True Threshold 'Where's It Gone?'
I use the the term 'frame of reference' quite a lot, what I mean by this is, your frame of reference is the foundation that you build your views and opinions on. Those that came into metal detecting through beep and dig machines are going to have a completely different frame of reference to those that got into/getting into the hobby through the latest tech machines. The newer machines have different words for standard functions that have always been on metal detectors, I guess from a marketing point of view it makes the features on these new machines sound cutting edge. Let's get one thing straight, in "Minelab Speak" iron bias is the new term for discrimination, it's the same on the Legend the iron filter is basically discrimination.
On my old Fisher 1265x I had dual discrimination so the concept of the "disc" was understood very early on, along side this the 1265x had a sensitivity dial that when you pulled it towards you a threshold hum would be generated. This improved the machines overall detection depth because targets on the very edge of detection would give a faint response with a slight elevation within the threshold. To me, the threshold is one of the main features that a metal detector should have as standard. My Fisher F19 also has a classic Fisher sounding threshold, because the F19 isn't a particularly deep unit, it helps to eek out those slightly deeper targets.
It would appear Minelab are trying to change the overall concept of how a threshold should function, starting back when the Equinox first came out, we don't have a true threshold option. When I purchased my Equinox 800 and went to set the threshold I was actually wondering what the hell was going on. The machine will generate a tone but it was obvious very quickly that this was a reference threshold as opposed to a real one. It's purpose is to null out over rejected items which to me is totally pointless, a threshold is suppose to rise when going over targets and can be the key to digging deeper because it will alert you to items that could easily be missed when hunting without a true threshold.
One point in regards to the misunderstanding of the Threshold is discussions I've seen online between people that are new to the hobby. It appears some just don't understand the concept of what a threshold should both sound like and function like. I've even seen someone ask the question, What Is The Purpose Of The Threshold? only for someone to respond with "It's a constant hum that nulls over rejected targets", to me this response is beyond ridiculous but it demonstrates how easy it is to change someones knowledge base.
On all my analog machines the key feature for me is the threshold setting, I've experimented with all my detectors and when you have it teetering on the edge it has a tendency to wake the ground up. What I mean by this is, you're getting audible feedback from the dirt which is going to help you to hit on more targets, deep, shallow, big and small. I like the ground to come alive, I want to hear a certain amount of noise, I don't like my machines to be silent. Running my detectors like this improves overall signal response and there's a light and day difference when hitting on targets at depth or just on the edge of detection as opposed to not running it at all.
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