Newbie Metal Detector Here. Any Tips?

[Wolfmight]

Hey, John here.
We've got a Bounty Huner Lone Star Metal Detector and I'm tryin it out for the first time.

I've found a little bit of stuff throughout my life without a metal detector and the best was:

2 Old South African coins during a dig at someone house.

An antique Toy-Car buried REALLY DEEP underground at my old house. We were fixing an outgoing waterpipe and had to dig pretty deep. All the sudden I find this little toy car at the bottom of a 7ft hole.

And most recently, an ancient SUN DIAL in my current home's backyard! It was only 1ft underground when I pulled it up. We were building a ramp for our garage and I noticed something glare in the dirt.

Ever since I found that antique Sun Dial, I knew this yard must have more! Now I'm searching in that same area.

I really want to find coins more than anything though. What's the best way to set the BountyHunter LoneStar MD to pick up coinage?

Also, when you dig the dirt...what's the best way to...well...Dig the dirt and filter it out for items?


I live in Austin,TX.
My family owns part of a ranch out in Gonzalas, Texas...one of the locations involved with the Mexican-American War. There haven't been tons of finds out there, but I've heard a few stories of people finding parts of antique firearms, bullets, and national coinage of the Republic of Texas...when it was it's own nation.

Our Ranch is HUGE though, so it would be wise to pinpoint the very best locations possible before starting. Otherwise, we could be searching for months.

Thanks a million.
John

 

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[nc-joe]

I suggest you "mask" iron and dig everything else. Pay very close attention to what you hear and what your LCD display is doing when you dig a target. Make some notes so when you get another signal (sound and display) like the past, you can start to figure out what really is in the ground before you dig. But don't forget, Gold will jump around like some types of foil, aluminium and nickel, depending on the depth and if it is 10K, 14K 18K or 22K or 24K gold.

The Lone Star is a good machine, will find alot of stuff, and even some treasure. If your ranch has history, as you outlined, you have to hunt it all. (Invite your fellow TNETers to come out and join you!) You really should do a 10 x 10 foot section going East and West, and then redo it going North and South. Dig everything, so you can find the treasure UNDER the trash. In 10 years, when you have done every 10 x 10 in multiple directions, upgrade to a high end deep seeker and start over! You will never find everything on that land, I guarantee it!

You've been sentenced to 20 year to life, on your ranch!! 8)

Welcome to TNET and don't forget to post your finds.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Wells (old)
BIg/old trees
River banks
swimming holes
beaches

A few examples of where it could be soem goddies.

 

[Sandman]

Set discrimination to reject iron and recover everything else. I said recover, not dig. ON your own property digging is OK, but on public land or someone elses land we use a screw driver or small knife to probe for the target and pull it out with a finger or forcepes. Deeper finds require a small trowel and palacing the dirt on a cloth for placing it back in the hole.

One of the best ways to retrieve the most coins is to over lap your sweeps by 50% so as to not miss anything. At the surface you may cover 8" across, but at depth maybe only 2".

 

[Montana Jim]

I agree that discriminating iron out is smart, but... sometimes the best way to find where the people were is to hunt in "all metal mode" without discrimination till you find the iron.

Iron in any area is a great indication that pepole gathered or lived there, farmed or fought there... and depending on what your finding in iron can be an indication of you can expect to find in brass, lead, silver... etc.

For example:
Lots of iron square nails = household or farm relics, etc...
Lots of iron horse pickit pins = soldier or battlefield relics, etc...

Just a thought... please read again what the others have said - they are dead-on with their advise!

 

[Wolfmight]

how do you mask iron on the discrimination settings for the BountyHunter LoneStar?

Here's a picture of the entire control panel on my unit:

Appreciate it,
John

 

[nc-joe]

you should be able to press the "DISC" button once. This should put an "X" on the far left side of your upper LCD box (under the IRON FOIL) slot.

 

[Wolfmight]

I just got back from Coinshooting out in my yard and I have to say, the Disc feature works great.

I didn't find any coins, but I did find some old pull-tabs, barnhouse roof scrap, and a piece to an old bicycle.
I'm happy I found atleast something today. Yesterday I found nothing.

The only thing that bothers me is that my metal detector doesn't have a very long range. Even with the sense. nob all the way up, it will only detect loose change if it's about 5-6in near it. Anymore and it will not detect it. Is that normal?

