How many of you dig iffy signals or just focused on certain things and move on

49er12

Bronze Member
Aug 22, 2013
1,238
1,627
Rolling Rock, Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab xterra, Whites DFX, Notka Makro Simplex. Folks the price don’t mean everything, the question is are you willing to put in the time to learn the machine, experience will pay off I guarantee it.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just thinking not all coins lay flat in the ground which would give best signal. Obvious you should go slow and scrub the ground,I mean every inch matters detecting. So is it true go slow you may cover less ground and have to bend over more often to dig. Coins on a slant don’t give the powerful sound as they would not fully exposed flat. What’s the opinion about iffy signals, thanks
 

Jon Stewart

Bronze Member
Jan 11, 2011
1,029
931
I detect a state park by me and dig everything if for no other reason is to clean it up. But back in the early 60's the camp ground use to be an archery range so you never know what may turn up.
 

ticndig

Silver Member
Apr 17, 2009
3,148
7,352
Cumberland Va
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
T-2-SE
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm not a coin shooter , I'm a relic hunter . I DIG IRON and have wonderful civil war collection from doing so. not even iffy signals at times sometimes just blasting iron signals turn into real treasure .
 

xr7ator

Gold Member
Sep 2, 2011
5,196
7,193
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold, ATX, MH7 (oldie!) Minelab Explorer SE Pro, EQ800
Digging just perfect quarter signals will get you a bunch of quarters and maybe some other goodies mixed in. It's the signal that is unique that could be something very unique.
I dig iffy signals and some of my best finds were "trash" signals. I won't be changing my ways. I like finding gold items too much.
 

AugustMoose87

Sr. Member
Sep 10, 2014
443
264
Longmont, CO
Detector(s) used
Gold Pan, Sluice, Hand Dredge, X-Terra 30, X-Terra 705, Sand Shark
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Depends on where I am, and what I'm trying for. While I would love to have the time to dig every signal, the reality is I just don't have time. I have had a few places I have decided to "clean out" for various reasons, but that is generally only when I know/suspect that there is something good there either because of the history or a lost item report.

That said, I'm like most of the others, in that most of my best finds were iffy/trash signals I decided to dig.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,716
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dig most everything. Of the few gold nuggets (small ones) I have detected, all were small and iffy signals.
 

Jason in Enid

Gold Member
Oct 10, 2009
9,593
9,229
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If you only dig perfect signals you are leaving a ton of great items behind. The only problem is that a lot of places that might still be holding a ton of great iffy signals can also be the worst places to attempt to "dig it all". Some times discretion is the better part of detecting.
 

FloodcityTom

Sr. Member
Jun 25, 2020
258
741
West Va
Detector(s) used
Whites, Fisher gold Bug, Tesoro
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
It depends on WHERE you are and what you are digging for. In a civil war site you dig EVERYTHING, especially those faint deep signals. And of course IRON, gun parts, projectiles etc. For house sites the older the house/residence the more "iffy" (deeper) signals you should dig. I've been digging a lot of construction /demolition sites lately and frankly I've learned to be more choosey on the "iffy" signals as it is usually aluminum foil or iron nails or some other worthless junk
 

malenkai

Full Member
May 4, 2016
183
552
Chester County, PA
Detector(s) used
E-Trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm almost exclusively a coin shooter. I only dig deep signals if there is at least a 20-30% chance it is a coin. I've been using the E-Trac for so long now that it is just an instinct at this point. How does it sound, how does it bounce, how does it pinpoint, how big is it? In this rock hard dirt and heat, I think you have to be selective or you wear out. In cooler weather and wet dirt, I dig many more deep targets. I still dig plenty of deep iron, but you have to, I think, if even you are simply coin shooting old sites.
 

MKW

Full Member
Feb 3, 2020
222
516
Coastal SC
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
ML Equinox 600
ML Vanquish 540
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dig most everything. I can't even stop myself from digging bottle caps on the beach when I know they are bottle caps. Something in me just keeps saying, "it might be something good! Dig, man, dig." I just can't help it.
 

Jason in Enid

Gold Member
Oct 10, 2009
9,593
9,229
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dig most everything. I can't even stop myself from digging bottle caps on the beach when I know they are bottle caps. Something in me just keeps saying, "it might be something good! Dig, man, dig." I just can't help it.

If a hunter isnt digging every chirp on the beach, I want to hunt behind that person!
 

DeepseekerADS

Gold Member
Mar 3, 2013
14,880
21,725
SW, VA - Bull Mountain
Detector(s) used
CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
Primary Interest:
Other
Repeatable in 2 directions, and other interesting signals.
 

Truth

Gold Member
Apr 13, 2016
14,332
32,142
Abita Springs La....Born in New Orleans
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
EQUINOX 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I dig and I dig a lot I don’t over analyze it because I could have already made the plug seen what it was and moved on by the time I did a total 360 of the target. For me it’s a numbers game I dig a lot and I dig often I like it all and some of my best showers pieces have been to Indian tomahawks that were in the shell mound. No I will say that every time I go out to metal detect I always say OK I’m gonna be smarter and not work harder and that gets thrown out the window when I get that first iffy. I’m just sick but luckily it is paid off well. Of course I’m proud of my old Spanish and American silver but I must admit I love my rusted iron and the excitement of the electrolysis which opened up I’ll late 1600s cannonball.
 

Noah_D

Bronze Member
Dec 14, 2017
1,593
3,491
Illinois (prev. NE Ohio)
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Simplex+, Garrett ACE 300, Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm no one to go by but it just depends on the site. At my older sites with very little modern trash I dig EVERYTHING except maybe obvious nail signals but at old homes and things that are still standing I usually dig everything from about a nickel signal on up and only partly pay attention to how "iffy" it is. At the park however, I only dig the pretty good ones.
 

Last edited:

CalReg

Hero Member
May 3, 2020
596
775
San Jose, CA
Detector(s) used
Tarsacci MDT 8000, Simplex, Equinox 600, Garrett Carrot
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Depends on where I am. Parks...probably not, but old home sites, absolutely!
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,438
7,563
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just thinking not all coins lay flat in the ground which would give best signal. Obvious you should go slow and scrub the ground,I mean every inch matters detecting. So is it true go slow you may cover less ground and have to bend over more often to dig. Coins on a slant don’t give the powerful sound as they would not fully exposed flat. What’s the opinion about iffy signals, thanks

iffy signals are a must dig in my mind, but its a certain type of iffy. For me a few Iffy signals have resulted in a silver pocket watch waaay deep, 2 silver quarters with a nail stuck to them(seated and old Canadian), a pocket spill of 5 large cents and a seated half dollar, Trimes and half dimes at certain depths get really iffy. I'm sure I have missed some more, but you get the point. Once you start digging all the iffy signals you will start to see which types are worth persuing, I dig pretty much anything that even gives a hint that something good might be there.
 

Last edited:

Charlie P. (NY)

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2006
13,004
17,108
South Central Upstate NY in the foothills of the h
Detector(s) used
Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro w/8" & 10" DD coils/Fisher F75se(Upgraded to LTD2) w/11" DD, 6.5" concentric & 9.5" NEL Sharpshooter DD coils/Sunray FX-1 Probe & F-Point/Black Widows/Rattler headphone
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
As others have said. It depends. I dig ALL signals in certain spots. Sometimes I go back over areas I have hunted to see what I may have missed.


Love The Detectorists. Lance's find was based on a real treasure.

800px-Alfred-jewel-ashmolean.jpg
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top