Can Minelab metal detectors tell what a target is likely to be before I dig it up?
Yes, Minelab metal detectors have the ability to ‘discriminate’ between different types of targets. The discrimination feature on Minelab detectors measure two target properties, ferrous properties and conductive properties. Ferrous properties refer to how much iron is in a target and therefore how strongly it’s attracted to a magnet. Ferrous targets tend to be trash, so can be discriminated/masked out based on their ferrous properties alone by the detector. Conductive properties refer to how well a target conducts electrical current and therefore responds to a metal detector’s magnetic field. Trash like nails and foil have different conductive properties to valuable targets like coins and rings. In this case the metal detector can make a judgement as to whether the target is trash based on conductivity. The process for configuring the discrimination settings and the method used to indicate treasure or trash varies across the Minelab range of detectors.