 

[nc-joe]

adjusting the sensativity to the right setting will take some time as you learn the machine and the soil in your area. If you have alot of mineralization, by turning it up all the way you are losing depth, just as if you turned it down. Your machine can not fully understand what is in the ground when the minerals are confusing it. You will have to play around with it a little. Your best results will be somewhere between 25% and 80%. I suggust you set it 60-75% and try again. My ACE 250 and my Bounty Hunter Pioneer both work best at 75% in my area. I know another memeber on here, Monty, has an ACE 250 and his works best at 33% in his area.

Take your time learn your machine, you will enjoy the hobby much more and much longer if you understand how and why you are, or are not, finding things.

If you have a neighborhood park, go MD the sand around the play ground equipment, you WILL find coins. (Do NOT go to a city, county, state or federal park without checking the codes/laws in your area FIRST. Because if you don't check first, your BH may become the property of one of those parks department and you won't have to worry about learning the machine, because it WILL BE confiscated)

Start here: http://www.municode.com/Resources/online Library.asp but be sure to check other sources, too.

You are off in the right direction, keep it up! We all look forward to seeing some of your future great finds posted here!

 

[Montana Jim]

I own two BHs... and both came with a pretty basic but thorough instruction book, and a video to watch! Did you get anything like that to help you with the basics?

 

[Wolfmight]

I found a pdf format of the exact manual for it off their website.

I gave it a good read yesterday during morning bm and it seems simple enough. Told me exactly how to set things best for coinshooting and all kinds of other items to target.

Though, funny thing is...the book is 100% accurate, since the soil's minerals are different like you said nc-joe.
Also, I found an old pull-tab, even though the settings I had claimed to disregard them.
I took the pull-tab out from 5inchs underground and the beeping was gone. It was making the silver beep go wild.

-John

 

[SC_hunter]

Also, when you dig the dirt...what's the best way to...well...Dig the dirt and filter it out for items?
Wolfmight ....I have an older BH so can't help on the tuning part...but I can give you some advice on finding the target....Get a pinpointer. I was skeptical at first, since the detector I use now has pinpoint capabilities, but trust me..you will save a lot of time an aggravation..The dirty coins look so much like dirt it took me what seemed like hours to find one with my bad eyesight..Darrrrn I hate glasses..lol
HH
Randy

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I just got back from Coinshooting out in my yard and I have to say, the Disc feature works great.

I didn't find any coins, but I did find some old pull-tabs, barnhouse roof scrap, and a piece to an old bicycle.
I'm happy I found atleast something today. Yesterday I found nothing.

The only thing that bothers me is that my metal detector doesn't have a very long range. Even with the sense. nob all the way up, it will only detect loose change if it's about 5-6in near it. Anymore and it will not detect it. Is that normal?

As a rule of thumb, you should get "hits" as deep as your searchcoil is wide.

The good news is that if you're finding pull-tabs you should also find any gold rings that are in the nearby ground. Digging pull-tabs is paying your dues when it comes to detecting. I carry a nickel and set my discrimination to just pick that up. It's the lowest registering U.S. coin. Around the house and in the woods I go "all metal" and dig everything. Lots of trash, but occasionally something interesting (knives, a percussion capper, tools and farm machinery pieces, etc.)

 

[partenr]

I second what SC_Hunter sd: Get a pinpointer. I've only been using mine for the last couple weeks and I'd say detecting is three times more enjoyable. In addition, I'm not squatting down on the ground in the local school yard looking all guilty with a basketball-size pile of dirt in front of me LOL!

 

[SC_hunter]

Partner...u sounded like me...I thought I was diggin Chineese coins for awhile...lol Those coins look just like leaves..lol I was worse than a gopher with a FULL SHOVEL...

 

[Wolfmight]

thanks.
where can I buy a good pinpointer? Could I make a good one for cheaper?

 

[partenr]

I don't think this is the best pinpointer by any stretch, but it's the cheapest I could find.

http://www.telescopes.com/products/bounty-hunter-pinpointer-46717.html

Now, for the budget minded, I have shown a super-simple modification that resolves this units two shortcomings.

The battery cover is in the butt of the machine and it immediately began falling off. The rubber bands hold it on securely. Also, the sensitivity control, which needs to be set precisely, is WAY too easy to turn . It will require constant adjustment while you are carrying it and bumping it around. The rubber bands apply friction to the dial and keep it in place quite well. Using two rubber bands gives you a backup in case you break one. There ya go, $49, shipping, and two rubber bands! See pic below.

 

[SC_hunter]

Geeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzz partenr..u been diggin in the Okefenokee swamp.. U have been keeping that one busy for sure.

 

[partenr]

That's funny SC_hunter. I guess I get a little excited. As you can see, if one uses it like I do, it will probe 6 inches rather than the advertised 5 inches LOL!

 

[Wolfmight]

hahaha. that's crazy