Settings
Metal Detector Settings by Machine and Site Type
A starting setup for every machine on every kind of ground: sensitivity, discrimination, recovery speed, ground balance and coil choice for parks, beaches, salt water, old house sites, farmland and goldfields, with an honest verdict on whether the machine belongs there at all.
180 pages, 20 machines across 9 kinds of ground
Every page here starts with a verdict rather than a settings table, because on a fair number of these combinations the honest answer is that the machine does not belong on that ground. A detector whose control box is not waterproof should not go in the surf at any setting, a single-frequency machine fights wet salt sand no matter how it is tuned, and a coin machine will walk over most of the gold in a goldfield. Those pages say so and point somewhere better.
Everything else is a starting point to calibrate, not a prescription. Your manual is the authority on what each control does, and the only depth figure worth trusting is the one you measure yourself with buried targets in your own soil.
Minelab Equinox 900
- Equinox 900 on a town park
- Equinox 900 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Equinox 900 on dry sand above the tide line
- Equinox 900 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Equinox 900 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Equinox 900 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Equinox 900 on an old house site or homestead
- Equinox 900 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Equinox 900 on a known goldfield
Minelab Equinox 700
- Equinox 700 on a town park
- Equinox 700 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Equinox 700 on dry sand above the tide line
- Equinox 700 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Equinox 700 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Equinox 700 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Equinox 700 on an old house site or homestead
- Equinox 700 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Equinox 700 on a known goldfield
Minelab Manticore
- Manticore on a town park
- Manticore on a sports field or recreation ground
- Manticore on dry sand above the tide line
- Manticore on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Manticore on the surf and shallow salt water
- Manticore on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Manticore on an old house site or homestead
- Manticore on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Manticore on a known goldfield
Nokta The Legend Pro Pack
- Legend on a town park
- Legend on a sports field or recreation ground
- Legend on dry sand above the tide line
- Legend on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Legend on the surf and shallow salt water
- Legend on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Legend on an old house site or homestead
- Legend on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Legend on a known goldfield
Nokta The Legend 2
- Legend 2 on a town park
- Legend 2 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Legend 2 on dry sand above the tide line
- Legend 2 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Legend 2 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Legend 2 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Legend 2 on an old house site or homestead
- Legend 2 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Legend 2 on a known goldfield
Nokta Simplex Ultra
- Simplex Ultra on a town park
- Simplex Ultra on a sports field or recreation ground
- Simplex Ultra on dry sand above the tide line
- Simplex Ultra on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Simplex Ultra on the surf and shallow salt water
- Simplex Ultra on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Simplex Ultra on an old house site or homestead
- Simplex Ultra on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Simplex Ultra on a known goldfield
Minelab X-Terra Pro
- X-Terra Pro on a town park
- X-Terra Pro on a sports field or recreation ground
- X-Terra Pro on dry sand above the tide line
- X-Terra Pro on wet salt sand on the tide line
- X-Terra Pro on the surf and shallow salt water
- X-Terra Pro on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- X-Terra Pro on an old house site or homestead
- X-Terra Pro on ploughed or pasture farmland
- X-Terra Pro on a known goldfield
Minelab X-Terra Elite
- X-Terra Elite on a town park
- X-Terra Elite on a sports field or recreation ground
- X-Terra Elite on dry sand above the tide line
- X-Terra Elite on wet salt sand on the tide line
- X-Terra Elite on the surf and shallow salt water
- X-Terra Elite on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- X-Terra Elite on an old house site or homestead
- X-Terra Elite on ploughed or pasture farmland
- X-Terra Elite on a known goldfield
Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro-Pack
- Vanquish 540 on a town park
- Vanquish 540 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Vanquish 540 on dry sand above the tide line
- Vanquish 540 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Vanquish 540 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Vanquish 540 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Vanquish 540 on an old house site or homestead
