Ground Balancing ?

[JoAnne]

Earlier tonight Pat mentioned ground balancing her detector. What is that? Is that something that I need to do to my Prizm V? I checked the literature and also read the box and can find no mention of this. Can someone please explain it to me. Thanks in advance.

[dave]

I use the prism5 , i dont think it applies to our machine , the high dollars one's have that feature , the xlt, dfx, i'm pretty sure , but get some better opions, it may also help me ,,,, good luck .

[norris]

all the prizm models are turn on and go, they are automaticly ground balanced. another reason the prizm models are good machines for beginners. just turn it on and start hunting.

[JoAnne]

Thank you Norris - I thought I had read that somewhere. Happy Hunting JoAnne

[bill(de)]

Hi JoAnne,
I do believe the Prizm detectors are all preset ground balanced and is out of your control.
The purpose of ground balancing is to help compensate for the natural ground minerals and basically is a form of discrimination and is necessary for a detector to give a proper target ID. Some detectors are preset from the factory and some have either an automatic ground balancing system where you just push a button and the detector will perform the task for you and some detectors have a manual adjustment knob and you bob the coil up and down while turning the knob to achieve a neutral Ground Balance.This all must be done where NO obvious metal targets are detected over clean ground.
If using a detector that has a multitude of coil selections or the ground is exceptionally mineralized the ground balance option may be more of an issue. For now just enjoy your Prizm V. HH Bill

[JoAnne]

Thanks Bill - I had a feeling that my Prizm did not need to be ground balanced since I could find nothing about it. Thanks also for explaining how and why you ground balance. JoAnne

[JoAnne]

Thanks Boobie - I definitely will do that.

[bill(de)]

Wasn't aware you could adjust the Prizm's but as Boobie found out you can.
Here's a little more info to be aware of if you decide to adjust your ground balance as per Greg @ Trans Bay. He is well informed on Whites detectors and a dealer and field tester.
" The Prizm Series and earlier Classics are the Quietest of the two filter detectors I’ve ever used, keeping the NOISE down to minimal. White’s Engineers have internally set the Prizm to handle a range of ground conditions. An internal trim pot can be accessed by the end user, to adjust the ground balance for regional ground conditions; however this trim pot is very fragile, so it should be left alone if the Prizm is lowered to the ground in the pin point mode and the threshold hold doesn’t change or SLIGHTLY increases"

According to Greg the trim pot is not intended to be a frequent adjustment and please be careful if you try it. HH Bill

[JoAnne]

Thanks Bill for the information. My prizm is new and I am just learning it. I am not having a problem with it. Someone mentioned to me that I might need to adjust the gorund balance but I was not aware that it was even possible to adjust. So will not touch my prizm but it is good to know that if it becomes a major problem that there is a possible solution out there. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. JoAnne

[mws]

BH 3300 has tough time ground balancing too, cant seem to get it to balance ......or im a idiot.

mws