How To Ground Balance A Metal Detector?

Most metal detectors made today feature some sort of auto ground balancing system. These systems have become very dependable over the years. Automated ground balancing can make life a whole lot easier. There was a time that you had to know how to manually ground balance a metal detector, or you were not metal detecting. So why waste time teaching you how to manually ground balance? If you are serious about metal detecting and getting the most out of your metal detector, you need to learn and understand this process. Even if you never have to ground balance your metal detector having the knowledge of why and how will allow you to fine tune a metal detector that automatically balances.
So what is ground balancing? Minerals in the soil will cause a metal detector to act erratically. Simply put ground balancing tunes your metal detector so that it compensates for the mineralization in the ground. We call ground mineralization ground conditions. Ground conditions can change inch by inch, or they may remain relatively equal depending on where you are metal detecting.
Each metal detector is laid out a little different then the next, but the process of ground balancing is pretty much universal. So turn your metal detector on. Turn the volume up and make sure the metal detector is set to all metal mode. It is also a good idea to turn the threshold up a little more than you would normally set it for this process. With your metal detector turned on and ready to go place the search coil on the ground and begin pumping it. Pull the coil off the ground by about a foot and then push the coil in toward the ground. At first it might seem that your metal detector is just making a bunch of crazy noise, But pay attention. If your metal detector goes off while your pushing the coil toward the ground the machine is running hot, or positive which mean you will dial back a bit on your ground balance knob / button. Now if your metal detector is sounding off when you pull the coil upwards off the ground your detector is operating negatively which means you need to dial the ground balance knob in the positive direction. Your goal is to eliminate both positive and negative signaling you want a silent metal detector while pumping the coil. Once you've achieved this your metal detector is ground balanced.
It is actually a very simple process. Most people assume it is a complicated process when it is not. Pump and dial till it's balanced it is really that easy. The only issue you are going to run into manually balancing your detector is keeping it balanced. Automatic systems balance on the fly.
Here are a couple different videos of various metal detectors being ground balanced. Keep in mind that the process is basically the same for all metal detectors.