A "Dig Everything" Question

[Ham]

For those who believe in digging everything. Why not have a MD that only has the following controls;

1. A monotone all metal response
2. Pinpoint
3. Variable ground balance
4. A volume control (optional)

If one is going to dig "everything" then why have discrimination, a visual id, multi-tones & various bells & whistles? I feel that the least amount of controls the more time one can devote to hunting. I'm looking for a simplistic fundamental approach to metal detecting.

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

I pretty much do with my old Minelab Musketeer Advantage. It does have a discrimination knob, but I usually set it just below a nickel (I carry one in my finds pouch for that setting).

Surprising what you can tell just from the tones if you have a machine that gives an analog tone.

 

[freddy williams]

Once I dig everything for the first 40 to 50 hours on a new machine I can pretty much tell what the tones are telling me and now and then I will take a guess and dig to see if I am right. So far I am 25 out of 28 times right but I hate to imagine the other 3 times I was wrong and what I may have missed out in the field

 

[TarheelPanner]

Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water. Sorry just couldnt resist

 

[gleaner1]

If you want to dig everything, that's okay. I dig about 1 in 100 targets. I cherry pick because my frikin back is killing me lately.

 

[Diggit]

I cherry pick because my frikin back is killing me lately.

Perhaps it's time to turn it over to those who will get enjoyment out of that silver you cherry pick and look into coin roll hunting?

 

[gleaner1]

I am getting sick of finding only good stuff. I think I'll start digging everything. What is coin roll hunting?

 

[Diggit]

What is coin roll hunting?

There is a whole forum here dedicated to it.
Going to banks and buying rolls of coins and searching them for silver and key dates, then returning what you don't keep.
It satisfies the urge of those who aren't really in it for the hunt,just what they can get out of it.

 

[mills84]

There is a whole forum here dedicated to it.
Going to banks and buying rolls of coins and searching them for silver and key dates, then returning what you don't keep.
It satisfies the urge of those who aren't really in it for the hunt,just what they can get out of it.

I don't know if I'd call a box (or more) of halves incredibly easy on the back

 

[U.K. Brian]

It wouldn't sell nowdays without a discrimination control. Even if you would never use discrimination on land you would need to use it to balance out the wet salt on beaches to make the detector usable there.

There's also no point in not having discrimination because your not forced to use it except with the odd auto-discriminating design. Having it doesn't impact on performance if its not used.

Discrimination could be regarded as the worse thing ever invented but most would pack up and head home if they couldn't at least I.D. small iron. Best option for most would be a Saxon Ultradepth, Arado 320 or Nautilus DMC design that allows you to hear every bit of metal in a field so maximum depth is achieved but with the plus of audio or visual discrimination being presented at the same time as the all metal signal. No discrimination indication and you know that you have to remove an inch or two of soil to gets I.D. assist.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

First off, when you hear people say "dig everything", they .... of course .... mean "everything except iron" usually.

And to answer your question, even if someone is in a "relic mindset" and is going to dig it whether it reads foil, or silver dollar (and everything inbetween) it is still fun to have the tones. And subconscious priority assessments are going on, when you have the TID and bells and whistles. For example

One time a friend of mine and I were hunting a furroughed field where 1790s to 1820's activity/camp/village had gone on. Naturally we were in a "relic mindset", digging all. He was using a machine with no TID and had his settings down to where anything above iron would come in. I, on the other hand, was using an Explorer. But I was in ferrous with the screen wide open, and was "digging all" too. However, at the end of each day's hunt, I would invariably "spank him" 3 to 1 when it came to coins and buttons (the preferred targets, of course). However, when we'd go to count our actual targets (can slaw shredded by tractor plows, etc... AND "period" targets), we noticed that our target counts were approximately the same. Yet my coin counts (reales) and button counts were always better than his. He accused me of "cherry picking" and passing some of flittier cr*ppier sounding little aluminum turd things. I assured him that I was not "cherry picking", because I had my screen all the way open. Nor was depth an issue, since we had the same target count #'s, and depth isn't an issue in furroughed fields anyhow, since stratas are all jumbled up. Thus both of us were very confused why I kept spanking him on the better/desirable targets.

