steveouke
Jr. Member
- Jun 12, 2012
- 71
- 20
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett Ace 250 with 8 x 11 DD, Garrett PP, Lesche Digging tool, Sampson shovel
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
A snip it from my latest blog post.
www.stevessunkentreasures.wordpress.com
Today I had the privilege of getting in a lunch hunt. The hunt was blustery and wet due to us getting a dusting of snow last night, 38 degrees, and 30 mph winds. I managed a couple of keepers in the way of a Roosevelt dime and my first War Nickel. During this hunt the guy I was hunting with told me of his newest purchase being an AT Pro with the 8 x 11 DD coil. This is one detector that I have thought about upgrading to. Lately I have really been struggling with the idea of upgrading. I love the little Ace 250. I mentioned a few posts ago that I thought I was pushing the little Aces capabilities but I had never confirmed it... Until tonight! There are several things that have led to this test but my biggest drive was to learn my machine. My plan was to dig a hole, place a silver dime into the hole, cover the item, and then see how deep the machine would correctly ID the coin. The first challenge was 5 inches and the large DD coil nailed it. I quickly moved on to the next depth. I used a tape measure and confirmed the dime was at 6 inches. The Ace again worked effortlessly. Next depth was 7 inches and my machine sniffed it out easily . Being an optimist I was hoping for 9 inches out of my machine. I proceeded with an 8″ hole and didn’t get a coin signal at all (quickly deflated). I then moved the coin shallower. In the end the final max depth that my machine could clearly ID Mr. Roosevelt was 7 1/2 inches. I couldn’t leave well enough alone there! I started messing with machine setup. The original test was done in All metal mode so I decided to try in my favorite custom mode and the results were the same. I quickly started tightening the machine with more discrimination. To my surprise, it didn’t matter what level of disc I used the results were the same. My observation was that sensitivity made the biggest difference. I had performed all tests at full sensitivity. If I backed the sensitivity off at all the targets sound changed. One notch from max and it got chirpy and two notches below max and the signal was gone. So in conclusion I don’t think the level of disc matters as much as the sensitivity. Run your sensitivity as high as possible. This digging test confirmed something that I have wondered for a short time now. I am probably digging too many signals.
In closing I would like to say that I hope to continue these tests soon on other machines with different coils. I think these kinds of tests are important for knowing your machine.
www.stevessunkentreasures.wordpress.com
Today I had the privilege of getting in a lunch hunt. The hunt was blustery and wet due to us getting a dusting of snow last night, 38 degrees, and 30 mph winds. I managed a couple of keepers in the way of a Roosevelt dime and my first War Nickel. During this hunt the guy I was hunting with told me of his newest purchase being an AT Pro with the 8 x 11 DD coil. This is one detector that I have thought about upgrading to. Lately I have really been struggling with the idea of upgrading. I love the little Ace 250. I mentioned a few posts ago that I thought I was pushing the little Aces capabilities but I had never confirmed it... Until tonight! There are several things that have led to this test but my biggest drive was to learn my machine. My plan was to dig a hole, place a silver dime into the hole, cover the item, and then see how deep the machine would correctly ID the coin. The first challenge was 5 inches and the large DD coil nailed it. I quickly moved on to the next depth. I used a tape measure and confirmed the dime was at 6 inches. The Ace again worked effortlessly. Next depth was 7 inches and my machine sniffed it out easily . Being an optimist I was hoping for 9 inches out of my machine. I proceeded with an 8″ hole and didn’t get a coin signal at all (quickly deflated). I then moved the coin shallower. In the end the final max depth that my machine could clearly ID Mr. Roosevelt was 7 1/2 inches. I couldn’t leave well enough alone there! I started messing with machine setup. The original test was done in All metal mode so I decided to try in my favorite custom mode and the results were the same. I quickly started tightening the machine with more discrimination. To my surprise, it didn’t matter what level of disc I used the results were the same. My observation was that sensitivity made the biggest difference. I had performed all tests at full sensitivity. If I backed the sensitivity off at all the targets sound changed. One notch from max and it got chirpy and two notches below max and the signal was gone. So in conclusion I don’t think the level of disc matters as much as the sensitivity. Run your sensitivity as high as possible. This digging test confirmed something that I have wondered for a short time now. I am probably digging too many signals.
In closing I would like to say that I hope to continue these tests soon on other machines with different coils. I think these kinds of tests are important for knowing your machine.
