vdi question

[greatwhitetailhorns]

When I have it on . Sometimes a penny and dimes read a negative number would like to rule out garbage but I know I'm missing old coins. Any suggestions on why it is doing this on depths over 4 inches but quarters and half dollar. Stay with a good reading. The ground is extremely dry and where I dig the plug usually dies so as little digging as possible would be nice.

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[Tom_in_CA]

You don't say what machine you're using, and the settings you're using.

It's going to be hard for anyone to answer the question too, without "seeing what you're doing", because things like swing speed, centering over the target, and so forth make a difference it what you'll ultimately see and hear. Also even the reading that you, the user, perceives is nebulous and up for interpretation. Ie.: some persons interpret a single "bounce" or two into the negative number range, to be bad or "innacurate reading" or whatever. While an experienced user knows how to interpret such bounces, and know how to interpret that it simply means (or doesn't mean as the individual case signal may merit) that you're on the edge of the machine's ability to give a stronger repeatable bells-of-notre dame signal, verses one which takes some know-how as to what the occasional odd bounces mean.

For example: When I first got the explorer, I took it out to the nearest old school yard, where I knew that deepies still lurked. But after hours of use, could not make heads or tails of anything beyond 4 or 5". Only the shallow ones "locked on" and "read correctly", while everything else sounded like a flock of sick geese, with no rhyme or reason, etc... I was about to throw in the towel, and go back to my whites. But before doing so, I hooked up with a proficient Explorer user, who was back then, effortlessly pulling 8"+ deep silver and wheaties from parks in his towns. We traded off flagged signals. I watched what he was doing, listened in on what he was trying to isolate. Watched how he swung, paid close attention to what he passed, verses what he chased, and his analysis of each one before he dug. And conversly, I'd show him signals, and he too would chime in "nail false" or "corroded zinc at 3 inch" and so forth. Within 30 minutes, the "lights went on", and all of the sudden deep fluty signals (that you might say were not "locking on") all of the sudden made sense.

You see? No amount of printed text info can convey such things. They have to be heard and seen. So if you know of a proficient user in your area (not just a sand-box hunter, but someone who routinely comes in with the old deepies), who uses your particular machine, try to hook up with them, and trade off flagged signals. And it should preferably be a place with abundant side-by-side signals to choose from, not a tired worked out place where it's 30+ min. between choice good deep coin signals. So even if you have to choose a 1940s/50s place, *just* to get your practice in, do it. Because if you choose a tired sad place where choice old deep coins are few and far between, your brain will never develope a pattern of good vs bad, since they are too far inbetween, it will just become random, without memorizable rhyme and reason.

When I have it on . Sometimes a penny and dimes read a negative number would like to rule out garbage but I know I'm missing old coins. Any suggestions on why it is doing this on depths over 4 inches but quarters and half dollar. Stay with a good reading. The ground is extremely dry and where I dig the plug usually dies so as little digging as possible would be nice.

[greatwhitetailhorns]

I was air testing with xlt whites with it in pinpointing mode if its over 5 inches it reads a negative number on penny nickel and some. Dimes. Quarters seem ok. Here is a example of my problem hunting in coin mode with just a few mods ac sensitivity at70 dc at 33 pregain amp at 2 and v.c.o. on . Hit a good target I think it reads 65 but I hit all metal and it might say -70 to - 90or other numbers have dug some and found coin and other say 6 inches deep after digging a foot I give up or a pop tab. Just thought I could cut down on digging in bone dry dirt in public parks I'm still learning on have about 40 hrs in have found about 10 dollars in coins and 3 wheat pennies and one Indian head penny would like to find older money

[Tom_in_CA]

Dude I think your problem is that the XLT is not going to give TID's when in pinpoint mode. If I'm understanding what you're saying here, your incorrect TID are coming when you've switched over to pinpoint, right? If so, you have to realize that the XLT is a fast-motion swing machine. So your TID/VDI's are going to be deeper and more correct, the faster you swing (and the better you're centered, etc...) when in disc. mode. When you switch over to pinpoint mode, you're going to (obviously) slow down to know the exact pinpoint spot. But upon slowing down, you're obviously not going to TID/VDI with a motion machine. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, the XLT doesn't even give target ID's to begin with, in pinpoint mode. That's not the function of pinpoint mode. Doh

Try some air tests with different swing speeds (even down to a crawl) and you will see what I mean. But maybe I'm mis-understanding what you're saying.

Best to hook up with a proficient XLT user, as I've said, since these things are sound-specific, which ....... no amount of printed text can convey sounds.

I was air testing with xlt whites with it in pinpointing mode if its over 5 inches it reads a negative number on penny nickel and some. Dimes. Quarters seem ok. Here is a example of my problem hunting in coin mode with just a few mods ac sensitivity at70 dc at 33 pregain amp at 2 and v.c.o. on . Hit a good target I think it reads 65 but I hit all metal and it might say -70 to - 90or other numbers have dug some and found coin and other say 6 inches deep after digging a foot I give up or a pop tab. Just thought I could cut down on digging in bone dry dirt in public parks I'm still learning on have about 40 hrs in have found about 10 dollars in coins and 3 wheat pennies and one Indian head penny would like to find older money

[jmoller99]

All I can say is that after a while you will find that you pass up great targets because your VDI was unable to guess what it was that it detected. I can't tell you how often a good target appears right next to trash, and the VDI averaged the target out as trash. I don't hunt for coins much anymore, so the VDI guessing what type of coin it might be does not really tell me much of value - I listen to what the signal sounds like from many directions. If you want find older, deeper items, your VDI will likely be the last thing to trust.

[greatwhitetailhorns]

What do u hunt for now do u dig everything

[U.K. Brian]

Pinpoint mode does not I.D. It just provides lines on screen to assist you with knowing when your directly over the centre of the target. Sweep as fast or slow as you like you still won't get any VDI discrimination from all metal though there are audio clues.

[greatwhitetailhorns]

I do it all the time and setting are better now. Turn vco on then turn your school phase on and u will get the reading in all metal mode in the top right corner I have been doing real good I turned my gain down some and ac sensitivity to 70 and dc to 32. Seams to work good. Can discriminate and get extra depth hunt backwards. Its kind hard but it works.

[U.K. Brian]

If you mean to use the DC Phase reading (top right of the meter) the figure is subject to the ground mineralisation of the site your working unless you slide the coil off to one side, release and squeese the trigger and hold again, then slide back onto the target. Even then as the handbook states the ground and target responses can distort the detection field of the detector leading to inconsistencies which for me don't make it a very trustworthy form of discrimination but if it works for you stick with it.

[greatwhitetailhorns]

Thanks just sold my xlt will ship it out tomorrow. Going one last time today. Then will be waiting on my v3 whites to get to me think in going to send it in for the upgrade from what I here its worth upgrading hope to get the extra depth out of this machine.