Nexus Standard MP V3 'Identifying Iron Using VCO'

One of the main features of the V3 is the option to use the VCO tones, they respond completely different to the dual/multi tone on both the Credo DDM and the MP V2. There's a few different ways that you can use them, first and foremost, if you're hunting in iron, it's always best to go by the audio rather than the RGB meter in single tone. The reason for this being, when you're hunting in iron, sometimes you'll get nonferrous tones on good targets that don't always register on the RGB meter. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the RGB meter isn't a form of VDI, it's mainly there to indicate if the target is ferrous or nonferrous. In regards to understanding the RGB meter and the LC/MC dial that controls it, it's best to check out the V3 user manual. Over time you'll start to understand the way it can response to certain targets, for instance, both the audio and meter respond differently to targets that are weird shapes or on their side. I explain more about this in an older blog I wrote Nexus Standard MPV3 'Target Response Explained'

The second way to use the VCO audio is for identifying targets, both ferrous and nonferrous, with practice you'll be able to literally visualise the size and the shape of iron. I've explained, when using the low frequency DD coils, with the discrimination set at 12' o'clock, it pretty much eliminates most of the iron you're going to come across. But you will get occasions where you get false signals on the edge of iron, this can be due to sharp corners and edges combined with the fact that iron has leaked into the surrounding soil. These specific elements can fire the RGB meter off making you think that you've got a nonferrous target, when in fact, you're seeing a "visual representation of what a false signal looks like".

You have to get into the habit of checking targets that you're unsure about by using the VCO tones, nonferrous targets will have an instant high tone whilst iron will have a low tone. Obviously falsing on the edge of iron will produce a high tone with an RGB meter response but when you swing over any type of iron you'll always get the low tone first. Not only that but you won't actually be able to isolate and 'rotate' on the high tone that the iron is producing. Over time you'll be able to work out a signal falsing on iron as opposed to a partially masked target. At first these two situations might sound the same but with close examination you'll come to learn that there is a subtle difference. 

Two other scenarios that I use the VCO audio for is when I'm hunting on quiet ground where targets are sparse, on ground like this I sometimes switch the meter off because I'm going on audio alone and have no reason to look at it. Another time I like to switch to the VCO is on deeper and weaker signals, especially when it comes to small objects at depth. The VCO never discriminates incorrectly so if I have a lovely 'whispery' high tone then I know it's 100% a nonferrous target at depth. To make the deeper targets more pronounced I will raise the threshold a touch, this creates a slightly wider signal response both audible and visual.

Below is a video of me explaining how I deal with iron using the MP V3 and the VCO tones.