Home

Instruction Manual Explorer S & XS

1. THE MINELAB EXPLORER SETTING RANGE FACTORY PRESET USERA USERB Detector rrode Quickstart Advanced Quickstart e e Sersitivity function Serri auto Manual Serri auto MAIN MENU MENU Sensitivity value 1 2 16 J t vat Threshold 0 20 10 e Discrirrination function Iron Mask Discrim Discrim Iron Mask value 16 0 6 Noise channel 1 1 5 QUICKSTART Display type Srrart Digital Smart MODE Leam Adv Edit Adv Display size Norrral Full screen Norrral Display contrast 1 10 6 Leam cursor size Small Medium Large Large Edit frarre size Small Medium Large Small IRON MASK Audio Volurre Max lirrit 0 10 10 Audio Gain 1 10 5 Audio Th Tone Lowest 1 10 5 Audio Tone Variability 1 10 8 Audio Tone Lirrits 1 10 10 ADVANCED Audio Sounds Const Conduct Ferrous Conduct MODE Options Response Norrral Audio 1 Norrral Audio 2 Audio 3 Options Recovery Fast On Off Off Options Recovery Deep On Off Off Minelab suggests that you record your preferences using a pencil or make photocopies of this table Noise channel is selected automatically by the Noise Cancel shortcut button or manually through Main Menu gt Options gt NOISE selection This option cannot be saved into User A or User B Selections not saved Backlight status Pinpoint USER PREFERENCES CONTROL PANEL BUTTON FUNCTIONS MINELAB www minelab com 7 THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE
2. 38 Advanced rrode s Main Menu easy reference Ile nR Ho mee rU E Starting in Advanced ME 69 Quickstart display easy 40 Advanced Mode s displays easy 70 42 Advanced rrode s Leam display easy reference 71 yf THE MINELAB EXPLORER ay MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER Dano ILE wwww rrinelab com 1 E Ld 5 Introduction The Explorer is the most technologically E dvanced detector ever producecL Itis possible to start treasure hunting as soon as you have assembled the detector but itis worth faniliarizing MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER This manual is designed to introduce the detectors features give you step by step directions for everything from assembling and adjusting your detector to basic detector use and custonizing your own advanced settings wwwuminelab com HM a O E 2 INTRODUCTION Basic overview of the Explorer and this User s Manual 5 QUICKSTART However experienced you are at using a rretal detector itis inportant that you read this chapter to understand how to use the Explorer 2 ASSEMBLY in Quickstart mode This chapter provides det
3. Figure 6 10 Edit screen with target crosshair and medium target frane This tutorial builds upon what has been covered in earlier target tutorials The tutorial s four phases outline the steps necessary to edit and save a preselected discrimination pattem PHASE 1 Preparing for editing srEP1 Choose SELECT fromthe Main Menu and press the top right shift button to CLEAR the Srrartfind thurrbnail display step 2 Figure 6 8 Move down the target list and accept J EWELRY and reject FOIL to establish an initial discrirrination pattern srEP3 Press the Main Menu shortcut button and select DISPLAY srEPA Figure 6 9 Select EDIT to show the ADVANCED EDIT screen Itis now possible to change the existing discrirrination pattern PHASE 2 Resizing and moving the target frame steps Figure 6 10 To change the size of the target frarre press the top left shift button to switch between Edit s three target frarre sizes For the purposes of this tutorial please choose the mediumsized frarre srEPe the target frarre press the shift buttons next to the display s navigation arrows Position the resized frane over the screen section you wish to edit in the location approximated in Figure 6 10 Continued next page EDITING AND SAVING TARGET PATTERNS gt lt gt a m THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER www minelab com
4. Introducing Tone Figure 5 18 Menu gt Audio gt TONE Tone is the frequency of sound emitted on target detection Itis irrportantto experiment with tone settings and listen carefully to tone variations during your detecting To test variation in tones upon selection it will be helpful to move the coil across a few different targets spaced apart Threshold tone Threshold Tone allows you to adjust the tone of the threshold huni This can be modified using the slider control to suit your preferred threshold tone Variability Variability controls how much the tone will change depending on the target s characteristics A setting of 10 represents significant variation fromtarget to target A setting of 1 represents minimum change in pitch Variation of pitch between targets can greatly assist in identifying targets in close proximity to one another Linits This sets the upper limit of all tones emitted the Explorer Minelab recontrends setting the upper limit to the highest frequency you are corrfortable with You can testthe upper lirrits with a highly conductive object e 9 a large silver coin Setting the lirritto 1 will produce only low pitch target signals a setting of 10 wil provide very high as well as low pitch signals AUDIO ADJ USTING THE TONE a wn 4 gt 4 c a Uu 4 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER U p BU ip ci ce P o
5. MEMINI MED 15 Connecting the shaft asserrbly 16 2 En 18 Ig D 2 Replacing and fitting the search coil stre 21 GED EXPLORER MODEL DIFFERENCES A A En 23 d E 24 Bater peront er a REED 27 Please note that this manual describes all features on both models of the Explorer THE CONTROL PANEL Lc cere creen cesa ne manas enhn amena ns Ras s a 29 T diffi es in feat 1f ti bet the The control panel easy reference 30 POWer aNd HONS TM 31 lorer S and lorer XS models Please refer to the lorer Exp Exi Exi BAKKA 32 Model Features table included in Chapter 7 User Info to check 5 M EE ON BAS OI E 33 which features are included in your detector SAAR ATA I 35 MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS THE MINELAB EXPLORER ww rminelab com aec 37 FI ADVANCED USE 67 i 68 hace
6. EDITING AND SAVING TARGETS ADVANCED MODE S SELECT MENU In Advanced mode the Explorer allows you to define and save your own target pattems Advanced mode s Select menu ADVANCED EDIT PHASE Rejec ng the framed target area SELECT ax dud CLERR 7 Figure 6 11 reject the area enclosed the target frarre press the center left shift button once You will note Y that a cross appears next to the button and the area of Menu gt SELECT This section follows on fromthe Selecting Targets section of the ma m b screen within the target frarre has darkened Quickstart chapter page 62 rama Figure 6 11 Rejecting frarred target area Figure 6 12 Itis now possible to drag the target frarre to SELECT A Ced s one distinction Quickstartis the addition of the left to increase the rejected area until it connects to ADVANCED EDIT the zone rejected previously m X 6 itens to the SELECT target list These six options are the a rrerrorized discrimination pattems you have selected or manually NOTE To accept the framed area press the center left created in LEARN or EDIT This has been described in detail in the shift button until a tick appears next to the button This y preceding pages of this chapter and is explained further in Saving gt instructs the Explorer to clear the framed area 634 Two amples of EE Targets on the following page rrode s S
7. MINELAB wwww rrinelab com gt c gt c c a m THE MINELAB EXPLORER ADVANCED MODE S MAIN MENU MAIN MENU raea PERA USER Many of Advanced IVbde s operational functions are accessed through the Main Menu This guide is intended to direct you to the appropriate pages to learn more The descriptions below are also displayed in help function when a shift button menu option is pressed and held DISPLAY menu See page 70 Menu to select DIGITAL SMART LEARN or EDIT display and CONTRAST adjustrrent SELECT menu See page 79 Menu to choose or more pre prograrrrred or saved target pattems frorna list SAVE DISCRIM See page 80 Menu where up to user defined target pattems may be saved AUDIO menu See page SL Menu to manually adjust VOLUME TONE or SOUNDS It is also possible to access the volurre settings by pressing the shift button next to the volurre icon in LEARN OPTIONS menu See pages 82 86 Menu to select NOISE RESPONSE or RECOVERY options or take you back to QUICKSTART rrode SETTINGS menu See page 87 Menu to save or load user preferred settings NOTE Pages 71 80 refer to functions only available for the Explorer XS ADVANCED MODE S MAIN MENU THE MINELAB EXPLORER STARTING IN ADVANCED MODE POWER From this point on it is assumed that you have fariliarized yourself with the Quickstart chapter of this Manual and spent
8. wwwuminelab com ADVANCED EDIT a L1 Y EH gt Lm Lm Figure 6 7 Edit screen with target frame gt gt O m a m Edit makes it possible to custonize an existing discrimination pattem to match your preferred target characteristics Introducing Edit Figure 6 7 Main Menu gt Options gt EDIT As described earlier in this chapter Advanced rrode s LEARN display allows you to accept or reject a target and create your own discrimination pattems EDIT offers a final enhancerrernt to these targeting features enabling you to make manual changes to any discrimination pattem For example Leam mode s target selection may not provide quite the result you wanted even when using a different sized cursor Rather than start all over again you can just touch up your results Similarly you may find that the discrimination pattem for FOIL may need to be modified to suit your requirerrents The following tutorial outlines howto edit and then save discrimination pattems NOTE Make sure Pinpoint is in OFF position before using EDIT to custonize your discrinination pattem EDITING PATTERNS THE MINELAB EXPLORER EDITING AND SAVING TARGET PATTERNS SELECT m X Figure 6 amp 8 Select option ADVANCED EDIT a ENT Figure 6 9 Edit screen with srrall target frame m ADVANCED EDIT E m C Y 1
9. MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd RP Iz This docurrent contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright Apart from any use as perrritted under the Copyright Act 1968 no part may be reproduced by any process without written perrrission from Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd 118 Hayward Avenue A IMTRODUCTRONE eure one ac eie a E ER A eaa aa 1 Torrensville SA 5031 Australia wwww rminelab com this erie rS 2 WARNING This docurrent contains Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd Introducing the Minelab 3 rights technical data or restricted rights data or both Patents and Minelab s unique teCHNOIOGY 4 traderrarks apply Since there may be a range of options available in this detector A ASSEMBLY type equipment may vary according to the model or items ordered va Unpacking your Explorer easy reference 10 with your detector Certain descriptions and illustrations may differ UNPACKING EE aar MURDER Gn this manual from the exact model that you purchased In Pec pqae gelip fe iero EME 12 addition Minelab reserve the right to respond to ongoing technical by int fucing in design 1 Connecting the search coil 13 technical features at any time
10. 0409 Audio 2 This setting is sirrilar to Audio 1 with the addition of sorre filtering of the audio tone response Audio 2 reduces the variability of the pitch offering a smoother continuous sound Audo This setting is similar to Audio 2 with increased filtering of the audio tone response This offers rrore consistent tone for a single target but for multiple targets the tones will blend NOTE Itis recommended you experiment with these settings once you are familiar with the sounds produced by the Explorer in the Normal Response setting then choose according to conditions and preference gt gt a m OPTIONS RESPONSE MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER OPTIONS RECOVERY RECOVERY em Bish Main Menu gt Options gt RECOVERY THE MINELAB EXPLORER wawwuminelab com The Settings menu provides the acivanced user the opportunity to save all user preferred settings as an alternative to preprogrammed Explorer settings SETTINGS This menu allows you to modify the way the discrimination process LOAD SAVE Figure 6 21 works Recovery settings affect both the detector s audio and omni Main Menu gt Options gt SETTINGS display response to target characteristics USER R USER A Once you have selected and modified the detector s operational USER B USER B settings as detailed in Chapters 5 and 6 itis possible to save themto the Explorer s memor
11. The degree of sensitivity is increased by pressing the top shift button and decreased by pressing the bottom shift button on the left side of the control panel Pressing the center left shift button Switches between serri auto and manual sensitivity Seni auto A line cycling around the number indicates that the detector s sensitivity is in serri autorratic mode In this mode the detector continuously monitors the environrrental conditions and will adjust actual detector sensitivity as close as possible to your specified level of stability depending on these conditions Manual In the manual mode where the line does not cycle around the nurrber the adjustrrent controls the sensitivity directly This mode is suitable for the beach and very quiet unrrineralized ground Manual sensitivity is also recontrended for high trash areas when best results are obtained by sweeping the coil very slowly A high manual nurrber is preferable for stable conditions with low interference A low nurrber is suggested for very variable noisy conditions Adjusting sensitivity The highest sensitivity setting 32 is suitable in only the least noisy rroststable environrrents Decreasing sensitivity will stabilize the detector where itis affected by noise or interference but will marginally affect depth penetration and detection of srrall objects This may still be preferable to operating with excessive background chatter ADJ US
12. 2 gt eo Full screen icon Selection enlarges display to fill QUICKSTART DISPLAY Smertfind display The shaded and unshaded areas of the screen are Srrartfind s preset Discrirrination setting Srrartfind also has an alternative Iron Mask setting See pages 42 43 Pinpoint This shaded block indicates whether PINPOINT is ON or OFF See page 59 Battery life This icon indicates the charge remaining in the installed batteries See page 27 Aclustment arrows Pressing shift buttons nextto these arrows increases or decreases preset settings screen See page 48 This icon temporarily changes to showthe threshold level setting when threshold is being adjusted Target crosshair Represents the detected object s properties on a two dimensional scale of discrirrination See page 42 43 QUICKSTART DISPLAY a Uu gt E a wn 4 ES 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER QUICKSTART S SMARTFIND DISPLAY When first using the detector you will see the Smurtfind screen Smertfind displays an objects characteristics using a two dimensional scale of target discrimination QUICKSTART SMART ES 15 el mana Figure 5 3 Srrartfind display with preset Coins discrirrination pattem Two dimensional discrimination Figure 5 3 When an object is detected Srrartfind indicates what kind of object you have found with a target cr