The answer finally occurred to both of us: Since this was a virgin site when we started, and since targets were EVERYWHERE for the picking (ie.: 100 targets in a few hours hunt), we realized that what I was subconsciously doing, was favoring the "better sounding" targets. It wasn't on purpose, mind you ..... but when you have many clear round-coin sounding things to choose from, vs whispy bi-metal flaky cr*p sounding things, you subconsciously will start to favor the better sounding things. But a monotone machine, where every conductor sounds the same, you have no such ability (whether intentional, or subconscious).

 

[TerryC]

If you want to hunt using disc, go for it. You want to use the depth or sensitivity, go for it. If you want all metal mode and dig all, GO FOR IT! All metal mode is the way to go for relic hunting or hunting a remote area. Most detectors give you the choice because more people will buy the machine that covers more bases. And finally, the SOUND is the thing--- the final denominater. Remember that and you will do well!TTC

 

[jmoller99]

You want a PI detector then - just what you asked for. Many people are finding deep gold items with them. Minelab is selling out of them at $5000+ each. There must be something about digging everything that is causing such a rush.

 

[bazinga]

Perhaps it's time to turn it over to those who will get enjoyment out of that silver you cherry pick and look into coin roll hunting?

I bet he gets PLENTY of enjoyment out of digging silver. I know I sure do. Roughly 95% of the time I just cherry pick for silver / indian heads / wheats. I would avoid digging the wheats as well, but I have had too many times in the past had a wheat penny signal turn into a wheat with a silver dime with it or have it end up being an extremely worn silver dime. And when they are 8-10" deep, the machine isn't always 100% accurate, so I have to dig it anyways.

 

[JasonFleck]

Well where I live I do not even think coin roll hunted would be that effective. Just boring. I was a manager at Hy-Vee for a lot of years and when I took the deposits to the bank daily if I did not exchange my money for silver I am certain the tellers were. Nowadays where I live I rarely even see silver in circulation. Ten years ago it was still a fairly common occurrence in the till to see silver but its virtually zip now. I have never "coin rolled hunted" lol but I suppose like detecting if you have the right area and bank you might have some success. Happy hunting!

 

[deepskyal]

Back in the day I was a dig it all guy. BUT...we didn't have the plethora of pull tabs, can slaw, aluminum foil, bottle caps...etc. to contend with. Gotta go with the times. We picked lots of coins from those parks people still hit, but those folk work harder at it.

I have one machine that has bells and whistles. I call them added ID tools so I don't have to dig so much trash. I like disc'ing out zincolns. But I don't use the varying tone ID...just too used to the monotone sounds that I learned years back and am quite proficient at.

I also still have an old monotone analog that I use for relic hunting. It does have disc but I use it to disc the ground more than anything. One of the best older machines there was.

I metal detect various places with various goals...so I can still be a dig it all guy...OR a cherry picker.

Al

 

[thumper]

most ppl that dig it all...must be in plowed fields or other such places...if you are in a park or at a river campsite or such, you would not cover a ten foot piece of ground in an hour...cherry picking is the way to go in these places...if you have the time to go back to those areas...then you can dig all and see what else comes out....when you have ten signals in a sweep....why would you dig them all...

 

[gleaner1]

Dig every stinkin thing.

 

[U.K. Brian]

A cheap low power P.I. might suit but by the time you have real depth, ground balance etc you end up with twice the controls or options of the top VLF's so not really an option for those who don't want to work for their finds.

 

[Karuza82]

Dig every stinkin thing. View attachment 642500

LOL That looks like my kitchen counter....no wonder my wife's //edit;;;;-remove word-;;;\\\ is pleased //;;;edit off;;;\\\ most of the time.