Minelab Manticore Tips: A Better Understanding of the 2D ID Screen
Let me introduce myself—I’m one of Minelab’s Detexperts from Canada. Over the years, I’ve created YouTube tutorials on multiple Minelab detectors and authored a book on the Equinox. I also had the privilege of contributing to the Manticore’s development before its release, and I’ve been using it exclusively since 2021.
In this article, I’ll break down the Minelab Manticore’s 2D ID screen in simple terms, helping you interpret what it’s telling you. Whether you’re new to the Manticore or looking to refine your skills, these insights should make your detecting sessions more productive.
The Basics: What’s on the Minelab Manticore Screen
The detector’s display gives you a lot of information at a glance:
- Your current settings
- Sensitivity level
- Depth gauge
- Detector mode
- Battery life
- Headphone connection status
- Ground tracking indicator
- Soft keys at the bottom
And right in the center is the 2D ID screen, your key to understanding targets.
Conductivity & Target Strength
The Minelab Manticore analyzes how frequencies react with a target and assigns it:
- A Target ID number (Conductivity)
- A dot placement on the 2D screen (Ferrous Properties)
The signal target strength affects how the dot appears:
- Strong signals = dark, solid dot
- Weak signals = faint, transparent dot
This is crucial when paired with depth. For example:
- A thin foil at 1–2 inches might show a faint trace.
- A small gold pendant at the same depth could appear darker.
- But drop that pendant just one more inch and the target strength weakens.
Pay attention. Dig lots. Find more. Every detail in that trace matters.
Ferrous Limits: Upper, Lower & Center
- Upper limit: Where nails and similar ferrous targets land.
- Center limit: Where non ferrous targets land, there are some exceptions
- Lower limit: Thin sheet metals and certain tricky targets land.
Should You Only Dig Center-line Targets? No. Here’s Why:
Target Pulling (Weak vs. Strong Signals)
- A weak target near a stronger one can get dragged toward the other target.
Example: a deep small gold with a larger ferrous target next to it can get dragged down into the ferrous with a line. You see a line in the center but connects to the lower ferrous limits. Deep, small gold rings in mineralized ground often show stretched traces—reaching both upper and lower limits. These are iffy but worth investigating. - Mixed-Composition Targets
A crotal bell with an iron ball inside. It often lands just below the center line (sometimes still touching it). That little iron ball adds ferrous properties. And is now placed just below the line.
Target Shape & Orientation Matters
Flat vs. Tilted Targets
- A flat copper coin gives a crisp, tight dot.
- Tilt that same coin, now it shows as a longer horizontal line. Why?
I believe the frequencies hit both the top surface and the edge, making the algorithm interpret it differently. Conductivity stays the same, but orientation changes the trace.
This isn’t just coins— any target on edge can behave this way.
Long & Odd-Shaped Targets
Bullet casings:
- Swing lengthwise, you get a long horizontal line.
- Swing widthwise you get smaller dot.
Pull tabs (e.g., 30/31 IDs):
- Width reads as 30, length as 31.
- The dot often appears oval-shaped.
Misshapen Junk (Keys, Can Slaw, Tin):
- These show up as multiple dots—sometimes like a cloud or cluster.
Why? Currents can’t flow smoothly like they do in a ring or coin. Clear sign you’re not dealing with a uniform round target.
Pro Tip: Always X-swing targets. The Minelab Manticore needs multiple angles to give you the best info.
How Settings Affect the Trace
Sensitivity
- Too high, strong, shallow targets overwhelm the detector—traces scatter wildly (I call it the “fireworks display”). Drop sensitivity.
- Too low small/deep targets barely register a dot or trace. Increased sensitivity.
Recovery Speed
- Too low in trashy areas. You’ll catch partial signals—quick blips that vanish. Good indication on when to increase it.
- Too fast, you lose depth. Deep targets struggle to appear. Lower Recovery Speed to clean up those signals.
Audio & Trace Connection
You’ll start to see what you hear:
- Solid, crisp sound, the dot looks clean and well-defined.
- Faint sound, faint dot.
- Wobbly, broken sound the trace may show a curved or erratic line.
It’s amazing when you finally match the sound to the visual.
After all these years, I’m still blown away by the Minelab Manticore’s accuracy. All that information, right in front of you.
To anyone struggling: Keep at it. Dig, learn from good sources, and trust the machine. Every hour you put in is worth its weight in gold.
Wishing you all the best with this incredible beast of a detector.
Laurie Gagné is an expert metal detectorist from Quebec, Canada, who has traveled extensively across the country, making remarkable discoveries and recoveries. Her adventures are documented on her popular YouTube channel, and she is also recognized as a TV personality on the documentary series Red River Gold. Laurie is well known for her numerous successful recoveries.
She is highly regarded for her exceptional ability to interpret terrain and fine-tune metal detecting equipment settings. Her expertise is often sought after by manufacturers for testing new equipment, and she dedicates time to teaching and mentoring aspiring detectorists—helping them increase their proficiency and success in the field.
Laurie is also an accomplished author, having contributed several insightful articles on metal detecting to various publications and websites. She has also written a practical guide titled Maximize Your Minelab Equinox.
Among Laurie’s most extraordinary discoveries are a 17th-century French coin, a gold emerald ring valued at $38,000, a rare Canadian token from Montreal known as the Vexator Canadiensis, and, notably, her assistance in helping a family recover a lost gold cache inheritance. However, her greatest satisfaction comes from the process of research, exploration, and the deeply rewarding experience of returning treasured items to their rightful owners. Laurie believes every recovered artifact has its own unique story—and she is passionate about uncovering and preserving those meaningful connections to the past.
Hi Laurie. I enjoyed reading your post. It has helped a lot, but I’m still unsure about what settings to put tge top and bottom iron limits. I has a nox 800 for 5 years, which I liked using, but I was offered a Manticore at a to Good a price to let go. After resetting factry limits, I ran a test to see how different signals came in. Copper coins great. Silver hammered, not readable. No signal at all. I ran a bench test which picked up a hammy signal, but once the coin in the ground, nothing. I saw a post online with settings fe 4 top limit, 0 bottom limit, to find hammered coins. This worked in my garden, but finds in tge fields as recent digs have been sparse to say the least. I always ground balance, have set recovery speed to five sometimes 6, and run sensitivity at between 18, 19 and 20. Can you please help. Kind regards. Sean Filkins