andotherhouseholdappliances.Placingthesensitivedetectorcoil
nearlarge metallicobjects canresult intemporarysaturationofthe
sensor, meaningthatit then cannotdetect small objects.Therefore
it is best to turn your detector off and head outside, as far away as
youcanfromsourcesofelectromagneticdisturbance.
Sweeping the coil
TheExplorerIIwillperform atitsbestwhenthecoiliskeptinclose
proximitytothe ground.Thiswillincreasedetectiondepthand
response to small objects. Becoming practised at sweeping the
coil is very important, as variation in coil height at the end of each
swingcancause confusingsoundsand reducedetectiondepth.
Each sweep of the coil should overlap the last one (Figure 5.2).
Thiswillensuregoodgroundcoverage.
You think you’ve found something?
Whenanobjectisdetected,theExplorerIIemitsanaudioresponse
andvisuallydisplaysatargetclassificationon thecontrolpanel’s
screen.
Before you attempt to pinpoint or recover the object –
which is explained later in this chapter –it is vital you
understand how to interpret these audio and visual
responses.
This is explained over the next few pages.
Figure 5.2 Sweeping the coil
BEGINNER USE
Audio Overload
Sometimes it is possible that a
large object close to the search
coil will overload the detector’s
electronics. When this happens,
the Explorer II emits a low ‘warble’
which will repeat until the coil is
moved away from the source of the
overload.
P0265-A
CORRECT
INCORRECT

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www.minelab.com easy reference
QUICKSTART DISPLAY
The Quickstart display visually represents everything from target details to the
Explorer II’s operating settings. Quickstart’s Smartfind display (pictured below)
and alternate Digital display share many common elements.
QUICKSTART DISPLAY
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QUICKSTART DISPLAY
Sensitivity level. The sensitivity barand
numbersindicate how responsivethedetectoris
toatargetinthe presence of ground noise and/or
electromagneticinterference. Numbersrange
between 1 and 32. When the shift button next to
thenumberis pressed the detector moves
betweensemi-autoandmanualsensitivity. See
page49 for details.
Threshold level. The threshold setting controls
theaudible level of threshold‘hum’during
detecting.Whentheshift button next to the
adjustmentarrowispressed,the threshold hum
increasesor decreases. See page50fordetails.
Depth indicator. The clear portion of the depth
indicatorrepresents theapproximatedistance of
a target below the coil. The top of the indicator
representsthepositionofthecoiland the bottom
represents 300mm (12 inches) from the coil. The
bar will be clear if the target is too far from the
coilor its depthcannotbe accurately gauged.
Iron Mask. This shaded block indicates whether
IRON MASK function is ON or OFF.
See page 45.
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2
3
easy reference
QUICKSTART DISPLAY
Smartfind display.The shaded and unshaded
areasofthe screen are Smartfind’s preset
Discrimination setting. Smartfind also has an
alternativeIron Mask setting. Seepages42-43.
Pinpoint.This shadedblockindicateswhether
PINPOINT is ON or OFF. See page 59.
Batterylife.Thisiconindicatesthechargeremaining
intheinstalledbatteries.Seepage27.
Adjustment arrows. Pressingshiftbuttonsnextto
thesearrows increasesordecreasespreset
settings.
Full screen icon. Selection enlarges display to fill
screen. See page 48. This icon temporarily
changestoshowthethreshold level setting when
thresholdis beingadjusted.
Target crosshair. Represents the detected
object’sproperties on atwo-dimensionalscaleof
discrimination.See page42-43.
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Figure 5.3 Smartfind display with preset
Coinsdiscriminationpattern
Two-dimensional discrimination
Figure 5.3
When an object is detected, Smartfind indicates what kind of
object you have found with a target crosshair. The location of this
crosshair on the Smartfind screen is based on Minelab's unique
two-dimensionalscaleofdiscrimination. Anunderstandingofthis
will be helpful before Smartfind's Iron Mask and Discrimination
functionsareexplained in the next fewpages.
Two-dimensional discrimination explained
QUICKSTART’S SMARTFIND DISPLAY
When first using the detector, you will see the Smartfind screen. Smartfind displays an
object's characteristics using a two-dimensional scale of target discrimination.
TheExplorerIIratesdetectedobjectsaccordingtotheirconductivity
(likemosttraditionaldetectors). Whatmakestwo-dimensional
discriminationunique isa ratingof thesame object'sferrous
content.Smartfindgraphically representsbothofthesetarget
propertiesonthesamedisplay.
•Thevertical dimension (oraxis) rates theobject on size/
conductivity.
QUICKSTART’S SMARTFIND DISPLAY

