BIG opportunity....l i t t l e experience

midnightmoon

Sr. Member
Mar 8, 2008
362
192
Los Angeles, California
Detector(s) used
Gold Bug Pro
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Hi there. I'm new to treasure hunting, and I feel as if I've already scored some great finds searching thru this site and reading lots of your posts!

I've been MDing for just 3 months now. Almost. And I've got an opportunity that probably doesn't come along every day. I have permission to detect the grounds of a recently abandoned restaurant. Wedding receptions held out back. Various businesses on the premises over the years [since the late 1800's].

I was out for 2 hours yesterday using an ACE 250. On previous outings I haven't done too bad. But at this site I get signals, pin point, dig, and often find nothing. I came home with just a few nails and a penny. No silver. No gold. No ring lost by a two year old ring bearer...happens all the time, right?!

I figure next time...I'll go slower...and dig deeper.

What would you folks do?
 

MUD(S.W.A.T)

Gold Member
Apr 15, 2005
8,003
897
Location: Undisclosed
Detector(s) used
I use, Whites MXT and Garrett AT Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Check your ground balance could be some minerals in the ground, reduce your sensitivity and dig all the signals in all metal mode. You can also reduce your sensitivity and adjust your ground balance, but only hunt in coin mode. If you get a hit and still get a signal holding your coil 2-3 feet off the ground it is likely a bigger deeper trash item and you should move on.

Just keep Digging you'll find the good stuff... :thumbsup:

Keep @ it and HH!!
 

JOe L

Hero Member
Aug 24, 2007
864
275
Colonie, NY , That's around Albany
Detector(s) used
Minelab X-Terra Pro.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
until I had a hand held pin pointer, I had the same problem...
FOR ME, many times it is extremely hard to find my target in my dirt pile or hole but, when you have a pin pointer you will be surprised that he little brown dirt looking thing that just looks like DIRT is actually a dime. You swirl it around you hole and thought your dirt pile and wala.... :happy1:
 

Tin Nugget

Bronze Member
Jan 11, 2007
1,245
13
Mesquite Texas
Detector(s) used
MXT F2
Detecting an area where an old building has been torn down can be a real pain. Always bits of trash and often allot of iron as well. It can make it difficult. A handheld probe would make it easier. I am not sure how well the ACE can see past iron. You may want to turn up the disc and cherry pick the area first, then go back and slow it down and just work it. It's tedious but places like that can provide great finds. You can easily have 10 or more tiny bits of metal in the dirt causing false or erratic signals and that is why I would crank up the disc and cherry pick first. Good Luck with it. Keep at it.

HH
 

OP
OP
midnightmoon

midnightmoon

Sr. Member
Mar 8, 2008
362
192
Los Angeles, California
Detector(s) used
Gold Bug Pro
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Thanks Thompy, Mud (S.W.A.T.), radarwill, Joe SWFF, muleskinner, Tin Nugget.
I'm using the coil the ACE came with--don't have the snipercoil yet. I got a pinpointer when I ordered from Kellyco. It did not come with any sort of paperwork [training wheels!] and except for checking the fillings in my teeth, I haven't used it yet.
My treasure location was used for weddings and receptions quite a bit. I was searching in jewelry mode because my daughter googled & found 2 separate blogs were someone had lost the ring and never found it!
The lawns have areas [maybe 20 ft or so] that are signal free. ***{{{ does this mean that mineralization isn't much of a problem?}}}***
Then there's some areas where the signal keeps sliding 3 inches to the left [or right] as I am trying to chase it down! And then there are pockets of wild signaling.<<< I guess this is where I should raise the coil a couple of feet and eliminate the Studebaker! ... And I was a'feared that Ole'Buttercup breathed his last with his horseshoes on and I was going to dig something nasty.
I don't know if anything has been torn down here. But you know back in the day they used to move the buildings from one site to the next. The restaurant at this location was built during the depression years...somebody still had bucks...and I soooo want his dropped pocket change! There is another small building, suffering neglect...turning into driftwood...from the 1880's...I do not know if it is true...but I heard that it had been the bank.
I'll let you all know how it goes this weekend. Thanks for the input, all. T'Net folks are so nice and knowledgeable!

