What am i doing wrong :(

[kevinc]

Have been searching on my local beach for rings /jewellery but no luck.
I've hunted all over the beach and all I've found is coins and junk. I'm using my ace 250 on jewellery mode with - 2 notches from the top on sensitivity.
Hope someone can help.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Both can pay off. With a single-frequency VLF machine like yours, wet saltwater sand can cause a lot of falsing, chattering and loss of depth, so concentrate on the dry sand. Here is a little more info on single and multi-frequency VLF and Pulse Induction machines..

The quest for the perfect metal detector to this point has been quixotic. Minelab, has come the closest to building a fully submersible beach machine that can discriminate out iron in wet sand and saltwater. The “Excalibur” uses Broad Band Spectrum, or “BBS” technology, and retails for about $1,500.00. According to Minelab, their BBS operating system, “simultaneously transmits, receives and analyses a broad band of multiple frequencies to deliver substantial detection depth, high sensitivity and accurate discrimination for a wide range of target types.” The key takeaway here is “multiple frequencies.” Unfortunately, radio waves regardless of their frequency still have to be filtered and balanced in heavily conductive wet-ocean sand and highly mineralized saltwater. That limits the systems depth capabilities.

Single frequency VLF machines (Very Low Frequency), have even more limitations in the harsh saltwater environment. Take for example the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq. This VLF single frequency machine (17.9Khz) is one of the finest and deepest gold nugget finders on the market today. The Lobo Super Traq, is capable of finding BB-sized gold nuggets six-inches deep in heavily mineralized ground, or a nickel in dry beach sand at 12-inches. Put that same nugget – or even the nickel, seven-inches deep in wet saltwater sand and the Lobo could walk right over it while chattering, or maybe without seeing it at all. Why?

The magnetic iron sands (“Black Sands”), salt, and high concentrations of other minerals in the water and sand conspire to bounce the radio waves away from the target. Conductivity and mineralization act like a shield around the target and create white noise that must be filtered electronically. Think of it as turning on your bright headlights in a heavy fog at night. All that powerful light is diffused and causes a complete white out – you can’t see anything three-feet past the hood of your car! However when you turn on your yellow fog lights, you can see a little further – not as far as you could in clear daylight, but further. That is why all radio wave machines must be “ground balanced” or tuned, to maximize their depth potential, and why BBS filters and multi-frequencies are so effective – yet still limited.

Unlike BBS and VLF metal detectors, which constantly send and receive thousands of low frequency radio waves per second, a Pulse Induction (PI) metal detector fires high-voltage pulses into the sand several hundred times per second. If no metal is present the electric pulse decays at a uniform rate with no anomalies. When metal is present a small “eddy” current flows through it causing the voltage decay time to increase, which creates a measurable anomaly. Unlike VLF radio waves, electronic pulses are impervious to the effects of conductivity and mineralization, and are unaffected by salt or black sands.

PI metal detectors give the user superior depth capabilities in all metal detecting situations and soil conditions. Using the same heavy fog at night metaphor that I referred to earlier, pulse induction is like headlights that cut completely through the fog as if it were not there at all. The trade-off for that added depth and clarity is the inability to discriminate, or block out iron targets that you generally don’t want to waste time and energy digging. While a pulse induction machine detects all metals without discrimination, the minute differences in the signal tone and quality can give a skilled and experienced operator a clue as to what the target may, or may not be.

Will one machine do it all? Not in my opinion. I always advise new beach metal detecting hobbyists to have a VLF machine for dry sand (as well as their other dirt detecting needs), and a PI machine for the water and wet-sand (and deep farm field and relic hunting). In truth, it all comes down to what you prefer and can afford. Good Luck!

 

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[JustKeepDigging]

I feel your pain for sure! When people ask me what I'm doing, instead of saying I'm finding jewelry, I say that I'm part of a clean up crew.! Haha. I have most likely spent 100+ hours, with only 2 sliver rings, sliver necklace, and a little sliver charm. Not really weighing to much either but one day I'll find that gold! Just keep digging !!

 

[LootHunter]

Not sure where you are located but this time of year you are not going to find many fresh drops. Thus, the dry sand is going to be pretty bare. This time of year, I usually hunt the places that are rarely hunted (off the beaten path beaches) or I go out in the water as far as I can during a negative tide. Also, waiting for a good storm can move targets into reach.

 

[fongu]

Don't hesitate to ask questions, that's how you learn. The main mistake I see a lot of new detector users make is they don't overlap their coil. Go slow and overlap your coil and you will notice an improvement. You have to dig quite a bit of trash to find good stuff and if you discriminate out the pull tabs you are missing rings. Go to Garrett's website and read some of their information on their coils. When I first started, I thought I had coverage in the ground the size of the coil, but that's not so.
Someone on one of the forums or the Garrett website helped me. I've never used the Ace 250, but I would go by the tone more than the scale. When I used my GTI-2500 in jewelry mode, it really let me know when something was worth digging. The only exception was the gold and silver chains, they were a little noisy and not a good tone like a ring or coin.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Don't hesitate to ask questions, that's how you learn. The main mistake I see a lot of new detector users make is they don't overlap their coil. Go slow and overlap your coil and you will notice an improvement. You have to dig quite a bit of trash to find good stuff and if you discriminate out the pull tabs you are missing rings. Go to Garrett's website and read some of their information on their coils. When I first started, I thought I had coverage in the ground the size of the coil, but that's not so.
Someone on one of the forums or the Garrett website helped me. I've never used the Ace 250, but I would go by the tone more than the scale. When I used my GTI-2500 in jewelry mode, it really let me know when something was worth digging. The only exception was the gold and silver chains, they were a little noisy and not a good tone like a ring or coin.

