Fischer 1280X help on land

[NateM]

Fisher 1280X help on land

Im a new member to the forum, but a long time metal detector. I recently got a Fisher 1280X for freshwater scuba diving, but during my free time, I also like to detect on land. I just got access to a huge private property that was a stagecoach stop during the 1800's. I dont know how to properly discriminate with this detector, because im not used to it and so far ive been pulling up old nails, random pieces of metal, aluminum, barbed wire, etc. No old coins, medals, pocket knives, belt buckles, etc, which are all the things im sure the property is littered with. Any experienced hunters out there who have used this machine on land and can help with setting suggestions? The property is covered with beeps, but I cant spend my life digging up every beep I roll over, only to find its another nail. Please help!

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

If I'm not mistaken, the 1280x is sorta like the cz6, except water proof. If that's the case, and you're trying to use it in a "relicky" or "ghost-townsy" environment like you describe, then I'd do the following:

1) Start with the sens. set silly low. Like at just a click or two above bottom. Because the CZ6 never lacked for depth or punch-power, and if you try to run too high, you'll only have everything "blare-off" and can't differentiate targets, etc... You can always go back through later and try going up a few more notches, as conditions allow.

2) I would fiddle with the disc. level knob like this: sample various household targets in air-tests (machine propped high in the air, away from all metals, set-motionless, where you just wave targets in from the coil). Sample targets: Rusty nails of various sizes. Foil wads. A nickel. A gold ring or various types square tabs. A zinc penny. A copper penny. A dime. A quarter. And so forth. Rotate the dial back and forth and become familiar with where various targets "fall out" at. See how different swing speeds and depths (speed at which you pass the target, and distance from the coil) affect the resultant audio signal.

If your stage stop is virgin (never been hunted before, and brimming with signals) then it's safe to assume that there should be "plenty of signals across the TID spectrum" for the choosing. So start with a fairly high disc. setting JUST to get familiar. Concentrate on signals that "repeat themselves" (as opposed to one-way signals, or disappearing signals, etc...) You know, like it you put a dime or quarter on top of the ground, you will get a banging signal now matter how or which way you cross, all the time on each pass, etc.... See what you find this way. It may only be shallower high conductive targets, but what the h*ll Then once you've exhausted signals @ this approach, you can slowly lower the disc, and go through again.

If you were going to be total balls-to-the-walls relicky dig all approach, with a machine like that, you'd be told to crank the sens, lower the disc, etc.. But the problem then becomes, that someone who's never hunted before, becomes overwhelmed with all the beeps, all the junk, etc... By starting out with a more selective approach (low sens, and high disc), and starting with sites prolific with targets to choose from, you'll be much better off in the learning of what the machine's telling you.

 

[liftloop]

if they had better speakers an sound wouldn't it be easier to tell what is their ....

 

[NateM]

Those are super awesome suggestions! Thank you! I believe its virgin property, because the owners have lived there a very long time and no one has ever come over to dig. I was getting a ton of hits before, but whenever I was digging, I was coming up with junk. I pulled up around 50 old nails, some aluminum foil, a hammer head, flag pole top, barber wire, a bottle top, etc and 1 penny (as they say, you'll make enough to pay for your batteries, not the detector, lol). I'll try waving a number of targets in front of the disk and try to get an idea of the types of tones i'll get. Please feel free to pass on any other suggestions or help. I know I can find some super old items here and likely, a lot of coins that were lost, but in the exhausting hours I spent there, I pulled up nothing but garbage. Thanks. I'll try this weekend, but in the meantime, if you have any other suggestions, please pass them along!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

nate, there is no reason you should be getting "50 old nails". Nails (small iron) should be EASILY rejected by your 1280. If, at a minimum, nails should be one-way hits (non repeatable in the same spot). As opposed to a conductive signal, would be a two-way signal, repeatable. Drop a coin on the ground, and do some experiments, and you will see.

 

[NateM]

Tom, I put together a calibration bag of a gold ring, silver necklace, silver quarter, nickel, pennies, various old coins of different metal composition, an old nail, screw, aluminum foil, etc. I calibrated the metal detector and wrote down right around where I start to discriminate out metals I didnt want. I couldnt discriminate out everything I wanted, but got a setting of about 4 for sensitivity and about 5-6 on discrimination. I went out in the yard and started having almost immediately, hits. When I dug, I would dig down almost 9 inches to a foot and would be pulling up what looked like raw iron, like old pieces of rusty farm equipment. I was getting discouraged, because I would dig for 20-25 minutes, to dig up what was essentially, trash. Any thoughts or further suggestions?

 

[pillowcloth]

oonta

Tom, I put together a calibration bag of a gold ring, silver necklace, silver quarter, nickel, pennies, various old coins of different metal composition, an old nail, screw, aluminum foil, etc. I calibrated the metal detector and wrote down right around where I start to discriminate out metals I didnt want. I couldnt discriminate out everything I wanted, but got a setting of about 4 for sensitivity and about 5-6 on discrimination. I went out in the yard and started having almost immediately, hits. When I dug, I would dig down almost 9 inches to a foot and would be pulling up what looked like raw iron, like old pieces of rusty farm equipment. I was getting discouraged, because I would dig for 20-25 minutes, to dig up what was essentially, trash. Any thoughts or further suggestions?

aye Matey.. keep it up///your getting the top layers///find a place where you KNOW there will be coins and pennies for a while!!!! the crackle sounds no if on 4disc...gold wont crakkle and..its cuts out at 6 ..SILVER will always pop and copper pop pop over top.. clean ..like i said it depends where yu are matey!! look for a place like right beside a baseball are where they sit and obvious coin place and.. POp they go not crakkle eyeye. if a big peice of crap in ground lift it up if you get a signal still way up high it ..big like a can a coin wont keep beeping high up unless a silver dollar or bars hehe.. good luck.. keep going OHH also look for natural snag spots where the current naturally put it there kind of like gold.. think how water is fassst sometimes and a big log there well stuff will be caught there to matey but.. Keep on going ther keep on even in a year later you find the for sure gold coin that is there.. um.. Please mail me heheh just keep on going till you get that clean signal without crakkles , it will come.. there is years of stuff there but.. you will find some dont worry. also look for where they would have sat .. look for a huge stump.. or big tree there.. the bottoms of little hills for sure..iron you just turn it to 4 and a nail will crackle or even not beep at all.. wait for your clean signals if you get a clean small pop of a coin sized beep well.. turn it to 10 and see if its for sure either copper or silver..k