How to Use a Garrett Ace 250

Open the battery cover on the control housing of the assembled Ace 250 and insert four AA batteries. When purchased new, it should come with the batteries pre-installed; install or replace them if necessary. Close the battery cover when finished.

Take the Ace 250 to a beach, park or other area where coins or other metallic objects may be found and press the "Power" button to power the unit on. Adjust the armrest if necessary to make for a comfortable fit as you hold it and sweep the detector slowly back and forth with the coils just above the surface as you walk. Connect a pair of headphones to the headphone jack if you choose.

Press the "Sensitivity" button to cycle through the eight sensitivity levels, with the current level shown on the LCD display screen. Higher levels are recommended for detecting objects that are small and/or buried deeper than just below the surface. Use lower levels when encountering interference, excessive metallic presence or when used around other metal detectors.

Press the "Mode" button to select one of the five search modes: Coins, Jewelry, All Metal, Relics (eliminates trash targets) or Custom, which is useful for finding a specific object. Scan a known object while in Custom mode, then search for a similar object by looking for the same reading on the Target ID display. Press the "DISCRIM" button to move the Target ID cursor to the left or right, and press the "ELIM" button to delete a cursor on the Discrimination scale that is different from that of the scanned object.

Look to the various indicators on the LCD display to determine the type of object when one is detected. The Target ID legend at the top of the display shows when a coin, trash item or other metallic object is sensed, as well as distinguishing iron, silver, or gold and bronze. The left-to-right graphic upper scale will illuminate to aid with Target ID and discrimination of detected signals. The coin depth indicator will show how deeply a coin may be buried.

Listen for the specific Tone ID when an object is detected: high-conductivity objects (most U.S. coins) elicit a unique belltone signal, medium-conductivity objects (jewelry or nickels) cause a standard signal, while low-conductivity objects (iron or nails) are denoted with a low-pitched signal.

Press and hold the "Pinpoint" button to determine the exact location of a buried target. When this button is pressed, the upper scale will indicate signal strength -- the more left-to-right segments that light up, the closer the center of the coil is to the target.