Nexus Metal Detectors '4 Points To Perfect Performance'

There's one very important element when using any Nexus machine that can be hard for people to understand and that is, scrubbing the coil on the ground, doing this isn't going to make the machine detect deeper. Actually it will achieve the complete opposite, digital machines on the other hand, have filters on them to eliminate a lot of problematic issues. These filters are applied before you even start messing with the settings, this is why you can get away with scrubbing the coils on the ground, they've been designed for easy use. However, this is one of the many reasons why digital machines can't replicate the Nexus performance, the more filters you have on a machine the more it's going to effect both depth, overall performance and discrimination at depth - hence why all the digital machines out there struggle with ID-ing deep targets.

Nexus machines have zero filters, they're wide open, true all metal machines, the older models including the V2 has/had an iron reject mode as an option but when searching in this mode you're just not going to get the performance that can be achieved when hunting in all metal. This is why the iron reject switch was removed on the V3, anything that was going to hinder performance was removed. So the question is - How do you get the best out of a machine that has zero filters? easy ... you have to merge a series of simple elements together to achieve the desired result, it's called synchronicity, separate elements working in complete harmony to achieve the desired outcome. 

These elements are listed below. 

1. Correct Ground Balance

2. Correct Coil Height

3. Correct Threshold Level

4. Correct Swing Technique

The points above have been mentioned in my V3 review blog but I'll explain each element in a little more detail again, it's really important that you grasp all these little points because you will enjoy and master the machine a lot faster. I mastered its operation by going through a very intuitive process, I sort of 'felt' my way into it. When I first used my V2 out in the fields I had a "WTF" moment for about 4 hours before everything clicked, if you want to benefit from the performance you have to be prepared, however long it takes, to master these machines.  

So ..... firstly, all preconceived ideas you have about using a metal detector need to be put to one side, it doesn't matter how long you've been detecting. You haven't been detecting with a Nexus machine so you have to reset your mind and start again, you can't carry anything over from the previous machines you've used, both analog or digital, this is a very important point that I learnt from the start. The people that have difficulties with Nexus are usually the ones that think they know it all and know best ... you know ...... the guys that are YouTube celebrities, the 'testers', the 'old sages', 'forum dwellers' that hide behind screen names and those that seem more bothered about 'click bait' titles, subscribers and 'likes' more than anything else. It's probably best that these sort of people stick to the latest tech machines ... hell ! you ain't going to get the validation you so clearly need making videos about dated, obsolete single frequency machines like Nexus .. right?

So .......  first and foremost you have to master the ground balance, I've mentioned this so many times before because it's really important, don't run before you can walk, you have to dial the machine into the ground you're hunting on. Along with that you'll have to keep an ear on it and modify it accordingly during the hunt. I find when the conditions are dry, very rarely do you have to modify the ground balance, however when the ground is damp or sodden, then you might need to periodically review it. Also if you have sections of land that go from clay to soil, you'll have to keep an eye on the GB because both those substances are very different to each other. When ground balancing you have to find a spot clear of any metal, on some really old sites this can be tricky but you'll just have to take your time, or clear out a coil sized area. 

How Do I Know If The Machine Is Ground Balanced?

This is simple, the machine will tell you, you'll find that you'll be getting excessive ground noise as you swing the coil both left and right. If this starts to happen find an area clear of metal in the specific place you're currently hunting and perform the ground balance process again. The more you use your detector you'll start to understand what it's telling you. Remember, you're looking to make the machine an extension of who you are.

Does The Machine Fall Out Of Ground Balance Due To Lack Of Performance Or Machine Error?

The answer to this question is no, it's actually the complete opposite, because Nexus machines are precision tools that are hyper sensitive, it's only common sense that you'll need to modify and adjust them accordingly. Now a few important elements to understand about ground balancing, if you're using a high frequency coil in really wet, waterlogged conditions then you might have problems tuning it into the ground. There's two things you can do in this situation, you can turn the mineral control on, but you have to be aware that this will reduce some sensitivity and depth, or you can simply use a low frequency coil on that specific trip. The second scenario that could make ground balance tricky is on freshly ploughed fields, I actually had this problem a few months ago using the 20' DD coil, for that specific hunt I used a little mineral control and concentrated on the threshold movement with great results. However, when I went back the following week after we had a bit of rain and the soil had stabilised then I was able to ground balance perfectly. 