13. E start in Quickstart s i detector or just want to brush up on basic detector use itis sinple to C Quickstart settings are optirrized to provide you with accurate detection in most conditions you will encounter in the field so you Tons gral y g Figure L1 Quickstart mode can concentrate your attention on the objects you discover This rranual s Chapter 4 Control Panel outlines all of the control Tum the detector off and then PRESS AND HOLD THE POWER BUTTON panel features needed to use your detector in Quickstart or until a six note musical tune is sounded rising C msjor chord The Advanced rrode including shortcut buttons special functions like Mi bebri Pinpoint and adjusting your detector settings g Po A on the screen a5 shown above Chapter 5 Quickstart explains basic use in detail and provides tips on everything fromsweeping the detector coil to digging up objects This Wil retum you to the original Quickstart mode settings You can resume detecting or make selections fromthe Main Menu MINELAB S UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY MINELAB S UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY MINELAB www rinelab com m a z THE MINELAB EXPLORER minati Discrimination is the ability of a metal detector to identify the users desired target e g jewelry and eliminate signals from undesirable material e g nail
14. Figure 6 19 Response menu NORMAL P0408 a AUDIO 1 411 Introducing Response THE MINELAB EXPLORER Figure 6 19 Main Menu gt Options gt RESPONSE The relationship between proximity of targets to one another and detector response can influence its perfomance The RESPONSE option allows you to select the way the detector responds to targets and change the way targets sound upon detection Response can affect your ability to identify certain targets in differing circumstances Nomai This is the factory preset of the detector in Quickstart and Advanced nodes Only Advanced node provides alternative audio options to Norrral Norrral errits a short response to targets alrrosta beep and is recorrrrended for general detecting conditions However it should be noted that Normal has the potential to rriss srrall targets in areas littered with objects producing a target response Audio 1 This setting is ideal for responding to several targets close together Audio 1 offers an almost continuous audio response Itis recorrrrended for the experienced user who can pick the differences in tone between various targets This setting should be used in corrbination with display responses It will help if you sweep the search coil in different directions to separate the targets The tone can be rrore confusing for tne beginner but it has the potential to offer greater accuracy and depth OPTIONS RESPONSE P0z10 a
15. Full Low battery power battery power auan EPEA EEE gt ours Mbre detecting time NOTE Unlike Nickel Cadmium batteries the NiMH battery To extend battery life use headphones tum off the backlight tum the detector off when not in use Figure 3 4 Visual indication The battery life indicator appears on all of the Explorer detect screens The battery will be fully shaded at rreximumbattrery charge When this shaded area nears the botom the detector will begin to sound its low battery warning Audio indication When the alkaline or NiMH batteries approach the point at which they do not supply enough power to operate the Explorer a falling extended chord is emitted fromthe speaker or headphones When this low battery warning is heard there will be only few minutes of life left in the batteries Itis recorrrrended that the batteries be replaced or recharged as soon as possible to avoid missing any targets When the battery syrribol is corrpletely errpty the detector will sound an extended dropping tune and display a rressage irrrrediately before turning itself off W w gt 4 4 E m Uu Notes supporting perfomance figures Alkaline batteries will power the Explorer for up to 14 hours of constant use The NiMH battery pack will power the detector for up to 11 hours of constant use Battery perfonmance is charted in Chapter 7 User Info pack DOES NOT have to
16. MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwwuminelab com N gt gt w m Figure 2 6 Attaching coil cable to control box ee chi as a icd Connecting the shaft assembly to the handie assembly Figure 2 6 2 9 NOTE Shaft orientation coil cable is on bottom of lower shaft and candock is on top of upper shaft To connect the shaft asserrbly to the handle asserrbly STEP1 STEP2 STEPS STEP4 Figure 2 6 Release the control box camock lever to the open position Figure 2 6 Align the connections and push the coil cable connector into the socket undemeath the handle asserrbly control box Ensure the connector s threaded bracelet is firmly secured Figure 2 7 To prevent the coil cable from bunching extend the lower shaft fromthe upper shaft by approximately 15cm 6 inches Figure 2 8 Making sure that the control box carrock lever is inthe released push the upper shaft firmly into the control box until you feel it has reached the back of the control box P0342 b Figure 2 7 Preventing the coil cable bunching CONNECTING THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY THE MINELAB EXPLORER 5199 Figure 2 8 Inserting shaft asserrbly into control box P0314 b Figure 2 9 Adjusting the shaft and angle of the search coil These instructions require the search coil to be connected to the lower shaft Fo
17. Recovery one of the Explorer s Advanced options allows the user to modify the way the discrimination process works and affects the audio and display responses to target characteristics The signal or audible indication of a target Also a menu affecting the audio response of the detector The search coil is the circular plate swept across the ground surface during detecting Ittransrrits electromagnetic signals into the ground and receives the response GLOSSARY OF TERMS Sensitivity Shift buttons Slider control Smuartfind Threshold hum The detector s level of response to a target in the presence of ground noise and or electrorragnetic disturbance An adjustable asserrbly rrade up of the upper and lower shaft connected by camlocks The shaft asserrbly connects the search coil tothe handle asserrbly The three buttons at either side of the display screen are called shift buttons They allowselection of adjacent menu items rroverrent of screen slider controls and adjustrrent of settings Blue buttons on the control panel which offer quick access to the functions and settings most likely to be used during detector operation Noise Cancel Iron Mask Pinpoint and Detect are all shortcut buttons Visual representation of setting adjustments for a particular function e g screen contrast Settings may be adjusted with shift buttons at either side of the display screen One of the Explorer s displays Srrartfind vis
18. SOUNDS ONST INDUCT FERROUS Figure 5 19 Sounds menu rots Introducing Sounds THE MINELAB EXPLORER Figure 5 19 Main Menu gt Audio gt SOUNDS The SOUNDS nenu allows you to define how the pitch varies with target characteristics This can be a very useful feature in identifying targets in close proximity to one another Itis possible to instruct the detector to emit distinct sound responding to an object s ferrous characteristics rather than its conductive properties To test sounds upon selection itis necessary to move the coil across or more targets with different conductive and ferrous properties Constant Menu gt Audio gt Sounds gt CONST Selecting CONST elirrinates the variation of the pitch upon detection If selected the Explorer will emit a consistent tone regardless of the target detected Conductivity Main Menu gt Audio gt Sounds gt CONDUCT Conduct is the factory preset and Minelab s recorrrrended option Selecting CONDUCT adjusts the tone to identify the object relative to its conductivity the vertical axis of the Smartfind screen A high pitched tone denotes a large highly conductive object with target crosshair displayed near the top of the Srrartfind screen or near a Digital rating of 32 A low pitched tone denotes a small object with low conductivity The target crosshair is displayed near the bottomof the Smartfind screen
19. n m m You can now proceed to detect with this setting knowing it has been saved for future use in similar conditions On the next occasion you wish to use these preferred settings you can load by choosing SETTINGS fromthe Options menu and pressing the shift button next to the USER A or USER B option on the left side of the screen Continued next page OPTIONS RECOVERY SETTINGS MENU MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER A screen prompt will appear asking if you want to discard your Get into the habit Current detector settings and load the rrerrorized setting Select YES settings will load in about 5 seconds wwww rrinelab com As mentioned earier in this Manual starting in factory preset EJ table of Explorer functions with a range of values discards all unsaved adjustments and factory presets is provided in Chapter 7 User Info y 4 To prevent this happening when page 93 94 This table is designed to be used for recording your saved preferences You may wish to make Photocopies of this blank table for future changes you have gone to the effort of adjusting the Explorer to suit your own needs it is worth saving for a future detecting session You should now be familiar with all aspects of your v See TE User Info will save all of your preferences technical details and other valuable user information This will provide you with two like the Glossary refer to Chapter 7 User Info sets
20. with the battery pack may damage it and will void the product warranty Recharging NiMH battery pack with the car charger The Explorer XS is provided with a car charger that boosts the voltage of the car battery usually about 12V to a voltage sufficiently high to charge the NiMH battery pack step 1 Remove battery pack as per instructions on page 24 srEP2 Insert the car charger plug into the cigarette lighter socket step Insert the car charger plug into the socket at the tapered end of the battery pack A small light on the car charger illurrinates indicating that the car charger is in operation NOTE Some vehicles will need the ignition to be switched on to accessories for power to be supplied to the charger srEPA Leave the battery to charge for about 16 hours for a complete recharge If the battery was not completely discharged the charging tirre will be shorter The car charger is provided with a 3AG 2Arrp fast fuse for short circuit protection that can be accessed by unscrewing the tip of the cigarette lighter plug Nore Charging the battery beyond full capacity will not damage the NiMH battery pack but it could gradually discharge your car battery THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE BATTERY PACK BATTERY PERFORMANC QUICKSTART SMART NS Battery life indications Ea a s R EH Y m Y Figure 3 4 Battery life indicator Battery Life
21. MAIN MENU Figure 5 22 SELECT displays the SELECT target list Figure 5 23 Itis possible to CLERR move down this list using the left middle and lower shift buttons Coins The selections in order of appearance are Fe Coins e CLEAR clears Srrartfind screen Figure 5 2 The Select menu COINS non ferrous coins FE COINS ferrous coins JEWELRY rings bracelets necklaces FOIL alurriniurmfoil PULL TAB alurriniumring fromcan CROWNCAP crown seal bottle cap SCREWCAP screw on bottle NAIL nails screws short lengths of wire shards of rust Once you have rrade your selection s with a tick or cross as shown in the following tutorial press the DETECT button on the control panel to begin detecting with your new target setting s Ez When you enter the SELECT menu and make choices the Iron indicator will be automatically switched to the OFF position when you retum to the Smurtfind screen SELECTING TARGETS THE MINELAB EXPLORER SELECTING TARGETS Quickstart s SELECT menu lists eight object types typically encountered during treasure hunting It is up to you to select one or more to modify the Explorers discrinination pattem SELECT Pull Tab 4 Snertfind thumbnail Discrimination pattem for current selection s fromtarget list p Arrows for rroving up or down target list Ta Target icon as shown in D
22. MINELAB EXPLORER VOLUME QUICKSTART MENU STRUCTURE x XN QUICKSTART MENU STRUCTURE ADVANCED MENU STRUCTURE 4 4 4 Note some functions are only available on Explorer XS model ADVANCED MENU STRUCTURE 7 OF TR ER MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com FAULT TROUBLESHOOTING SOLUTION 7 ONI YISA Detector starts but it switches off by itself No sound Erratic Noises No Target Response Check the state of the batteries and battery connections Ensure battery pack lid is corrpletely closed fusing alkaline batteries check whether they have been loaded in the right polarity and correct if necessary Check the state of the batteries If necessary try starting with batteries known to be in good condition Detector ray be too hot Allow detector to cool down in a shaded area Trystarting the detector with search coil disconnected If the detector starts normally check the state of the coil cable If itis darnaged replace the coil Otherwise retum detector for repairs Unplug the headphones If there is sound in the speaker but not in the headphones checkthe headphones and their connection e Check the AUDIO rrenu s Max Limit a setting of is silent If there is no sound in the speaker or the headphones but the detector appears to work normally otherwise retum the detector for repairs
23. formof erratic noises and rroverrerts of the target crosshair even without rroverrert of the detector The NOISE option enables you to select an operating channel which does not clash with other detectors or electrical sources in the area This feature is also good for rretal detecting corrpetitions if several Explorers are working close to one another Each detector can be set to operate on a different channel so interference between detectors is elirrinated The factory setting for NOISE is 5 NOTE It may be useful to select manual sensitivity from the Smeartfind or Digital screen before atbenpting this procedure Sensitivity is covered in Chapter 5 Quickstart Page 49 To adjust channel for least noise step 1 Rest detector on the ground Make sure the detector is not moved and the area is clear of targets step 2 Use the shift buttons next to the adjust arrows to select a channel and listen for interference or noise Adjust the detector to a new channel and listen again Do this with each channel in tum until you locate the channel with the gt lt gt m least noise NOTE The number associated with Noise does not denote an increase or decrease in power It is simply a channel number which can be remembered OPTIONS NOISE MINELAB ww rrinelab com gt gt a m THE MINELAB EXPLORER OPTIONS RESPONSE RESPONSE
24. minelab com gt gt a m THE MINELAB EXPLORER OPTIONS MENU The Main Menus OPTIONS provide a selection of universal options and advanced settings OPTIONS ADVANCED RESPONSE runs Figure 6 17 Advanced rrode s Options menu The Options menu Figure 6 17 Menu OPTIONS Choosing OPTIONS fromthe Main Menu displays 5 selections QUICK and ADVANCED switch the detector between its two detecting modes To rrove from Advanced mode to Quickstart press the shift button next to the QUICK option This selection will be highlighted and the Quickstart OPTIONS menu displayed To begin detecting in Quickstart press the DETECT shortcut button The three remaining selections in OPTIONS allow you to adjust the detector to suit specific detecting environments These options are explained on the following pages OPTIONS MENU THE MINELAB EXPLORER OPTIONS NOISE NOISE Adjust channel until least noise obtained Sa gt Figure 6 18 Noise adjustment screen NOISE CANCEL Pressing the NOISE CANCEL 0404 shortcut button alerts the detector to automatically select the quietest operating channel Allow seconds and keep the search coil immobile and clear of targets Available on Explorer XS model only Noise Figure 6 18 Main Menu Options NOISE Sorretirres during detecting you rray notice sorre interference in the
