Frustrated and discouraged

[kyleeskastles]

As the title says i just dont know right now what is up and i need to vent.

I got two metal detectors now, the BH pioneer 202 and sharpshooter II.

Sharpershooter II is seems like it can find a target fairly well, good repeated signal over target but shows no depth, and metal probability may as well not exist, cans are silver and zinc pennies are pulltabs?? Depth of detection is terribly shallow. The max i have found something was 8 inches, a unopened mountain dew. Overall the better detector, but it leaves alot to be desired it seems when i watch you guys banging out the goods or youtube vids, im like golly man either i am the most unluckiest man to ever detect or i just dont have the know how/right gear.

The pioneer 202 tells depth fairly accurately, but trying to find a target is frustrating as heck. I will be doing a sweep motion exactly aas it instructs in the manual going along and it will just fart(what it sounds like lol) then i will freeze and search over and over the same area, and it will fart here and there very sporadically and its very rare it will get a repeat target signal, and so far only on pull tabs it seems. Trying to pinpoint even a 6 inch area of where the target may be is so frustrating i just want to throw the thing.

I run both machines on notch with discrimination at about the 9 o clock position, or sometimes all metal for the sharpshooter then see what it is with notch. It picks up gold silver, clad fine, on my kitchen table. Notches out iron and small junk like nails and tacks etc. Honestly i wish i had one good MD that is a good mix of both machines features. Been drooling over a fisher f2 or garret ace 250

Dont even get me started on the BH pinpointer, thank god the thing was free is all im say on this thing. Compared to vids of a garrett, i may as well be using the ol needle hanging on a thread wives tale trick.

On top of that since i started the absolute best thing i have found is a 1944 war nickel and a gold half loop earring. This area was a bustling trade center since the 1850's, with a large influx of german immigrants, slaves, market trade etc. No reason at all im not finding stuff.

Either someone/s has completely cleared out everything or i am doing something wrong.I know for sure im get money together in a few weeks for a used garrett pro pointer and im not too sure the BH pinpointer will make it out alive! I am determined to stick with this hobby as it sure as heck beats sitting in the house all day and night plus my kids love it. But i wont stick with it with if it isnt at least fun and relaxing.

Any ideas, need better gear maybe? Advice? Is this the norm?

 

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[kyskinner]

what part of kentucky are you in

 

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[CladGrabber]

This is where it would be helpful to meet up with a fellow hunter.

 

[kyskinner]

this might help

 

[redcobra8u]

AT Pro is a great machine for the price. I am very happy.

 

[kyleeskastles]

I had a lil better day today, still same ol junk but that is expected. As much as i hated doing it unless i got a real good strong signal, meaning a constant sweep beep i just passed it up. And the eurotek pro i was checking out, i am really liking it so far, not a whole heck alot of reviews on it that i could find, but all have been positive. Also checked out a fisher gold bug that dont seems too terrible, a lil over what i had in mind but might get a good deal somewhere. Still researching the heck out of em when i can and wont be jumping the gun a 3rd time

Great advice ivan, that is what i started suspecting after reading that halo effect article linked by airscapes, but didnt realize at all it would make a noise before the machine would notch out a metal when in use. Figured once it was set and notched out, then it should be right? makes sense anyway lol. It drives me absolutely bonkers, im like a caged tiger with a big juicy steak just out of reach when it comes to these aggravating phantom farts. It will do it, then i stop and stand there sweeping around trying to get it to do it again, change my angle and hit the area from north east south and west and sometimes it will fart again but not enough to give any reliable target location most the time, i dont count exactly but maybe that dag gum fart noise once every 10-15 back and forth sweeps.

Hate the idea of passing up possible gold since the noise is in that range of pulltabs/nickels and what not according to the display, but i dont know what else to do other then just move on and wait for the slamming bam bam bam type signals that you know are without a doubt something is in there and pretty close to where.

