A question for all of you Ace 250 users.

[Colorado Kidd]

I recently got an ace 250 after hearing so many good things about it. The more I use it the more I like it. I also have a tesoro and a Sovereign. My question is, do you dig only the signals that "lock on" or do you pretty much dig everything that is somewhat repeatable? If the target I.D. is jumping all over I usually leave it. Am I missing good things?

 

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[midnightcaller]

I recently got an ace 250 after hearing so many good things about it. The more I use it the more I like it. I also have a tesoro and a Sovereign. My question is, do you dig only the signals that "lock on" or do you pretty much dig everything that is somewhat repeatable? If the target I.D. is jumping all over I usually leave it. Am I missing good things?

I don't own a ACE but I was at a school ground with my Whites. I got a quater signal, that was broken and scratchy but it was a solid signal, so I dug it and it turn out to be a WW2 tool token for a boat yard in Anacortes I think you have a 50/50 chance

 

[besthobbyever]

I have owned an Ace 250 for about a month and really like it. I use mine mainly in coin mode. I dig all my signals, even if broken. Most of the time, if it is a quarter signal, it is dead on it. If it jumps between penny and dime, 90 percent of the time I get one or the other. It is like the other person said, it is a 50/50 chance. I did dig a good solid dollar signal about 9 inches down only to recover apiece of wire That is the way it goes some times. I have found over 200 hundred coins with mine so far and a silver ring but no silver coins yet. I have found 9 wheats though.

 

[IndianaSmith]

I've had one for about a week now, and like mine as well. One thing I'd suggest is getting different coins, poptops, bottle caps, jewlery, etc & run them past the coil to note the different tones they'll read.

I'm still in the learning process myself, and will add the manufacturer suggests hunting in the "All Metals" mode for the 1st 10 hours, and digging all signals.

Good luck!
Smitty

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

I've had my Ace 250 since last Christmas and I would recommend digging any somewhat repeatable signal. If you are in an area with very deep topsoil it would be best to dig anything that the 250 even hints like it might be good. I found an 1872 Indian Head at about 8 inches and it said it was there but would not lock onto it. The topsoil was so rich it was almost black. I also recommend setting the sensitivity as high as you can stand it.

DANGLANGLEY

 

[naturalite]

I've had mine almost a year and yea I do did pretty much everything. If it sound in one direction but not the other then I tend to go on. I do wonder what I may have missed though.

 

[Rob66]

That's, when you switch to audio by ear.If it is a constant clear signal faint or strong I would dig it.I'm surprise you're not using your minelab.If you are getting erratic signals it's mineralization.
Rob

 

[Old Dog]

I'll go with Smitty, and Dang on this one.

Practise makes perfect my friend.
Don't give up

It will happen,
OD

 

[doozis]

If you don't already have one , I would suggest a handheld
pin pointer. It will make finding targets sooo much quicker and
easier. I hunted a couple years with my old Bounty Hunter and
although it was no where near as reliable as my Ace it was still
a decent detector. At that time I had no pin pointer and many times
I got the ( disappearing target ) , where I'd get a good signal then
start digging then nothing. I know at times this was just an iron spot
from a rusted nail or something that was gone when I disturbed the
ground , but a lot of times I'm sure it was a target I just couldn't find
in the dirt. My eyes aren't the best these days so the pin pointer helps
me save lots of time and aggravation. For me the Ace seldom signals unless there is something there. Like many have said practice practice , you'll get much better at ID'ing targets and pin pointing before you dig and even your holes will get smaller .
Keep swinging and have fun with your Ace

Doozis

there is something there

 

[draaiorgel]

Hi there,
I'm a newbie to this forum but have had my 250 Ace for a good year now.
If the signal is bouncing from one end to the other it's usually junk, but if it's only jumping between 2 or 3 notches I dig.
I only dig one way signals if I've had a quiet time.
My holes are a lot smaller now than when I started and still have no p'p'r
lots 'n' lots of practice hones your p'p'n' skills.
To detune press p'p'r button twice that shrinks the target much smalller and gives a more accurate pp.

 

[VERMONTPACKRAT]

Hi there,
I'm a newbie to this forum but have had my 250 Ace for a good year now.
If the signal is bouncing from one end to the other it's usually junk, but if it's only jumping between 2 or 3 notches I dig.
I only dig one way signals if I've had a quiet time.
My holes are a lot smaller now than when I started and still have no p'p'r
lots 'n' lots of practice hones your p'p'n' skills.
To detune press p'p'r button twice that shrinks the target much smalller and gives a more accurate pp.

Couldnt have said it better myslf. VPR

 

[MD Dog]

I use the ace and have learned through trial and error that here in my area only those signals that are solid reapetable signals are worth digging. I also never dig deeper than six inches since that's pretty much the depth limit on this machine for coins using the standard coil. Also note that I said I do this in my area bacause not all soils or areas are the same. soils vary alot even in your own town your likely to find different types from sandy to loamy, from clay to rock etc... Some areas have been already hit hard by MD'ers back in the 70's when this sport first became real popular. Some areas are trashier than others etc...Finally for the most info and insights into using the Ace 250 you should look at the garrett metal detecting board under metal detector brands on this forum.

 

[mtntrekr2]

I have my Ace about a year now and I am still learning. I have
found out a lot on the forums about it. The best tip I learned was
to turn down the sens. I run it about 4-5 and have had good
results. I am still a little afraid about going out and being told I
am not allowed to detect here so I have not hit any parks or tot
lots yet. Most of our finds have been in our own back yard. The
area is so full of trash that I am beginning to think our home was
built on an old dump site. But I must say that all the trash is
really helping learn the detector. I run it at 4-5 sens. and in some
spots where I get multiple signals or the thing just bounces
around I turn it down more it helps pp the stronger target first
then I will turn it up a little and try again. Sometimes I have done
this 5 or 6 times in the same spot and each time I find more. I
will have to get a count and some pics of what we have found so
far in the yard. But my advice is what I was told dig everything
and turn down the sens. at first. I must add that with the sens.
down my Ace does say 4"-6" and in reality things are 2"-4" deep.

