The Minelab
MUSKETEER ADVANTAGE Tips & Tricks
Introduction
The Musketeer Advantage is a single fixed frequency detector, which operates at 5Khz.
This single frequency is very well suited to providing a signal response from a wide range of valuable metals including bronze, silver and gold.
This detector utilises 5 main controls – three knobs and two switches.
Sensitivity.
This control turns the detector on and off and allows the operator to choose the depth (sensitivity) to which the detector will search.
So, if you search for recently lost items one would not need to have the sensitivity control set at maximum.
But, if detecting for coins and other targets that have been buried for many years then full sensitivity is recommended.
All Metal/Discriminate switch.
This is just as it states, if searching in all metal mode then all types of metals will produce a signal response. If you choose the Discrimination setting, then you control the ability to [accept or ignore] any given range of targets.
Level Adjust is the Discrimination Control.
If you operate in discrimination mode, by turning the rotary control in a clockwise fashion you can cleverly set the detector to not produce a response on the items you have chosen not to dig. The higher you stage through the discrimination settings the detector will ignore or won’t produce signal responses on targets. At maximum discrimination an operator may receive responses from only large brass copper and silver items, and other highly conductive items. Small and some gold items may not produce a response. So try to maintain a low discrimination setting, enough to only reject small iron nails and light foil: any higher than this and you may reject some intended desirable targets, especially if mineralization is present and the targets are several inches down.
Ground Adjust Control.
When the coil is first lowered to the ground the detector can sometimes emit a false signal. This can be caused by ground mineralization, or what’s normally referred to as [Ground Effect]
The Ground Adjust Control helps to tune out the effects of false signals by adjustment of the control knob while the flick-switch located in the middle of the facia is pointing downwards to Ground Enable Adjust.
The other flick-switch, All Metals/Discrimination should also be pointing downwards when making adjustments to the ground adjust control. Sometimes, while searching these false signals can become annoying.
First check if too high a sensitivity setting is the cause – reducing it can help. If the false signals continue then it is possible to banish them by the following method.
With the left hand click the Ground Adjust Control out of Fix.
At the same time, gently raise and lower the coil from between two to four inches off the ground until you reach a point when raising or lowering the coil does not cause any further signals or noises.
At this point you are “ground balanced” .i.e. the detector does not see the ground but sees the actual targets instead. It may be necessary to repeat the GB procedure throughout the day if conditions change.
However, for 90% of the time the detector will be able to take care of all this for you automatically whilst in the “Fix” position.
It is in the rare event that mineral levels become heavier then by manually ground balancing performance can be enhanced helping to find targets that otherwise might have been missed.
The GB switch is just another aid to help to counter negative factors – a welcome and useful function in this economy model detector.
In very severe soils it might not be possible to fully eliminate the ground effect. In this very rare instance, reduce sensitivity and increase discrimination and keep the coil low and very level with the ground.
Threshold Reset/Pinpoint/Ground Adjust Enable
This is a multi purpose switch and helps in the final recovery of a target by narrowing the signal.
One note though, referring to the “Threshold”. This detector does not have a threshold, but refers instead to extraneous electrical noise that occasionally may be heard, or while carrying out a manual ground balance procedure.
The trick is to reach a final point where the detector will remain quiet while ground balancing so there will not be any change in audio while the coil is being lowered or raised which, normally would be referred to as “threshold tone”.
However, this detector
does not have an actual Threshold tone sound
(a variable continuous hum sound)
INLAND USE
In grass, pasture, plough and woodland, very good results can be obtained with the Advantage. Here are a few recommendations for better results.
On your chosen site use as much sensitivity as possible without “chatter”. Chatter sounds like tiny electrical sounds “escaping” from the control box. This can result from some form of electrical interference nearby or from ground minerals. If you continue to search with chatter a depth loss and overall instability might occur.
Use a low Discrimination setting. Ideally this should be set to knock out small nails and other ferrous items.
Listen out for good, constant and what are called, “two-way”, signals. Good targets tend to repeat when passing over them with the coil from all directions.
Iron items (even at zero discrimination) can cause the detector to emit a “spitting” sound. This can also sound like a screeching noise on larger items. Sounds may be broken and different to the constant [two-way] sound that a good target makes. With practise it is possible to identify and dig the good targets and ignore junk items. You will of course be fooled on occasion!
Use a good quality headphone with a volume control. This can help to hear the small faint signals, which are usually the good finds and the ones worth recovering. Always set the volume at a comfortable level to prevent overloads from large targets.
To help recover the coins and especially to avoid making a hole that is bigger then necessary, simply use the Pinpoint facility via the metal flick-switch. To further narrow the signal select All Metals also and this acts as a normal non-motion mode and it is possible to stop right over the target without it cancelling out. This makes it so much easier to retrieve targets quickly and cleanly.
Every few weeks remove the coil cover and clean it – clean and dry the coil as well – this helps reduce false signals – begin at the “heel” of the coil to make removal and re-fitting easier.
BEACH USE
The Advantage is a very fast machine to use to look for coins, rings and other recently lost items on dry sand. In fact, it’s a great beach detector!
With some minor adjustments the wet sand can also be searched without the false signals normally associated with fixed frequency motion machines over wet salt sand. Dry sand presents no problems and full sensitivity is encouraged here. However, moving towards the wetter parts of the beach the sensitivity control might have to be reduced from the higher settings. In addition, moving the search coil towards the damper areas and water’s edge may result in more false signals than desired but can be compensated for by reducing the sensitivity to a lower level until the machine quietens. If you experience very excessive salt effect there are a few more tricks you can try. Adjust your Ground Adjust control into manual to about the “twelve O clock” position, or continue clockwise until it stops. If this does not stop it, then use your discriminator as a secondary ground balance control. In other words, the more discrimination selected the less sensitive the unit will become to the conductive properties of the salt. It should still remain fairly sensitive to a reasonable depth of several inches, to coins and some rings, but a
far slower sweep speed is then recommended. Finally, don’t touch or bang the coil off the wet surface – that will bring in noise and you could miss a target.
Finally, get out there experiment with and enjoy your Minelab Musketeer, a great detector for all seasons!
Good Hunting.
© Des Dunne (from a long time ago?)
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2019 04:52PM by Des D.