BH LRP Guidance

[Pripyat]

I'm very new to the forum. I just got my Land Ranger Pro on Friday and spent around 4 hours on it over the weekend. I'm completely new to metal detecting. I'm trying to get through the learning curve as quickly as possible as I have about a week to search 5 acres of land I am about to sell. It is extremely trashy. Lots of aluminum soda cans, aluminum food cans, shotgun shells, brass bullet casings, etc.

I have dug maybe 75 objects and the only things of interest were less than $.50 in modern change and a massive steel wagon wheel. The wagon wheel registered strong in the high 90s and was over 24" under water. I kept thinking I had hit a treasure box. Apparently items under water indicate as being more conductive than they actually are?

I've spent most of my time in All Metal and Disc2 mode. Which makes more sense if I'm really trying to learn the detector? I don't want to waste a bunch of time learning a mode that isn't going to be helpful as I become an intermediate LRP user.

Also, are there any videos out there that are particularly useful that teach how to distinguish what items are trash? Seems like unless I know exactly what I'm looking for (I don't) I am just going to end up digging LOTS of holes only to find lots of trash.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

It's not the water, but rather the size of the object. Many times the target ID numbers are used to determine if a target is trash. I dig all targets with a tight or solid target ID that may vary by a number or 2. There is no way to speed up the learning process. On the job training is the best teacher. When I started I stayed away from the all metal mode, I don't really care for the VCO tones. When I had the LRP I used DISC 4 and set it up for my hunting style. I am primarily a coin shooter that appreciates some bling and cool relics.

 

[Tpmetal]

your going to dig trash no matter what, comes with the hobby. Also theres no replacement for experience. The only way to learn your detector is to do exactly what your doing. digging targets and learning what they sounded and acted like on your machine.

 

[Pripyat]

The thing I struggle the most with is aluminum. They seem to always ID as .25 or silver range until they are out the ground.

One thing that seems to be hindering my learning is the quantity of trash I'm digging. Currently I'm at a 50:1 ratio of trash to coin. I just hope the limited positive reinforcement (finding that one-in-50 coin) is enough to keep me interested in the hobby.. LOL

 

[Loco-Digger]

Digging all that aluminum which is probably recent trash may unmask some old treasure (relics/coins). Keep at it.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Being that you are locked into those 5 acres until the sale, not much you can do. I do hunt trashy areas and when I am hunting them I change from my stock coil to the nel sharpshooter unless it's full of trash then I install my small 5" DD sharpshooter coil. Don't get disouraged, other sites await you in the future if you hang with it.

 

[KenG]

Only my opinion but given the limited time you have with this site, I would cherry pick in coin mode first. Just in case you run out time. Then go back over it in disc 2 or 4 with a focus on the areas you found things. You'll still dig some trash. I mostly hunt in disc 4.

Ken

 

[Pripyat]

Wow this site is incredibly active.. I really appreciate the input and the encouragement.

I'm hoping you guys can help me understand something - Is the detector in any way able to actually determine the conductivity of an item? Or does it display a "target ID" based off of the strength of signal returned, assuming a coin-sized item?

Another way to word this - If I discriminate out all iron is there a chance that a small piece of silver, 6" down, might get discriminated out since it is similar (to the detector) to a larger piece of iron, also 6" down?

I'm asking because I often get target IDs that are not all that accurate, or the target ID changes once I remove the top layer of ground covering.

 

[KenG]

More likely the opposite. A large iron object that reads with a high VDI number like silver. I have also had bent nails or multiple nails ring up as silver. I normally discriminate to around 20. It really depends on the site and the amount of trash.

Ken

 

[Pripyat]

I had a much different experience at lunch today - I made it to an area where there wasn't much of anything - very low, near water level, very dense. I searched in all metal mode and didn't even get a piece of iron for over 20 minutes.

I was trying to run the sensitivity as high as possible but in all metal mode I was getting slight blips from bumping into plant life. Any fern or plant I bumped into (or pressed the coil onto) would give a quick partial blip, even with sensitivity at 8. I could put the detector in any of the other modes (C, J, A) and put the sensitivity on 10 and I wouldn't get the same blips. Maybe because of Vco? It was really annoying that I was constantly perking up because of these false blips.

Anyway, here is the haul for the last two days, excluding a trash steel cooking pot, and a broken clorox bottle with metal cap from the 60's.

Battery, partial shotgun shell, some high iron content rocks, tooth from a tractor implement, some type of steel hub.

I think part of the problem is that I'm searching an area that just doesn't have any buried valuables.

 

[Loco-Digger]

My detector's iron range is 1-15. when I started, I used to disc out all iron and even the foil range. Over time I reduced my disc to now where I only disc out 1-4 or up to 1-9 depending on the site. Just know that a small 10 wedding bands can ring up in the foil range. Again I want to reiterate that I dig all targets that have a solid target ID or only vary by a number or 2. I also like 3 or 4 tones and do not like the VCO tone.

 

[Pripyat]

Still no valuables. I have started to narrow down what trash I'm digging, though. The most common item is small scraps of aluminum, coin-sized. I think ignoring items that don't get a target ID was good advice - I noticed that whole aluminum cans and spent brass shell casings nearly always bounced around.