So that is what i did and it was a more enjoyable experience, but im for sure gonna get an upgrade and go back over these spots, because i am itching to know what these hard to decipher and detect signals are. Itll drive my OCD up a wall if i dont lol

 

[ivan salis]

ok to set your discrimation level for max gold with min pull tabs as possible using a BH =-- get a pull tab and say a nickel or small gold item --put them on some metal free ground ( check it first in all metal mode) -- then place them about 3 feet apart on the ground -- place the detector in disc mode with the (left) power at knob at 3 o clock (about 75 %) -- and the (right) disc knob at fully to the left (0 disc) then waving the coil over the tab --it should "ring up" , very slowly turn the disc knob to the right until it stops "ringing up" --now check with the nickel / gold item --it should ring up if so your good to go --however in not -- very ,very slowly move back to the left until it "rings up" -- if the pulltab comes in it will sound drifferantly than the coin / gold item --the coin /gold item will "ping" sharply while the pull tab will be crackly or fuzzy sounding --listen carefully to learn the "tone differace".--note you will still dig pulltabs just a lot less of the --your junk to good ratio target wise should improve -- plus remember --just like in real estate --its location ,location ,location --for good things to be found there --it first had to be "lost" there --remember its not always whats there now but rather what was there or what occurred there in the past that makes a place good -- since silver was last used in coinage 50 years ago in 1964 * city parks that are newer than 1964 are much less likely to have silver in them than parks that were in use pre 1964 .

 

[Rawhide]

A really good lower dollar detector is the Teknetics Eurotek Pro with the dd coil. Less than $300 new. Just saw a nice used T2 sell for $355. I use the T2 and have done real well with it.

I have seen the T2 in action, what a machine. That was a cheap price, wish they all were that price. I considered the eurotek pro for my son. He may want to look at the F4 for a machine that is sensitive and has options above the BH quick draw. I was looking at the F4 when I got the F75.

 

[kyleeskastles]

ok to set your discrimation level for max gold with min pull tabs as possible using a BH =-- get a pull tab and say a nickel or small gold item --put them on some metal free ground ( check it first in all metal mode) -- then place them about 3 feet apart on the ground -- place the detector in disc mode with the (left) power at knob at 3 o clock (about 75 %) -- and the (right) disc knob at fully to the left (0 disc) then waving the coil over the tab --it should "ring up" , very slowly turn the disc knob to the right until it stops "ringing up" --now check with the nickel / gold item --it should ring up if so your good to go --however in not -- very ,very slowly move back to the left until it "rings up" -- if the pulltab comes in it will sound drifferantly than the coin / gold item --the coin /gold item will "ping" sharply while the pull tab will be crackly or fuzzy sounding --listen carefully to learn the "tone differace".--note you will still dig pulltabs just a lot less of the --your junk to good ratio target wise should improve -- plus remember --just like in real estate --its location ,location ,location --for good things to be found there --it first had to be "lost" there --remember its not always whats there now but rather what was there or what occurred there in the past that makes a place good -- since silver was last used in coinage 50 years ago in 1964 * city parks that are newer than 1964 are much less likely to have silver in them than parks that were in use pre 1964 .

I will give that a shot, right now my discrim is set to around the 3-4 o clock position(almost full max) then i go to notch setting. Should i stay in discrim after i set it like your saying?

 

[heybubbajay]

kyleeskastles:

I too use a bounty hunter and there have been numerous days the cost of batteries and plastic hand trowels have trumped my two cent finds. I have however, dug things worth literally thousands of dollars and all I can say is keep up & don't quit.

It sounds like the place you are detecting may have already been hit, I can usually tell in less than 20 minutes, its just as challenging finding an untouched place to detect than detecting your small signals.

I would investigate places off the beaten path, get permission from owners of private properties where detecting may never have been done in the past. Also steer clear of power lines and large metal objects like storage tanks and cars & swing sets which will throw off your signals...I also find that sporadic signals sweeping with the bounty hunter usually never yield any good finds other than aluminum and junk...

