Please help educate me

[Southernhunter]

Hi all,

I have a cheapo detector (Bounty Hunter Discovery 1000), a big shovel and a whole lot of frustration due to my lack of viable finds although I live in an area that has a population history dating from the 1700's.
As there has been a lot of farming and agriculture I come up with quite a bit of scrap and metal in old household dumps.

Prior to running out to buy a super duper detector, I would like to improve my digging techniques as to reduce the impact (small hole) and improve my efficiency.

So I hope you won't mind giving a newbie some helpful tips?

Firstly, when trying to locate a target, do you use a probe (stiff rod)?
Does a probe help identify the target by sound (tapping)?

When digging in a lawn or grass, how do you expose the target without undue disruption of the surface?

Do you have any tool suggestions?

Feedback on this or any other detecting suggestions would be greatly appreciated so that I can bring some cool finds to the board too

 

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[Jeffro]

Unfortunately the BH1000 isn't the best at pinpointing, so go slow over the signal a couple times in different directions (making an "x") keep an eye on the center of the coil, look for a marker on the ground that you can recognize near the beep sound, like a twig, leaf, blade of grass, etc.

Use an old knitting needle or a screwdriver with a dulled tip for a probe and GENTLY push it down into the spot you have previously marked in your mind. You may need to make several attempts to locate the target by probing. Don't stab at it, go slow. Once you feel the object beneath your probe you can work the tip of the probe around the side and under it flipping it up and out, if it's a shallow target. Then simply press the grass back into place.

If its deeper, cut a neat round hole with a small garden trowel down about 4 inches or so on all sides. Remove the plug you just cut, and sweep the hole again. If the signal disappears, its probably in the plug you just cut. If the signal is still there, use your probe again to determine where its at and remove it. Replace the dirt and replace your plug, stepping on it firmly.

Some folks carry water with them when its dry, to wet down the grass so it doesn't turn brown. Some folks cut a three sided "flap" instead, leaving the roots of the grass intact on one side.

Using a small towel or piece of visqueen comes in handy for hold the dirt you remove, too. Easy to dump back in the with, also.

Your best bet to learn how to pinpoint would be sticking to a beach, sandy area in a park, or the woodchips on playgrounds for awhile, until you get the hang of it. Then practice on your own yard until you really get it down pat.

It will be more frustrating with the detector you have, but if you can master it, a higher end model will seem like a dream when you get one!

Good luck out there!

 

[Schrecky]

Southernhunter; Jeffro has some real good advise. I've only been detecting a year and have never used a probe. Because of that when I was learning I gouged a couple of nice coins. Since then, using a pinpointer to guide the way I've got the hang of digging past the target and scooping it out. The pinpointers I use with my DFX are the Bull's Eye which is good for about 3/4" and the DX-1 that is good for 2 or 3 inches. The DFX pinpoints the target very accurately so it's just a matter a digging down to it. I'm sure you would love the technology of any of the high end detectors is finding your targets.

 

[Southernhunter]

Many thanks Jeffro & Schrecky!
Sound advice & much appreciated. I saw a post on here a while back about a discourteous digger & I don't want to be THAT guy. :P

 

[randall61]

jeffro has great advise,i only want to add when diggin a plug only cut 3/4 around if your in nice grass so not to get dead spots.

 

[BIG61AL]

No treasure hunter is complete with out a pin pointer. It will cut down the probing time by a large margin. Get to know your coil's sweet spot. Practice cutting into grass so you are confident when you are in the parks. I use the 3/4 curved cut and always step on the plug so the dirt is in full contact the surrounding dirt. This lets it wick moister from it so the plug will not dry out. I can make 30 digs into a soccer Field and you can barely tell I was there at all. Consider upgrading to a better model. I think the bounty hunter line is a very low end detector. I suggest whites, Garrett. minelab or fisher.

 

[BIG61AL]

Also remember that pop cans 6 inches down read like pennies 1 or 2 inches down. If it says it's penny and the signal is 6 inches wide it is most likely a pop can.

 

[Night Stalker]

Nice Job Jeffro!​

 

[Sandman]

Jeffro did an excellent job and gave great advice. After I pinpoint the target, I use a short brass probe to tap on the coin, etc. After practice you think you can tell for sure if it's a coin or rock. I've also used a bayonet as a probe as it wedges into a pull tab or ring and you can lever it out of the ground.

An electric pinpointer would help you a lot since your BH doesn't pinpoint well. When you walk away and look back, you should see nothing to indicate you were there.