- Vanquish 540 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Vanquish 540 on a known goldfield
Minelab Vanquish 340
- Vanquish 340 on a town park
- Vanquish 340 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Vanquish 340 on dry sand above the tide line
- Vanquish 340 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Vanquish 340 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Vanquish 340 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Vanquish 340 on an old house site or homestead
- Vanquish 340 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Vanquish 340 on a known goldfield
Garrett AT Pro
- AT Pro on a town park
- AT Pro on a sports field or recreation ground
- AT Pro on dry sand above the tide line
- AT Pro on wet salt sand on the tide line
- AT Pro on the surf and shallow salt water
- AT Pro on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- AT Pro on an old house site or homestead
- AT Pro on ploughed or pasture farmland
- AT Pro on a known goldfield
Garrett AT Max
- AT Max on a town park
- AT Max on a sports field or recreation ground
- AT Max on dry sand above the tide line
- AT Max on wet salt sand on the tide line
- AT Max on the surf and shallow salt water
- AT Max on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- AT Max on an old house site or homestead
- AT Max on ploughed or pasture farmland
- AT Max on a known goldfield
Garrett AT Gold
- AT Gold on a town park
- AT Gold on a sports field or recreation ground
- AT Gold on dry sand above the tide line
- AT Gold on wet salt sand on the tide line
- AT Gold on the surf and shallow salt water
- AT Gold on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- AT Gold on an old house site or homestead
- AT Gold on ploughed or pasture farmland
- AT Gold on a known goldfield
Garrett ACE 300
- ACE 300 on a town park
- ACE 300 on a sports field or recreation ground
- ACE 300 on dry sand above the tide line
- ACE 300 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- ACE 300 on the surf and shallow salt water
- ACE 300 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- ACE 300 on an old house site or homestead
- ACE 300 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- ACE 300 on a known goldfield
Garrett ACE 400
- ACE 400 on a town park
- ACE 400 on a sports field or recreation ground
- ACE 400 on dry sand above the tide line
- ACE 400 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- ACE 400 on the surf and shallow salt water
- ACE 400 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- ACE 400 on an old house site or homestead
- ACE 400 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- ACE 400 on a known goldfield
Garrett ACE Apex
- ACE Apex on a town park
- ACE Apex on a sports field or recreation ground
- ACE Apex on dry sand above the tide line
- ACE Apex on wet salt sand on the tide line
- ACE Apex on the surf and shallow salt water
- ACE Apex on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- ACE Apex on an old house site or homestead
- ACE Apex on ploughed or pasture farmland
- ACE Apex on a known goldfield
Garrett Vortex VX9
- Vortex VX9 on a town park
- Vortex VX9 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Vortex VX9 on dry sand above the tide line
- Vortex VX9 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Vortex VX9 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Vortex VX9 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Vortex VX9 on an old house site or homestead
- Vortex VX9 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Vortex VX9 on a known goldfield
XP Deus II
- Deus II on a town park
- Deus II on a sports field or recreation ground
- Deus II on dry sand above the tide line
- Deus II on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Deus II on the surf and shallow salt water
- Deus II on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Deus II on an old house site or homestead
- Deus II on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Deus II on a known goldfield
Fisher F22
- Fisher F22 on a town park
- Fisher F22 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Fisher F22 on dry sand above the tide line
- Fisher F22 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Fisher F22 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Fisher F22 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Fisher F22 on an old house site or homestead
- Fisher F22 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Fisher F22 on a known goldfield
Minelab Gold Monster 1000
- Gold Monster 1000 on a town park
- Gold Monster 1000 on a sports field or recreation ground
- Gold Monster 1000 on dry sand above the tide line
- Gold Monster 1000 on wet salt sand on the tide line
- Gold Monster 1000 on the surf and shallow salt water
- Gold Monster 1000 on a freshwater lake or river shallows
- Gold Monster 1000 on an old house site or homestead
- Gold Monster 1000 on ploughed or pasture farmland
- Gold Monster 1000 on a known goldfield
Researched, not professional advice. Settings guidance is compiled from manufacturer specifications and manuals, not hands-on testing, and every control range differs by model and firmware. Get the landowner's permission before detecting anywhere you do not own, keep off protected land, and fill every hole. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.