How To Use A Face Plate on a Metal Detector

Metal detectors can be a lot of fun as well as a source of profit. Getting outdoors and walking with a metal detector is a great way to exercise even if you never find anything of value. However, one of the benefits of having a metal detector is the possibility of finding "treasure" of one sort or another, anything from an old class ring to buried pirate loot. The face plate on a metal detector is the metal plate where the various controls for the detector are located. The number of controls on a detector's face place is determined by the brand of detector and the model and by the price and complexity of your particular unit.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Metal detector

1. Hold the detector in your hand as per the manufacturer's directions and look at the controls for the machine. The controls are located on a metal plate that is simply known as the face plate. The controls will be obvious and easy to see, somewhere close to your hand and in easy view.

2. Switch the unit on with a toggle or twist knob on the face plate.

3. The type and number of controls on the face plate of a metal detector varies widely depending on the manufacturer and the price range of your particular model. Two controls, however, are located on the face plate of almost all metal detectors: sensitivity and discrimination.

4. Set the sensitivity of the detector using the twist knob marked "sensitivity" on the face plate. Normally this is a twist knob that allows you to set the sensitivity from 0 to 10. The sensitivity setting will help you determine whether you have found a coin or an old nail.

5. Set the "discrimination" setting to eliminate such things as iron nails or foil or aluminum unless you wish to search for those items. The "discrimination" setting is a twist knob on most models, set in the face plate of the detector.

Tips & Warnings

• The face plate on each model and each brand of metal detector can be very different. Some face plates contain many controls, allowing the user a wide latitude in determining what the detector will find, while other models have just a few controls. The number of controls and their function is determined by the individual manufacturer and vary according to the price of the unit. Read your user's manual to find out how to set the various controls on the face plate of your metal detector so that you can quickly locate just the types of items you are searching for.

Resources

• Face plates on different models of detectors