Do you dig very WEAK audible SIGNALS~Give your opinions/thoughts

[Breezie]

Hey Ya'll, Should I be digging the very very weak audible signals from the Whites DFX? I don't wear a headset because it gives me a headache, so in a quiet area, a dime/penny that is 5 or 6 inches deep is loud (volume set at 50). It is loud enough for someone else to hear it 25 feet away. Often I will hear a very very weak signal, but do not dig because I don't get a visual reading. It sound is so soft, that you would have to be standing directly beside me to hear it. Should I be digging these weak signals? Is that an indication of a deeper target? Also, one other question: When the visual shows NAIL, I never dig that target either, should I or is a nail reading always a nail? Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing everyone's opinion. Southern Smiles, Breezie

 

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[bigtim1973]

Yes I would dig them if they are repeatable solid signals even though they are not registering on the meter........If it sounds broken up then I do not dig them but, if it is a good repeatable signal then I would suggest doing so because the analog part of the electronics in the detector can go a little deeper than the metered signals designed for 6 inches on targets. If you are having trouble with the heavier set of headphones I would suggest getting a lighter pair made for a portable walkman or ipod because that will dramatically increase your battery life, just be sure it has volume controls on them.............It is a suggetsion and they may not hug your head as hard as the bigger headphones do, Tim

 

[Breezie]

Thanks Tim for your opinion. Most of the soft sounds I've heard in this area where I found the 17th Century Spectacle Buckle are repeatable. I'll have a new adventure to add to my list because I have not been digging those. I've tried the small ipod/walkman headsets, and it's not the weight that bothers me, but the fact the sound is directly in my ears. I guess it came from being a 'Transistor Sister' back in the late 50s/early 60s when I didn't want my parents to know I was listening to a radio at bedtime on a school night. (Heaven forbid-lol) Breezie

 

[bigtim1973]

Generally a good weak signal will be repeatable just like the louder ones.........but when you start to dig and get some of the dirt away from the target I swing over it again to see if the signal is louder and it should be so then and a better idea might be as to what it is when you start to dig(coin etc.). I have found coins to about 14 inches detecting before..............By the way what is a spectacle buckle? Tim

 

[Breezie]

Tim it's a 'double loop oval buckle' commonly known as a 'Spectacle Buckle' because it looks like a pair of spectacles. It is most likely early-mid 17th Century, although those with the 3 transverse lines (like mine) on each loop are circa 1350-1650. It's a RARE find in the USA, but since I'm from North Carolina, it is possible because our first visitors to NC from 'across the big pond' were in the early 1500's. Below are some pics. Thanks again, Breezie

 

[bigtim1973]

Wow that is pretty awesome!!!! Keep on hunting, Tim

 

[rjw4law]

There are assorted headsets you can try...on the ear, in the ear around the ear and different sizes...you would be amazed at the improvement in sound.

 

[ashleysflyr]

Here's the technique I use...
I use it for both deep, unregistering yet repeatable signals, and for those darn iron halo signals. I sometimes get that repeatable c50 or $1 signal on my MXT that sounds so good. I dig down four or five inches, and swing again, and it's a large square nail...the dollar signal is GONE. Or, I get that repeatable signal with my threshold just a tad high...but nothing on the screen. And I know that the signal is too weak to even be discriminated out if it were iron, or foil, or hotrock...
So, I tried this a while back and it works great!
I pinpoint the source of the signal...as accurately as I can...then I take my digging tool (a large knife) and stick it in the ground right over the target to a depth of about 5 inches (far more shallow than the target) and I wiggle it around a bit, just to open a small hole about 1" by 1/2". I swing again and the iron halo is broken...now it reads as iron...or I open a path just enough to get a pennydime signal and dig it...last time I dug that deep signal it was a 1909 Barber! The time before was a 1918 Wheat...
I actually tested this though...found all of those weird signals...scanned them, stabbed them and then dug them to see EXACTLY what it was. Seems to work perfectly!

~Tom

 

[Breezie]

Tom that sounds like a great technique, and I will try it. Now I have 2 other questions: #1 Is it is always a nail when it shows nail on the screen or is it like a foil reading, in that it 'could' be a ring? #2 Have you ever found a gold piece instead of a rusty iron piece when it reads 95+? To this day, I have never found a gold ring, necklace, bracelet, or any thing that was 10K or 14K, and I've been metal detecting for many years. I've found lots of silver, old coins, and Civil War items, but not gold pieces. I generally hunt in the Preset Mode of Coins/Jewelry. Thanks, Breezie

 

[The Beep Goes On]

I've heard stomping on the ground can also help clear up those deep signals, but I haven't really put it to the test.

 

[TC-NM]

Hey Breezie,

Have you tried earbuds w/wrap around clips that go over your ears and not the small walkman type? I purchased mine from Radio Shack for 12 or 13 bucks or so. I really like them. Yes I would investigate weak signals cuz they are the "Cream of the Crop" in my opinion.

Three weeks ago I was using my XL Pro which is the analog ver. of the XLT. I was hunting an older park that was built in the early '30's and over the years has been hunted extensively. I was using the ear buds on this hunt. I was going up a slight hill when I got a weak signal. I swung the coil l. and r., forward and backwards with a repeatable weak signal. I went to pinpoint and the depth was between 7 to 8 inches. On the meter (needle) it registered between penny and dime.

Went to dig the target out and out came a wheatie penny, I went to measure and it was at 8 inches down. '46 wheatie.
Began to hunt again and a couple of feet from the last one I got the same weak signal, w/pinpointing at 7 to 8 inches. Dug down and out came a '55 wheatie. Another half hour went buy with the usual trash items that you find in a park and then I got a solid signal through the earbuds. This target was reading at dime and only 4 inches down.

Dug down and out came a '44 Mercury dime in really great shape. So head phones and/or earbuds help in weak signals, plus it gives you and the park users privacy in whatever you're both doing.

Hope this helps,

TC-NM

 

[Breezie]

Hey Ya'll,
Sorry for the delay in answering, but I've been out of town for 1 1/2 weeks. I did take everyone's advice on getting some lightweight ear buds, and it paid off! I 'think' I found an old 'lead seal'. It's approximatey 3/4 inch in diameter. If anyone can confirm or deny, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, Breezie

 

[dahut]

Get some over the ear/digital phones, the kind meant for Ipods and such. I like the behind the neck, in-ear types with collapsible bands. The kind meant for sports use are perfect. Then get a 1/4"-1/8" phone adapter to mate them to your DFX. Run the cord down your back, clip it to your belt loop and then plug it in. The difference to your detecting will be startling.

And you wont alert everyone within earshot to your hobby.