Minelab X-Terra questions

[CoilyGirl]

I have been finding all kinds of stuff with my 505 and I solely use the number 1 setting and have never gone all metal. I've learned to read my numbers pretty well and listen for pitch but I'm wondering if I'm missing deeper targets by not going all metal. When I have hit a big hunk of iron my detector goes ballistic and nearly knocks me down with the sound so this is why I haven't gone all metal yet. I've gotten pretty lazy at ground balancing too. Any tips for me in how to fine tune now that I've learned the basics?

 

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[Longhair]

Just go slow, try AM and GB often.
If you notice that your GB numbers are fairly consistent, then it might not be as important to do as often, but improper GB can skew ID.
AM will teach you proper sweep speed, in part by teaching you how slow you can go. You should be able to isolate each good hit. Dig everything that's within a couple of points of known good target numbers that's also repeatable, even if a little jumpy (especially if it's deep). The key to sorting good stuff from trash isn't machine reset speed, but rather the ability to lock on while going slow.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Thanks Longhair,I will try AM and go slower today. I'm finding nails and large round objects (even quarters) to be around 42 to 45 and usually smallish coins are around 32 to 35. It depends on where I am and how trashy the area is on whether I dig the "iffys" if they sound blippy. The higher tones seem to produce better finds.

 

[Pointman]

I agree to dig anything reading close to a good target and consistent. Seems to work with every detector that I use and you will average out more finds by doing so. I also check my signals from two different directions, ESPECIALLY if the signal is a little jumpy but the reading is good.

 

[Bucketfreak317]

Something I thought I would mention I'm not a know it all and in fact new to this series of MD's but have been doing some test,on one of the targets I was testing it showed up choppy yet it was consistent and and in my opinion dead on in accuracy it was a ring consisting of 3 different metals solid silver plated plated with platinum with a turquoise stone in it with copper veins running through it (this particular type of turquoise from my understanding is only found in Arizona)my TID was jumping from 28-32-36,this staying true to the 4 segment ID on my X-Terra 305.
I know this doesn't have a lot to do with depth but I thought I'd mention this anyway from my understanding this platinum over lay on silver seems to be popular with import jewelry makers as this ring came from India I'm not putting India down I'm just sharing some of my findings so far,and this has caused me to think if I hit targets with these types of readings on the LCD screen and I use the pinpoint feature of the MD to get an idea of the target size and see its small I'll be digging it.
Anyhow best of wishes for you HH and by the way I'm jealous but hope to get the 705 and at least 2 coils for it before summers end but I'm pretty happy so far with my birthday gift so I'm not going to snub it.

 

[fishguy]

Had trouble getting used to my 505 also at first, but have found that you need to ground balance often and I use sound much more than TIDS. put it on 99 tones swing slow in AM and you will start to here not only good vs bad targets but also it hints on depth without ever looking at detector. I have already started figuring out what a zincoln sounds like vs a copper penny. Also another hint I found out was is set your threshhold as high as you can stand the hum as it will allow those deeper hidden targets to break thru with a sound even though you may not get a visual ID on it(found a bunch old indian pennies in a field like this). Remember in the manual it says that not only is the tone a reference to what to dig but also the loudness of the tone tells you the distance the target is from the coil.

 

[Longhair]

Also another hint I found out was is set your threshhold as high as you can stand the hum as it will allow those deeper hidden targets to break thru with a sound even though you may not get a visual ID on it(found a bunch old indian pennies in a field like this).

Threshold is like the squelch on a radio. The higher you have it set the stronger a return signal needs to be to "break through" it. It should be clearly but minimally audible.

 

[CoilyGirl]

That confused me a bit too Longhair. I thought an overall very slight hum on GB and threshold was how I was suppose to set my detector pretty much at all times. I may have to read my manual again to get a better understanding of my machine and what it can do. I am digging fairly deep pennies(Wheaties too) and am beginning to think that we just haven't been anywhere where silver was dropped.

 

[Longhair]

I am digging fairly deep pennies(Wheaties too) and am beginning to think that we just haven't been anywhere where silver was dropped.

You could be absolutely right. Remember, there have been 40yrs of detectorists cherry picking ahead of you. Easy to find goodies have been found already at most public places, and a lot of private residences too. Anymore, my best stuff comes from abandon home sites (cellar holes), and farm fields where homes or one room school houses once stood.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Threshold is like the squelch on a radio. The higher you have it set the stronger a return signal needs to be to "break through" it. It should be clearly but minimally audible.

Fishguy, I misread your original post, and didn't see the part about getting the threshold high. I have to agree with Longhair - it probably will help you to turn down the threshold, as it will allow you to hear even fainter (ie deeper) targets. But I do agree with the 99 tones option - once you get used to the multiple tones there is a lot less time spent looking at the screen.

 

[atomicscott]

That confused me a bit too Longhair. I thought an overall very slight hum on GB and threshold was how I was suppose to set my detector pretty much at all times. I may have to read my manual again to get a better understanding of my machine and what it can do. I am digging fairly deep pennies(Wheaties too) and am beginning to think that we just haven't been anywhere where silver was dropped.

Coily, I have dug 5-6 wheats with my 505 this year, and ZERO silver! I believe that if the silver was there, I would have found it. I did however, find my first Indian Head penny the other day! It has to be there in order to find it, I think we both have the same problem. The IH got me stoked, but I hope we both have better luck and find some silver soon. HH Scott