Hunting_Dad
Jr. Member
I am totally new to the hobby and I'd like to think I have done my homework, but ran into something on my first trip out that I could use some more experienced insight.
First the basics.... Equinox 800 set to Park1(factory presets)... noise canceled and ground balanced.... cheap pinpointer (for now).... and an agricultural field where I had previously found pipe stems while looking for arrowheads... 18" of very loose fine sandy loam plow zone over a denser sandy loam with some iron staining.
The hunt... I quickly learned how to avoid can-slaw and got over my urge to dig everything. I found an early two piece button, a modern penny, an old brass ear tag and some other odds and ends (old shot shells etc.). Most everything I dug rang up between 19-29.
The phantom signals.... several times over the course of the afternoon I would get a clear deep target in the mid to upper 30s. The signal stayed consistent at 90 degrees. I dug these targets down 18" and probably 18" across too. My 800 would still indicate the target was in the hole. The vdi still read mid 30s but would occasionally jump to 40. My cheap pinpointer would scream anywhere near the bottom of the hole. One one occasion, I tried to dig out a "plug" from the bottom of the hole to test and got some low, spotty signals off it in the all metal mode. Eventually, I just felt silly with my oversized holes so I just filled them in and moved on.
Newbie questions.... Is this what I should expect from mineralized soil? Can there be mineralized 'hot spots" where I only had this happen in very isolated areas? Will any of the modern bird shot alloys or coatings give 'funny' signals? Should I have kept digging??
Follow up... I went back to the same site for a short hunt the next day. This time I used Field1 with 5 tones, otherwise factory settings and same process as the day before. I did not get any phantom signals, although my hunt was much shorter and i was not in the exact same area. However, I did dig a trefid spoon handle (thx tnet for the id) that was deeper than what I thought possible (>12"), although it may have just fallen to the bottom of the hole.
Bonus newbie question.... I plan to hit a couple freshwater beaches this weekend. I plan to cover the beach and out into the water (less than 2ft). Beach1?? Any tweaks?
Thanks for your insight... Hunting_Dad
First the basics.... Equinox 800 set to Park1(factory presets)... noise canceled and ground balanced.... cheap pinpointer (for now).... and an agricultural field where I had previously found pipe stems while looking for arrowheads... 18" of very loose fine sandy loam plow zone over a denser sandy loam with some iron staining.
The hunt... I quickly learned how to avoid can-slaw and got over my urge to dig everything. I found an early two piece button, a modern penny, an old brass ear tag and some other odds and ends (old shot shells etc.). Most everything I dug rang up between 19-29.
The phantom signals.... several times over the course of the afternoon I would get a clear deep target in the mid to upper 30s. The signal stayed consistent at 90 degrees. I dug these targets down 18" and probably 18" across too. My 800 would still indicate the target was in the hole. The vdi still read mid 30s but would occasionally jump to 40. My cheap pinpointer would scream anywhere near the bottom of the hole. One one occasion, I tried to dig out a "plug" from the bottom of the hole to test and got some low, spotty signals off it in the all metal mode. Eventually, I just felt silly with my oversized holes so I just filled them in and moved on.
Newbie questions.... Is this what I should expect from mineralized soil? Can there be mineralized 'hot spots" where I only had this happen in very isolated areas? Will any of the modern bird shot alloys or coatings give 'funny' signals? Should I have kept digging??
Follow up... I went back to the same site for a short hunt the next day. This time I used Field1 with 5 tones, otherwise factory settings and same process as the day before. I did not get any phantom signals, although my hunt was much shorter and i was not in the exact same area. However, I did dig a trefid spoon handle (thx tnet for the id) that was deeper than what I thought possible (>12"), although it may have just fallen to the bottom of the hole.
Bonus newbie question.... I plan to hit a couple freshwater beaches this weekend. I plan to cover the beach and out into the water (less than 2ft). Beach1?? Any tweaks?
Thanks for your insight... Hunting_Dad
