I still cringe thinking about that day at the old scrapyard. I’d been swinging in All-Metal mode for two hours, digging every beep, and my hole count was 27—all nails, foil, and a rusted can lid. My back ached, my trowel was bent, and I was this close to chunking my detector into a bush.
Then Dave wandered over. You know Dave—retired mechanic, wears a hat that says “Dig Deep or Go Home,” and knows more about detectors than the guy who invented ’em. “What’re you doin’?” he said, grinning. “You’re usin’ a Swiss Army knife like it’s a butter knife. Flip modes, kid.”
Turns out, he was right. Detectors don’t have one “mode”—they’ve got three, each with a job. All-Metal to find stuff, Discrimination to skip junk, Pinpoint to dig straight. Learn when to flip? You stop digging holes and start finding treasures. Let me show you how (and where I messed up).
All-Metal Mode: The “See Everything” Sweep
All-Metal’s like turning on a floodlight—nothing’s hidden. Every nail, coin, tiny gold flake? It beeps. At first, I thought that was great. “I won’t miss anything!” I told Dave. He just shook his head.
When It Works (And When It Doesn’t)
Last spring, I hunted a clean farm field—no trash, just soft dirt. Flipped to All-Metal, cranked sensitivity to 80%, and swept fast. In 10 minutes, I had four solid beeps. Switched to Discrimination to check ’em out, and sure enough: two Civil War bullets, a 1920s quarter, and a rusted horseshoe (okay, some junk, but mostly good).
But at that scrapyard? All-Metal was a disaster. Beeps everywhere, no rhyme or reason. Dave said, “All-Metal’s for clean ground. Trashy spots? It’s like tryin’ to read a book in a hailstorm.”
Pro move: Use All-Metal for your first pass—cover ground fast, mark promising signals. Then switch. Don’t stay in it forever unless the field’s spotless.
Discrimination Mode: The “Skip the Junk” Filter
Discrimination’s like having a bouncer at a club—keeps the riffraff out. You set it to ignore iron (nails, rusty bits) and low-conductivity stuff (foil, pull-tabs), so only coins and jewelry beep.
But here’s my dumb mistake: I cranked the filter too tight. At a park last summer, I set it to ignore everything below 50. Felt smart—no more pull-tabs! But I missed a 1943 copper penny (they’re thin, so they read low). Dave found it later, shook his head. “You’re keepin’ out the good stuff with the bad. Loosen up.”
Now I start with a soft filter: ignore 0–30 (iron nails), leave the rest open. If pull-tabs (around 40) are everywhere, I “notch” out just that tiny range—like evicting one loud neighbor instead of the whole building.
Where it shines: Trashy spots—parks, old picnic areas, scrapyards. Last month, I used it at a baseball field, notched out 35–45 (pull-tabs), and walked away with three silver dimes. No junk.
Pinpoint Mode: The “Dig Exactly Here” Button
Pinpoint’s the laser—turn it on, and it screams when you’re right over the target. No more digging a crater to find a tiny ring.
But I used to skip it. Thought I was “too good” to need it. Big mistake. At the beach last year, I heard a beep, dug a huge hole, and still missed the ring. Dave watched me flail, then handed me his detector. “Pinpoint, genius.” Two seconds later, he pointed to the exact spot. Dug 3 inches—there it was.
How to use it: After All-Metal finds a signal and Discrimination says it’s good, hit Pinpoint. Sweep slow, listen for the loudest tone—that’s where to dig. Small hole, big reward.
The Flow That Finally Works (After 100 Mistakes)
Dave taught me a rhythm:
- All-Metal first: Sweep fast, mark every beep with a flag.
- Discrimination next: Hit each flag, see if the beep stays. If it does, it’s worth checking.
- Pinpoint last: Lock in the spot, dig a tiny hole.
Last week, I tried this at an old farm:
- All-Metal flagged 12 signals in 15 minutes.
- Discrimination killed 8 (all nails).
- Pinpointed the remaining 4—dug up a Civil War button, two dimes, and a rusted spoon (hey, not perfect).
Way better than digging 27 holes for nothing.
Field Notebook Takeaways (Scribbled in Dirt)
- All-Metal: Use first, on clean ground. Fast sweeps, mark signals. Don’t overstay.
- Discrimination: Start loose (0–30 ignored), notch pull-tabs if needed. Don’t filter too tight—you’ll miss good stuff.
- Pinpoint: Always use it. Saves time, saves your back, keeps holes small.
- Multi-frequency metal detectors? They handle mode switches better—less static when flipping, especially on saltwater beaches.
- Re-balance ground after switching modes—minerals love to mess with signals.
Dumb Questions I Used to Ask (Answered)
Q: Can I just use one mode?
A: Sure, if you like digging junk or missing treasures. Modes work together—like a team.
Q: Why does my detector act weird when I switch modes?
A: Ground balance gets mad. Hit “GB” after switching—calms it down.
Q: Is Discrimination cheating?
A: Nah. It’s just being smart. Why dig a nail when you could dig a coin?
Modes aren’t magic. They’re tools—you just gotta learn when to pick ’em up. I still mess up: last week, I forgot to switch out of Discrimination and almost missed a deep silver coin. But most days? This flow works.
What about you? Got a mode horror story? Found something cool after figuring out when to flip? Drop a comment—I’ll read ’em all (and probably laugh, ’cause I’ve been there).
Happy hunting. May your next mode switch be a good one.