25. of memorized settings which you can use at any time This chapter provides a glossary of ud Um terminology user guides technical EU specifications warranty and repoir details and troubleshooting tips gt gt a m N Lo MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER www minelab com manual Batteries Noise Cancel 7 Clearing saved pattems ONI YISN HELPFUL HINTS These tips are provided to enhance your personal use of the Explorer They are intended to work together with the infomation and instructions appearing elsewhere in the Itis norrral for the tip of the rechargeable battery to get wamrnwhile charging because the current regulator is mounted inside the battery pack Using headphones extends battery life The speaker draws significant current fromthe battery for short arrounts of tine Using the headphones when the battery voltage is low when the battery indicator s level starts decreasing helps in getting the nost out of the battery Itis best if you performa Noise Cancel with the search coil in the position used for detection This is because the interference picked up in a vertical position can be different fromthe interference picked up in the horizontal orientation In corrpetitions where several Explorers have to work nearby it rright be best to select the channels manually If you want to know what channel has been chosen by the dete
26. position Figure 2 11 Fitting buckle to armrest strap P0319 a Figure 2 12 Fitting amrest strap to amrest THE HANDLE ASSEMBLY P0320 a Figure 2 13 Tightening amrtest strap Fitting the amrest strap Figure 2 11 2 13 To fit and adjust the arrrrest strap step 1 Figure 2 11 Thread the strap through the buckle openings as illustrated srEP2 Figure 2 12 Clip both buckles into the openings at each outer side of the anvrest srEP3 Test bysliding your anmmundemeath the strap and resting your forearmon the arrrrest which should be adjusted to a confortable setting srEPA Figure 2 13 Loosen strap by tilting the edge of the buckle out to release it fromthe arrrrest Undo the velcro and pull the buckle outwards towards yourself Clip the buckle back into place and tighten the strap by pulling up in the direction of the top arrowin Figure 2 13 The amrrest should now be adjusted to your satisfaction Next tin you use your detector all you will need to do is click the buckle back into the amrest THE HANDLE ASSEMBLY N Pd m m MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwww rrinelab com N HEADPHONE SOCKET Pd lt P0324 c Figure 2 14 Inserting headphone jack Attaching headphones Figure 2 14 The use of headphones when treasure hunting with the Explorer will avoid disturbin
27. s existing multiple frequency BBS technology with powerful new microprocessor to give greater detecting depth e consistent sensitivity over a wide range of targets lessirterferencefromelectrorragnetic sources more accurate identification of target characteristics MINELAB S UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY THE MINELAB EXPLORER A metal detectors electromagnetic operating frequencies are measured in kilohertz kHz Low signal frequencies e g 15 kHz penetrate deepest but sensitivity to smaller targets is low On the other hand higher frequencies have a more shallow depth of penetration but high sensitivity to smail targets The Explorer s multiple frequency operation provides the advantage of both The Full Band Spectrum FBS circuit autorratically transrrits 28 frequencies simultaneously This increased frequency range means that the signal received fromthe detector coil is analyzed froma wide range of responses This information is relayed to the operator via the speaker or headphones and the control panel s liquid crystal display as an audio or visual target response Putsirrply Minelab s unique FBS technology rreans deep sensitive accurate detecting Ground Compensation The Explorer uses a sophisticated approach to the elirrination of ground rrineralisation It uses advanced digital filtering to elirrinate the influence of ground signals You are now ready to proceed to Chapter 2 As
28. the level set at 5 there will usually be no constant threshold hum Adjusting the level to O will ensure silent operation but could rrask audio response to srrall targets Increasing threshold The threshold humwill becorre louder as the threshold level is increased Small target responses will becorre difficult to discem as threshold nears a maximumsetting of 20 when there is certain to be a persistently loud threshold hum AD USTING THRESHOLD THE MINELAB EXPLORER AUDIO RESPONSE The Explorer enits a target audio response that varies in pitch and volume depending on what type of object it detects QUICKSTART SMART i LA Lm Cm Y Figure 5 13 Target sounding response When using headphones volume level should be adjusted to protect your hearing from excessive sound Pitch of response Figure 5 13 Generally a target that is highly conductive e g a large silver Coin errits a high pitched signal A low pitch is sounded for less conductive targets Large targets or targets close to the ground surface errit a louder signal In Quickstart s preset function Coins Discrirrination the target audio response is emitted if a target is predorrinantly non ferrous when the target crosshair is displayed in the clear part of the Srrartfind screen Figure 5 13 As you detect different targets you will quickly find it easy to identify objects by the audio and visual responses of the Explorer D
29. you are familiar with the feel and functions of the detector itis The Explorer is the first of a new generation of detectors from Minelab Its sleek sturdy SETTING Al a sinple metter to move into Advanced mode This will enable you to m design innovative control panel and conprehensive targeting options set it apart from Main Menu 2 A a change the appearance of the display modify audio responses E 2 any other detector available today Gey specify customtargets and edit and save personal settings Chapter 2 Figure L2 Advanced mode 777 6 Advanced Use provides all of the information you need to 3 Two mode detecting personalize your Explorer for specialized targeting The Explorer is so feature packed that the research teamat Minelab decided to offer two modes of operation fully autorrated detection Quickstart mode and personally customized precision detecting Advanced mode All of the detector s vital functions are common to Quickstart and Factory Reset Power On Tune Advanced mode Because the Explorer is such an innovative machine even the seasoned treasure hunter will benefit from beginning in Quickstart mode pi J a J L3 mi e e FACTORY PRESETS 8 E C C E m MAIN MENU Quickstart mode ans Srrartfind display AS SOON as you have asserrbled the Explorer you are ready to a ting When itl de oan Ms Wd xs Man Men
30. 409 excluding batteries 10 5 inches 264 Double D waterproof Intemal speaker and headphones A inch 3 5nm 32Q stereo jack Full Band Spectrum Simultaneous 28 frequency transmission ranging from 1 5kHz 100kHz Ground compensation advanced digital filtering Smartfind Two Dimensional Discrimination 64 x 128 pixel liquid crystal display LCD control panel 8x 1 5 AA Alkaline cells not included Explorer XS only 12V 1500 mAh NiMH sealed battery pack NiMH battery pack spare Car charger Coil covers Mains charger Transport case US 4890064 US 5537041 US 5506506 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER EXPLORER IVDDEL FEATURES HARDWARE Alkaline battery pack NiMh Battery 4 Mains Charger 12voltcar charger Backlight screen with backlight button Shortcut buttons Coil stand USER FUNCTIONS SOFTWARE Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes EXPLORER XS Custornselect discrirrination Saved Discrimpattems Leam Function accept reject Edit function targets Auto Noise Cancel scanning Manual Noise Cancel User saved settings audio tones etc Response Recovery No Yes Current User A User B Norrral Audio 1 2 3 Selectable Fast amp Deep The Explorer S is Minelab s base model Explorer detector Yes 6 Yes Yes Yes Yes Current User A User B Norrral Audio 1 2 3 Selectable Fast a
31. 42 for basic information see page 73 74 gt m LEARN DISPLAY EDIT DISPLAY EN Save icon This shortcut icon leads to the SAVE G ADVANCED LEARN ADVANCED EDIT Depth indicator The clear portion of the depth DISCRIM menu where the current target pattem can indicator represents the approximate distance of a be saved See page 80 E target below the coil The top of the indicator os 3 2 20 Volume icon This shortcut icon takes you to the m represents the position of the coil and the bottom m VOLUME section of the AUDIO menu where you bd x represents 12 inches fromthe coil The bar Ra can adjust various volurre characteristics See page i will be clear if the target is too far fromthe coil or its n 53 for instructions E m CN Mosa A a3 Reject All Accept All Allows you to switch between 8 Iron IVBsk This shaded block indicates whether clearing or filling the whole screen in preparation for IRON MASK function is ON or OFF accepting or rejecting leamt targets only Td LEARN and EDIT are only available for Explorer XS model See page 45 PEN a2 Battery life This shaded block indicates the charge remaining in the installed batteries See page 27 ADVANCED MODE S DISPLAYS ADVANCED MODE S LEARN DISPLAY MINELAB wwwuminelab com gt gt c a m T
32. 5 seconds POWER AND BACKLIGHT BUTTONS O EJ v gt z m MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwwuminelab com o i gt taal P0402 a Figure 4 3 Menu button Posada Figure 4 4 Back button MENU AND BACK BUTTONS The Menu and Back buttons are likely to be the most frequently used of all the control panel functions in both Quickstart and Advanced modes Menu Figure 4 3 Pressing the MENU button at any stage of detector operation will bring up the Main Menu screen This allows access to the various operational settings of the Explorer This manual covers Menu options in detail in Chapter 5 Quickstart and Chapter 6 Advanced Use Back Figure 4 4 This button allows you to retrace your steps through the control panel display screens Pressing the BACK button during detecting or fromwithin the menu structures will take you back one step in the history of control panel use This button will typically be used when selecting or customizing settings within various menu categories NOTE The BACK button will only retrace the last 3 steps MENU AND BACK BUTTONS THE MINELAB EXPLORER SHORTCUT BUTTONS The Explorers shortcut buttons are intended to offer quick access to the functions and settings most likely to be used in detector operation NOISE CANCEL 0404 Figure45 Noise c
33. ARISONS THE MINELAB EXPLORER USER PREFERE ES SETTING RANGE FACTORY PRESET USERA USERB Detector rrode Quickstart Advanced Quickstart e e Sersitivity function Serri auto Manual Serri auto Sersitivity value 1 32 16 Threshold 0 20 10 Discrirrination function Iron Mask Discrim Discrim Iron Mask value 16 0 6 Noise channel 1 1 5 Display type Srrart Digital Srrart Leam Adv Edit Adv Display size Norrral Full screen Norrral Display contrast 1 10 6 Leam cursor size Small Medium Large Large Edit frarre size Small Medium Large Small Audio Volurre Max limit 0 10 10 Audio Volurre Gain 1 10 5 Audio Th Tone Lowest 1 10 5 Audio Tone Variability 1 10 8 Audio Tone Lirrits 1 10 10 Audio Sounds Const Conduct Ferrous Conduct Options Response Norrral Audio 1 Norrral Audio 2 Audio 3 Options Recovery Fast On Off Off Options Recovery Deep On Off Off Minelab suggests that you record your preferences using a pencil or make photocopies of this table Noise channel is selected automatically by the Noise Cancel shortcut button or manually through Main Menu Options gt NOISE selection This option cannot be saved into User A or User B Selections not saved Backlight status Pinpoint USER PREFERENCES MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com ER PREFERE S
34. E a Uu 4 gt 4 a Uu 4 E THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER QUICKSTART DISPLAY The Quickstart display visually represents everything from target details to the Explorers operating settings Quickstar s Smuartfind display pictured below and alternate Digital display share many common elements QUICKSTART DISPLAY Sensitivity level The sensitivity bar and nurrbers indicate how responsive the detector is to a target in the presence of ground noise and or electromagnetic interference Nurrbers range between 1 and 32 When the shift button next to the nurrber is pressed the detector rroves between serri auto and manual sensitivity See page 49 for details Threshold level The threshold setting controls the audible level of threshold hunt during detecting When the shift button next to the adjustrrent arrowis pressed the threshold hum increases or decreases See page 50 for details Depth indicator The clear portion of the depth indicator represents the approximate distance of a target below the coil The top of the indicator represents the position of the coil and the bottom represents 300n m 12 inches fromthe coil The bar will be clear if the target is too far fromthe coil or its depth cannot be accurately gauged Iron Mask This shaded block indicates whether IRON MASK function is ON or OFF See page 45 7 M
35. ETECT button mu The digit shown in Digital display is a numeric estination of vertical position of the target crosshair displayed in Smartfind mode that is its conductivity rating As you faniliarize yourself with each display try switching from one to the other to compare the results QUICKSTART S DIGITAL DISPLAY a wn 21 gt E a Uu 4 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER NG THE DISPLAY QUICKSTART SMART a 15 Y Figure 5 9 Quickstart s standard screen Figure 5 10 Quickstart as full screen display MAIN MENU SELECT Figure 5 11 Quickstart s Main Menu DISPLAY LS NESEESS Figure 5 12 Display menu s contrast adjustment screen Full screen display Figure 5 9 5 10 If you wish to enlarge the Srrartfind or Digital display during detecting itis possible to instruct the detector to rerrovethe display border and other screen elerrents leaving only the target details displayed on the full screen 1 Press the shift button next to the full screen icon at the right of the control panel This will increase the viewing area from that depicted in Figure 5 9 to that in Figure 5 10 5 2 Toretumtothe original screen press the sarre shift button again next to the small bar at the edge of screen Adjusting the display contrast Figure 5 11 5 12 If brighte
36. HE MINELAB EXPLORER LEARNING TARGETS Advanced mode s Leam option programs the Explorer to recognize certain targets The following pages show you how to instruct the detector to eam a particular target and save its characteristics for later use ADVANCED LEARN A m Figure6 amp 1 TheLeam screen C 2 Ey d pr For the Leam option to work accurately it needs to recognize the same target characteristics with each pass of the search coil For this reason itis essential that you use Leam in an environment free of electromagnetic disturbance This may mean moving away from other detectorists or powerlines It may be useful to performa Noise Cancel before undergoing the procedure outlined in the following tutorial Introducing Leam Figure 6 1 Sorretirres during your treasure hunting you may wish to instruct the Explorer to detect targets with very specific characteristics It may be that you have found a particular type of coin which you would like to find rrore of or you find yourself constantly unearthing the sarre types of junk Minelab has designed Leam to enable you to instruct the Explorer to accept or reject precisely the types of targets you do or do not want Your new target pattems are treated in exactly the sane way as those you have used fromthe SELECT target list Once saved they can be used by themselves or in combination with other discr
