Ideas to try when you first get your Explorer home.

First things first, when you first get your Explorer, get it put together and first turn it on do NOT be intimidated! Your first screen will be the Quick Start Smart Screen. At this point this would be my suggestion. Turn the machine off and go to a hardware store and pick up about 20 or more wooden paint stirrers. Take them home and round up all the common targets you can expect to find, for example: penny (zinc, copper, wheat and Indian head), nickel (regular, 35% silver, buffalo and "V") Dime (clad, silver rosy,mercury) quarter (Clad and silver), all the different common tabs you can scrounge up (look in your trash/cash bag) steel bottle cap, aluminum bottle cap and any other common items you are use to finding. Glue the items to the ends of the wooden paint stirrers with hot glue (Make sure you use just your "crummy" coins that can be "abused" and none of your "key date" coins. If you have none or don't want to use the ones you have you can pick up "fillers" at any local coin shop for usually less than a dollar each. Keep in mind that with using hot clue you can remove any of your coins with minimal effort and minimal damage to your coins. Now that you have all your targets glued to your stirrers (You can use both ends of your stirrers if need be) you are ready to begin learning your machine. Clear off your kitchen table or other suitable spot where you have plenty of room (With the wife's permission). Collapse the rod to the shortest it will go. Pull out the instruction manual and start on page one. The manual for the explorer is rather large but as I said in the beginning, do not be intimidated. With all your targets in front of you and your manual you will be on your way to a basic understanding of this machine in no time. The reason for the paint stirrers is so you can be siting comfortably at your table, looking at your screen, able to press the menu buttons and still be able to wave targets across the coil while being able to see the screen, make quick adjustments and be able to hear the tone while you are waving the target over the coil. The manual is long because it goes into a bit more detail for each feature and adjustment than we as detectorist are use to with a new machine. You will find throughout the manual many different "tutorials" DO THEM ALL. Do NOT go to the next page until you have a good understanding of what you have just done on the present page. This whole overall process that I have just outlined will get you on your feet and give you a basic understanding of the features of the Minelab Explorer before you go outside with it for the first time.