 

[kyleeskastles]

Ok for the sharpshooter II i was able to do as you directed ivan, discrim out the pulltab for the most part yet keep the gold when i switched it to notch after doing your steps. It wont keep the gold on regular discrim. It will do an occasional phatom fart with the pulltab far away in notch but rings the gold solid. i seem to have eliminated that by decreasing the sensitivity to the 1 o clock position! Will field test it soon

However these steps fail on the pioneer 202. It seems to discrim out gold and pulltabs at the exact same time, and both will read if switched to notch as well as sound the same. Same for auto notch. Seems like this machine dont have a refined enough distinction, but does indeed have a great depth indicator. Bah such a bugger i love that feature!

Thank you for the advice, between that skipping these weirded out signals i might have a good time, and that is what it is all about right.

 

[OWK]

One more comment on this subject.

Your biggest issue seems to be that your machine occasionally "farts" over targets that you don't want to dig.

If your machine is adjusted so that it makes no noise at all, ever, unless it is over a coin or jewelery, you are probably sacrificing most of your sensitivity, and therefore an awful lot of depth.

This will be true no matter what machine you use.

I adjust my detector so that I get some minor chatter (I run the discriminator very low, hoping to reject only nails, and I run pretty high sensitivity). I then use the consistency and character of the tone to decide whether to dig a target. As such, I hear many things that I know are real targets, but don't dig. This is all part of "learning your detector".

I also modify my typical searching depending on where I am.

If I am in a park, I am more selective about what I dig. If I am in an old home site in the woods, I am more likely to dig everything.

 

[kyleeskastles]

One more comment on this subject.

Your biggest issue seems to be that your machine occasionally "farts" over targets that you don't want to dig.

If your machine is adjusted so that it makes no noise at all, ever, unless it is over a coin or jewelery, you are probably sacrificing most of your sensitivity, and therefore an awful lot of depth.

This will be true no matter what machine you use.

I adjust my detector so that I get some minor chatter (I run the discriminator very low, hoping to reject only nails, and I run pretty high sensitivity). I then use the consistency and character of the tone to decide whether to dig a target. As such, I hear many things that I know are real targets, but don't dig. This is all part of "learning your detector".

I also modify my typical searching depending on where I am.

If I am in a park, I am more selective about what I dig. If I am in an old home site in the woods, I am more likely to dig everything.

Oh i want to dig em but the signal was so sporadic and inconsistent that i got frustrated with it, either it wouldn't replicate consistently or pinpoint down enough and i would dig in the wrong area, or it was false signals. Very rare that i was able to find the target on these signal types.

You are right about the depth and sensitivity. I tested it out last night in the yard and i noticed right away strong targets were shallow or large if deep. Deepest target was crushed can at about 8 inches or so. Those frustrating sporadic phantom farts are all but gone now though and if i do get one, i just ignore it. I stopped using the 202, guess i will give it to my daughter as a starter for her to learn on. She will probably be ecstatic as she loves to follow around and help me dig, use the pinpointer when she isnt distracted by something.

So far im leaning towards the eurotek pro as an upgrade, wish it had more reviews but i got a while to look around till i can spare the money. Need something that will retain some decent depth and metal ID without leading me on a false signal chase or bad signal chase. That is no fun at all you know.

 

[WhiteTornado]

I read a lot of good information on this thread. I don't even use either of those two models discussed, but I learned a bit as well. Happy hunting everyone

 

[kyleeskastles]

Heck ya whitetornado, why i come to these guys for advice instead of just quitting altogether, not going to give up so easily without figuring out what it was that was going on. Some these folks got 40-50 years experience. That knowledge is gold, at least to me. Without us newbies to pass it onto, like any good hobby it would die probably. Im not nearly as frustrated with it now once i chilled out and read some stuff from here and tried what ivan showed. The fun came back last night

 

[Frankn]

The answer is simple. The detectors are guessing at what the target is. The detectors have programed guesses based on the signal return. The better the detector, the better the guess. It's that simple!
Frank...-

 

[Rawhide]

try this

The answer is simple. The detectors are guessing at what the target is. The detectors have programed guesses based on the signal return. The better the detector, the better the guess. It's that simple!
Frank...-
View attachment 1027205

Frankn is correct. My understanding the same pc board used in a BH is also the same board in my F75.