37. MINELAB wwww rrinelab com O E EJ v gt z m THE MINELAB EXPLORER E IRON MASK P0408 a Figure 4 7 Iron Mask shortcut button E PINPOINT P0407 Figure 4 8 Pinpoint shortcut button Iron Mask Figure 4 7 The IRON MASK shortcut button allows you to quickly switch between two detection nodes Discrimand Iron Mask Assuring the detector is in the preset DiscrimCoins function Pressing the button once switches to the adjustrrent screen for Iron Mask which allows you to set the detector s level of Pressing the button a second tirre switches to the Iron Mask function Pressing the button again retums you to DiscrimCoins Discrimdisplays a pattern representing which targets are selected fromthe DiscrimSelect list the factory preset is Coins This pattem is explained in detail on page 42 of Chapter 5 Quickstart A srrall bar also appears at the bottomof the Srrartfind screen to indicate whether Iron Mask is ON or OFF Pinpoint Figure 4 8 The Explorer is prograntred to operate as a motion detector detecting targets as the search coil is swept The PINPOINT shortcut button overrides this autorratic setting enabling the Explorer to becorre a nor motion detector This allows a target s location to be pinpointed Continuous target response will be emitted when the search coil is positioned directly over a target A srrall bar appears at the b
38. N ADVANCED MODE MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com ADVANCED MODE S DISPLAYS DISPLA Advanced mode has four display options SMART ADVANCED em me DIGITAL LEARN and EDIT The DETECT shortcut button TN used to cycle between them Advanced mode s Qf SMART and DIGITAL have the same screen elements b and functions as those in Quickstart For a refresher Z on this tum back to pages 40 48 of Chapter 5 Quickstart a 4 SMART DISPLAY DIGITAL DISPLAY Accept target icon Modifies discrimination e Discrimination pattem The black and clear areas ADVANCED SMART ADVANCED DICITRL pattem to accept a specific item part of LEARN s E of the screen scherratically represent the current target selection see page 73 74 target discrirrination pattem See pages 42 43 for a _ 3 basic information tu Rejecttarget icon Modifies discrimination pattem is to reject a specific item part of LEARN s target Pinpoint This shaded block indicates whether rg selection see page 73 74 PINPOINT function is ON or OFF See page 59 Ca 3 Resize cursor This allows you to manually Target crosshair Represents the detected objects increase or decrease the size of the area rrodified E properties on a two dimensional scale of on the screen by LEARN s response to a target discrimination See page
39. Press the NOISE CANCEL shortcut button or manually select a quiet channel in the Advanced Main Menu gt Options gt NOISE Reduce the Sensitivity Change the orientation of the coil to the vertical plane and rotate to see if there is a position where the noise is reduced If this is the case it rreans that there is a source of interference nearby which must be avoided Checkbattery charge and battery connections Ensure coil connector is tightened Check headphones and their connection Check for sand or grit between coil cover and coil Ensure the detector is tumed on Check headphones and their connection Checkcoil connection Checkdiscrirrination level No signal will be given if target is within black area of screen TROUBLESHOOTING THE MINELAB EXPLORER SERVICE REPAIR FORM Today s Date Detector Model Serial No Purchased From Purchase Date Faulty Part s Description of Fault If necessary use the space provided overleaf to continue your description of the fault Owner s Narre Address Phone Day Home Fax Errail SERVICE REPAIR FORM 7 ONI YISN MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER vww rrinelab com SERVICE REPAIR FORM PWARRANTY Description of Fault Repairs O O There is a two year parts and labour warranty for the electronic contro
40. REVIOUS SWEEP IT The Pinpoint indicator will flash to renind you to tum EXACT Pinpoint off to resume nomai LOCATION OF TARGET detecting Pinpointing works best when the search coil is swept slowly Figure 5 21 Pinpointing the object PINPOINTING THE OBJ ECT THE MINELAB EXPLORER RECOVERING THE OBJ ECT Fill your holes For the safety of others and in the interests of respecting the environmertt ensure you leave an area of ground as you founc it Leaving holes or an area scarrecd muy resultin action being taken to preventthe use of metal detectors which spoils the hobby for others well as yourself For this procedure you ll need a knife or trowel a small spade and a sheet of plastic 5 1 Once the object has been pinpointed clear the surface of loose material and check again for the signal If there is no signal then the object is arrongstthe surface material In this case search the surface material until the object is located srEP2 If the objectis still in the ground check again using Pinpoint If you are about to dig in a grassy area first rerrove a plug of grass using a sharp knife or trowel step Dig carefully to avoid defacing or devaluing the object The use of probes can often aid in locating the exact position of the object prior to digging step4 Place the grass plug and all soil you dig onto a plastic sheet beside the hole This sheet which can be folde
41. TING SENSITIVITY a Uu gt E a wn gt E THE MINELAB EXPLORER USTING THRESHOLD Inm P0351 a The icon between the adjustment arrows for threshold is not related to this function It changes the display to full screen explained on page 48 Threshold control The Explorer usually emits a constant tone or threshold hunt in the absence of a target The threshold setting controls the audible level of this sound during detecting Minelab recontrends setting the threshold to a corrfortable audible level in the early stages of your detecting session as this feature is designed to highlight the variations in signal response which often indicate detection of a target Threshold level is increased by pressing the top shift button and decreased by pressing the bottomshift button on the right side of the control panel A nurrber corresponding to the threshold level will appear terrporarily between the two adjustrrent arrows Preset threshold The preset level of 10 will usually emit a constant threshold hum This level is prograrrrred to enable audible response to most target signals Suggested threshold setting Everyone s hearing is different so Minelab suggests that your preferred level of threshold be set to a very low but still audible level The threshold setting may need to be adjusted when moving fromspeaker to headphones Reducing threshold With
42. Take the detector outside away from known electromagnetic devices or rretal objects step 1 Find an area of ground without targets srEP2 Lay objects in a line sufficiently spaced apart to allow the coil to pass between the objects srEP3 One at atime pass the coil across the test objects The detector should on the non ferrous objects and ignore the ferrous objects srEPA Take note that as the coil is passed over the nail the threshold hunt disappears indicating that the object ignored was ferrous steps Passing the coil over different nor ferrous objects will produce different signal tones Objects with high conductivity such as silver or lead produce a high pitched signal tone while objects with lower conductivity such as alurriniurnfoil produce a lower pitched signal tone With experience and adjustments to the Audio settings it will be possible to use the signal tone froman object to accurately detemine the type of object discovered before recovering it fromthe ground TESTING TARGET AUDIO RESPONSES THE MINELAB EXPLORER PINPOINTING THE ECT E PINPOINT P0407 Figure 5 20 Pinpoint shortcut button Introducing Pinpoint Figure 5 20 See also Pinpoint overview in Chapter 4 Control Panel page 34 During norrral operation the Explorer operates with discrimination settings like Iron Mask or targets chosen fromthe Select target list When the approxima
43. a reasonable amount of time using your Explorer If you have not read the Quickstart chapter please do so before proceeding Beginning Advanced use To enter Advanced node fromQuickstart press the MAIN MENU shortcut button select OPTIONS and then ADVANCED Then press the DETECT shortcut button to display the Advanced Srrartfind screen If you operated in Advanced mode last tine you used the Explorer the detector will rerrerrber this To enter the Advanced mode when firstswitching on press and quickly release the POWER shortcut button Any tire you want to move fromAdvanced mode to Quickstart just select the MAIN MENU shortcut button OPTIONS and then select QUICK Pressing the DETECT shortcut button will retum you to Quickstart s Srrartfind screen holding the POWER button erases all current user settings This does not affect user preferences and discrimination pattems that have been saved see pages 80 and 87 Advanced target preferences The tutorials on the last few pages of Chapter 5 Quickstart provided instructions on corrposing your own discrimination pattem with combinations of items fromthe SELECT menu gt lt gt a m Advanced rrode offers nurrerous options to further enhance the accuracy of your detecting To this end the following section deals with target options in Advanced rrode s LEARN and EDIT displays before proceeding to other Menu functions STARTING I
44. again to clear the screen and accept all targets step While the screen is completely cleared rest the coil and check for interference erratic noises and random rroverrerts of the target crosshair If you experience interference press Noise Cancel reduce the Sensitivity or move the detector to a different place step 4 Check the area of ground where you would like to leam the target to rake sure that there are other targets in the ground steps Press the Reject All Accept All shift button to corrpletely fill the screen and reject all targets srEPe Figure 6 4 Press the lower left hand shift button twice to change the cursor to rrediumsize The size of the cursor sets how loosely the target is matched for each Successive pass of the coil Place the target on the ground and press the upper left shift button next to the Accept icon The tick will begin to flash Nowthe detector is prepared to Leam targets LEARN S TARGET SELECTION gt lt gt a m MINELAB wwwuminelab com gt c gt a m c a m THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER ADVANCED LEARN Figure 6 6 Saving the newy edited discrimination pattem LEARN S TARGET SELECTION Phase 2 Leaming and Saving the target pattem 7 Wavethe search coil several times above the desired target until the detector leams it by clearing an area on th
45. ails and instructions on assembling and adjusting the Explorer 6 ADVANCED USE Once you are comfortable with basic detector use and Quickstart itis tine to investigate the nore advanced 3 BATTERIES The Explorer is powered by alkaline features of the Explorer batteries or a rechargeable Nickel 25 Metal Hydride NiMH battery pack A a This chapter provides details on 7 USER INFO battery installation use and This chapter provides a glossary of performance m terrrinology user guides technical specifications warranty and repair details and troubleshooting tips 4 CONTROL PANEL This chapter is designed to farviliarize you with the various features of the Explorer control panel Afewrrinutes spent reading this chapter will be a worthwhile preliminary to basic or advanced detecting ABOUT THIS MANUAL THE MINELAB EXPLORER INTRODUCING THE MNELAB EXPLORER P0327 a Thank you for purchasing a Minelab Explorer detector The Explorer is different to conventional nretal detectors and features a number of technological innovations and design features which are introduced and explained in this manual The Explorer is designed to locate valuable metal objects in a wide variety of ground conditions including extrerre salt conditions and sea water wet beach sand and highly rrineralized ground conditions The detector s sirrple to use control panel and fully autorratic Quickstart mo
46. ancel shortcut button DETECT P0405 a Figure 4 6 Detect shortcut button Noise Cancel only available on Explorer XS Figure 4 5 Pressing the NOISE CANCEL button autorratically selects the quietest most stable channel for detecting This will autorratically elirrinate rrost audio response to electrorragnetic disturbances e g powerlines Selection takes approximately 30 seconds Itis very important to keep the detector coil rrotionless during this tine Also ensure that no rretallic objects are moved in close vicinity of the search coil In Advanced mode it is possible to rmanually select your desired detecting channel Owners of the Explorer S should use this manual Noise option within Advanced mode page 83 Detect Figure 4 6 This shortcut button returns to the Detect mode display at any stage of operation allowing you to continue detecting When detecting in the Quickstart mode pressing DETECT will switch between Smartfind and Digital displays When detecting in the Advanced mode pressing DETECT will switch between Srrartfind Digital Leam and Edit displays The Explorer 5 does not have Leam and Edit displays therefore pressing DETECT will switch between Smertfind and Digital in ADVANCED mode More information on detect screens appears in the opening pages of Chapter 5 Quickstart and Chapter 6 Advanced Use SHORTCUT BUTTONS O EJ v gt z m
47. ayed list and then select ADVANCED mode The detector rroves into ADVANCED rrode and a new OPTIONS menu appears displaying the broader array of options available to you in Advanced rrode If you are ready for advanced detecting read through Chapter 6 Advanced Use It is likely you will only need to retum to this chapter for background on basic adjustrrents and general detector operation J ustrerrerrber that itis always possible to retum to Quickstart node If at any tine you becorre a little confused with the settings for your detector or just want to brush up on basic detector use it is sinple to reset the Explorer to its original factory settings To reset the detector e Tumthe detector off Pressandbholdthe POWER button until a six note musical tune is sounded The Minelab logo and the words Factory Presets will be briefly displayed on screen You will be retumed to the original Quickstart settings and you may resurre basic detecting or rreke selections fromthe Main Menu You are now ready to proceed to Chapter Advanced Use ADVANCED MODE OPTION a Uu 4 gt 4 MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER www minelab com Acivancedi Use Once you are confortable with basic detector use and Quickstart it is tine to investigate the more advanced features of the Explorer c a 7 A gt 4 gt i lt gt a m
48. be flattened to be recharged Whenever the detector has been unused for a lengthy period recharge the battery pack to ensure full performance There is no linit to the time the battery pack can be left on charge You are now ready to proceed to Chapter 4 Control Panel BATTERY PERFORMANCE MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwuminelab com Control Panel It is important to faniliarize yourself w w gt 4 E m 2 on with the features of the Explorer control panel A few minutes spent reading this o E 27 v gt 2 m gn Chapter will be a worthwhile preliminary to basic or advanced detecting MINELAD THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com O EJ v gt m THE CONTROL PANEL As the contol panel provides user access to all Explorer functions the various buttons will be referred to throughout this Users Manual The terminology will remain consistent with the elements labelled below and will be a useful reference as you begin detecting Explorer XS Power button see page 31 2 Display screen for details see page 4O 3 Main Menu button see page 32 4 Shortcut buttons see pages 33 34 5 Back button see page 32 s Shift buttons see page 35 7 Backlight button see page 31 THE CONTROL PANEL THE MINELAB EXPLORER POWER AND BACKLIGHT The Power button offers yo