Sandman

 

[bruceuth]

No treasure hunter is complete with out a pin pointer. It will cut down the probing time by a large margin. Get to know your coil's sweet spot. Practice cutting into grass so you are confident when you are in the parks. I use the 3/4 curved cut and always step on the plug so the dirt is in full contact the surrounding dirt. This lets it wick moister from it so the plug will not dry out. I can make 30 digs into a soccer Field and you can barely tell I was there at all. Consider upgrading to a better model. I think the bounty hunter line is a very low end detector. I suggest whites, Garrett. minelab or fisher.

i have a hard time pin pointing target with a bounty hunter. then i bought Garrett ace 250 love the pin pointing on it. but still will use the time ranger for some stuff

 

[diggummup]

Jeffro's right on the money and so is everyone else.As far as pinpointers go,a good one is probably gonna cost double what your BH1000 cost you.I had a white's bulleye pinpointer (the old model) and I didn't like it at all,it had absolutely no depth (maybe an inch to an inch and a half),so it was basically usless to me.Maybe someone on here can offer you some suggestions as to what type would give the best depth for your money.I don't really detect areas where I need one anymore,that and the BH3300 has a pinpoint mode,so I use that.Others who do use them religiously, swear by them, so I would listen to them and thier advice.Good luck and H.H.-diggummup

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

I disagree with some on the BH 1100. I used it to find most of what I've found so far (2 weeks with a 250) and have to say that pin pointing or rather X'ing with it is good and accurate.......as good and accurate as with the 250 I use......the only difference is that I find deeper coins with the 250. (The 250 has a built in PP that I will probably never use) I like the way the coil acts on the 1100, and that is that it only rings off when passing through that little inner circle. Every detector has its goods and its bads, and this is one of them. It discriminates well, its only true drawback is the lack of depth. If this thing had the depth that my ACE 250 has, I'd be using the 1100 instead. Don't sell that little machine short......I've found tons of clad, 3 silver coins and a token in the almost two months I used it before I upgraded. Another thing about the 1100 is that it is really easy to size an object up, taking into account that the area on the coil where an object rings off is small, you can almost trace the object. Imagine a pipe laying in the ground. You can almost tell where it will start and end. With that said, I've found coins with the 1100 in the 5" range and a NYC subway token that was at least 6 1/2 inches down. I found the 1100 to be a great machine to get the basic skills set and it will find all the shallow clad and the occassional shallow silver. Worst aspect of owning this machine is that you will outgrow it the instant you become proficient with it.

 

[Blackjack77]

I started with a BH Discovery 2000 about 6 years ago. Didn't know anything about Metal
detecting and certaintly no Forums to learn from others. Only found nails and junk
metal so gave up till this year. Back then My Twin girls were 2 yrs old, now their 8 yrs
and asked about the BH- wanted to "play" in the garden with it. After some detecting
finding junk and eventually "seeding" the garden with coins, found a 1902 IH-- hey that
isn't one We buried!!
That was only start of the "fever"-- had to upgrade. Bought a BH 3300, then went
all out with a Garrett GTI 2500. Both these detectors gave Me very nice finds-- the 2500
being My preferred one, its just better and more fun to use. Confidence level with it is
higher too!!
Could I have found more with the older BH 2000?? Probably-- but only now after having
experience with better detectors. Could I go back to a cheaper one?? only as a last resort.
Knowing Your detector and having confidence in it is still the difference- no matter the price!!
HH

 

[dahut]

Education is manyfold

ALL of what has been said is good info and should be taken to heart. However, a few points have been missed altogether in the rush to offer techniques. Here's a rehash of the foremost worry of this fellow(the one he mentioned first, if you recall):

"I have a cheapo detector (Bounty Hunter Discovery 1000), a big shovel and a whole lot of frustration due to my lack of viable finds although I live in an area that has a population history dating from the 1700's.
As there has been a lot of farming and agriculture I come up with quite a bit of scrap and metal in old household dumps."

You yourself referred to your detector as "a cheapo", so perhaps you could stand an upgrade. But as Ricardo said, the little RS 1000 does work - if you learn it.A "big shovel," while useful some of the time, is also an unlikely choice of recovery tool for much of the digging you need to do. A sturdy trowel, an entrenching tool, and a probe and screwdriver are about all you DO need and then it's up to you to practice with your equipment and the techniques mentioned.

However, your lack of "viable finds" hints at more than any lack on your detector's part or your recovery methods alone. You glossed over something which leads to greater things - the dumpsites. My ears perked up at that (so to speak ).

One of the problems we all share is that we tend to view things through our own eyes, filtering in terms of what we can relate to. The astute detectorist ceases to do that and instead sees things differently. For example, did you know, that much of the trash of yesteryear is very collectible, even valuable today? Everything from old bottles to dishes, from silverware to gun parts can be found in dumps if you are looking for them. You only need to see the trash as a sign of many other things going on, not the least of which is the fact that human habitation occurred nearby.

Back in the day before the proliferation of the motor vehicle, people didnt get around much. Trash was taken to a ravine, depression, or gully somewhere nearby and merely dumped - they didnt have much eco-conscience then, either. So, where there is a dump site there was at least a house, as well. Perhaps more than one. Those farmers fields you are passing by may be the very place where such homesites once stood, especially if they are at crossroads or along what may be considered "out of the way" roads in our time.

I can tell you several tales of when I have been in another city to visit a relative or on business, only to come home with some really nice old coin or other "viable" item. Everyone looks at it and goggles, blurting out the same thing:
"You found that around HERE? Where??"
"Oh, down the road a bit. Do you know where that big old tree, or that vacant lot or that field is? Right there.
It isn't hard...if you know where to look."

The way to make "viable finds" is to patiently seek them out where they exist. If you do that, your recovery methods will share equal importance with your site selection.

David