"whisper signals"

[Dogtirednj]

I inherited Dad's DFX earlier this year and have been getting out regularly to learn it and MDing. I've had some great success and I'm hooked. But here's the thing, I'm learning to read the sounds to identify objects and am getting better and better at it. I still dig everything because I know that pull tab and foil could (and has been) jewelry. Only, I'm not getting deeper than 6-7 inches. I know the sights I have access to must have more to offer deeper down. But I'm still unsure of what a "whisper" signal is. I've heard it described as "faint signals" or even "lack of signal" which is really confusing. So any advice on what I should be listening for, because I'm just not getting it.

 

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[fella]

Only, I'm not getting deeper than 6-7 inches. I know the sights I have access to must have more to offer deeper down.

Just how do you KNOW there are deeper targets? Several (old) sites we detect rarely and I mean RARELY ever produce ANYTHING deeper than 6-7in". And we have run some of the highest end detectors out, I just might not be there. The DFX is a VERY capable detector. If it's in the ground the DFX will find it. (within reason of course)

I've heard it described as "faint signals" or even "lack of signal" which is really confusing. So any advice on what I should be listening for, because I'm just not getting it.

"lack of" can refer to the change in threshold. Where it doesn't necessarily beep or tone but just changes the threshold some.
Try laying your DFX on a table with the coil in the air. Set a threshold you find comfortable. It still needs to be a steady audible sound however. Now pass a target of your choice over the coil until you can just hear it change the threshold without beeping. Thats the sound or "lack of" a sound you are looking for.

 

[Dogtirednj]

Thanks! That makes more sense to me. I don't think this sight I'm currently hunting has been hit before. I've pulled a couple silvers a dozen wheats and a whole lot of clad. Also, a whole lot more trash! This weekend I got a gold ring and a barber dime at not too deep a depth. I figure I'll dig the trash then go back and listen for what the trash might've been masking. Until then, I'll practice what you've suggested. I see why my Dad loved this!

 

[treasurehound]

The DFX is a great machine and you should do very well with it. I would highly recommend getting the book DIGGING DEEPER WITH THE DFX. When I had my DFX I learned a lot from this book. Just because coins are old doesn't always mean they are deep. I have dug clad coins 8" deep and an Indian head penny only an inch deep. A lot depends on the soil conditions. I have been hunting since 1979 and one thing that I can tell you is to swing slow and listen for those faint signals. Dig any faint high tone even if it only sounds once. Deep silver dimes are not going to scream at you. They will be a very faint short high tone. And you are only going to hear them swinging slow. Swinging too fast does not give your machine time to recieve the signal it is sending. Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

[a4wdguy]

The first thing you need to do is check to see if "Modulation" is on or off. If it is off, you'll never get a whisper signal. Modulation off causes all targets to respond with the same volume level, regardless of target depth.
The term "lack of signal" can be confusing. If you have iron (for example) excluded, each time you pass your coil over a piece of iron, the audio will not only "not respond", it will "blank out". This "lack of signal" or blanking caused by the excluded metal can lead to "masking" of good targets that you don't get a good signal from because of the "lack of signal" of the excluded target. This is why many coinshooters accept the iron VDI's. With iron accepted, you'll get responses from both the iron and the good target. Of course, in an iron infested site, it can get quite annoying to hear all those undesired targets all the time.
Think of your threshold as an audio barrier that the target signal has to break through to be heard by you. If you have your threshold set too high, the target has to have a really strong audio response to punch through that barrier and be heard. If your threshold is set too low to hear, then targets that have just enough audio response to barely break through the threshold won't be heard. This is why you set the threshold as low as you can and still hear it. However, some targets do not have enough audio response to break through the threshold, but they do have enough response to affect the threshold. These are (usually) very deep targets.

 

[RobRieman]

Bury a coin at 8 inches or so at the site you have been hunting. If you can hear it you will hear targets that have been buried over time even better. 6-7 inches is pretty normal for the sites I hunt. Do a little test and you will have your answer to a degree.

 

[Dogtirednj]

Thanks to all! Can't wait to try all of these suggestions. Now if the pouring rain would just let up long enough to accommodate me...

 

[russ]

change in threshold

Thanks to all! Can't wait to try all of these suggestions. Now if the pouring rain would just let up long enough to accommodate me...

yep thats why its better to have even a small threshold to listen to so if a change occurs you can hear it,,,some people have it set just below so its quiet, so they wont hear the subtle changes thus may miss those small deep signals...

 

[KennyD]

@4wdGuy.... Thank you for explaining the threshold subject. I have always been a bit confused about it.

 

[kshollywood]

Turn modulation off, all signals will be loud

 

[MackDog]

Turn modulation off, all signals will be loud

Yes but then you can't really tell if it's a deep signal. I love hearing the softer tell tale signals. Try turning your head phones up instead

 

[kshollywood]

That's what your depth gauge is for. I would rather rely on my depth gauge than my ears.

 

[masterjedi]

I inherited Dad's DFX earlier this year and have been getting out regularly to learn it and MDing. I've had some great success and I'm hooked. But here's the thing, I'm learning to read the sounds to identify objects and am getting better and better at it. I still dig everything because I know that pull tab and foil could (and has been) jewelry. Only, I'm not getting deeper than 6-7 inches. I know the sights I have access to must have more to offer deeper down. But I'm still unsure of what a "whisper" signal is. I've heard it described as "faint signals" or even "lack of signal" which is really confusing. So any advice on what I should be listening for, because I'm just not getting it.

I started detecting in the late 70's and today use one of the most powerful detectors made... Most all finds then and now are less the 6" in the ground... Just saying...

 

[pescadore]

How deep the DFX goes is greatly affected by the setup. You should not have any trouble with 8-9 inch coins if you have it setup right. I do however agree though that the largest percentage of my good finds were 6 inches or less deep. People that knock the DFX usually have not taken the time to learn to use them. They are very capable machines and will outperform many.

 

[kshollywood]

I agree totally. The DFX technology was well before its time, and the dfx is still beating machines built today

 

[SilverSeeker60]

How coins move downward through the soil is still a mystery to me. I hunt in west central Georgia where red clay is the majority soul type. I have hunted a site established in 1888 and found silver quarters at at 4 to 4.5" and three days ago found a 1978 penny at 8.5." Go figure.

 

[kshollywood]

I was told heat, cold, water, the whole weather spectrum makes them move up and down in the ground.