I'm going to see if I can find someone who can take me to an older (possible civil war) site and see if that keeps me interested. Currently, I don't see this hobby going anywhere for me. I've got too many other things I enjoy doing with my time.. lol

My wife lost a gold tennis bracelet while riding ATVs about a year ago. It is probably somewhere on a 100 acre hay field. I started walking it yesterday evening but I'm not even sure where it would register on the detector. Any ideas? To save time I may just discriminate to only the gold range since I'm not going to dig holes on someone else's property. I have permission to search for the bracelet but I'm confident they wouldn't give me permission to remove anything else from the property.

 

[Carolina Tom]

Bracelets and chains can be tough, because they are not continuous metal. The machine sees them as links, not a complete chain. The bracelet would ring low, most likely like trash, if it rings up.

I wish you good luck, as you will need it to locate a bracelet on 100 acres.

If I had seen this earlier, I would have offered to come down and help you, but I fear that time has run out. I'm in Charlotte, and believe you are near Patrick, SC, which is just around the corner from me.

Don't hesitate to Pm me if you need help.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Pripyat, what kind of targets do you truly want to dig? I am a coin shooter, I'd rather dig a worn out Morgan dollar than some fancy gold ring, are you a relic hunter or do you want to find nothing but high dollar bling? If you are a coin shooter, hit some local parks and schools and dig some coins and then maybe see if any of your friends or family who have a house built in the 1950's or earlier will let you detect their property. I do hunt fields on occasion, but on most of those sites it's beep and dig since targets are usually sparse. I like to dig 100 or more targets when I go out and try to keep a 5 good to 1 bag target ratio on what I dig or even a higher ratio.

 

[Pripyat]

Currently I'm going for anything of value. I'd love to find a silver ring or gold chain, etc.

I have no interest in digging coins for their face value. I would really like digging stuff that is worth more than its face value for rarity, age, or materials (silver, etc). I don't have any interest in making money off detecting but I wouldn't mind having some old coins for my son to inherit some day. Any jewelry I dig is only worth its raw materials to me.

There is an abandoned early 1900's house in the woods at my father's land. I went out there yesterday evening but it is so grown up I couldn't really do anything. Not to mention the tin roof is distributed around the home under the topsoil. I'm going to have to go back out there in the winter time and try my best to convince myself that I shouldn't crawl under the decrepit porch.. I'd hate for you guys to read about a beginner detectorist being crushed under an old home.

On a side note I messaged my father-in-law who has friends who do civil war searches. He is going to hook me up with a guy in his mid 60's who has been detecting for years.

I also messaged Carolina Tom. We may cross paths at some point if I don't get guidance elsewhere.

 

[Carolina Tom]

Pripyat, what kind of targets do you truly want to dig? I am a coin shooter, I'd rather dig a worn out Morgan dollar than some fancy gold ring, are you a relic hunter or do you want to find nothing but high dollar bling? If you are a coin shooter, hit some local parks and schools and dig some coins and then maybe see if any of your friends or family who have a house built in the 1950's or earlier will let you detect their property. I do hunt fields on occasion, but on most of those sites it's beep and dig since targets are usually sparse. I like to dig 100 or more targets when I go out and try to keep a 5 good to 1 bag target ratio on what I dig or even a higher ratio.

How about that Loco? The OP called me out by name. You know that I am the second most helpful person on TNet. I believe he is about 60 miles from me, so I volunteered to assist. He may come by sometime for a little hunting, or MD chat.

Pripyat... Loco and have met up several times and hunted. We met in Virginia two weeks ago, and FOUND Civil War relics. It was really cool. Sorry to hi jack your thread.

 

[Loco-Digger]

You are all that and a bag of chips Tom. It sounds like the OP may have too many rods in the fire and may not stick with the hobby. Just leaves us more to dig. I hope you 2 meet up and he gets bit by the MD bug.


By the way, email me the group shot you took in VA please.

 

[Pripyat]

I went to a park yesterday to play tennis and got the detector out between games. I only detected for a few minutes, got a solid 25c reading and dug it. Crushed aluminum can. Also picked up and removed some scrap iron that was basically on the surface. If I gain anything from metal detecting it will be the karma from picking up loads of litter.

I'm going to have one heck of a scrap metal run some day. I've probably dug a couple pounds of aluminum and at least 50lbs of steel. I've already started 5gal buckets of Al and Fe.

 

[Pripyat]

So we took my 5yo to a park today, I spent about 30 minutes with the MD.



That pull tab is fairly old. Makes me wonder if anyone has previously detected the area.

I got permission to detect some old homes (one is merely the foundation/fireplace, the other is just decrepit. Both are at least 75 to 100 years old. There is steel everywhere. There were so many targets I couldnt get anywhere. Seemed like every target in disc4 jumped around to different IDs. Then in all metal mode it would just indicate iron. Not to mention nails were ringing up as coins. IDK. I may go back later and try again.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I recommend you review the target ID numbers on the display. Stop digging targets where the ID varies but more than 2 or 3 numbers unless you enjoy digging trash.