A250 target ID, target depth

[JABBERWOCKY]

I'm only 30 days in with my A250 and I have only one "good" find, a silver ring that was at most an inch down.
I had decided after digging 50 lawnmower chewed beer cans that a jumpy signal meant trash.
I finally got lucky and dug a moderately jumpy signal at 5" to 6" and it was my first wheatie!
So with this new approach I headed to the same location today for 7 hours with no luck.
My question, is there anything I should be looking for to able to tell if the target is something good but just deep, or it's just trash?
I realize this maybe the million dollar question in MDing, I'm just hoping for some pointers.

Thanks for your time, HH!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[Sandman]

Unfortunately there is no magic way to tell if an item is trash or something good because of all the different conductive metals and orientations in the ground. The best way is to just log on lots of experience on the detector to learn what it is saying which means to dig it all for awhile. Screens leave a lot of good items in the ground.

 

[Swartzie]

The deeper the target is the more iffy the signal becomes. The best way to know is to dig it up. When you get an iffy signal try walking around the target while you're swinging the coil. If the signal bounces all over the place then it is probably trash. But if you get a consistent signal for just two or three swings then I'd dig it up. It may be another wheatie or some silver.

Once you get experienced with the 250 you'll get an idea what to dig and what to leave alone. The 250 was my first machine and it took me about a year to really learn it. The deeper stuff is tricky.

One thing about the depth indicator. Smaller objects will show up as being deeper and bigger objects will show up being more shallow. A small piece of foil may show up as being 5 inches deep on your 250 when in reality it is only 1 inch deep. The depth indicator is accurate with an object about the size of a quarter.

-Swartzie

 

[JABBERWOCKY]

Thanks for your replies! I am following your guy's advise to dig, dig, DIG! I think I was spending too much time looking for perfect signals and not enough time digging. I have chosen a small area of grass in one of my oldest locations and am digging nearly every target from it. The area is no more than 15'/ 6' and the count is-

42 pull tabs
17 nails
8 foil hits
4 memorials
3 .38 long rimfire by the U.S. Cartridge Company of Lowell Mass pre-1918
1 PYRM button
1 mystery pewter/lead buttton?
1 length of copper cable

Thanks for the advise. It has really helped to spend more time in the dirt than swinging the coil.

HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!

 

[Swartzie]

Thanks for your replies! I am following your guy's advise to dig, dig, DIG! I think I was spending too much time looking for perfect signals and not enough time digging. I have chosen a small area of grass in one of my oldest locations and am digging nearly every target from it. The area is no more than 15'/ 6' and the count is-

42 pull tabs
17 nails
8 foil hits
4 memorials
3 .38 long rimfire by the U.S. Cartridge Company of Lowell Mass pre-1918
1 PYRM button
1 mystery pewter/lead buttton?
1 length of copper cable

Thanks for the advise. It has really helped to spend more time in the dirt than swinging the coil.

HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!

If you have a pewter button that's a good thing. They're usually old (pre 1800's). The pewter and tombac buttons I've dug have hit low. Between foil and nickle.
-Swartzie

 

[JABBERWOCKY]

If you have a pewter button that's a good thing. They're usually old (pre 1800's). The pewter and tombac buttons I've dug have hit low. Between foil and nickle.
-Swartzie

I guess I should post a picture and see what might be discerned.
I would love for it to be that old especially because of where it was found.
I will get to work on the best macro photography my gear can handle.
Thank you for the info Swartzie!

 

[Smudge]

My 350 had a target ID that jumped all over the place too. Finally sold it for that reason.

One thing that will help is if you can get your hands on a sniper coil.

A lot less jumping and better id of targets.

But you do lose some depth. It's a trade off.

 

[Monty]

I had a problem with aluminum cans when I first got my ACE 250 also. But the old trick of raising the coil higher off the ground and still getting a signal usually meant it was a can. In an area with a lot of cans, you might want to use a screwdriver or something similar to probe the area before digging. Can slaw is another problem in itself that I was never able to solve! Monty

 

[George (MN)]

I have an Ace 250 also. The deepest coin so far with ID lock using standard coil & sensitivity 4 (to avoid falsing) was a clad dime 4" deep. Stuff that jumps alot with depth showing 4" or less is probably trash. If it jumps & reads deeper than 4", may need to dig just about all of those.

I also have an Excelerator 10x14 coil for the Ace 250. It IDs a dime I planted 5" deep with correct lock on every sweep. Newer parks & schoolyards that are unlikely to yield silver coins can produce much clad & maybe jewelry as they don't get detected as much. I got 66 new coins in 3 hours at a 1971 school.

For the best advantage digger deep old coins, a more expensive detector is sometimes a help. They may go a little deeper, may have better separation or otherwise ID better. I'm probably getting the AT Pro soon.

But the Ace 250 is a good value for the price, with some $400-$600 detectors being no better, at least in my soil (lots of iron beeps).

When a coin or other metal object is too deep to ID, a mfr has 3 choices on ID for audio: solid beep, broken beep, or silence. They also have 3 choices on the visual ID: dollar ID, iron ID, or jumps all over. Best wishes & HH, George (MN)