Newbie needs help with pinpointing! Or, oh the plug massacre!

[Devi]

This is only my 2nd day MDing, and I have a shiny new Tesoro. I'm staying in my yard, which was built around 1950 and has been in my family since 1980. We're kind of neat freaks when it comes to the yard, but I've found some nails from when we got a new roof in the 90s, and a barbecue grill that my father left lying in the grass about 20 years ago.

Problem is, I'm having a terrible time pinpointing! I go over the ground several times, both in discriminate and all metal, but often the item is to one side or the other. A couple of times I just gave up so that I didn't put a foot wide hole in the ground! I'm digging plugs, but do you think I should switch to a probe? I scan the plug I take out, the dirt left in the hole, etc., but it always seems that the signal AFTER I dig the plug is off to one side, necessitating more digging!

I'm off work this week, so I want to hit up a couple old parks in town that I used to play in, but I want to leave no trace. I've watched YouTube videos, but if I can't find exactly where the metal is, there's no point! Can't afford a pinpointer yet, so is it just a matter of practice?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

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[worldtalker]

Practice makes perfect,it just takes some getting used to being new.Are you going left/right up/down?How big a plug are you cutting? Don't be afraid to cut a big one! God Bless Chris

 

[jfeeney]

Devi - as a fellow newbie I had trouble pinpointing too. I found once I got the general location I turned down the sensitivity. That seemed to narrow the zone. As far as a pinpointer I got one for less $15 from Harbor Freight. It's cheap but does work. Better than nothing.

 

[cudamark]

Practice and more practice with your machine is the best way to get better at pinpointing. If you have one, go to a sandy beach and practice there. You should have lots of target and digging a big hole won't matter. You can cut a plug on your own property but I would NOT recommend doing that in a park or other public property. Unless you're real lucky, that plug is going to die and leave evidence that you've been there. Cut a trap door or better yet, a slit in the sod to recover the target. There's less likelyhood of grass dying that way and having the area banned from detecting. An electronic pinpointer is highly recommended by me also.

 

[spartacus53]

Seems like you're actually having 2 issues there, 1 letter shy of DEVIL

1- Stick with one discrimination and learn it, then learn the other. Trying both you learn nothing

2- When it comes to pinpointing, don't get lazy. It appears that you are waving your magic wand over an area hoping that something will appear. It"s metal detecting, not a wizard show When you do get a signal, get a bit more active and move 90 degrees and see if you get it again. That should help determine the correct location.

Now get out there again Sparky and implement what I told you.

I want a written report, no less than 50 words by the weekend too. Yea, that's your assignment

 

[treasurehound]

I'm not familiar with the Tesoro models so I don't know what features your machine has but a lot of machine brands have the same features. Does it have a depth display? That will help pinpoint as well. Also check your VDI numbers as most coins will be about 60 and above. I listen for the tones more than watch the VDI numbers but sometimes the VDI will tell me whether to dig a nickel or not. If it is around 20 and stays that way on every sweep then almost always it would be a nickel. If the VDI changes each time I sweep then it is trash and I would not dig it. I would plant some coins in a clean area of your yard and practice what your machine is telling you and practice pinpointing. I also would recommend the Harbor Freight pinpointer for about $15 until you can afford the Garrett Propointer. A pinpointer is highly recommended in this hobby as it will save you a lot of time. Good luck and welcome to this hobby. As with all machines it takes time to learn your machine. Put as many hours on it as you can and before long you will be finding tons of stuff.

 

[SusanMN]

First you need to figure out where the spot is on your coil that will ring loudest over the target. It is usually near center but not on all coils. This works for me if I'm using a new detector. Mark a + on a sheet of paper and tape a penny to the exact center of the +. Now swing your detector over it left and right and then up and back and forth, shortening your movements until it sounds/feels like you are just right above your target. Then look at where your coil is in relationship to your coin. dead center? More towards the top of the coil? Try it a few more time, move the target sheet and try to find the target without looking down until you can pretty much predict where the target will be . Then start practicing with hidden targets - you can bury them or just throw something down on top of them.

Once your sure you can identify the approximate location, you can practice digging. Best advice here is to spend the money on a Garrett Propointer. It is a great pinpointer and definitely cuts down on digging by helping you figure out where the target is in your hole.

 

[Devi]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I think I'm going to go with the $15 pinpointer right now to start me off. I did hit up an old park yesterday and cleaned up many fine bottlecaps and tabs, along with one clad penny. (My last find!) Tesoros have no displays, but are supposed to be great at pinpointing once you get the hang of them. Testing the center over a penny sounds like a great idea....I'll probably try it this weekend. I coinpopped a bottlecap or two with no problem, but definitely need more practice.

104 words, Spartacus. Is that good enough?

 

[jfeeney]

Google Harbor Freight coupon and you'll find a coupon for 20% off. That will get the price under $15.

 

[Gator01]

First, a pinpointer is only going to help you locate the target once you have dug/started digging, unless the target is only an inch or so deep.
Practice. X the target area, swing east to west and north to south, each coil has a sweet spot.
This will help you, and in just minutes you will have it figured out. Get several large pieces of card board and an ice pick. Lay some coins down on the ground and cover them with the cardboard. Turn your detector on and swing over the card board, when you find a target, pinpoint it and use the ice pick to puncture the cardboard to locate it. It want be exact each time, but you will become very proficient at a much narrower foot print of target location. I did this to help a friend, worked out real well.
Sometimes, with trash targets nearby in the ground next to a target you have found, they will pull your pinpoint off the desired target you have located because the trash targets signal is stronger. In a case like this, after you have dug, and gotten the trash target out of the way, rescan your hole. I always rescan my holes anyway, just to make sure there isnt another good target still in the ground,lol.
Good luck,
John