Good Point on Overlapping the coil swings....those tiny little gaps can mean a huge difference

 

[RustyGold]

"Finding Only Coins and Junk"....Sounds like you are doing everything right

Eventually you will swing over the gold!
P.S. Swinging is the gold!

 

[Bill G]

Also remember that for every ring or gold pendent you see posted, this is what you DON'T see

Have not even went to sleep yet and the visions of never ending digging finding those things has started.. He He!!!!!! Thanks for the Terry. We got to dig them to get the Booty

Happy Hunting,
Bill G

 

[wvdirtdigger]

Looks a lot like my pouch when I'm digging for gold!!

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Not to disagree with you Red, but I see all sorts of relics swinging metal detectors treasure hunting at the beach when I go out.
When I go out to the woods, seldom see anyone, find anything and usually get lost.
To each is own. A clad in hand is better than two in the bush.

You might have my problem Kev.Anytime I went to a beach usually the first thing i see is somebody with a detector.I gave up beach hunting a long time ago.I find relic hunting more interesting anyway.

 

[lost items recovery]

Maybe you should give water hunting a try!
There's a lot less trash but also fewer targets.
A Tesoro "SAND SHARK" (not tiger shark) will certainly up your finds in VCO mode!
It's a PI machine so it will thrive out in the salt water and wet sand and will definitely raise your chances of success.
Only catch is you will dig all, but a lot of the time it will be worth it as it seems there's more rings lost in the water then land.
Good luck!

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

Thanks everyone for your comments and information. Will defo take my time and grid the beach. This might sound like a stupid question but What's the best place to search search on a beach, wet or dry sand?

Dry sand Kevin: Stay high and dry. Hunt entrances to the beach, towel lines, near volley ball courts, under shade trees.
You want to be where most people go and frolic. You will not do well in the wet sand or in the water at a salt water beach.
Single frequency VLFs, false alarm on wet / damp sand as they see the conductivity of the salt as a target. If you do hunt the wet, you will
have to turn the sensitivity down, down, down.

Finding a ring is really easy. All you have to do is borrow one and drop it in front of your detector.
Oops, forgot to tell you tie a string or dental floss on it first as it will sink rapidly in dry sand and might get lost.
All kidding aside, this is one of the ways of checking out your coil. Best to lay numerous targets in the back yard and see what they sound like
before going to the beach.

 

[dennco2000]

Sir Gala.

Is a multi freq VLF any better in the wet sand and surf?

 

[Bill G]

Sir Gala.

Is a multi freq VLF any better in the wet sand and surf?

Multi freq VLF better than single in wet salt sand & surf. PI detectors normaly better than both types of VLF, not affected by salt & sand wet surf but no discrimination capabilitys with PI detectors.

Happy Hunting,
Bill G

 

[lorraine]

Thanks everyone for your comments and information. Will defo take my time and grid the beach. This might sound like a stupid question but What's the best place to search search on a beach, wet or dry sand?

'


I hunt both, Kevin , and find treasures in both wet and dry sand; I hunt dry sand and wet sand slope if tide is high; "muddy flats" ( my favorite) at low tide. Swing very slowly in that dry sand ...treasures can be very deep there.

Lorraine

 

[dennco2000]

My PI machine sounds when I sweep to the deeper side of a slope when I'm in the surf (referring to my garrett MK ll) it's not a hit sound but sort if a whine so it doesn't affect my detecting. Do other PI machines do this?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You have a single freq detector which is not designed for salt so your best bet is dry sand, you can hunt wet sand but you will need to turn sensitivity way down which means you lose a lot of depth.

You don't say how long you been beach hunting, understand many times we go weeks between finding gold targets and we are using detectors designed for salt water.

Keep looking.....




We will NOT go quitely into the night!

 

[DnD]

Yup! It happens most often when I'm at the edge of the surf where the waves are rapidly changing the submerged depth of the coil. A bit deeper water and it usually goes away and/or diminishes. Also, I noticed it happens less with this 8" coil instead of the 10x14.

-David

 

[Fletch88]

My PI machine sounds when I sweep to the deeper side of a slope when I'm in the surf (referring to my garrett MK ll) it's not a hit sound but sort if a whine so it doesn't affect my detecting. Do other PI machines do this?

The Sand Shark I had did this too.

 

[lookindown]

Welcome to our nightmare...your doing nothing wrong, you just haven't went over a ring yet...good finds seem to come in spurts, stick with it and you will have a good spurt...gold don't come easy but it will come...welcome to T-NET...good luck.

 

[kevinc]

Thanks again for all your help and comments