Katt.
 

thompy

Bronze Member
Feb 19, 2005
1,271
7
Menominee, Michigan
Detector(s) used
T-2,
what is you general location, as far as minerals, where is your sensitivity set, could have it set to high causing false signals, and old rust can cause this, rust or old iron forms a halo, when you dig into this it disturbs the halo and you loose the signal, i have problems with this at times
 

OP
OP
midnightmoon

midnightmoon

Sr. Member
Mar 8, 2008
362
192
Los Angeles, California
Detector(s) used
Gold Bug Pro
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I'm in S. Cali...
...I see black sand...
[but I didn't really notice it at this location]

The restaurant site is in a woodsy area in some foothills. The soil is thick and smooth; a little heavy to dig. I turned the sensitivity down to 4 notches. I'm going to do some experimenting with the sensitivity in one of the wild corners. Hmmm...seems the areas where I got multiple signals were all next to the buildings or the perimeter. Nails and remnants of a fence maybe. One thing, there is some sort of netting with 1-inch squares a couple of inches down. Maybe this whole area was wide open for sodding, I dunno. Hopefully, no treasure hunters were present for the groundskeeping!!!
 

Hemisteve

Sr. Member
Feb 21, 2008
459
122
N. Nevada
Detector(s) used
Goldmaster V/Sat and MXT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sounds like a great place to detect.
If the ground is red clay it is probably iron rich, hence the erratic signals. Try lowering the gain.
Here in No. Ca. the foothill dirt is that iron rich red clay but can be balanced out.
Take some sample targets with you and bury to practise with at the site. 15 minutes practising with known targets could save a very frustrating time.

Good Luck
Post your finds
Steve
 

Charlie P. (NY)

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2006
13,003
17,106
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
muleskinner said:
If you get a hit and still get a signal with the coil 2-3 feet of the ground? It's likely a Studebaker!

Ha! It was a '48 Dodge.

So there.
 

Rob66

Bronze Member
Jun 30, 2006
1,800
7
California
Detector(s) used
Whites new coinmaster-Teso Silver Max-Minelab GT
chin up mate!!!! :tongue3:

You were probability very excited and just started swinging away.
Two hours. I can spend two hours in a small area and find more.
Make sure you mark and cover ground.
You said it yourself, slow down and you will produce more!!

:icon_study:
 

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,123
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Here ya go...Similar Topic. Same Detector (Ace 250). You might want to read this post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,143648.msg1026535.html#msg1026535

And here's my reply from that post:

The topic of signals that "disappear" is a GREAT one. I wish someone had told me some of these things when I first started out 16 years ago. IF the signal was repeatable in the first place, it's still there. You'll want to try using the pinpoint feature to locate it even if it disappears on the normal discriminate setting. I think many, MANY detectorists give up on such signals too easily. Sometimes signals disappear if they are close to the surface and tiny--as in when you turn the plug out of the hole and the target is now on the Bottom of that section of earth. I have had MANY small colonial buttons and pewter pieces ALMOST slip through my fingers that way. Always pick up the plug and scan it on both top and bottom if the signal disappears on regular discrimination. Also make sure you remove ALL the LOOSE dirt in the bottom of the hole. Flat objects like coins and buttons can get turned sideways and the detector will loose its ability to "see" them. Only after ALL of the loose dirt from the initial dig is out of the hole, and the dirt, plug, and hole have been scanned in pinpoint (all metal mode), can you be fairly certain that this was a false signal. When I'm in a plowed field, I usually mash the plug flat with my foot and even spread the dirt out so that a flat object will likely lay flat again and make itself heard. I've even had a minieball turn straight up and down in a hole down under some tree roots and the signal has disappeared. Sometimes things fall back into the hole and are at a depth below which your machine can "see" without using all metal or low discrimination.

Whenever I lose a formerly good signal, I always spend a good bit of time trying to locate it--because I know full well that if I don't, then likely no one else will either.

Regards,


Buckleboy
 

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,123
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
P.S.--My buddy Rodeo Recon also uses the Ace 250. He had to send his back to Garrett a little over 2 months after getting it. It was falsing all the time--even with the sensitivity all the way down. They fixed it for him since it was under warranty (although he did have to pay postage to send it to them). So just something to watch out for if this continues at other sites.


-Buckleboy
 

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