49. c is referred to as ferrous content in Srrartfind GLOSSARY OF TERMS 7 OF TR EI yf V 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com Iron Mask Mineralized ground Nickel Metal Hydride NiMH Non ferrous Pinpoint Quickstart mode Recovery 7 wn E Response o Search coil GLOSSARY OF TERMS One of the Explorer s Srrartfind displays The Iron Mask function rejects objects with ferrous properties This level of ferrous rejection is represented with a dark curtain which moves across the horizontal dimension of the Srrartfind screen as the Iron Mask is adjusted One of Explorer s Advanced displays Leam allows the user to accept or reject certain targets to create a personalized discrirrination pattem Ground containing certain minerals which can cause false signals to be given Mineralized ground is handled autorratically by the Explorer s ground compensation Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are the modem equivalent of older NiCad Nickel Cadrriurr batteries NIMH batteries have a longer life span and are not affected by nrerrory to the sane degree Not containing iron Non ferrous objects or non magnetic netals such as silver or copper coins gold jewelry etc Function allowing an object to be precisely located Pinpoint overrides the automatic motion detection and discrimination settings of the Explorer The Explorers basic operating node
50. ctions for the use of Pinpoint appear on the following page PINPOINTING THE OBJ ECT a Uu 4 gt 4 i a gt E THE MINELAB EXPLORER Using Pinpoint Figure 5 21 Once the Explorer has found the approximate position of a target itis necessary to locate its exact position using Pinpoint step 1 Move the search coil to one side of the approximate target location and press the PINPOINT shortcut button If this step is not taken the Explorer will sound when moved away fromthe object srEP2 Slowysvweepthe search coil over the target a couple of tirres You will only hear a sound when the center bar of the Coil is directly in line with the target srEP3 Taking note of the detector response reduce the span of each successive pass of the coil until you are confident of the targets location Make a rrental note of the position step 4 Move to one side so that you can pass the coil over the target at a right angle to your initial direction srEP5 When the detector sounds you should know exactly where to dig srEPe If you have difficulty pinpointing the target press the Pinpoint shortcut button again to take the detector out of Pinpoint and sweep the coil over the area again before retuming to STEP 1 TARGET COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THIS AREA SWEEP DIRECTION _ gt WV IMAGINARY LINE OF STRONGEST SIGNAL SWEEP COIL AT 90 DEGREES RIGHT P0173 b ANGLES TO P
51. ctor after a Noise Cancel go into the Advanced mode in Main Menu gt Options gt NOISE and look at the nurrber displayed If you do a Noise Cancel while in that nenu you have to go out of the menu and back to get the new channel nurrber If you want to clear one or rrore patterns fromthe SAVE DISCRIM menu do the following step 1 Goto SELECT nenu and select CLEAR 5 2 Goto the SAVE menu and save cleared screen into the locations you want HELPFUL HINTS THE MINELAB EXPLORER Choosing the right Tone Setting your own reject Make sure that you start with the Main Menu gt Audio gt Sounds gt CONDUCT selected and the threshold level and the volurre are appropriate for your environment i e for headphones or speaker use arrbient noise etc 1 Adjustthe threshold hurr to a tone you are comfortable with using the Main Menu gt Audio Tone gt TH TONE This tone should be the lowest tone you can still hear clearly srEP2 Usingtwotargets you are likely to often seek which display a difference of 1 or 2 on the digital reading adjust Main Menu Audio gt Tone gt Variability so you can hear the difference between one and the other srEP3 Selecta target with high conductivity giving a high nurrber onthe digital display and wave it pastthe coil Adjust Main Menu gt Audio gt Tone gt Linits for a pitch as high as possible but still within the range where you can hear well If you want the detector to r
52. d Theobjects cross referenced rating is represented by a target crosshair inside the rectangular display area Interpreting target responses Conductivity e Objects with high conductivity e g large silver coins copper items wil cause the target crosshair to appear at the top of the Srrartfind screen Objects with low conductivity e g small alloy coins foil will cause the target crosshair to appear at the bottom of the Srrartfind screen Along with the type of rretal the size of objects will have sore effect on the conductivity rating for targets Generally the larger the target the higher the corresponding conductivity rating and proximity of the target crosshair to the top of the screen Ferrous content e Objects with high ferrous content cause the target crosshair to appear on the left of the screen unless its rating would situate the object in the dark area of the discrirrination pattem see page 44 Objects with lowferrous content e g jewelry coins cause the target crosshair to appear on the right of the screen The preset discrimination setting is designed to search for Coins Ir Both ferrous and non ferrous objects have varying degrees of inductive response to electromagnetic waves This characteristic in addition to conductivity allows for more accurate icentification of targets QUICKSTART S SMARTFIND DISPLAY a Uu gt E a
53. d small enough to fit into your pocket enables you to keep all soil for refilling the hole and prevents rraterial being scattered about the area steps Check the hole for the object If it is not in the hole place the detector on the ground and with the coil flat pick up dirt by the handful and pass over the coil Be sure you are not wearing any rretal objects like rings bracelets or a wetch which rray interfere with the signal If you receive no response retum the dirtto the hole Repeatthis procedure urtil the object is located srEPe Checkthe hole again with the detector Ensure that no other objects remain then refill the hole All soil on the plastic sheet should be retumed to the hole followed by the plug of grass This should leave the area as you found it RECOVERING THE OBJ ECT a Uu 4 gt 4 a Uu 1 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER SELECTING TARGETS This section of the chapter and the following tutorial will help you to effectively use the targeting features of the Explorer MAIN MENU SSS ISPLAY Figure 5 22 5 23 ELECT a OPTIONS As outlined earlier in this chapter Quickstart provides the option of identifying targets based upon Srrartfind s two dimensional discrirrination If you wish to detect one or rrore object types itis necessary to specify which the Explorer should detect or reject Figure 5 22 Quickstart s Main Menu Choosing SELECT fromQuickstart s
54. d to non ferrous targets while filtering out ground signals The following pages in this chapter outline the basics of rretal detecting and use of the Explorer You will leam howto interpret its responses to targets and make your own adjustments to the settings Regardless of your level of experience with rretal detecting Minelab recontrends you begin in Quickstart node to familiarize yourself with basic features and operation before experimenting with the detector s advanced features detailed in Chapter 6 Advanced Use A nurrber of additional functions and features that are likely to be accessed frequently while detecting are also explained These include Target SENSITIVITY and THRESHOLD levels adjusted with shift buttons IRON MASK and PINPOINT activated by shortcut buttons MENU functions accessed fromthe control panel shift buttons These enable you to adjustthe display and audio define targets and rrove into Advanced rrode GETTING STARTED THE MINELAB EXPLORER BEGINNER USE CORRECT 24 INCORRECT Mos Figure 5 2 Sweeping the coil Sometimes itis possible that a large object close to the search coil will overload the detectors electronics When this happens the Explorer enits a low warble which will repeat until the coil is moved away from the source of the overload Trying out the detector Figure 5 2 Don t try this at h
55. de enable the beginner to start detecting immediately after asserrbling the detector Advanced node s options will enable you to customize your detector for years to corre Before you atterrptto use your detector in the field you should followthe chapters of this manual to asserrble understand and custorrize the Explorer to suit your personal requirerrents Please read all the information thoroughly Minelab Electronics wish you every success in your treasure hunting Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd South Australia 5031 email ho rrinelab comau tel 61 8 8238 0888 Minelab USA Inc PO Box 537 Torrensville Plaza 871 Grier Drive Suite B1 Las Vegas Nevada 89119 Co Cork AUSTRALIA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IRELAND email info rinelabusa com tel 702 891 8809 you have any questions or comments regarding the Explorer or any other Minelab product please feel free to contact us via your local Authorized Minelab dealer or write to us Minelab International Limited Laragh Bandon errail rrinelaberrinelab ie tel 353 23 52101 Visit our site on the World Wide Web higx Awwwrvinelab comau for the latest information on Minelab products and services INTRODUCING THE MINELAB EXPLORER m a a z 4 MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwww minelab com MAIN MENU Advanced mode MINELAB UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY DISPLAY Srartfinddisplay Once
56. dily increase display contrast You are now ready to proceed to Chapter 5 Quickstart SHIFT BUTTONS O EJ v gt m MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER www rrinelab com Quickstart However experienced you are at using a metal detector itis inportant that you read this chapter to understand howto o 2 E 27 v gt m ps use the Explorer in Quickstart mode c a Loi 2 gt 4 a Uu 4 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER Now that your detector is assembled batteries inserted and you are faniliar with the control panel you should be ready to start detecting This chapter on Quickstart is designed to be the starting point for all users of the Explorer POWER QUICKSTART SMART a un EH Y Figure 5 1 Quiclstart s opening screen The Explorers factory setting is to start in Srrartfind for your first Er Y detecting session If the alternative Digital display is the last used the Explorer opens with this screen next time you tum on the detector It also retains all adjustments to settings made in the previous session including those made in Srrartfind Introducing Quickstart Figure 5 1 When you first tum on the Explorer the Quickstart Srrartfind display will appear and you are able to begin detecting The detector is prepared to respon
57. e screen Leam needs to see the target consistently to accept it for inclusion If you have more than one target repeat the procedure for each one In Figure 6 5 two current high denorrination coins have been used Figure 6 5 Adjusting size of learnt region MER y ue steps When you have finished leaming the targets press the shift button next to the flashing tick srEP9 Press the shift button next to the Save icon to go directly to the SAVE DISCRIM rrenu Press a button next to your choice of option 51 56 for exarrple 51 in Figure 6 6 This will save the leamt discrimination pattem for future use 56 step 10 Press the DETECT shortcut button to retum to the detect screen SELECT DISCRIM will then use this saved pattem as the current search pattem 5 For more detail on SAVE DISCRIM tum to page 80 ADVANCED MODE S EDIT DISPLAY P VEM EN EA FUN Target frame size This allows you to select the size of the frarred area you wish to accept or reject fromthe displayed discrirrination pattem There is a choice of three sizes See pages 77 78 2 Reject or accept framed area Instructs Explorer to accept the framed area on selection of the tick icon Selection of the cross icon will reject the frarred area This edits the current pattem See page 78 Pa 3 Horizontal navigation Pressing the shift button adjacent to these arrows moves the target frame tothe left or right of
58. eject targets for exarrple to make a new pattem for botte caps suitable for your conditions step 1 Prepare a number of targets fromthe category you want to reject bottle caps step 2 Goto Advanced Leam and start with an all black screen step Select Leam Accept the flashing tick and pass the coil over the bottle caps until the detector accepts them step 4 Goto SAVE press the shift button next to the SAVE icon and save to the location you want e g S4 The Smartfind thurrbnail will display your pattem Now that this pattem has been saved you can use it to construct your own discrimination pattem by e Going to SELECT menu and choosing CLEAR For instance construct this personal discrirrination pattem by accepting Coins with a tick and rejecting your newy leamt bottlecaps pattem S4 with a cross you went to improve the pattem use Advanced Edit to modify the clear accepted area HELPFUL HINTS 7 OF TR ER MINELAB www rrinelab com THE MINELAB EXPLORER BATTE PE COMPARISONS The average life span for both good quality alkaline and NiMH rechargeable batteries under constant use is compared on the graph below This graph assumes the backlight is tumed off and headphones are being used NiMH battery pack artery Vorage roa Alkaline batteries Tome hoors Note The backlight adds about 8 to the current consumption of the detector BATTERY PERFORMANCE COMP
59. elect menu Figure 6 12 Target frarre dragged to mma complete discrimination pattem SAVE DISCRIM sz Figure 6 13 Saving discrimination pattem 10 Now you can recall your edited discrimination pattem from the SELECT target list PHASE 4 Saving edited discrinination pattem steps Figure 6 13 Tosave the edited discrimination pattem press the Main Menu shortcut button and select SAVE fromthe displayed menu steps Press the shift button corresponding to the location you want to save it e g S2 gt gt o re o gt gt O m m m m NOTE The last saved discrimination pattem is retained in the SELECT menu as Advanced mode s current setting EDITING AND SAVING TARGET PATTERNS ADVANCED MODE S SELECT MENU MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER SAVING TARGETS wwwuminelab com gt gt O m a m Advanced mode s SAVE DISCRIM function provides a means of saving personalized discrinination pattems it also provides a visual display of the pattems already savecL Features accessed through the Audio menu allow you to define the audio properties of your Explorer SAVE DISCRIM AUDIO e PO396 a The SAVE DISCRIM menu can also be accessed in Leam mode by pressing the shift button next to the Save icon Main Men
60. ely clear and all objects will sound a target response Rejecting all ferrous objects If you want target responses to be suppressed for all ferrous objects the Iron Mask may be increased to a level of This is represented by the mask extending to half way across the Smartfind screen as depicted in the section explaining two dirrensional discrirrination see page 42 THE IRON MASK a Uu gt E a x Uu 4 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER QUICKSTART SMART as i EH Y Figure 5 6 Srrartfind in Iron Mask Operating in Iron Mask Figure 5 6 Pressing the IRON MASK shortcut button again will display a Smartfind screen resembling Figure 5 6 This display shows that the detector is ready to operate in Iron Mask This function is prograntred to reject ferrous targets and make it easier for you to find rrore desirable non ferrous objects like coins and jewelry Iron Mask is preset to reject ferrous objects ata level suitable for basic detecting This is shown in Figure 5 5 as a rating of 6 with the dark area filling the left third of the screen Smartfind will not display an object when its target crosshair would appear in this dark masked area of the screen and the Explorer s threshold hum will disappear rrorrertarily However if you wish to locate specific types of objects you may need to modify the Explorer s level of ferrous rejection Th