Just my thoughts hope they help.
Joe

 

[IndianaSmith]

I only dig one way signals if I've had a quiet time.

I'm curious about this, as it seems to me that coins I've found will produce a signal while swinging from either direction, unless I misunderstood what you're saying? I noticed a "difference" in the PP mode, but wasn't sure why. I don't recall reading about that (pushing the PP button twice), but what you said makes sense

I will try the advice you gave.

Thanks
Smitty

 

[robert roy]

I have owned my Ace 250 for about six or seven weeks now and have had to learn many of those things the Manual doesn't tell you.

If it is a repeatable signal/tone for coin ( the one you hear on the training DVD ) then you probably/usually have a good target. Dig it up and see what you got. I say probably/usually because many times when I get the Coin tone for penny/dime, it turns out to be aluminum or crushed can. This happened to me for two hours straight TODAY while detecting a huge camping ground for RV's and trailers who came to watch the races in Indianapolis/Clairmont. What a mess. I walked out with only .38 cents. All those positive sounding signals that read .10 and.1 were duds. But then I went to a socer practice field and those same sounds turned out to be just what they SAID they were: Penny, dime and even quarters. Go figure.

While searching the practice field, a guy from a mobile home park across the road came over and asked me about what I was doing. He had just found a 1911 nickel in a pile of brick rubble down by a nearby creek. Go figure again. He just happens to look down and sees something shiney and there it was! Oh me or my!

Remember to do a bench test. Listen to the different tones. You'll learn that more time than not if you get a coin tone and a blip it's usually junk. Thats been my experience.


Robert R

 

[Colorado Kidd]

Thanks for all the great replies.

Thanks to all for the great replies. I do use the minelab a lot but my detector of choice is the Tesoro. A couple of times I've thought about trading in the Minelab but it goes soooo deep. I usually hunt an area with all three. The audio response is so different on the Ace that at first I wanted to put it down every time I used it. I'm so used to the audio of the Tesoro. But I have hung in there and I'm really starting to like the detector when I just want to find coins. Usually if the signal is only one way or jumps from foil to coin I pass. If it jumps between two segments then I dig. I have been impressed with the depth on the ace and the target I.D. I like the fact that you can I.D. bottle caps by swinging fast over the target and if its a bottle cap it breaks up.

I mostly use the Tesoro and the Sovereign when I want to dig everything. I've gotten to know both audio responses pretty well so I can usually tell what I have from the sound.
My kids use the ace when we go hunting. I bought it as a detector to let people use that are interested in the hobby to try it out. I found another use for it the other night. I had about 15 kids crowded around me so that I could hardly swing. I went and got the Ace and threw about $3.00 worth of change in the gravel around the play area and let them have at it. They had a blast taking turns. I bet quite a few parents got asked for a detector that night.

 

[draaiorgel]

Just to clarify Smitty,
One way signals.
Quote; I'm curious about this, as it seems to me that coins I've found will produce a signal while swinging from either direction, unless I misunderstood what you're saying?

I meant getting a good signal left right left,
Then trying it at 90 degrees and getting no signal left right left.
That's what I meant buy one way signal.

 

[IndianaSmith]

CK- I'd bet Santa Claus may be deliverin some MD's this Christmas

Just to clarify Smitty,
One way signals.
Quote; I'm curious about this, as it seems to me that coins I've found will produce a signal while swinging from either direction, unless I misunderstood what you're saying?

I meant getting a good signal left right left,
Then trying it at 90 degrees and getting no signal left right left.
That's what I meant buy one way signal.

That's what I thought, just wanted to be sure. That's odd, wonder if it's related to soil condition differences? lol, either way, I think I'll dig the majority of signals until I get more familar with it....I hate walking away from one I didn't dig & wonder if I made the right decision

My (short-lived) experiences have been aligned to Robert R. Same thing though, I think I'll dig more....probably the best way to learn. Those I passed on were in hard-packed gravel/dirt anyway.

Robert, I used to go to the NHRA Nat's every year, until it got like everything else, overpriced & no more carry-in "refreshments" A guy could probably make a killin' on aluminum there though

Smitty

 

[draaiorgel]

Not all coins lie flat.

 

[Murph]

Ok I know the ace 250 is a hot machine right now and most likely the best introductory machine out there.

The reality however is that it is a lower end machine. A fixed ground balance, silent search only, three tone ID with some notch discrimination. This means that there is little in the way of "nuances" that you have to worry about learning when it comes to this machine. If you get a repeatable signal inside the chosen disc range, including singles that jump some inside that discrimination range dig it. If the ID jumps around to include the iron range its 99 percent likely a trash target. Its as simple as that.

The tones are fixed. For example a nickle, a gold ring, and some pull tabs will sound off and ID as a nickel. The tone is the same on each of the above targets. Some people may try to tell you that there are slight differences in the tone over the above targets but this is simply not possible with this machine. There are three fixed tones, period

It is pretty obvious to me that garrett designed this machine to be a turn on and go coin shooter and a good one. So with that in mind IMO its best to use the machine in this fashion in coin mode. This will provide the best trash rejection without missing the majority of good targets and pretty much all coins.

The vast majority of gold will sound off as a nickel, you wont miss much of it. Dig any target that sounds off as a nickel even if it jumps outside the disc range. Some pull tabs will sound off as a nickel also. The ace also loves foil and aluminum and will often give a good target id for these items. Just expect to dig some of these trash items. Price of admission so to speak.