Ace 250 "long signal" question

[Shorty Buckshot]

I am pretty new to detecting and have an ACE 250...Watched the videos on youtube and read alot about the 250...been doing a few parks, schools and such... nothing but clad and junk so far...Today I was in the yard basically practicing using the pinpointer on the 250....At first I thought it was just me but not so sure now....I am running in jewelry mode with sensitivity at 4 bars...all coins in play with iron/foil, tabs discrimed out....

So I get a signal (usually in penny or dime range) and use the pinpointer...I narrow down the field first by swinging side to side...once I get that where it needs to be, I start pulling the coil back...from limited experience and what I have seen and read, once the signal disappears the target is normally right underneath the front innner coil just at the small t section where it attaches to the outer coil....what I have noticed multiple times is that as I pull the coil back toward me the signal fades but is still audible...the bars have now disappeared from the display but I can still faintly hear the signal, what I call a "long signal"....by the time the audible signal is completely gone, the coil has been pulled back at least twice its length....most times I dig there and find nothing.....

My question is....should I dig at the point where the bars fade from the display or maybe I am doing something wrong? As I said...if I dig where the audible signal completely stops I don't find the target and end up with a crater instead of a hole trying to find the target....maybe its just the nature of the beast?

Any help, suggestions or pointers would be much appreciated...Shorty

 

[0121stockpicker]

I put the sensitivity up all the way and start by discriminating nothing and digging everything - thats a good way to learn your machine. I agree with you that it is diff to pinpoint with the detector (though I know many are good at it). I bought a garret pinpointer and it at least cut my recovery time in half if not a lot more. Best buy I've made for MDing equip.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

One of the easiest ways to get a feel for the pinpoint is an "air test", put a coin on a good clean piece of ground and go over it in pinpoint at different heights and you'll start to see where you're at.

 

[cactusrat]

The way I understand your post, is your doing it backwards.

Find the spot where the signal is the strongest (loudest) and dig there.

Do as Nola Ken suggested and you’ll have a better understanding on how to pin point.

On not finding the target, a pin pointer is a must have. The Garrett Pro Pointer has found little bits of rusty wire and shotgun shot that I would never have found without it.

 

[spartacus53]

I'd have to go with cactusrat on this... You can't use the machines pin pointer until you have a target to begin with Once you get your target, I normally check for the target by moving 90 degrees, keeping a visual on the spot and sweep again. once the target area is clear, then you hit the pin pointer on the machine. The steady beep shows that you are locked on a particular target. The bars show how close to center of the coil it is. Once it is loud and you see the bars maximize, note the exact spot and dig like a demon

Just like you are trying to visualize a shot that you might make in golf, you would apply the same technique and this is it in a nutshell. Once you note the exact location, pick out a pebble, or any other landmark for better identification. When you first start it's hard not to look away for a second and lose your spot

 

[pa plateau hiker]

Good grief Spartacus, I have been here longer then you have, only under a different name on the old site. I have never seen you answer with a sensible comment. I always dreaded the day that would become a normal human being and become a boring poster.

 

[Archaeologist]

Shorty, if I'm understanding your description correctly I have run into a similar situation with my ACE 350. I dig and nothing. Sometimes it 'moves' to one side or another from where the object was first determined to be located. Now, I haven't bought a small hand-held pin-pointer yet. I wonder how helpful one would be in this situation?

 

[lookindown]

I pinpoint the same way with the Ace 250 and it is very effective. I can pop the coins out with a srewdriver with that drag back method. As soon as the audio drops off, that is where the target will be. When the audio makes a noticable change, mark that spot. Sometimes the audio doesnt cut completly out, just gets softer. On a shallow coin, the sound will cut off, but on some targets it wont...good luck.

 

[spartacus53]

Good grief Spartacus, I have been here longer then you have, only under a different name on the old site. I have never seen you answer with a sensible comment. I always dreaded the day that would become a normal human being and become a boring poster.

Yes, I am not allowed to joke on here any longer.. I don't think I can take it much longer