help!!! what am i doing wrong????

[metalman709]

okay took the tesoro cibola out this morning and did an air test.... a 1921 morgan silver gets a clear tone at about 7.5"!!!! everything i have read and heard about this machine says it will go deeper than this!!!! so obviuosly i must be doing something wrong....4" is about the max reading i get on everything when the threshold and sensitivity are turned straight up at the top of the machine....help....if i'm missing something then please point it out.....

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

Stop air testing and get to field searching.

 

[Dano Sverige]

What you're missing is the fact that "air tests" are crap! Simple. Make a test garden. Coins react totally different when in the ground.

 

[metalman709]

i took it hunting and did okay in a park... but everything i found was 2" deep....i may make a test garden later this evening when it cools down a bit.... was just actually trying to get a better sense of the settings to go as deep as it will allow.....everything i have read about this machine says that it will pick up a quarter at 9" or better....but the air test i did said no way.....

 

[luvsdux]

The threshold should usually be set to where you get just a low hum when the pinpoint button is held down or the detector is set in all metal (same difference). Sensitivity as high as the machine still runs stable. However, I agree with the others on air tests versus in ground tests. Air test are helpful when comparing different coils or settings, but don't always equate to performance in the ground.
luvsdux

 

[luvsdux]

Afterthought - when testing set your discrimination low or clear off.
luvsdux

 

[Dano Sverige]

Also..that coin HAS to be at 9" or better to be found down there at 9" or better! If where you're detecting the coins don't sink far, then they won't necessarily be deeper than 2".

 

[njnydigger]

I wouldn't go as far as saying air tests are total crap, but, they're NOT a fullproof, spot-on grade of what a detector is capable of. An air test is basically a good guide...an approximation of what a detector could do. **Realize this - Once a target (coin, jewelry, relic, etc.) has been in the ground for a long period of time it develops a 'halo' around the object. This halo effect makes it possible for the detector to 'see' the target MUCH deeper than it would in an air test**

Remember too that MANY other variables affect a detectors depth - or lack thereof. The ground being dry (especially during the Summer months) can drastically affect depth. The size of the coil, the speed of your coil swing, the size of the targets your chasing, the frequency of the detector you're using, etc., etc., etc. Sooooooo...

It's almost impossible to figure out why you're not getting the depth you claim you're missing out on. Too many variables. Oh yeah, when in doubt, MEASURE YOUR DUG HOLES Too often detectorists will approximate and say a target was found at 2", 4", etc., when in reality it might have been 8" or 9". So, measure, measure, measure when you feel something's wrong.

Make yourself a test garden and do some testing. Even better, film the results & post them. Then, if there IS indeed something wrong, we might be able to get a better handle on the situation.

**TIPS**

S-L-O-W D-O-W-N...then slow down even more

Overlap your coil sweeps by at least 50%

Don't set you sensitivity too high or too low - find the sweet spot

Don't use too much discrimination - this cuts down the depth of ALL detectors a LOT

Try scrubbing the coil through the grass or on the ground - GENTLY

Listen for the faint, barely there, whisper signals. Most surface hits are junk. The deeper whipers are where the goodies are

Good luck!

 

[George (MN)]

If your sensitivity is set at the twelve o'clock position, it isn't anywhere near max, which would be fully clockwise (around the 3 or 4 o'clock position). Set it as close to the maximum as you can without getting random noises. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[gmanlight]

Well put njnydigger.

 

[luvsdux]

In response to NYdigger - I think you may have it backwards. Many times the actual depth is 2 - 6 inches, but often approximated or reported as 8 or more inches. Kind of like gas milage estimates or the length of the big fish caught on the last trip. LOL
luvsdux