pa-dirt_nc-sand
Silver Member
I’m putting this out there for anyone who is starting with MD’ing and has purchased an ACE 250. This advice is probably relevant to other Garrett devices as well. My lean is toward coin hunting and the goal is to maximize good targets and minimize trash while understanding that some good or great targets will be passed over for someone else to find.
-Initial Set-Up: Make sure coil is rolled tightly around the shaft or taped down. Floppy cables will give false signals. Use factory coin mode and reduce power if necessary to reduce the chatter beeps down to next to nothing. Some ground you can go full power some areas require cutting down the power by 2 or 3 notches.
-Swing Style: If the ground is not super trashy you can swing fairly fast. Key is to keep the coil as low to the ground as possible at a consistent height. Try to avoid high grass areas as this will reduce your finds. If you are getting lots of bouncy signals after reducing the power, you will have to slow down your swing rate to try to isolate good repeatable signals among the trash. This will be difficult when first starting out.
-Isolating Signals, pass on the target if you don’t have all of the below:
A. You are looking for a 2 way consistent beep. Swing left, hear short distinct beep note where on the ground it is indicating, swing right and note if the beep is in the same spot. Turn your body 90 degrees and repeat. If the signal is consistent it should feel like you have a roundness to the spot since you have hit it from all sides.
B. Determine the size of the roundness, smaller is better. I hold down the pinpointer button and sweep again over the target. If the sound cuts in and out over the roundness with very distinct edges this is great. Note the center of the roundness or place something small there, like a leaf. If the sound extends in any direction for more than 5” than this is most likely a soda can or other larger metal trash.
C. Note the depth of this beep, if it states 8”, lift your coil 8” above the beep. If it still says 8”, then pass because it is most likely a big chunk of iron or aluminum. If the depth is 6” or under when pressing the coil to the ground and goes up when lifting, then this is good.
D. Dig the target. You should be able to dig a 6” diameter or smaller plug to the depth that was indicated. Scan the plug, then scan the hole. A hand held pinpointer saves a lot of time at this point. If the bottom of your hole is where the signal still is, dig a couple of inches deeper. If the signal is still showing dig deeper, then I typically pass because you are now going to go 50% deeper that was indicated and it is most likely trash (or eventually China).
-General thoughts on signals/beeps:
A. Crazy bouncy disco ball like signals are most likely overhead electrical or buried electrical or a loose connection in the battery compartment or cable. Walk to another area and try again or take a look at your detector.
B. Bouncy signals from high tone to low tone are most likely a pull tab.
C. Nickel signals are only actual nickels if the signal stays put in the nickel notch when achieving 2 way consistent beep. If it moves from Nickel to either adjacent notch, then most likely trash.
D. Penny signals that bounce between low penny and the adjacent high penny notch are or stay at low penny are typically zinc pennies.
E. Penny signals that bounce between high penny and the adjacent dime notch or stay at high penny are typically Lincoln pennies and sometimes wheat pennies.
F. Dime signals are either consistent dime notch or bouncing between dime and quarter.
G. Quarter signals area either consistent quarter notch or bouncing between quarter and half.
H. Half dollar signals are consistent half dollar. Also have found silver quarters in this notch.
I. Dollar signals are typically aluminum chunks or tops of aluminum cans or smashed aluminum cans. I typically pass on dollar signals especially if they are deep unless you are in a virgin area that is very old, pass on this signal as you will be doing a lot of digging. (I often discriminate the dollar notch.)
J. Signals that bounce in the good coin zone, are louder and more distinct than normal and bounce around 2” are most likely recent surface drops. These are sometimes difficult to find if they are just under the soil level because they are bouncing a lot. Sweeping a hand held pinpointer makes short work of this.
-Ocean Beach detecting
A. Go all metal mode and discriminate out the iron and foil, I dig everything here as the digging or scooping is easier and chances of jewelry is high, swing as low as possible without hitting the sand as this will cause a false beep
B. Dry sand: Run power as high as you can go without a lot of false beeps, dry sand is similar to dirt detecting
C. Wet sand, middle of wet area toward high tide dry sand line, you will most likely need to lower the power 2 or 3 notches to reduce chatter so your depth may only be 2 or 3 inches, but this area is typically really smooth so it will be a true 2 -3 inches vs. the peaks and valley of dry sand.
D. Wet sand, near the water or in the shallows. This is potentially an area that will give too many falses to detect. I typically pass on this area.
