Ace 350 goes nuts for awhile?

[flgliderpilot]

My Ace 350 has done this to me three times now in the past week ... I turn it on with coil at waist height from ground, and it starts going crazy and hitting all over the place. If I turn sensitivity down to like 2 it will stop... sort of. I've tried removing the batteries and holding down the power button to reset it, but it doesn't work. I've disconnected the coil and turned it on, and it doesn't go nuts. Reconnected and it goes nuts. Iron, gold, and silver bouncing all over the place.

After messing with it for awhile, it will eventually settle down and act normal again, and I can bring sensitivity back up to 1 or 2 bars under maximum with no problems.

I thought it might be from walking from a very cold air conditioned house to the hot humid florida air, but a little while ago I turned it on indoors and it went nuts again. I took it outside and swung it in the yard for awhile and it was giving crazy readings... every inch of my lawn were targets... then it eventually settled down and started acting normal(ish) again.

These are fresh alkaline batteries, just changed them yesterday because the first time it did it, I assumed my batteries were dead.

I've read of others having this issue but I never heard if or how they resolved it?

Maybe it's automatic ground balance is just out of whack and after swinging it for awhile it re-adjusts itself?

 

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[mick56]

I would give Garrett a call and tell them what you just told us. There may be a problem with the coil.

 

[Mr.T]

Check no metal got under the coil cover if you have one.

 

[releventchair]

Check too that there is no cable flop/play/wobble at coil end . Double check wrap direction maybe.
Only other times a reset did not make it stabilize has been around power lines or buried electric cable.

 

[flgliderpilot]

No coil cover, and coil has been sprayed with bed liner (long ago). Wire is strapped to the pole with velcro so it can't slap, and is coiled counter clockwise if looking down the pole. Goes straight up about 6" before the coiling begins. Nothing has changed on my detector, and this is a recent problem.

I may pull the case apart and peek inside to see if there is any corrosion.

 

[Sandman]

Don't open the case. What you are probably experiencing is EMI or electrical interference either from your cell phone or maybe a security fence or dog fence. You can read more about it here. http://www.metaldetectingintheusa.com/files/explanation-of-emi.pdf The best way to remove interference is to have a detector that you can change frequencies or use a $ multi frequency like a Minelab or CZ-6a, etc. Even the older Fisher 1235 beats lots of EMI.

 

[whistler84]

Make sure ur cell phone is in yout back pocket on the opposite side of the detector. I have found that the phones data interferes with my ace 350. If you turn the data off. The problem goes away

 

[flgliderpilot]

Don't open the case. What you are probably experiencing is EMI or electrical interference either from your cell phone or maybe a security fence or dog fence. You can read more about it here. http://www.metaldetectingintheusa.com/files/explanation-of-emi.pdf The best way to remove interference is to have a detector that you can change frequencies or use a $ multi frequency like a Minelab or CZ-6a, etc. Even the older Fisher 1235 beats lots of EMI.

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Hmm well it's possible I suppose, but it's been happening pretty consistently now in my yard, where I've searched many times before without this issue. Unless someone just set up a new ham radio next door

I still think it's something else, but I'll know when I go out hunting... if it does it at another site. It could be something with the power lines near my house... sometimes the connectors corrode and cause interference (drove me nuts when I was into amateur radio).

Thanks for that info.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Make sure ur cell phone is in yout back pocket on the opposite side of the detector. I have found that the phones data interferes with my ace 350. If you turn the data off. The problem goes away

I've been carrying my phone without an issue, but I'll try this next time it freaks out. Thanks!

 

[flgliderpilot]

Went to the beach last night and had no problems. It's been raining at my house, so I'm wondering if the dampness is either causing the power lines to radiate more noise, or if my yard has so much iron that when the soil gets whet it acts like one big target My sprinklers run from well water which leaves brown rust stains on everything.

 

[releventchair]

I don't like strange behavior from my 350 but yesterday following rains, foot diameter maple trees rang up like high coins around their bases when machine was cranked up near high sens. Did not take long to figure out but did till around part of one first....
Iron nails were loud and proud as were most items in the wet soil. Items frequently dropped to iron when swinging short sweeps after locating them.
One year with water a couple inches from surface Lincoln cents would chirp high tones then drop straight to iron,with low iron discriminated out even. Only digging one kept them all from being passed.
Have had a couple roots after heavy rains do similar years ago. Impersonating coins.....

 

[flgliderpilot]

Interesting, I had noticed something too.. when searching my yard I found lots of iron targets but, spread out a little... after the rain recently, I was getting iron hits every 6 inches. It sounds like my entire yard is on a bed of nails. I tried to dig a couple and pulled up rust colored sand clumps.

 

[releventchair]

You're not missing much stuff then. Unless under the iron deposits.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Yeah I think the moisture makes the iron rich spots ring in as targets. Went to the beach again today and no problems.

So, it's not the Ace 350 it's just my f'd up environment

 

[Skippy SH13]

Yeah I think the moisture makes the iron rich spots ring in as targets. Went to the beach again today and no problems.

So, it's not the Ace 350 it's just my f'd up environment

Oh yes, my ACE350 does the exact same thing after a really wet rain. Everything rings up with lots of Iron... but that's only if the ground is saturated. Turning down the sensitivity actually helps a lot, but doesn't seem to affect depth too badly. The moisture causes everything to be more sensitive which offsets the loss of depth when you turn down sensitivity.

I have the same 'falsing' in tot lots when it rains, and in sand when it's wet... have to turn down the sensitivity in both places, but I don't seem to miss much unless it's ReALLY wet...

Rather be swinging the coil, than sitting around thinking about swinging the coil, though!