I know this is a dumb question

But what’s so great about having 50 tones in a detector. What are the advantages.

Good question. I like my 50 tones and use it most of the time. It seems to give more information about the target rather than just a beep. Hard to explain. A lot of it is feel.

Its just personal preference. I prefer 5 tone

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A beep is all the info I want. Anytine a signal above ferrous is not dug chances are you've, in some instances, left good stuff in the ground.
I don't want to play guessing games with my detector.

g

Bill long Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But what’s so great about having 50 tones in a det
> ector. What are the advantages.

Heck, why stop there ?? Why even have any TID at all ? Whether it be via sounds, or a bouncing cursor, or ascending/descending #'s, etc ....? After all, you're going to "dig the target anyhow", so you can just simply LOOK at it. Right ? Doh !

I remember this EXACT CONVERSATION way-back-when, when TID first hit the market. In about 1983-ish, when we first got our eyes on the then -new Teknetics. It came in both a numerical readout meter, and/or audio tones, if I recall. Very similar to the 6000d of the era, except that it had TID. And I recall the exact same objections that you raise now : "How silly is that ? You're going to dig it anyhow, so .... who cares how it 'reads' ", eh ?

This is an especially true objection if you're in a relicky "dig all" mindset. Where you intend to dig anything that's not iron. Ie.: "Don't need TID", eh ? And especially such an expanded tone or numerical TID system, is just a waste of info and energy, eh ? After all, you're going to dig it anyhow, so .... what's the point. Eh ?

Have I understood you correctly ?

If so, then consider this following true example scenario : I brought a newbie buddy to one of my back-pocket sites. Furrowed Ag. fields, where an old 1810s to 40s site had been. That gives up reales, buttons, etc..... At the time, this guy was using a 6000 Di pro. I was using an Explorer II. As it happens, we were hunting at night. So he couldn't avail himself of the Di pro's meter (ie.: the TID) since it was dark. But I assured him : "Not a problem, since we're in relic mindset, and intend to dig anything that's not iron".

But ... night after night, at this site, the results were as follows : Each of us would get 50 to 75 targets. The target counts would be about equal, once you counted all the conductive targets. HOWEVER, we notice that ... night after night : Whereas I'd get 2 or 3 coins and 5 or 6 buttons, on average, yet he would get ...at best ... 1 coin, and 2 or 3 buttons. Hmmm. Yet ... the same target count, when counting strictly "anything conductive". Eg.: when you include aluminum shrapnel, etc....

After observing these type target counts a few times, he began to object : He accused me of "cherry picking", since I had TID. To which I vehemently denied. I was .... like him .... in relic mindset (ie.: dig all except iron). Yet I couldn't deny that my array of "keepers" (ie.: coins and buttons) was always 2x or 3x better than him. IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE !

Finally, we both figured it out : Even though I was in "relic mindset" (ie.: dig everything from foil-&-upwards), yet .... since there was NO LACK OF SIGNALS TO CHOOSE FROM, that : I was apparently subconsciously favoring nicer sounds, over flitty low foil turd sounds. I wasn't doing it on purpose. It was subconscious, in the vast array to choose from. Versus him, with no tone ID, would strictly hear a conductive sound, and would dig. (unless of course he turned on his flashlight, and paid attention to where the needle would bounce....).

The next day, he drove 50 miles, to the nearest Minelab dealer, and put down top dollar on an Explorer. Doh !

So as you can see: There is benefit to "50 tones", even if you don't think you are using it. That is just one example. I can give you many similar scenarios where TID (whether via tones or #'s) has come in VERY handy.

This makes me feel even better about my latest purchase.
My new Anfibio has a 99 tone mode setting!
That means I should get twice as much information with my Anfibio than those detectors that only have a 50 tone setting.
And that should equate to twice as many good finds.
Can I get an at-a-boy!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2019 08:13PM by laserfeller.

usually, a multi-tone/multi-pitch audio will let you hear how well it holds true to an id. Instead of watching a needle or digital number bounce around, you hear the bounce. The tighter the id, the tighter the tone. As the id starts to waver or bounce around you hear the warble and bounces in the tone. Only takes a couple of numbers difference to introduce a warble in the id. Only problem is that as we get older our hearing doesn't always keep up. Some pitches we like and some we don't and we don't get all the benefits multi-pitch audio offers.

Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't.

HH
Mike

Mike points out a good advantage of "delta tone" audio. And if the 50 (or 99 or 200) tones have a display meter with like resolution, and the thing is designed right, then you will also get a corresponding smear in the graph.

Another advantage is with eddy-iron targets like bottle caps. Done right, you should be able to hear the tone roll as you sweep over the bottle cap, giving a distinctive audio response that you won't get any other way.

Personal preference, same as you would set up any machine. Its just that more tones = more flexibility. Everyone's hearing is different. I've used other detectors, but really miss my FBS tones when I do. Theres a lot of information in there for the experienced ear if your hearing is up to it.

I've slowly switched from 5 to 50 tones. One advantage is target ID. A coin will generally have a sharp clean "round" tone all the way through a 360 turn. A crushed aluminum can that audibly rings up in the same range will be distorted when the detector hits some of the different facets. You will hear a "warble", or slight change in tones as you do a 360. With 5 tones, both targets sound identical. The change in tones will usually coincide with a jumpy TID.