One other thing to also be aware of, you're always going to get a little bit of noise from the ground, it can occur more when you're swinging the larger coils. However, excessive ground noise can also be caused by swinging the coil too close to the ground or unintentionally lifting and lowering the coil whilst swinging. If you're obsessed with a super quiet machine you can always suppress the threshold a touch but to be really honest I wouldn't recommend this because you will miss potential deep targets. People talk about running machines "HOT", all Nexus machines are running hot all the time, it's exactly what they've been designed to do.

So now let's move on to the next stage - coil height, this is a really important element and it's something that you might have to modify depending on how you swing a coil. Let's break this down a little bit, when you're ground balancing and lowering the coil, you hit a point where ground noise phases in, this is the 'ground phase', it's this that we're nulling out through the GB procedure. 

Where the ground phase kicks in is where the coil is best swung, don't get to anal or pedantic about it though, I find most of the coils run perfectly 2 to 2 and a half inches from the ground. On some days, usually when the ground is wet or soaked you might find that you have to swing the coil a little higher, you'll usually be able to suss this out when ground balancing. Also, the larger the coil the higher it might need to be swung so just experiment until you find your own sweet spot. The mechanism behind this is quite clever, once you've phased the ground out and you're swinging the coil at the correct height then the only thing that the threshold reacts to are metal objects in the ground. As mentioned before, you might get a little bit of noise coming through but you can clearly tell the difference between that and a hit from a metal target, one response can be isolated and the other can't.

Let's move on to threshold, this is all pretty straightforward really, on the V2 I have it on the edge, what I mean by that is, it's just teetering on the edge of audible, I find it phases in beautifully, especially on deep targets. If I'm using my dual 20' inch on the V2, due to how powerful and sensitive this specific coil is, I might suppress the threshold slightly just to stabilise and smooth out the audio. Combining everything I've mentioned above so far, with the perfect threshold volume, all contributes to a lovely, stable hunting experience. 

On the V3 it's recommended to set the threshold at an audible level, meaning you can hear it all the time, not blaring out just ticking a long nicely in the background. The V3 runs really nice with the threshold set this way, especially when using the silver scout coils, once again, if you're using larger coils the threshold might have to be modified accordingly, you'll just have to experiment. But remember, the Nexus threshold is 'true', its ridiculously sensitive and doesn't act anything like the threshold on all the modern tech machines. 

Finally we have swing technique, this pretty much falls into the same category as coil height, the two mesh together. You want to have a medium to slow swing speed, making sure the coil stays nice and level to the ground. Pay close attention in keeping the swing level and consistent, don't raise or lower the coil and don't unintentionally raise the coil up at the end of each swing. Once this is mastered then you've basically "centred" the machine and you're providing the best set of instructions for the detector to run at optimum levels.

Below is a video of me demonstrating both the coil height and swing technique I adopt when using the dual 12' inch coil. Both the swing technique and coil height are pretty much the same when I'm using all my other coils. I usually swing my smaller coils slightly closer to the ground, the only one that is drastically different in the application is the dual 20' inch, you need to both ground balance and swing it at least 15cm off the ground. This specific coil is really powerful and it's designed to hit on medium to large targets at extreme depths, its common sense that a different approach would be needed. 

That's pretty much it, everything highlighted in this blog needs to be understood to operate any Nexus machine to optimal levels, remember, to master everything correctly you need to practice and put the time into understanding it. Sometimes I get people contacting me complaining that they can't get the machine to run stable, I obviously always try to help and break down the elements listed in this blog. 

But one point must be emphasised here, if the machine isn't running correctly it's because you haven't set it up properly. There are no secrets or shortcuts, Nexus machines have fantastic performance in every area but you've got to earn that performance and that means spending time with the machine, having an open mind, experimenting and mastering it inside and out. Once you've achieved this, hunting becomes immensely enjoyable and in the long run you will benefit from the performance that these detectors have to offer.