How deep is too deep?

[semperdetector]

Sometimes I find myself digging deep into the ground that ends up being trash of some sort. Is there a better tool or learning skill I haven't taught myself or seen around. I am still new to the detecting and want to know how much time I should spend in a hole, of course I don't want to miss anything! Any tips?

 

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[G.A.P.metal]

The bigger the target ,the deeper in the ground your machine will see it....so it depends on where you are.
Gary

 

[releventchair]

Before digging note the width of a slow swing that gives a signal. A coin has a narrow band. Roughly a bigger or more mass target gives a wider band or width the detector notices.A tight one inchish sweet spot can be demonstrated and practiced on using a planted coin though slightly different than one that has been buried a while. Also raise coil six inches and swing. Still getting a signal may be a large target. A foot above it surly is!. Still, by digging we learn our units. Plus we don,t know what could be in or under the trash till it is removed. Keep it fun!

 

[DDancer]

How deep is deep? Well depends on how far you want to dig and how curious you are. *grin* Maybe this will help, a note from my dig rules, to decide when deep is deep enough. You sweep what appears to be a good target... looks good. Now how deep is the detector saying it is? 2 4 6 inches.... hrm... ok dig that deep and maybe an inch more. No target... use a probe and if the soils not to full of roots and rocks see if the target shows up no more than 2 more inches down. Large junk will appear shallower than the depth shown. So will mineralization. For me that's deep enough.... in a park anyway or someone's lawn. An old property or field.... well caches and cannon balls so you make up your mind then.
Luck.

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Semperd...good topic! In a field ill dig halfway to China, or all the way if it's a good target and/or the signal is getting better/clearer the deeper i get. However, exactly where do we stop, when we are in somebody's manicured lawn and our plug is now a gaping hole. That's a decision you have to make, and usually the environment we are in will dictate that (field, lawn, etc). I have also found out, through experience, that proper pin-pointing does help in the target recovery, I have filled in more than a few holes, only to re-sweep and find that I initially missed the target. This will get easier with experience...good luck..happy hunting!...ddf

 

[augoldminer]

I dug down five feet a few times in a area known for lost silver bars.

All i found was 5 inch rocket warheads. oops.

I will dig deep if the signal shows nickel. meteorites.
or if the area gives me reason to dig deep.

A friend one time dug down 8 feet in a flash flood area and found a old safe near goldfield NV.
Goldfield, NV Storm, Flash Flood & Drownings, Sept 1913 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods

 

[gberl001]

I am new as well so maybe my input isn't as worthy but these are the things that go through my head when I find deep target readings.

What is the reading... trash, coin, unknown..
If I know the reading then I have a better understanding of how to approach next. For example, if it's a tin/foil reading, are you somewhere that might typically have foil (near a grill or picnic tables in a park?) Chances are it's probably foil, but if it is then releventchair mentioned something that I do in this case, lift up the coil and scan again. Large objects will appear shallower than they are and tiny objects will appear deeper than they are. I had a case yesterday, a piece of foil smaller than my pinky nail came up as a pull tab 12" deep but it was actually that tiny piece of foil about 2" deep.

Also using the pin point mode (if you have it) to check the size, again as releventchair mentioned, once you hit enough coins you will be able to easily tell if it is a coin sized object.

And another thing I do is, typically, if I get a reading for something say 4" down, I'll go to about 6" and if I haven't found it yet, it's probably a larger (trash) object deeper in the hole.

As I said, I'm new to the game but I do read a lot of articles and watch a lot of videos so it's not only my experience but rather things I have confirmed from research.

 

[Chad1978]

I am also new to land-based metal detecting and have dug some deep holes myself! I agree with all of the suggestions above, but the one I focus on the most is using a slow swing to determine the size of the object. If the signal goes on for several inches or feet, I have found the object to be submerged cable or other metal pipes. I definitely don;t want to disturb them or waste my time chasing after them But in all honesty, I should follow my own advice, I dig almost everything because "you just never know"....that's part of the fun for me. It is not always about gold or silver to me, but about the mystery of what lies beneath!

 

[Pointman]

Like it is said in the other posts, it depends on what you are trying to find. Coins have a short, small signal typically; unless they are a larger coin. If the signal seems too loud or as I like to say "too good to be true", also lift your coil and see how far you get a signal. Depending on your machine, (most machines will find a coin only around the 9" deep range) if you lift your coil say 9 inches off the ground and you still show the signal 3 inches below and it is really solid, chances are it is a larger trash item such as an aluminum can.

Bottom line is, get out an dig as much as you can with your current machine. The first dozen times be analytical about your detecting and do it slowly and then eventually you will learn the machine's nuances and before long, you will become fast and learn its language. I will still take the first dozen or so trips out with a new machine slowly to learn it.

An example of all this is I will quite frequently see newer detectorists go coin shooting with their Ace 250s (they are not the deepest machines) and then sit down and dig a foot or more deep. I will sometimes go and try and help them and they mostly don't know what the target is and usually it will be a big piece of can or some large piece of iron. Not what they were looking for to begin with.

 

[nsdq]

i have dug deep holes but only in my yard ... cow tag and old pocket knife in same hole depth if remembered was around 15- 18 inches,, 1800-1809 half cent was close to 23 in deep ,, but i dig everything that i can , unless in a park with lots of eyes around i will not dig any deeper than 6- 8 in