One lil known secret to BH machines is you can pump the coil over the target and see if its a good target or not. This should work on any machine. Just pump the coil abouve the target if it beeps going down, dig. If it beeps going up it is trash, dont dig.

Another trick with the BH 202 is you can set the coil next to the target and turn the detector off, and then back on to get the pinpoint a lil closer.

Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

Hang in there. You are in a great area, the potential for Republic of Texas items is very high. You might try saving up for a higher end machine like the Fisher F5 or Garrett AT Pro. These have ground balance capabilities that will help with the depth you need in our Texas soil. We have some used detectors, F2, Ace 250s, Minelab X-terra 705, etc. with more coming in regularly.

I'm about an hour's drive from you, so if you would like to come in and see the different units, I'd be happy to help. Or invite me out to a hunt on a 1850s site and I'll bring a few machines for you to try out

You are on the right track, but more depth and better discrimination will make your recovery's a bit easier. A good pin pointer will free you up to dig a lot more holes each day.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[topdogintampa]

There ya go K, I'd take up that offer with Wayne if he were that close to me imo. Pick his brain and take a look at a few units. I'm sure he can help. Hang in there bud!

T

 

[kyleeskastles]

Hang in there. You are in a great area, the potential for Republic of Texas items is very high. You might try saving up for a higher end machine like the Fisher F5 or Garrett AT Pro. These have ground balance capabilities that will help with the depth you need in our Texas soil. We have some used detectors, F2, Ace 250s, Minelab X-terra 705, etc. with more coming in regularly.

I'm about an hour's drive from you, so if you would like to come in and see the different units, I'd be happy to help. Or invite me out to a hunt on a 1850s site and I'll bring a few machines for you to try out

You are on the right track, but more depth and better discrimination will make your recovery's a bit easier. A good pin pointer will free you up to dig a lot more holes each day.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

Oh man there is some crazy good sites out here all over the place, that is one the things that is exciting in itself because this area is one of the earliest settlements in texas alot of it private property so i know the goods are right outside my door literally. Speaking of access, just got granted permission to a site today dating back to 1840's, of which the original owner served in the republic of texas army. It was completely by accident on my part as my wife was looking at some old barns for a photography shoot with the kids. She seen a few that were perfect, good scenery you know the whole artistic rustic country bit right, but was gated off so hunted down the owners hoping she could get permission to access the property. According to the owner the site, barns or house hasnt been touched in 50+ years!!! You could imagine my shock when my old lady said you wouldnt believe who just called me back, and to get ready to be excited. You can bet i will be tagging along Not sure if these machines is going to do this site justice but its all i got for now and i sure aint gonna be standing there watching her take pictures the whole time. Really makes me wish i had a F75 or the like that will hit deep silvers beautifully, but my budget i got to save up for wont cover half of that badboy. This will likely be a tax return toy. Till then i am not sure what to go with just yet, im be really careful about whatever i pick though. Still leaning towards the eurotek pro and the fisher F series models seem really nice too. Odd that fisher i read somewhere is made by the same folks that make BH, but have way better reviews?? But anywho im be hitting ebay selling stuff and getting something else for sure, just a matter of when i got the mola.

While on the subject the F75, Casca you stated it uses the same board as my BH. Now you got me wondering exactly what they do to make it better then, because i read the reviews for it and other then a chatty signal issue that can be solved with some good settings, it has raves of praise. It also kinda scares me off a lil bit as like i said i read fisher is made by the same folks/same gadgets. Dont want to get another one i just want to beat a tree with trying to figure out what i am doing wrong lol. I can deal with chatty or sure as heck give it a good shot. But i cant deal with having to pass up potential goodies because i cant get a good location signal for whatever reason. That sucks and probably drives anyone nuts.

 

[BARKER]

Hi; God ideas there; Please don't turn a blind eye to either the Whites or the Fischer either ok. Both are good detectors well worth the price and ready to go right out of the box ok. I like them both because they have excellent Disc when it comes to Iron and pulltabs ok. They will block them out and sill find the coins buried near them. That is my own personal experience with both units ok. You can get them here in the Classifieds real cheap as well ok. Best wishes. PEACE:RONB