Garrett Ace 250 Depth Problems

[aferguson77]

I have an Ace 250 Metal Detector with a 8.5 X 11 DD PROFormance coil. I have found a great location and I'm finding lots of clad shallow, but no silver yet. I live in North Carolina. I know the type of dirt has something to do with the depth detection, but will the dirt cause the detector to not detect past a depth of 4 inches with this type of coil. soil in my area is sandy loam subsoil ,red clay and clay loam.

 

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[Sandman]

It could since the 250 doesn't have ground balance. But other factors are the cause of it too. If you have to much sensitivity dialed in you are really cutting down on your depth because then the coil "sees" more minerals. Like high beams in a fog or snowstorm. The size of your coil is to large for the minerals in the ground, its for milder soil, but they don't tell you that as they want to sell you more coils. Also clean out your coil cover of any dirt and black sand which blocks the eddie currents.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

In addition to what sandman says, I would *think* the 250 would get more than 4", unless you're talking really nasty ground minerals, salt, etc..

However, with that said, be aware that even in moderate ground conditions, that 250 may peak out at only 6 or 7" (which is wimpy by today's standards on better machines). Oh sure, some with the 250 will argue that they routinely exceed 6" in turf, beach, etc... But when you push them, they'll admit those are whispers, and they're abandoning good TID's at those deeper depths, etc.... In other words, the 250 is not known for depth. Nor is it good in minerals, wet salt, etc.... It's just a beginner's machine.

 

[Ima Swinger]

Hey aferguson, try doing a search for "ace250" on this forum. You may find some helpful hints. You may even do a youtube search as well and check out some videos. I've been using the 250 for 4 or 5 years now and enjoy it very much. While it is a beginners machine, you should be getting 6 to 7 inches with it. Which is perfect for me. I have no interest in digging an 18" deep hole. Haha.....
So, If you are looking for a deep detector you have the wrong one. You will, however, gain some (not a lot) of depth if you detect when the ground is moist. Like after a good rain. Plus it's easier digging.
If you do those two searches that I mentioned above I think it will help you out.

Have fun.

 

[RobRieman]

I have an Ace 250 Metal Detector with a 8.5 X 11 DD PROFormance coil. I have found a great location and I'm finding lots of clad shallow, but no silver yet. I live in North Carolina. I know the type of dirt has something to do with the depth detection, but will the dirt cause the detector to not detect past a depth of 4 inches with this type of coil. soil in my area is sandy loam subsoil ,red clay and clay loam.

Are you sure there are coins at that location deeper than 4 inches? Try burying a coin at 5,6 and 7 inches at that location and see if you can hear them.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Are you sure there are coins at that location deeper than 4 inches? Try burying a coin at 5,6 and 7 inches at that location and see if you can hear them.

Rob, the trouble with that is going to be, that coins freshly buried do not always mimic the sounds you'd get from a non-freshly buried one. Because once you disturb the dirt, then the dirt around the one you just buried is not firm-packed, (soil matrix different), and no halo, etc....

The exception would be if he's hunting furroughed field, or sand, or something.

 

[RobRieman]

Rob, the trouble with that is going to be, that coins freshly buried do not always mimic the sounds you'd get from a non-freshly buried one. Because once you disturb the dirt, then the dirt around the one you just buried is not firm-packed, (soil matrix different), and no halo, etc.... The exception would be if he's hunting furroughed field, or sand, or something.

Yeah I agree Tom but at least if he can see a freshly buried coin at 7" he should be able to see an old drop with a halo even better. Just trying to see if there is a way he can test in close proximity to the same soil conditions to verify that anything exists beyond 4 inches at the site or if his detector is faulty or just not up to the challenge.

 

[aferguson77]

well said rob i can agree with that. the area im in was well populated and owned in the 1900s by the germans then the french and finally the americans.Disapointing to only find shallow modern clad in such a trash free area. Im on this project right away

 

[cactusrat]

One way to bury test coins without disturbing the soil above the coin, is to drive them in with a small pipe or wooden dowel.

Cut a slot in the end of the pipe or dowel so a notch is made to hold a coin edge wise, think of how an arrow is held on to a bow string.

Drive the pipe and coin into the ground at an angle how ever deep you want it and pull the pipe back out. The coin should stay in the ground.

The soil on top of the coin will not be disturbed.

 

[crazy4coins]

I have an Ace 250 Metal Detector with a 8.5 X 11 DD PROFormance coil. I have found a great location and I'm finding lots of clad shallow, but no silver yet. I live in North Carolina. I know the type of dirt has something to do with the depth detection, but will the dirt cause the detector to not detect past a depth of 4 inches with this type of coil. soil in my area is sandy loam subsoil ,red clay and clay loam.

Although your soil does sound pretty bad, I think it might just be that you aren't sweeping the coil over silver yet. Sometimes it's just a game of luck, but location is still vital.

 

[thebirdflu]

I found this thread because I too am having some issues finding deep targets with the Ace 250 with the stock coil. I did a test today with a quarter at 6" and it wouldn't give me a solid signal at max sensitivity. It wouldn't detect a dime at depth at all.

I live in Missouri and we mostly have rich dark soil here. It has rained recently and the ground is moist. I've found a lot of targets but really nothing deeper than 4". Like previous poster said I don't want to dig an 18" hole but I'm sure I'm missing some older finds because they're too deep for my machine. Any thoughts?

EDIT: After reading more posts about the 250, it seems that 6" for a quarter is expected in most conditions. I think in order to get deeper targets it comes down to swinging low and slow and paying attention to how the targets read. When in doubt DIG. I need more practice to find the deep ones!

 

[Nickleanddime]

One thing I've never seen anyone say anywhere on these forums is about construction. You never know how many times that dirts been removed over the years. Really any land built on after the 80's to be safe you can bet the first 6 inches has been scraped away. Then new dirt brought in for topsoil or the foundation hole dirt spread out on the top. Example a foundation for a house in town on a average in city lot will add up to 4 more inches of dirt onto a 1/2 acre building lot. Then you account for landscaping and you add or take away the original dirt. So my point in all that is just because its a old settlement doesn't mean the old dirt is there. As well the older settlements the owners didnt have alot of money in there pockets to lose, it was keptb in a safe place or paid directly to credit books at the store or feed lot. Just food for thought.

 

[aferguson77]

I have abandoned the ACE 250 and have decided not to upgrade to the AT PRO or any other Garrett products. I have decided to go with the Teknetics T2 Special Edition, which I bought from Kellyco. The customer service and prompt shipment of my product was outstanding. I'll let you know how it goes hopefully by next weekend. Don't make the same mistake I did by dumping money into an entry level machine.

 

[christo000]

Whats wrong with the Atpro its a great machine very capable of land And water there customer service is unbeleivably great. The only other detector thats capable of land And water is the ctx & thats what 1900 more