61. ery pack Do not attenpt to disassenble the NiMH battery pack If disposing of pack do not incinerate Contact your local authorities to enquire about disposal or recycling facilities Recharging NiMH bathery pack with the mains charger Figure 3 3 The Explorer XS is provided with a sealed Nickel Metal Hydride NiMH battery pack and a charger which plugs into a conventional wall socket NOTE The NiMH battery pack supplied with your detector comes in the discharged condition It is necessary to charge it as explained below before operating the detector The batteries will reach their full capacity after several charge discharge cycles step 1 Remove battery pack as per instructions on previous page srEP2 Insert the mains charger plug into the socket at the tapered end of the battery pack srEP3 Plug the mains charger into the wall socket and tum on the switch if switch available Leave for about 16 hours to fully recharge srEPA Rerrovethe battery charger plug fromthe battery pack Slide the pack back into the handle asserrbly battery corrpartrrenturtil itclicks into place THE BATTERY PACK W w gt 4 4 m w gt 4 4 E m Uu THE MINELAB EXPLORER Recharging Minelab s battery chargers are suitable for the Explorer NiMH battery pack only The battery chargers will not recharge rechargeable alkaline batteries Using a non Minelab charger
62. f instructions for assembly Please contact your Minelab dealer for further instructions should any difficulties arise YOKE BOLT YOKE BRACKET COIL YOKE SEARCH COIL P0267 e eps ASSEMBLING THE DETECTOR Figure 2 1 Connecting the search coil to the lower shaft Connecting the search coil to the lower shaft Figure 2 1 2 3 EI DO NOT attempt to disconnect the coil cable where it enters the search coil itself They are shipped pre assembled and any athempt to disconnect will void your detector warranty To attach the search coil to the lower shaft step1 Place the search coil on a flat surface close to the coil yoke srEP2 Figure 2 2 following page Plug the two black plastic washers into the recesses provided on either side of the Coil yoke Continued next page CONNECTING THE SEARCH COIL V 4 MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwwwrrinelab conm srEP3 Checkthe orientation of the search coil and shaft ensuring ian THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY that the rivets are visible on the top of the shaft i ioj i oli i connected stepa Figure 2 2 To join the shaft to the search coil slide the The shaft assembly is made up of the upper and lower shafts by the shaft yoke into the yoke bracket on top of the coil camlock The assembly houses the coil cable and connects the search coil to the handle A i i il is connected sms Figure 2 3 Insert yoke bolt throug
63. g others in the area The reduced power demands of the headphones will extend the detector s battery life The socket for the headphone plug is located above the rubber seal atthe top of the handle asserrbly The headphones rray be plugged into this socket or unplugged at any stage of operation Congratulations Your Explorer is now assembled You are now ready to proceed to Chapter 3 Batteries Should you wish to remove the search coil instructions follow on the next two pages HEADPHONES THE MINELAB EXPLORER REPLACING AND FMTING THE SEARCH COIL v LOWER SHAFT L con caste L COIL CABLE ACCESS PANEL PLASTIC WASHERS E D a YOKE BRACKET YOKE BOLT o COIL YOKE P0267 b eps Figure 2 14 Replacing the search coil P0315 a Figure 2 15 Prizing off coil yoke cover Replacing the search coil Figure 2 14 2 17 Ead DO NOT attempt to remove the coil cable from the search coil Any atbempt to disconnect will void your detector warranty To replace the search coil 5 1 Disconnect the shaft assembly from handle assembly by reversing the procedure outlined in Connecting the shaft assembly page 16 Em DO NOT attempt to remove the shaft assembly without disconnecting the coil cable from the control box srEP2 Separate the two shaft asserrblies by releasing the s
64. h the search coil s yoke assembly These instructions assume that the search coil is to the lower shaft bracket and the coil yoke Fasten with the yoke nut provided being careful notto darrage the thread of the nut by over tightening This rray need to be loosened to adjust the coil to a comfortable detecting angle N N You are now ready to proceed to the shaft assembly P0307 c gt w is m gt gt m m Figure 2 2 Inserting coil yoke into bracket PO309 b Figure 2 4 Feeding coil cable into upper shaft Shaft assembly Figure 2 4 2 5 C Orientation coil cable is on bottomof lower shaft To asserrble the lower and upper shaft PO308 c IJ Release the shaft candock lever before inserting the lower shaft Figure 2 3 Securing yoke to search coil UPPER SHAFT P0310 d step1 Figure 2 4 Feed the coil cable which is attached to the lower shaft through the inside of the upper shaft Figure2 5 Sliding lower shaft into upper shaft step 2 Figure 2 5 Slide the lower shaft entirely into the upper shaft until the camock rests against the uppermost shaft rivet srEP3 Pull the coil cable s metal connector through the open end of the upper shaft until it dangles fromthe opening You are now ready to connect the shaft assembly to the handle assembly CONNECTING THE SEARCH COIL THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY
65. haft carriock and sliding the lower shaft out srEP3 Figure 2 15 Locate the screwdriver slot at the rear of the coil yoke and prize off the coil cable access panel You may need to tilt the coil up to gain access to the slot Continued next page REPLACING AND FITTING THE SEARCH COIL N Pd w m MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER wwww rrinelab com mm srEPA Figure 2 16 Gently pull the coil cable fromthe channel Jat undemeath the lower shaft steps Figure 2 18 Loosen the yoke nut and carefully remove the SLM 7 bolt fromthe yoke bracket This removes the yoke fromthe search coil Be careful not to lose the two plastic washers Figure 2 16 Em srePe Replace the search coil Be careful not to darrage the thread of the nut by over tightening N srEP7 Figure 2 17 Starting at the top of the lower shaft carefully feedthe coil cable back into the channel atthe rear of the lower shaft so that the cured cable is inline with the shaft m There should be to inch 3 5nm of cable exposed Bathories between the cable curis and the start of the lower shaft Once this is corrpleted you should be able to see approximately 6 inches 150rrrr of cable between the coil yoke and the search coil This is the slack necessary to allow adjustrrentto the angle of the search coil Pd m w lt W w gt 4 4 m The Explorer is p
66. hift button once to accept jewelry A tick will appear next to the selection and the Smartfind thumbnail and icon for jewelry will be displayed steps Figure 5 26 To reject crowncaps use the bottomleft shift button to move down the target list until CROWNCPAP is displayed Press the adjacent shift button twice to display a cross This rejects bottle caps fromthe discrimination pattem The detector is now set to detect for jewelry and exclude crowncaps srEPe Figure 5 27 Press the DETECT shortcut button to begin detecting in Smartfind with your new target settings NOTE SELECT is chosen from the MAIN MENU while the Explorer is functioning in Iron Mesk the current Iron Mask Smertfind thumbnail will be displayed As soon as a selection is made from the target list a thumbnail of the chosen discrimination pattem will replace the Iron Mesk ACCEPTING AND REJ ECTING TARGETS THE MINELAB EXPLORER ADVANCED MODE OPTION Once you have experimented with target options and the other features of Quickstart it may be tine to investigate the features of the Explorer available to the advanced user OPTIONS FIDVRNCED QUICK Figure 5 28 Options screen Quickstart OPTIONS RD YRNCED NOISE E QUICK Figure 5 29 Options screen in Advanced Mbving to Advanced mode Figure 5 28 5 29 Menu gt Options gt ADVANCED Press the MENU shortcut button select OPTIONS fromthe displ
67. igital display rrode Displays rrost recent selection fromtarget list Target list Menu of typical target itens CLEAR function is also provided ax wy Accepted target Tick indicates this target is desirable Across indicates the target is not wanted SELECTING TARGETS a Uu E gt 4 a Uu 4 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER ACCEPTING AND ECTING TARGETS f SELECT Coins Figure 5 24 Cleared SELECT menu SELECT Pull Tab Figure 5 25 Accepting jewelry SELECT Foil Pull Tab Figure 5 26 Rejecting bottle cap QUICKSTART SMART i is M v Figure 5 27 New discrirrination pattem in Discrimrrode E Y This tutorial outlines how to instruct the Explorer to accept J EWELRY and reject bottle CROVWNCAPS as targets 1 Switchto Srrartfind s Discrimfunction using the IRON MASK shortcut button step 2 Choose SELECT fromthe MAIN MENU This displays a target list and the discrimination pattem for COINS the Explorers Discrimfactory setting srEP3 Figure 5 24 Press the shift button next to the CLEAR option This clears the Srrartfind thumbnail screen in the top left comer of all discrirrination pattems srEPA Figure 5 25 To accept jewelry use the bottomleft shift button to move down the target list until J EWELRY option is visible Press the adjacent s
68. irections for familiarizing yourself with specific target responses appear toward the end of this chapter Adjusting the volume The preset volurre control on the Explorer is tumed up to rrexirmumvolurre This is usually appropriate with either the detector s built in speaker or headphones If the volurre is too loud in the headphones use the volurre control Main Menu gt Audio gt Volunre gt Max Limit can be set to reduce potentially loud signals see page 54 AUDIO RESPONSE a wn 21 gt E a x Uu 4 gt E THE MINELAB EXPLORER Features accessed through the Audio menu allow you to define the various audio properties of your Explorer AUDIO Figure 5 14 The Audio menu Use of the Explorer with headphones will allow you to discem subtle variations in audio response and lessen exposure to adverse conditions i e wind which may distort sound from the speaker Headphones also minimize disturbance from your treasure hunting for other people in the area Introduction to the Audio menu Figure 5 14 Main Menu gt AUDIO As rrentioned earlier in the section on Audio Response the Explorer errits a target signal that varies in volurre and pitch depending on the object it detects Generally large targets or targets close to the ground surface errit the loudest signal A target that is less conductive emits low pitched signal and a highly cond
69. irrination pattems Intirre you may find this one of the Explorers most powerful features For instance once you have saved target pattems of several unwanted targets you may exclude themall fromyour current Srrartfind discrimination pattem sirrply by rejecting them fromthe SELECT target list In a sirrilar way you could combine all of your desired targets into your own composite discrimination pattem The following tutorial will help you to make Leam a feature of your rretal detecting NOTE Selection of Pinpoint effectively disengages the Explorers Discrimination functions LEARNING TARGETS THE MINELAB EXPLORER LEARNS TARGET SELECTION ADVANCED LEARN X 1 B 2 Figure 6 2 Advanced Mode s Leam display ADVANCED LEARN 4 Figure 6 3 Accerx all clears the screen ADVANCED LEARN x Figure 64 Reject all fills the screen This tutorial shows you how to leam a target make adjustments and save your selection Phase 1 Preparation for Leam step 1 Figure 6 2 Go to the Advanced Leam display It does not matter whether you were in Iron Mask or Discrim shown inthe adjacent figure srEP2 Figure 6 3 Press the shift button next to Reject Accept All icon to fill in the screen The icon changes to all clear to indicate that the next tine itis pressed the Leam screen will clear Press the button
70. is is done by adjusting the Iron Mask as explained previously on page 45 THE IRON MASK THE MINELAB EXPLORER QUICKSTART S DIGITAL DISPLAY QUICKSTART DICITAL 15 i Figure 5 7 Quiclstart s Digital display IMME E E L NONFE cha 2 T Figure 5 8 Digital as full screen display The Explorer remembers which display wes last used in your detecting If this happens to be Digital this display will appear next time you tum on the detector It should be noted that any adjustments to discrimination that are made in Smartfind will be retained and used in Digital Digital display Figure 5 7 5 8 When the Srrartfind screen is displayed pressing the DETECT shortcut button on the control pane switches to the Explorer s altemative Digital display This rrore traditional detector display rates an object s conductivity as a figure between 1 and 32 1 represents a target of low conductivity and 32 represents a highly conductive target To the right of the digital read out you will see an icon representing the possible target and in full screen display a list displaying up to three possible target classifications Although Digital rrode does not display the ferrous content in its nurreric rating this calculation is used in the identification of the target and the representative icon If you wish to revert back to the Srrartfind display sirrply press the D
71. l box of the Explorer S and Explorer XS The search coil has aone year parts and labour warranty Refer to the supplier or Minelab for service either in or out of warranty The Minelab unfortunate ci Inthe ruse warranty does not cover damage caused by accident rrisuse that the detector needs to be neglect alteration modifications or unauthorized service retumed to Minelab for service fill out the Minelab Service For specific details of the Minelab warranty please refer to the detector s Product Warranty Card Repair Form or a photocopy of the sare and enclose I This vewranty is not transferable nor is it valid unless the enclosed warranty registration card is retumed to Minelab Minelab dealer within 14 of the ES E et h or your ler in days original purchase it with the detector about the fault as possible This Will assist our service engineers to rectify the problem quickly and efficiently SERVICE REPAIR FORM WARRANTY MINELAB www minelab com THE MINELAB EXPLORER TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MINELAB EXPLORER Length unextended Length extended Shipping weight Coil Audio inputs Headphone input Transmission Ground rejection Discrimination Visual display Batteries Optional accessories Patents P0325 c 43 inches 1100mm 53 inches 1350 31680 17
72. loshirt For further infomation on these and other Minelab MAIN CARTON ACCESSORY BOX DOCUMENTATION PACK products contact your IVinelab dealer HANDLE ASSEIVBLY CONTAINING ARMREST STRAP AND BUCKLES MANUAL Yeu ree m M zs ALKALINE BATTERY PACK CAR CHARGER XS ONLY FIELD GUIDE UPPER SHAFT ASSEMBLY MAINS CHARGER XS ONLY WARRANTY CARD LOWER SHAFT ASSEMBLY NUT AND BOLT FOR COIL SEARCH COIL COIL STAND XS ONLY RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK XS ONLY UNPACKING YOUR EXPLORER UNPACKING YOUR EXPLORER MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER ww rrinelab com ASSEMBLING THE DETECTOR CONNECTING THE SEARCH COIL The search coil transnits electromagnetic signals into the ground and receives the response COIL CABLE PERS LOWER SHAFT 1 2 gt COIL STAND XS ONLY HEAT WASHER a a m m Z 2 YOKE NUT amp lt lt P0336 a Please followthese instructions to asserrble the Explorer Refer to the drawings to identify parts and howthey are positioned The detector s components are organized into three categories the search coil theshaft assembly nade up of the upper shaft and lower shaft the handle assembly rade up of the handle amrrest and control box NOTE To avoid difficulties or damage to the detectors electronic components it is strongly recommended you follow the sequence o