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•Thehorizontaldimension(oraxis)ratestheextentofthe
object’s resemblance to ferrous characteristics.
•Theobject’s cross-referencedrating isrepresentedby a
‘targetcrosshair’insidetherectangulardisplay area.
Interpreting target responses
Conductivity
•Objectswithhigh conductivity(e.g.large silvercoins,copper
items) will cause the target crosshair to appear at the top of
the Smartfind screen.
•Objects with low conductivity (e.g. small alloy coins, foil) will
cause the target crosshair to appear at the bottom of the
Smartfind screen.
Along with the type of metal, the size of objects will have some
effectontheconductivity ratingfortargets. Generally,the larger
the target, the higher the corresponding conductivity rating (and
proximity of the target crosshair to the top of the screen).
Ferrous content
•Objects with high ferrous content cause the target crosshair
to appear on the left of the screen unless its rating would
situate the object in the dark area of the discrimination pattern
(seepage44).
•Objects with low ferrous content (e.g. jewelry, coins) cause
the target crosshair to appear on the right of the screen.
Thepresetdiscrimination settingisdesignedtosearch forCoins.
NOTE Both ferrous and non-ferrous objects have varying
degrees of inductive response to electromagnetic waves.
This characteristic –in addition to conductivity –allows for
more accurate identification of targets.
QUICKSTART’S SMARTFIND DISPLAY
Discrimination
Discrimination is the ability of a
metal detector to identify the user’s
desired target (e.g. jewelry) and
eliminate signals from unwanted
material (e.g. nails).
The Explorer II can be programmed
in a number of ways to discriminate
againstunwanted targets indifferent
types of ground.

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www.minelab.com Introducing Discrim
Discrim(anabbreviationofDiscrimination)instructsthedetectorto
accept some types of targets and reject others. It uses Smartfind's
two-dimensionaldiscrimination,allowingyoutospecifyoneormore
target patterns for detection.
Smartfind Discrimination pattern
Figure 5.4
Whenyoubegin inQuickstart,you willseea Smartfinddisplay
resemblingFigure 5.4.This displayshows thatthe detectoris
readyto operate in itspresetCoins Discrim function.
Thediscriminationpatternrepresentsthetypicalcharacteristicsof
non-ferrouscoins(actuallyacompositeofhundredsofcoinsfrom
aroundtheworld).Whenthesearchcoil passesoveranobject
matchingtheconductiveandferrouscharacteristicsofcoins,the
targetcrosshairwillappearintheclearareaanda targetresponse
willsound.Objectsoutsideoftheaccepted(clear)areaarenot
displayedandthethreshold‘hum’istemporarilysilenced.Thetarget
crosshairwillremainlockedinthepositionofthelastacceptedtarget.
Thediscriminationpattern'maps'thespecificferrousandconductive
propertiesofcoins,providingexcellentaccuracyindetectionofthis
particulartypeoftarget.
NOTE Quickstart offers a range of discrimination patterns
which may be used on their own or in combination. This is
detailed in Selecting Targets, page 62.
Figure 5.4 Smartfind’s preset Discrim
function
QUICKSTART’S SMARTFIND DISPLAY

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THE IRON MASK
THE IRON MASK
Adjusting the Iron Mask
Figure 5.5
Pressing the IRON MASK shortcut button on the control panel will
displaytheIron Maskadjustmentscreen.
Preset Level
TheExplorerII'sIronMaskisset ataratingof-6.Thisissuitable
whendetectingnon-ferrousmetals.
Detecting more ferrous objects
If you want target responses from more ferrous objects (e.g. war
relics)itis necessary to reduce the levelofferrous rejection. This
is done by pressing the bottom left shift button next to the slider
control, reducing the extent of the Iron Mask. You may need to
experimenta little withthe settings.
Detecting all ferrous objects
If you wanted to detect all objects, regardless of ferrous content,
ferrousrejection can bereduced to aminimum level of-16. The
screenwill becompletely clearandall objectswill sounda target
response.
Rejecting all ferrous objects
If you want target responses to be suppressed for all ferrous
objects, the Iron Mask may be increased to a level of 0. This is
representedby themaskextending tohalfway acrossthe
Smartfindscreen(asdepictedinthesectionexplaining
two-dimensionaldiscrimination,seepage42).
Figure 5.5 Adjusting the Iron Mask
The Iron Mask shortcut button on
the control panel allows you to
switch between Iron Mask and
Discrimination.
Before you experiment with this,
anunderstanding of the features
of these functions will greatly
assist in deciding which will
locate the kind of targets you want
and how to adjust the Explorer II
tosuit your preferences.
The tutorials featured later in this
chapteralso assume a basic
understanding of Iron Mask and
Discriminationfunctions.
IronMaskShortcut

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THE IRON MASK
Operating in Iron Mask
Figure 5.6
PressingtheIRONMASKshortcutbuttonagainwilldisplaya
SmartfindscreenresemblingFigure5.6.Thisdisplayshowsthatthe
detectorisreadytooperateinIronMask.Thisfunctionis
programmedtorejectferroustargetsandmakeiteasierforyouto
findmoredesirable(non-ferrous)objectslikecoinsandjewelry.
IronMaskispresettorejectferrousobjectsatalevelsuitablefor
basic detecting. This is shown in Figure 5.5 as a rating of -6 with
the dark area filling the left third of the screen. Smartfind will not
displayan object when its targetcrosshairwould appear in this
dark,maskedareaofthescreenandtheExplorerII’sthreshold
‘hum’willdisappearmomentarily.
However,ifyouwishtolocatespecifictypesofobjectsyoumay
needtomodifytheExplorerII'slevelofferrousrejection.Thisis
donebyadjusting theIronMaskasexplained previouslyonpage
45.
Figure 5.6 Smartfind in Iron Mask