Ghost Signals?

[guitarplaya39]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find a decent example of my particular problem... I'm still very new to the hobby so bear with me!

On a brief hunt the other day, I had several hits which sounded decent. Pretty consistent signals both directions. Able to pinpoint the target easily. But after some digging, the signal completely disappears. No shovels, boots or anything else near the coil. Coil connector is tight. However, I did have the sensitivity set pretty high. Could clumps of mineralized soil or something breaking up while digging? The hits were in the mid high range, usually 60+.

Thanks for any assistance!

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

guitarplaya39: Whenever someone comes on with a "disappearing signals" issue, it's invariably something that can't be diagnosed over printed text. Because the very word "signals" is a sound specific word. So, don't get "lost in the examples", but when one person says "signals" , another guy is hearing "flutter", that he knows to ignore. Or even when you think your steel toed boots and shovel is clear of the hole, other things THAT CAN'T BE DIAGNOSED unless someone is there, is occurring.

Let me give you an example:

1) Friend of mine got an XLT (which is a fairly fast motion discriminator). But he kept experiencing "disappearing signals". He sent it to the factory two times for "repairs". Each time they sent it back saying there was nothing wrong with it. They insinuated that he must be operating it wrong. Which only infuriated him more, since he'd read the instruction manual 5x, from cover to cover, and "was not a dummy"

I tried coaching him over the phone, but ..... no amount of email text or phone calls was allowing me to diagnose it. We hooked up to try some sample hunting. I spotted the problem in 10 seconds: Whenever he'd get a signal, he'd "slow down to hear it better". Lo & behold, the target 'disappears' (because his motion slowed down too much for the disc. to kick in). Hence only the very shallow targets (that required little motion) is all he could find.

I even asked him: "I thought you said you read the manual 5x. Didn't you see the part where it said motion required ?" He said "Yeah, but I thought it just meant to move the coil from side to side, as you progress/walk through the field. And I thought: 'That's a silly instruction. HOW ELSE is someone supposed to ever detect, if they sat there motionless and never swung the coil" Doh!

So my advice is to hook up with a proficient user in your area, to trade off flagged targets. And to plant targets (in sterile clean ground fffaaarrr out in clean fields/woods that you have no doubt is sterile). Test on the planted targets.

 

[darktower007]

For me, this happened yesterday... I got a high tone on the Minelab Equinox, dug a plug and swept..... gone! Nothing there. Upon putting pin pointer in the hole I pulled out a big rusty nail. Stood up swept again.. high tone!

Below the nail was a masked silver Canadian dime.

Now...... was the detector sounding off on the dime or the nail? This I do not know.

 

[signal_line]

Wet ashes are hard to diagnose.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Understand that ALL your detector can do is judge relative conductivity of what is under the coil based on your most recent ground balancing.

A detector is a dumb bit of electronics with circuits and parameters programmed in to assume coin sized and shaped objects might be within a coil's width in depth under the surface. YOU have to do the deep thinking and judge how it is doing.

In one site I was getting HUGE returns but found nothing. Turned out to be the hair-size nichrome wires from old carnival lights. Drove me nuts until I found the brass screw in base and then noted the bits of clear glass. D'oh!

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

I was in about 2-3 ft of water and got a reliable and good signal from my Excal. As I started to dig the target with my sand scoop it swam away! I was detecting a hook in a flounder and when I hit him with my scoop he took off...and the signal disappeared.

 

[HighVDI]

Is your disc. Turned up at all? After removing dirt the detector could be seeing it as iron. I've had many signals disappear this way. Could be hot rocks that are hard to find. Sens. Could be set too high. The sens. Is the easy one to check.

 

[cudamark]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find a decent example of my particular problem... I'm still very new to the hobby so bear with me!

On a brief hunt the other day, I had several hits which sounded decent. Pretty consistent signals both directions. Able to pinpoint the target easily. But after some digging, the signal completely disappears. No shovels, boots or anything else near the coil. Coil connector is tight. However, I did have the sensitivity set pretty high. Could clumps of mineralized soil or something breaking up while digging? The hits were in the mid high range, usually 60+.

Thanks for any assistance!

Mineralized soil can do that.....also removing the halo around a deep target can. a couple more scoops of soil and it will usually come to light. A good pin pointer will help on those.

 

[against the wind]

I think Casper is an expert on Ghost Signals,,

 

[bc5391]

For me, this happened yesterday... I got a high tone on the Minelab Equinox, dug a plug and swept..... gone! Nothing there. Upon putting pin pointer in the hole I pulled out a big rusty nail. Stood up swept again.. high tone!

Below the nail was a masked silver Canadian dime. View attachment 1565202

Now...... was the detector sounding off on the dime or the nail? This I do not know.

Hit the iron reject button,then all you will here is the dime.

 

[Rawhide]

Charlie was about the closest to your answer. This happens every hunt to me. If I take the time I usually find a dime, zinc, or piece of foil doing this. Also small fine chain will do this too. Target mask will produce coins, I cleaned up one day digging those iron signals. Iron disk will disc out other things too, so I use it sparingly. Get a pin pointer and search the sides of the holes or roots of the grass when this happens. See if this helps any.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Hit the iron reject button,then all you will hear is the dime.

Some do. Some will null on the iron and not spot anything below it; or even close beside it. That's where you start to see the advantage of spending a little more for better circuitry.


Make a little test garden and bury a coin below and beside a nail. Sometimes the "nyuk-EEP!" from one direction and a "B!-uh" from the other is a coin below trash. Or foil. Learn the speed your detector likes to sweep and lift and lower the coil when sweeping different directions on a target. Then dig everything initially to see what's up and learn from experience.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

Good signals disappear regularly for me and I have found that about 50%, at least, are targets that have sank lower in the hole, beyond detection, after an unsuccessful scoop of sand and I always take at least one more big scoop in the middle of my hole and out pops the target. Happened today. I was working the low surf and was digging a target when it disappeared. One deep scoop brought up a ring, costume jewelry but ya never now.