73. mbination This is detailed in Selecting Targets page 62 QUICKSTART S SMARTFIND DISPLAY THE MINELAB EXPLORER IRON MASK Figure 5 5 Adjusting the Iron Mask IRON MASK The Iron Mask shortcut button on the control panel allows you to switch between Iron and Discrinination Before you experiment with this an understanding of the features of these functions will greatly assist in deciding which will locate the kind of targets you want and howto adjust the Explorer to suit your preferences The tutorials featured later in this chapter also assume a basic understanding of Iron Mask and Discrimination functions Adjusting the Iron Mask Figure 5 5 Pressing the IRON MASK shortcut button on the control panel will display the Iron Mask adjustrrent screen Preset Level The Explorer s Iron Mask is set at a rating of 6 This is suitable when detecting non ferrous netals Detecting more ferrous objects If you want target responses fromrrore ferrous objects e g war relics itis necessary to reduce the level of ferrous rejection This is done by pressing the bottomleft shift button next to the slider control reducing the extent of the Iron Mask You may need to experirrent a litte with the settings Detecting all ferrous objects If you wanted to detect all objects regardless of ferrous content ferrous rejection can be reduced to a mininumilevel of 16 The screen will be corrplet
74. mp Deep EXPLORER MODEL FEATURES MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER waw rrinelab com Alloy Conductivity Digital Discrimination 7 OF TR ERI GLOSSARY OF TERMS The Explorer s advanced operating mode Advanced mode provides additional features and options to Quickstart A substance which is conposed of two or nore netals alloy may also include non netals Lever which releases or locks detectors assembly conponents The Explorer s upper and lower shafts are connected by the shaft camock This shaft assembly is connected to the control box by the control box camock Arreasure of the ability of a target to allow eddy currents induced by the transmitter Encloses the electronic corrponents necessary to generate and interpret signals transmitted fromthe search coil and provide user access to functions via the control panel This panel which sits on top of the control box houses the display screen and provides press button access to all of the detector s One of Explorer s displays Digital rates an object s conductivity as a figure between 1 and 32 Digital also displays an icon representing the possible target The ability of a rretal detector to identify the user s desired target andelirrinate signals fromundesirable material The Explorer can be prograrrrred to discriminate against unwanted targets in either Iron Mask or Discrim GLOSSARY OF TERMS THE MINELAB EXPLORER Discriminati
75. ome If you atterrpt to begin detecting while you are inside your horre you will quickly find that there are many rretallic objects such as nails or reinforcing in the floor which will result in almost continuous detection There will also be interference from TV sets andother household appliances Placing the sensitive detector coil near large rretallic objects can result in terrporary saturation of the sensor rreaning that itthen cannot detect srrall objects Therefore itis bestto turn your detector off and head outside as far away as you can fromsources of electromagnetic disturbance Sweeping the coil The Explorer will performat its best when the coil is kept in close proximity to the ground This will increase detection depth and response to srrall objects Becorring practised at sweeping the coil is very inportant as variation in coil height at the end of each Swing can cause confusing sounds and reduce detection depth Each sweep of the coil should overlap the last one Figure 5 2 This will ensure good ground coverage You think you ve found something When an object is detected the Explorer errits an audio response and visually displays a target classification on the control panel s screen Before you attempt to pinpoint or recover the object which is explained later in this chapter it is vital you understand how to interpret these audio and visual responses This is explained over the next few pages BEGINNER US
76. on pattem Edit Full Band Spectrum FBS Full screen Handle assembly Inductance GLOSSARY OF TERMS Atwo dirrensional pattem made up of shaded and clear regions of the Srrartfind screen Characteristics of a target are used to detemine its position on a two dirrensional display A discrimination pattem is typically a target pattem modified by the user to accept or reject certain objects through the use of combined targets fromthe SELECT menu or created in Advanced rrode s LEARN or EDIT displays One of Explorer s Advanced displays Edit allows the user to custorrize an existing discrimination pattem to match preferred target Characteristics Corrposed of or containing iron A ferrous object is one that is predominantly or completely iron Ferrous objects e g nails are usually not desired by the detectorist Simultaneous 28 frequency transmission ranging from 1 5kHz to 100 kHz This range in frequencies means that the signal received fromthe detector coil is analyzed froma Wide range of responses Target details shown on the full screen with display border and the other screen elerrents rerroved An icon at the center right of screen switches to full screen display The ability of the detector to conpensate for the effects of ground rrineralization Part of the detector made up of the control box handle and amrest The electrical property of a rretal target to oppose variations of the magnetic field This characteristi
77. or near a Digital rating of 1 0360 Ferrous Main Menu Aucio Sounds gt FERROUS Selecting FERROUS adjusts the tone according to the target s ferrous content the horizontal axis of the Srrartfind screen A low blaat tone denotes a highly ferrous object displayed on the left of the screen A high pitched squeak tone denotes a nor ferrous target displayed on the right of the Srrartfind screen Clear the Smartfind screen to test the Ferrous sound There are two ways to do this adjust the Iron Mask level to 16 or choose CLEAR fromMain Menu gt Discrim gt SELECT Red Vhen the Iron Mask is set to the left of the Srrertfind screen setting 16 there will be a n xdmumvariation in pitch between detected objects When the Iron Mask is fully activated setting O there will be no signal for objects with ferrous content AUDIO ADJ USTING THE SOUNDS AUDIO ADJ USTING THE SOUNDS a wn E gt 4 a x Uu 1 gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER TESTING TARGET AUDIO RESPONSES Take sore tine to becone faniliar with how the Explorer responds to various metal objects This tutorial is designed for Smartfind s Iron Mask and Discrimination functions Repeat the procedure to faniliarize yourself with both Gather a collection of different rretal objects like a rusted nail pull tab brass button alurriniumfoil various coins and sorre gold and silver jewelry
78. osshair The location of this crosshair on the Srrartfind screen is based on Minelab s unique two dirrensional scale of discrimination An understanding of this Will be helpful before Srrartfind s Iron Mask and Discrirrination functions are explained in the next few pages Two dimensional discrimination explained High 2 Targets appearing on Targets appearing on 5 the left of the the right of the 3 Smartfind screen are Smartfind screen are 5 generally ferrous generally non ferrous o A v Low High Ferrous Content Low P0342 a The Explorer rates detected objects according to their conductivity like most traditional detectors What makes two dimensional discrimination unique is a rating of the sarre object s ferrous content Smartfind graphically represents both of these target properties on the sarre display The vertical dimension or axis rates the object on size conductivity QUICKSTART S SMARTFIND DISPLAY THE MINELAB EXPLORER XIV E e The horizontal dimension or axis rates the extent of the Discrimination M object s reserrblance to ferrous characteristics Discrinination is the ability of a metal detector to identify the user s desired target e g jewelry and eliminate signals from unwanted material e g nails The Explorer can be programmed in a number of ways to discrininate against unwanted targets in different types of groun
79. ottom of the screen to indicate whether Pinpoint is ON or OFF It will flash in ON mode to rerrind you to tum Pinpoint OFF Using the Pinpoint function is explained in detail in Chapter 5 Quickstart page 59 60 SHORTCUT BUTTONS THE MINELAB EXPLORER The six buttons at either side of the Explorer display screen perform several functions Menu items may be selected help screens displayed or acjustments made to display and audio levels Figure 4 9 Exarrple of selected menu item Figure 4 10 Exarrple of a help screen Figure 4 11 Exarrple of an adjustrrent bar Selecting a menu item Figure 4 9 Pressing and releasing the shift button next to a menu itemor icon will select this option For exarrple in Figure 4 9 pressing the left handtop shift button selects the ADVANCED option of Advanced rrode s OPTIONS nenu Help function Figure 4 10 Pressing and holding down the shift button next to a menu itemor pressing and holding a shortcut button for approxirretely one second will display a Help screen describing this particular function and various other rrenu options available Repeat function Figure 4 11 Pressing and holding the shift button adjacent to either side of an acjustment bar for more than one second will repeat the function of a single depression of the sarre button until the button is released For exarrple Figure 4 11 pressing and holding the right hand bottomshift button will stea
80. owered by alkaline batteries or a rechargeable Nickel Metal steps Toreplace the coil cable access panel ensure that the Coil cable aligns with the serricircular hole at the side of the coil yoke and gently ease the coil cable access panel into the top of the recess until its prongs are well within Hydride NIMH battery pack This Chapter provides details on battery installation use and perfomance 0316 the recess Check again to ensure that the cable is snugly lodged in the semicircular hole Figure 2 17 Removing the coil cable srEP9 Detail in Figure 2 15 Using a screwdriver in the slot prize the panel back flush into place srEP 10 Reconnect cable to control box as directed in Connecting the shaft assembly page 16 NOTE If you have difficulty retrieving coil cable from within the upprt shaft it will be necessary to shorten the overall shaft length to allow the necessary slack PO317 b Figure 2 18 Rerroving yoke from search coil REPLACING AND FITTING THE SEARCH COIL MINELAB wwww rrinelab com W w gt 4 E m E m Uu THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE BATTERY PACK The Explorer XS is supplied with a sealed rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydiride NiMH battery pack and a battery pack designed to accept alkaline AA batteries Removal instructions apply to both types of pack Battery installation instructions apply to alkaline batter
81. r directions on this procedure refer to page 13 steps Secure upper shaft in position by locking the control box camock srEPe Figure 2 9 Adjust shaft to the desired length and then lock with shaft candock lever srEP7 Figure 2 9 Tiltthe search coil to the nost confortable angle keeping in mind it will need to be parallel to the ground during detecting NOTE To avoid difficulty securing the control box camiock lever ensure the shaft camliock is released to allow greater shaft movement You are now ready to proceed to the handle assembly CONNECTING THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY N Pd m m MINELAB wwwiminelab com N gt gt 73 w m THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE HANDLE ASSEIVBLY The handle assembly is made up of the amrest straps and the control box Itis connected to the shaft assembly by the control box PO 88 h Figure 2 10 Amrest adjustrrent Adjusting the amrest assenbly Figure 2 10 To adjust arrrrest step 1 Loosen the screw in the center of the anrrest tum counterclockwise Use a screwdriver or the edge of a coin step 2 Slide amrestto your desired position Your hand should comfortably grip the angled neck of the handle asserrbly with the detector feeling like an extension of your forearm step Genty remove your am step 4 Tighten screw clockwise to lock into
82. r or rrore overcast conditions make the detector display harder to see itis possible to adjust the display contrast srEPi Press the MENU shortcut button on the control panel This will display the MAIN MENU Figure 5 11 sp2 Fourrrenuitens will be displayed each witha tumed down comer This indicates a following screen srEP3 Press the shift button next to the DISPLAY option To denote selection the box will fill in with solid black and a newscreen witha slider control will appear Figure 5 12 step4 Press the shift buttons next to the arrows of the slider control to change the contrast of the screen display fromthe factory setting of 6 steps Press the DETECT shortcut button again to continue detecting MODIFYING THE DISPLAY THE MINELAB EXPLORER ADJ USTING SENSITIVITY amp Y NOISE CANCEL So that you can detect in best conditions we would acivise you to always choose the channel with least interference before beginning your detecting session If the detector becomes noisy and you suspect electromagnetic interference change to a better channel before adjusting To do this automatically press the Noise Cancel shortcut button Explorer XS or manually select the least noisy channel Explorer S or XS see page 83 P0350 a Sensitivity control The sensitivity bar indicates how responsive the detector is to a target in the presence of ground noise and or electrorragnetic interference
83. s The Explorer can be programmed in a number of ways to discriminate against unwanted targets in Full Band Spectrum FBS When developing Full Band Spectrum FBS technology Minelab s scientists looked at the already successful Broad Band Spectrum BBS technology used in previous Minelab detectors Discussions with seasoned treasure hunters fromaround the world identified a nurrber of possible enhancerrents for operators The irrproverrerts to the Explorer detectors include increased detection depth e accurate identification of targets to greater depth enhanced detection of desired targets arridst iron trash different types of ground adjustrmerts to inprove operation for searching salt water beaches Most detectors on the market Single Dual 28 Multiple a Frequency Frequency Frequencies operate on a single or dual frequency ranging from1 to 70 kilohertz kHz Although this technology has served the industry anm 2 A well for years Minelab s scientists MESS POQ64 c found that a frequency that worked well in one area would often offer only marginal performance when used in another location Ground rrineralisation trash content and target size all had an effect on how Figure 13 Metal detector comparisons effective a detector transnitting a single frequency would operate Full Band Spectrumtechnology combines Minelab