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bill long Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > But what’s so great about having 50 tones in a d
> et
> > ector. What are the advantages.
>
> Heck, why stop there ?? Why even have any TID at
> all ? Whether it be via sounds, or a bouncing cur
> sor, or ascending/descending #'s, etc ....? Aft
> er all, you're going to "dig the target anyhow", s
> o you can just simply LOOK at it. Right ? Doh !
>
> I remember this EXACT CONVERSATION way-back-when,
> when TID first hit the market. In about 1983-ish
> , when we first got our eyes on the then -new Tekn
> etics. It came in both a numerical readout meter,
> and/or audio tones, if I recall. Very similar to
> the 6000d of the era, except that it had TID. A
> nd I recall the exact same objections that you rai
> se now : "How silly is that ? You're going to di
> g it anyhow, so .... who cares how it 'reads' ", e
> h ?
>
> This is an especially true objection if you're in
> a relicky "dig all" mindset. Where you intend to
> dig anything that's not iron. Ie.: "Don't need T
> ID", eh ? And especially such an expanded tone o
> r numerical TID system, is just a waste of info an
> d energy, eh ? After all, you're going to dig it
> anyhow, so .... what's the point. Eh ?
>
> Have I understood you correctly ?
>
> If so, then consider this following true example s
> cenario : I brought a newbie buddy to one of my b
> ack-pocket sites. Furrowed Ag. fields, where an o
> ld 1810s to 40s site had been. That gives up rea
> les, buttons, etc..... At the time, this guy was
> using a 6000 Di pro. I was using an Explorer II.
> As it happens, we were hunting at night. So he co
> uldn't avail himself of the Di pro's meter (ie.: t
> he TID) since it was dark. But I assured him :
> "Not a problem, since we're in relic mindset, and
> intend to dig anything that's not iron".
>
> But ... night after night, at this site, the resul
> ts were as follows : Each of us would get 50 to 7
> 5 targets. The target counts would be about equal
> , once you counted all the conductive targets. H
> OWEVER, we notice that ... night after night : Wh
> ereas I'd get 2 or 3 coins and 5 or 6 buttons, on
> average, yet he would get ...at best ... 1 coin, a
> nd 2 or 3 buttons. Hmmm. Yet ... the same targe
> t count, when counting strictly "anything conducti
> ve". Eg.: when you include aluminum shrapnel, et
> c....
>
> After observing these type target counts a few tim
> es, he began to object : He accused me of "cherry
> picking", since I had TID. To which I vehemently
> denied. I was .... like him .... in relic mindset
> (ie.: dig all except iron). Yet I couldn't deny t
> hat my array of "keepers" (ie.: coins and buttons)
> was always 2x or 3x better than him. IT JUST D
> IDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE !
>
> Finally, we both figured it out : Even though I w
> as in "relic mindset" (ie.: dig everything from fo
> il-&-upwards), yet .... since there was NO LACK OF
> SIGNALS TO CHOOSE FROM, that : I was apparently s
> ubconsciously favoring nicer sounds, over flitty l
> ow foil turd sounds. I wasn't doing it on purpo
> se. It was subconscious, in the vast array to cho
> ose from. Versus him, with no tone ID, would str
> ictly hear a conductive sound, and would dig. (u
> nless of course he turned on his flashlight, and p
> aid attention to where the needle would bounce....
> ).
>
> The next day, he drove 50 miles, to the nearest Mi
> nelab dealer, and put down top dollar on an Explor
> er. Doh !
>
> So as you can see: There is benefit to "50 tones
> ", even if you don't think you are using it. Th
> at is just one example. I can give you many simi
> lar scenarios where TID (whether via tones or #'s)
> has come in VERY handy.


Tom, are you upset

Bill long wrote <Tom, are you upset ?


Nahh, I think he's just passionate.

The Xcal has no TID and is simplistic...... but what really adds to people liking the machine is the info they get from those many tones. You CAN pick and choose once you learn what its telling you. Compare it to the Nox ...... where its so sensitive to surface minerals which hit right there in the small gold range ..... you have to make a choice and what Geo said..... if done right. You might as well be using 2 tones. There are times we all like to cherry pick ...... that more difficult to do with less freqs or tones which cover multi digits. Is it easier on you ears with a lot of falsing having fewer tones? Do we dig more or less with fewer tones? With say the Xcal ..... i can almost tell you what the target is....... not so much in 5 tones on the Nox...... so who digs more targets...... and who finds more gold? Also you do get more info as the coil approaches the target and passes over it ...... like the ROUNDNESS of a ring. You dont get that from a ping, pong or quick tone.

ozzie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bill long wrote <Tom, are you upset ?
>
>
> Nahh, I think he's just passionate.


I think he's VERY talkative!

Not a dumb question. I learned on an XLT which has 190 tones. After a while I could tell when a high sweet tone was silver or a fake high tone was iron. The learning curve was insane, but made the transition to my F75 easy. Eventually I will get a Nox 800 & small coil & experiment with the tones. Keep friending.

Jeff

Information....is the upside. I dig with 50 tones on the Nox. Tone kh at 1 in the low range and 25 in the high. tone volumes 1 in the low range and 25 in the high... the machine provides a lot of information setup like this but I wished it had better audio modulation. I can still tell a deep target but not like I can with Deus ….. I would never dig with a 2 tone machine and all I hunt is relic sites....that is just a boring way to hunt to me...also I like that I can tell when I am about to dig a silver or something round . That is part of the fun to me.