7. June 2026

Pinpointing with your metal detector

Pinpointing with many of the detectors today, you may find on occasions that the target pinpoints too large, again I have advice for you on that. Simply hold the pinpoint button down to pinpoint your target, quickly while over the target, release the button and immedately press and hold it down again--while over the target with just a very slight motion (swing). You will immediately notice that the pinpointing of the target has become much smaller, thus helping you dig less dirt, a smaller hole to find the target and causing you to ' find tune' your target. This action is called "retuning" which is not explain in owners manuals, but does work on any detector that has a pinpoint button, switch or press pad. Again, just 40 years of experience talking here. How about detectors without the pinpointing feature? You must remember that the less expensive detectors as a starting unit and will seldom have the pinpoint feature/button or switch. If it does not have a pinpoint button, you still have a way to help you pinpoint your target. Any detector you use without a pinpoint ability, you simply raise the detector head slowly higher over the target your trying to pinpoint as you swing it. You will then notice that the target will become narrower and narrower until you can see it is centering over about a two inch square spot on the ground that you are still getting a beep over. All detectors 'detection area' reduces in size (in a cone shape detection field under your detector's coil center, being the strongest point of your detection is the center of the coil) as you detect targets deeper, then the same holds true as you slowly lift your detector as you swing over the target your detecting. You will soon learn to pinpoint targets much closer on any non-pinpointing and even detectors with pinpoint abilities without the need of pushing a button or pressing a touch pad. Remember, all detectors in discrimination are motion detectors. So you must have the detector coil in some slight swinging motion in order for discrimination to work. In any detector with a pinpoint feature, by pressing a button or pad changes your detector to a "all metal" mode of detection that needs no motion to detect the target, yet also has no discrimination on any target. Thus allowing you to pinpoint a target by stopping over the target when you hear the loudest sound from your detector. Also accounts for detectors without pinpointing feature as to why you must continue a slight motion over the target, for you do not have a true "all metal" mode so to pinpoint the target easier. Let's not forget, that for any detector to run smoothly, you must find a good setting for your sensitivity control. Too much sensitivity can cause a lot of false signals and chatter. Simply reduce the sensitivity by reducing that control and you see a much smoother response to good targets only. I hardly ever see a detector that you need more than 3/4's of the sensitivity control setting for that detector's strongest depth yet not too sensitive so to give me many false signals and a noisey operation. Now you can tell good strong targets from trash targets or small pieces of scrap metals.