84. screen CaN 4 Depth indicator The clear portion of the depth indicator represents the approximate distance of a target below the coil The top of the indicator represents the position of the coil and the bottom represents 12 inches 300nmr fromthe coil The bar will be clear if the target is too far fromthe coil or its depth cannot be accurately gauged ADVANCED EDIT Iron Mesk This shaded block indicates whether IRON MASK function is ON or OFF See page 45 Discrimination pattern The shaded and unshaded areas of the screen schematically represent the current target discrirrination characteristics See pages 42 43 for basic information 7 Pinpoint This shaded block indicates whether PINPOINT function is ON or OFF See page 59 T Target Crosshair Represents the detected object s M O 7 amp properties on a two dimensional scale of discrirrination See page 42 9 Target frame Any area of the screen enclosed by this frane may be excluded becorre part of your preferred target pattem Vertical navigation Pressing the shift buttons next to these arrows moves the target frane up or down screen J Battery life This shaded block indicates the charge remaining in the installed batteries See page 27 LEARN S TARGET SELECTION ADVANCED MODE S EDIT DISPLAY gt lt gt a m MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER
85. sembly MINELAB S UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY m a Ld z MINELAB THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER www minelab com 1 E a e N gt gt m m This chapter provides details and instructions on assembling and adjusting the Explorer THE MINELAB EXPLORER THE MINELAB EXPLORER UNPACKING YOUR EXPLORER UNPACKING YOUR EXPLORER List of Parts The box in which the Explorer is shipped should contain the items illustrated on the facing page Please check that all of these items are inthe box If any of these corrponerts are missing contact your Minelab dealer irrrrediately N I the Explorer 5 model does not have the NiMH battery chargers or coil stand supplied These are available as accessories from your Minelab dealer DOCUMENTATION RECHARGEABLE A BATTERY PACK lt gt gt 73 m m ACCESSORY BOX CONTAINING CAR CHARGER MAINS CHARGER AND ARMREST STRAP AlawassYy N INCLUDING Accessories WARRANTY CARD The following itens are available for purchase separately Sy bn 77 UPPER SHAFT ASSEMBLY WS 2 NiMH battery pack spare COIL STAND M LOWER SHAFT ASSEMBLY Coil stand HANDLE ASSEMBLY SEARCH GOL e Sparecoil covers CONTAINING ALKALINE BATTERY PACK e bag 0305 9 Minelab Cap Minelab Po
86. stenings e g yoke bolt and Do not use solvents to clean the detector Use a danp cloth with mild soap detergent Ensure the coil cable is in good condition and not subject to undue stress Search coil The Explorer coil is not interchangeable with any previous Minelab model lator faulty batteries cause many detector problems Ensure that only quality alkaline batteries are used and that they are replaced when you hear the waming signal through the headphones or speaker Do not dispose of battery pack in fire contact local authorities for disposal recycling Do notatterrptto disasserrble or short circuit the battery pack Take precautions when transporting or storing the detector Although the detector is constructed fromthe highest quality materials and has undergone rigorous durability tests the display screen could be prone to scratching or serious darrage if not treated with due care DETECTOR CARE AND SAFETY
87. te location of a target has been deterrrined itis necessary to identify the object s exact position This is done using the Explorer s Pinpoint function Enabling Pinpoint instructs the Explorer to terrporarily disengage discrimination and becorre an all rretal detector This means that objects normally discriminated against will errita target signal when beneath the coil For exarrple Iron Mask is activated and the Explorer has detected the approximate location of a non ferrous coin but ignored the rusty nail buried nearby Selection of Pinpoint instructs the Explorer to respond to all netals positioned directly beneath the coil Now instead of a single signal for the coin the detector will also respond to the nail It should be noted that the Pinpoint function is designed to zone in on a target with subsequent passes For this reason itis recorrmended that you maintain the sane sweep height above the target and not to pass repeatedly back and forth across the target at various heights This incorrect method can cause the detector to desensitize and reduces the depth of Pinpoint If this happens remove the coil from the area of the target for a fewseconds so its sensitivity can recover For this reason Minelab recommends Pinpoint is only used once the approximate location of a target has been determined The display screen s Pinpoint indicator will flash to rerrind you to tum Pinpoint off before resurring normal detecting Instru
88. th BERETS paco f i Target agra strength Figure 5 16 Volurre gain settings 45 ain gt Figure 5 17 Volurre gain preset Gain Figure 5 16 5 17 Main Menu gt Audio gt Volume gt GAIN adjustment Volurre gain affects the way the detector amplifies target audio responses in respect to the strength of the original signal Looking at figure 5 16 itis clear that with a setting of 1 the sound produced will be proportional to the strength of the signal for the whole range of signals Based on this and the depth indication sorre information on the size of the target can be inferred It should be noted that in this case weak signals will produce an accordingly faint audio signal With the preset value of 5 the audio response is being partially amplified Weak to mediumstrength signals will give proportional responses but strong signals will not sound much louder than mediumones because the sound has reached its maxinumilinit Figure 5 17 On the other hand with a setting of 10 all but the weakest signals Wil be arrplified to a very strong audio response Figure 5 16 No indication of size or strength of target signal can be deduced in this case but even weak target signals will be easier to hear AUDIO ADJ USTING THE VOLUME THE MINELAB EXPLORER pU COE Figure 5 18 Tone LS ANNTOne
89. u gt Save gt SAVE DISCRIM 51 56 The SAVE rrenu s SAVE DISCRIM options represent six potential places to store rrerrorized target pattems They will typically be selected when you wantto save personalized discrirrination pattems As rrentioned earlier discrirrination pattems may be created in Learm s instant target selection fromone or nore target options chosen fromthe SELECT nenu or froma discrimination pattem custorrized in EDIT To copy the current discrimination pattem into the SAVE DISCRIM menu press the shift button next to the location where you want it to be saved This new pattem will replace the previous content When you encounter the sane detecting conditions again itis possible to instruct the Explorer to detect with the nenorized setting e g S1 by choosing fromthe SELECT target list as you would COINS or J EWELRY SAVING TARGETS Figure 6 16 The Audio Menu Volume Shortcut 2 Itis also possible to access the P0397 a volume menu from a shortcut on the LEARN screen This is detailed on page 71 Main Menu gt AUDIO Details on the Explorer s audio response Audio menu settings andinstructions appear in Chapter 5 Quickstart Please refer to page 52 for infomation and instructions There is no difference in the functionality of the detector s audio between Quickstart and Advanced rrodes AUDIO MENU gt lt gt a m MINELAB www
90. u the option of operating the Explorer with its factory settings or in the most recent manual setting The backlight provides greater screen Clarity in dim conditions POWER Figure 4 1 Power button BACKLIGHT 9 401 Figure4 2 Backlight button Power Figure 4 1 The POWER button tums the Explorer on and off and also allows you to specify operation in the detector s last setting NOTE The first time you tum on the detector it will start up with factory presets as the most recent manual setting To start the detector in factory preset mode Pressandbholdthe POWER button until a six note musical tune is sounded The Minelab logo and the words FACTORY PRESETS will be briefly displayed on the screen To start the detector with its previous manual setting Pressandreleasethe POWER button This will start the detector with the previous settings from when the detector was last used e g target specifications sensitivity levels etc and you rray proceed with detecting or rrodifying detector settings Backlight only available on Explorer XS Figure 4 2 Pressing the BACKLIGHT button turns the light behind the Explorer display screen on or off Contrast can be adjusted to suit via the Main Menu detailed in Chapter 5 Quickstart Turning this light off Will extend battery life Vnenever the detector is switched on the backlight illurrinates for the first
91. ually represents target details using two dimensional discrimination The audible level of sound erritted when no target is detected is the threshold This threshold humis the background sound made as the Explorer operates Threshold can be set anywhere between no sound silent and loud GLOSSARY OF TERMS GLOSSARY OF TERMS 7 OF TR ER MINELAB ww rrinelab com 7 ONI THE MINELAB EXPLORER CTOR CARE AND SAFETY The Explorer is a high quality electronic instrument finely engineered and packaged in a durable housing Taking proper care of the detector is mostly sense Do not leave the battery pack in the Explorer handle when the detector is not in use for extended periods of time Darrage caused by leaking batteries could be severe and would void the warranty through user negligence fterrperatures are very high do not leave the detector in excessive heat for longer than necessary Covering it when not in use will help protect it Try to avoid leaving it in a closed trunk or in a car sitting in sunlight e Thecontrol box has been designed to resist rroisture However Minelab advises protecting the control box in extrerre conditions Obviously the control box should not be dropped into water Never allow the detector to come into contact with gasoline or other petroleum based liquids Keep the detector clean and dry and avoid getting sand and grit into the shafts or fa
92. uctive target errits a high pitched signal The AUDIO menu allows you to modify the detector s operating VOLUME TONE and define the SOUNDS erritted to lend greater refinement to audio responses AUDIO MENU THE MINELAB EXPLORER AUDIO ADJ USTING THE VOLUME VOLUME Figure 5 15 Volurre adjustment screen UU Qr Itis also possible to access the volume menu described overleaf fromthe icon shortcut of the Advanced mode s LEARN screen Introducing Volume Figure 5 15 Main Menu gt Audio gt VOLUME The VOLUME screen of the Audio nenu displays two slider controls MAX LIMIT and GAIN Figure 5 15 To test sounds upon selection it is necessary to move the coil across the target limit Main Menu Auciio gt Volume gt MAX LIMIT adjustment This setting is the detector s oveniding volurre control It controls the loudness of a signal response erritted fromthe detector much like the volurre knob on a stereo system A setting of instructs the detector to be corrpletely silent A setting of 10 instructs the detector s audio to operate at its rraximumlevel of loudness Lower settings are likely to help extend battery usage tirre Continued next page AUDIO ADJ USTING THE VOLUME a wn 4 gt 4 iz a x Uu 4 gt E THE MINELAB EXPLORER ss upnoj punos P0354 a Target signal streng
93. wn RH gt 4 THE MINELAB EXPLORER QUICKSTART SMAR M 2 Figure 5 4 Srrartfind s preset Discrim function Introducing Discrim Discrim an abbreviation of Discrimination instructs the detector to accept sorre types of targets and reject others It uses Srrartfind s two dirrensional discrimination allowing you to specify one or nore target pattems for detection Smurtfind Discrimination pattem Figure 5 4 When you begin in Quickstart you will see a Srrartfind display reserrbling Figure 5 4 This display shows thatthe detector is ready to operate in its preset Coins Discrimfunction The discrirrination pattem represents the typical characteristics of non ferrous coins actually a con posite of hundreds of coins from around the world When the search coil passes over an object matching the conductive and ferrous characteristics of coins the target crosshair will appear in the clear area and a target response Will sound Objects outside of the accepted clear area are not displayed and the threshold hum is silenced The target crosshair will remain locked in the position of the last accepted target The discrimination pattem maps the specific ferrous and conductive properties of coins providing excellent accuracy in detection of this particular type of target NOTE Quickstart offers a range of discrimination pattems which may be used on their own or in co
94. y for future detecting sessions Fast FHST By selecting this setting the detector will react faster to the signals Introducing the Settings menu Figure 6 20 Recovery menu Figure 6 21 Settings menu Advanced rrode allows you to save and load two different settings in addition to the factory presets It may be that two people with maza received but the discrimination may be slightly less accurate Use Fastin areas littered with objects where a desired target could be hiding next to unwanted objects different preferences use the detector e g different volurre tone sensitivity settings or perhaps you divide your time between a couple of very different detecting environments e g the beach and ahighly rrineralized battlefield The Explorer s Settings feature makes it easy to save rather than going through the whole fine Deep tuning process again DEEP This setting affects only weak target signals and enhances themto allowidentification of deep targets This setting should be selected in relatively uncluttered areas where deep targets are anticipated Strong signals are unaffected Saving and loading a setting For exarrple to save your current detector settings press the shift button next to USER A or USER B on the right side of the screen A screen pron pt will appear asking if you want to save current settings inthe rrerrory Select YES gt gt gt gt O a m m
95. y replacement only Explorer S model is supplied with alkaline battery pack only YELLOW TAB P0333 Figure 3 1 Removal of battery pack Figure 3 2 Replacing alkaline batteries NiMH battery packs and chargers are available as accessories for your detector Removal of battery pack Figure 3 1 Eu Ensure that the detector is tumed OFF before Proceeding with any of the following directions srEP1 Prop or rest the detector on a stable flat surface srEP2 Lift the rubber cap of the battery handle asserrbly srEP3 Raise the yellow tab This releases the spring loaded battery pack Remove battery pack entirely from handle asserrbly Replacing alkaline batteries Figure 3 2 5 1 Rerrove alkaline battery pack fromhandle asserrbly Slide the battery pack lid in the direction of the arrowto rerrove Place 8 x AA cell alkaline batteries inside Make sure that they are aligned as indicated on the label step2 Replace the battery pack lid and slide the pack into the corrpartrrert until it clicks into place Replace the rubber cap sealing the battery corrpartrrent High quality alkaline batteries are recommended to optinize detector usage time Rechargeable alkaline batteries may be used but must be removed and recharged separately THE BATTERY PACK P02 3 b Figure 3 3 Recharging NiMH batt

Instruction Manual Explorer S & XS

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents

Instruction Manual Explorer S &amp; XS

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents

Instruction Manual Explorer S & XS