E. Black sand areas, these areas give false signals that unfortunately sound like great high tone targets. Simply avoid.
F. High tide trash line. I avoid this as well as it is typically full of light aluminum such as pull tabs.
Good luck!
-Initial Set-Up: Make sure coil is rolled tightly around the shaft or taped down. Floppy cables will give false signals. Use factory coin mode and reduce power if necessary to reduce the chatter beeps down to next to nothing. Some ground you can go full power some areas require cutting down the power by 2 or 3 notches.
-Swing Style: If the ground is not super trashy you can swing fairly fast. Key is to keep the coil as low to the ground as possible at a consistent height. Try to avoid high grass areas as this will reduce your finds. If you are getting lots of bouncy signals after reducing the power, you will have to slow down your swing rate to try to isolate good repeatable signals among the trash. This will be difficult when first starting out.
-Isolating Signals, pass on the target if you don’t have all of the below:
A. You are looking for a 2 way consistent beep. Swing left, hear short distinct beep note where on the ground it is indicating, swing right and note if the beep is in the same spot. Turn your body 90 degrees and repeat. If the signal is consistent it should feel like you have a roundness to the spot since you have hit it from all sides.
B. Determine the size of the roundness, smaller is better. I hold down the pinpointer button and sweep again over the target. If the sound cuts in and out over the roundness with very distinct edges this is great. Note the center of the roundness or place something small there, like a leaf. If the sound extends in any direction for more than 5” than this is most likely a soda can or other larger metal trash.
C. Note the depth of this beep, if it states 8”, lift your coil 8” above the beep. If it still says 8”, then pass because it is most likely a big chunk of iron or aluminum. If the depth is 6” or under when pressing the coil to the ground and goes up when lifting, then this is good.
D. Dig the target. You should be able to dig a 6” diameter or smaller plug to the depth that was indicated. Scan the plug, then scan the hole. A hand held pinpointer saves a lot of time at this point. If the bottom of your hole is where the signal still is, dig a couple of inches deeper. If the signal is still showing dig deeper, then I typically pass because you are now going to go 50% deeper that was indicated and it is most likely trash (or eventually China).
-General thoughts on signals/beeps:
A. Crazy bouncy disco ball like signals are most likely overhead electrical or buried electrical or a loose connection in the battery compartment or cable. Walk to another area and try again or take a look at your detector.
B. Bouncy signals from high tone to low tone are most likely a pull tab.
C. Nickel signals are only actual nickels if the signal stays put in the nickel notch when achieving 2 way consistent beep. If it moves from Nickel to either adjacent notch, then most likely trash.
D. Penny signals that bounce between low penny and the adjacent high penny notch are or stay at low penny are typically zinc pennies.
E. Penny signals that bounce between high penny and the adjacent dime notch or stay at high penny are typically Lincoln pennies and sometimes wheat pennies.
F. Dime signals are either consistent dime notch or bouncing between dime and quarter.
G. Quarter signals area either consistent quarter notch or bouncing between quarter and half.
H. Half dollar signals are consistent half dollar. Also have found silver quarters in this notch.
I. Dollar signals are typically aluminum chunks or tops of aluminum cans or smashed aluminum cans. I typically pass on dollar signals especially if they are deep unless you are in a virgin area that is very old, pass on this signal as you will be doing a lot of digging. (I often discriminate the dollar notch.)
J. Signals that bounce in the good coin zone, are louder and more distinct than normal and bounce around 2” are most likely recent surface drops. These are sometimes difficult to find if they are just under the soil level because they are bouncing a lot. Sweeping a hand held pinpointer makes short work of this.
-Ocean Beach detecting
A. Go all metal mode and discriminate out the iron and foil, I dig everything here as the digging or scooping is easier and chances of jewelry is high, swing as low as possible without hitting the sand as this will cause a false beep
B. Dry sand: Run power as high as you can go without a lot of false beeps, dry sand is similar to dirt detecting
C. Wet sand, middle of wet area toward high tide dry sand line, you will most likely need to lower the power 2 or 3 notches to reduce chatter so your depth may only be 2 or 3 inches, but this area is typically really smooth so it will be a true 2 -3 inches vs. the peaks and valley of dry sand.
D. Wet sand, near the water or in the shallows. This is potentially an area that will give too many falses to detect. I typically pass on this area.
E. Black sand areas, these areas give false signals that unfortunately sound like great high tone targets. Simply avoid.
F. High tide trash line. I avoid this as well as it is typically full of light aluminum such as pull tabs.
Good luck!
