? for the experts.....

[root]

So I'm out detecting this morning at an 1850's house and surrounding property and I'm using very little discrimination. My PRIZM IV is reading zinc penny and I dig up a wheatie. What gives?? Also......What does it mean when you get a signal going haywire? Ya know..........moving from penny tp quarter to pull tab etc.

Thanx in advance,

root

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

I don't know what kind of settings you have on your machine, but on my DFX if I have the sensitivity set too high it will go bonkers at times. If you have a sensitivity knob you might can try turning it down. As far as the reading goes, the coin may have been on edge or slanted. I found a barber dime one time that read like a zincie, and it was on edge.

 

[JackRussell]

I have a ace 250 and my sensitivity was set at 3 wich is lower and mine went bonkers and it ended u being a diecast car.. the differnt metals for the car and axels , or it could be a bunch of garbage

 

[Kansas]

"What does it mean when you get a signal going haywire? Ya know..........moving from penny tp quarter to pull tab etc"

First off, I am no expert by any means. I am just learning.
I use a White XLT, and it does that sometimes, and it usually turns out to be a pull tab. What I think is happening is it is for some reason running though all the metals and their icons getting to what is really there.
Does yours end up at the correct icon ?

 

[slow sweeper]

What it means is that your detector is reacting like all other detectors. Find a clean piece of ground and your wheatie will read as a wheatie. If there is any other metallic object under the coil near the wheatie the detector will have to deal with that object also. Even if you have it discriminated out. It will still affect the VDI. High ground mineralization or hot rock can affect the VDI as well. Add what wayne1956 said about the coin at an angle and the detector has an even harder time telling you what the target is. Also if the target is deep, near the max of the coils "reach" you can get a false ID.
On my MXT if the VDI is bouncing around wildly it usually means trash. But if it's bouncing around but staying in within ten or twelve numbers I'll dig it. Sometimes it will just be trash. Other times it will be something good near trash. If you get a signal that's jumping around sweep over it from a different angle. If the signal gets better it could be a good target. If it gets worse it's probably trash. There is just no guarantee either way.
The bottom line is that metal detectors are just inanimate objects that cannot read exactly what's under ground all of the time. It's no x-ray machine. It's up to the operator to learn what the detector is telling them and make the decision to dig or not. I still have a long way to go to understand what my MXT is telling me. Personally I don't trust VDI's much any way so if it's a decent sounding target I'll dig.

 

[root]

Thanx for all the replies guyz. It was most helpful......

Das root

 

[brandy]

I use an XLT and usally when I get a lot of different readings like that , it's trash. As for the wheat reading zinc, I've found a lot of wheats that read this way. Indians will read this way also. When you get a confusing signal thats bouncing all over, try crossing the target at least 3 different directions, most times if it's trash it won't sound off on one direction. If it sounds from all directions dig it. HH

 

[cableman79]

I learned something just from reading others posts; thanks guys!

 

[comfyinvermont]

Root, were you near an electric fence. That will also effect it moving all around. If you do want to work near an active electric fence, go into the all metal mode and you will get better results. Oh Yeah, and don't touch the fence...Lance

 

[Charles]

That pretty much means it can't lock on. I would how the target sounds when you pinpoint it and check the depth. If I am hunting an old site and it show to be 4 inches or deeper I would dig it up just to be sure.

 

[T-Rex]

I have a ace 250 and my sensitivity was set at 3 wich is lower and mine went bonkers and it ended u being a diecast car.. the differnt metals for the car and axels , or it could be a bunch of garbage

My Ace did the same thing, dug up a little silver convertible matchbox...