Hunting the beach in Autotune mode...

Tom, I've seen several posts where you recommend hunting the beaches in autotune mode. While it makes sense for the added depth capabilities, is it actually doable in a 'real world' scenario? Reason I ask is...

1. If one did indeed hunt this way, why even pay for or use a machine that has discrim abilities - why not just get a straight P.I. unit?

2. If someone actually hunted in autotune & wanted to dig everything above iron, he/she would have to constantly switch over to disc. mode to check the signals out. This is both time consuming & cumbersome. Is it worth the extra hassle?

I get the theory behind it 110% (more depth & clearer, cleaner signals) & am actually tinkering with trying it on a few hunts to see if it's for me. However, just curious as to how many of you actually DO IT, instead of just talking about it AND are the differences hunting in autotune vs. discrim. mode THAT noticeable??

BTW, is this similar to what so many Minelab users are always referring to when they speak of 'reverse discrimination hunting'?

Thanks

I actually enjoy hunting the beach with my Sovereign in AM mode. On the Sov iron sounds so terrible in AM, it's more stable, able to be run hotter, and easy to check if it's iron if necessary. Unfortunately I don't beach hunt that often, but have found AM to be superior to disc mode on the Sov (I know some will disagree). The CZ's in AM mode may offer a similar experience, but I couldn't tell you (yet).

I've used my CZ-70 at the beach (it's definitely rain proof) but only for a few minutes in auto-tune, I didn't care for it, but I know it just takes getting used to, and if it works as good as it does on the Sov, then it's worth taking the time to learn it. Disc mode seems to go pretty deep at the beach with the 12.5" coil

I'll probably start doing more beach hunting as I'm only 45 minutes from Santa Cruz, SF, and Half Moon Bay. Plenty of gold and silver come from those beaches.


BTW - Reverse discrimination is hunting in AM mode and then checking the target in disc.

HH,
Brian

Hunting in the surf in Autotune w a CZ is the only way to go since there are so few targets most of the time anyway, that's what I did w the AU-21X down in Cocoa Beach, it worked great. If I lived near the ocean I would definately get a PI. While working the dry sand I would watch a couple guys w a minelab and a whites who were working in the surf and I saw them doing very little digging.
They were probably not working in AM.

Hunting with a CZ never felt it was deeper but seemed to cover more ground(sort of like using a larger coil)
Feasible if an old on land area that is reasonably clean but from the NJ beaches I hunted would get a hit every time due to the trashy area(mostly iron) and indeed spend my time switching to disc. and would not be feasible.
Does it work(sure does) as have gotten some nice silver in isolated clean areas but on a beach would have me taking knitting lessons and is not feasible on the NJ saltwater beaches I have hunted.

Id think hunting in autotune in a trashy area would be like mind numbing after awhile. Ive not used say an Xcal yet, but unlike the PIs im not certain you can distinguish metals. The PI guys can still get a size and a real good idea as to what they are digging. I know if i used PP mode with the SE id be digging everything that beeped without having any idea what it was by tone. A bad beach would be like going to a park and turning on PP. Not a desirable way to hunt. However, where there are few targets.... sounds interesting.

Dew

Are you referring to using the Omega in the Autotune mode?

I agree Cal........wet beach = ALL METAL for my Sovereign Elite. I want to hear everything.

For FloridaBob & Cal, if you enjoy hunting in autotune (all metal) so much, why not just use a P.I. unit? I mean, ANY brand P.I. unit will go deeper than a Sov., Excal, CZ, etc. BTW, since you guys are using Sovs., I assume you're hunting the wet water line since Sovs, cannot go in the water, right?? I'm gonna try using autotune on my CZ & see if there's any improvement in my hunts. I'm certainly not opposed to hunting in autotune, just tends to be too time consuming IF one wants to then click on discrim. & check the signal. Also worried about wearing the knobs out. Florida & Cal, are you checking the signals in discrim. mode or no - just digging it all??? We haven't heard from Tom yet and am curious as to his take on my original posted question.

NJNY - I dig it all in "all metal" and I only hunt the wet sand and into the knee deep water. The volume of targets here on the Space Coast of Florida are by no means overwhelming since so many folks hunt these beaches every hour of the day.....365 days a year. And there are even more folks here now trying to find their pot of gold. Set properly, the SE is a great unit to hunt with when you have the threshold set properly and it is mentally non fatiguing.

Thanks for explaining Florida Digging it all would be tough in the NY/NJ area since A) While our beaches are hunted a lot too, there still tends to be many targets at times & A great many of our beaches have a fair amount of iron. Sooooooooo...

As I said earlier, gonna give it a few runs in autotune and see what's up. Honestly, even if I WAS getting a bit more depth in all metal, it might be a little much on my ears, lol. I don't wanna work or be stressed when I go out, wanna have fun. But, I'll report back after trying it out. Thanks guys!

I understand reverse disc, PP or auto tone.... but unless you are digging it all sounds like you take a lot of time switching to disc on say and Xcal. Which if the machine can hit it in disc mode in the first place wheres the pay off? Why not just hunt in disc? Do you remove a scoop of sand before switching to disc? If its a depth deal you have to dig it all or some way get the distance to the target within disc depth.

Dew

dewcon4414 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I understand reverse disc, PP or auto tone.... but
> unless you are digging it all sounds like you take
> a lot of time switching to disc on say and Xcal.
> Which if the machine can hit it in disc mode in
> the first place wheres the pay off? Why not just
> hunt in disc? Do you remove a scoop of sand
> before switching to disc? If its a depth deal
> you have to dig it all or some way get the
> distance to the target within disc depth.
>
> Dew


You don't dig it all in AM/auto-tune mode. It has a language of it's own, and after a while you'll be able to differentiate between good targets and junk. Still, just like disc mode you're going to dig some junk

Yes......... I exclusively hunt in all-metal (auto-tune) mode on the wet salt slope (and in the ocean) when I'm using a CZ. My particular CZ is 'hotter/deeper' in the auto-tune mode........... although most CZ's are not. I never switch over to the ID mode for checking targets. (((I can NEVER hunt in auto-tune mode..... whilst inland hunting.....due to excessive trash))). Currently, I am indeed using a PI and digging it all. Yes..... targets at max depth tend to ID as iron....... causing you to 'no dig'. This is not a good situation.......... especially when targets are few .. and far in-between. With the all-metal PI unit...... I (currently) have about a 80% success rate at differentiating ferrous from non-ferrous.

It is not true that 'nearly all PI's are deeper than VLF ID units'. The Sov, Excal, CZ-20 are better performers than many PI's. Now........... if you have a lot of black sand on your beaches....... then the PI is the winner.