Detector icons, is your machine fibbing?

[ZumbroKid]

Many models of detectors coming out these days have icon symbols. Nickle, ring, screw cap, zinc, penny/dime, quarter, half and dollar. Some even have such icons as bullet, button, buckle. How many times have you dug a signal that says it is a dime only to get a piece of copper wire or other stange unidentified object? This should be an interesting thread with some surprises later for many. It should also help in finding those elusive targets we are all seeking. Also this is already known info to some, so i hope they post their knowledge here also. I'll check back later.

 

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[slow sweeper]

My opinion is to ignore the icons. They are only a metal detectors best guess according to a targets electric conductivity. Too many variables come in to play in metal detecting to rely on the icons. If you want to pay attention to them use them as just one piece of the puzzle. Do not rely upon them on whether to dig a target or not. Unless you hunt the same parks as I do. Then by all means use only the icons in your decision to dig.

 

[ZumbroKid]

What one cent coin reads at pull tag range? We will see how many know this one. This is the reason for this post. To help others to find nice things.

 

[bk]

I would guess a copper/nickel Indian head and Flying Eagle cent.

 

[ZumbroKid]

Hi bk, thought I would post this thread. A friend was having a hard time finding certain coins. So i figure a little info on detector icons is due. Have a good day and don't lift too heavy of stuff at work. See ya at the weekend hunt coming up.

 

[hollowpointred]

the way i look at it is that the target id screen is just a tool.its just something else i can add into the equasion of whether i want to dig or not. if i always believed the target id was correct i would be passing up a lot of good stuff.

 

[jleland]

Many models of detectors coming out these days have icon symbols. Nickle, ring, screw cap, zinc, penny/dime, quarter, half and dollar. Some even have such icons as bullet, button, buckle. How many times have you dug a signal that says it is a dime only to get a piece of copper wire or other stange unidentified object? This should be an interesting thread with some surprises later for many. It should also help in finding those elusive targets we are all seeking. Also this is already known info to some, so i hope they post their knowledge here also. I'll check back later.

In vlf detectors, the amount of conductivity, the soil mineralization and the depth of the target all combine to "tell" the machine what it "sees" within the ground. It is not unsual at all to have signal say dime and dig a piece of wire. The slots on your detectors display is telling you the conductivity of the target, and that is always accurate. My GTAx is very accurate when conditions are favorable.

 

[Monty]

Relying on icons alone is a big mistake in my experience.? But.....always a but.... an experienced detectorist who is thoroughly familiar whith his/her machine can usually read and interpret the icons pretty darn accurately.? I use a GTI 2500 as my primary detector and? with the target imaging feature I can usually tell you what coin I am going to find.? I am deadly on dimes and quarters, extremely good at pennies but halves and nickels are tough!? Nickels and pull tabs both appear the same to me.? I can't resist digging them though and when I am expecting a pull tab and it's a nickel I am elated! I keep nickels because they are so darn hard for me to find.? The ACE 250 is pretty accurate on nickels however! The half dollar icon will? ring up tool checks, bottle caps, lawnmower slaw and even large bent nails that are well oxidized.? I have found only two halves but I still dig them anyway and utter an oath under my breath when it's a big rusty nail!? If I had to choose one factor that makes the icons seem more accurate it would have to be familiarization with one's detector.? ?JIM aka KS

 

[Mona Lisa]

I dug an 1888 V nickle that read foil/pull tab. The Indians read at bottlecap.

I don't dig nails. Has anyone every found a coin that read as iron??

 

[Gabbit]

The ACE 250 usually rings up pretty accurate as long as your not more than a couple of inches deep. When the target is 8+ inches it will almost always ring up as silver. I dig a layer of dirt off and then scan again to see what the detector has to say most of the time it ends up being iron. Many times a penny will ring up as a dime. An old beaver tail pop tab will often ring up as a dime. The ace 250 is great for coin shooting just as long as the target isn't say deeper than 4 inches. Anything past that is like a pot luck dinner -- never know what your going to get. )

 

[Chester Copper Pot]

I dug a 1939 wheatie that read iron, one bar on my IDX display. After digging the initial plug of about 4 inches deep, scanned again and it was reading nickle. After digging a serious pile'o dirt, somewhere between 8-9 inches down was the penny.

 

[ZumbroKid]

Good question about the coin reading as iron, the deeper a coin is the less it reads up at, also true with angle of coin.

 

[ZumbroKid]

Now lets say you got a nickle and a dime right next to each other, touching in fact 4-6 inches deep. If they are close enough to be read as one target, where do they read up at? This could be one the old detector will fib on.

 

[Lee-MI-MI]

I don't dig nails. Has anyone every found a coin that read as iron??

Don't know where you are located but try a Canadian coin. They will jump into the iron readings. I was surprised too. They are an alloy of SS and don't contain any silver like the US coins do.

Throw out a Canadian dime and quarter and run your coil over them and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Monty]

If a nickel and dime were laying side by side....touching as in the proposition and I scanned it with my detector it would most assuridly ring up as a dime if nothing else. Depending on the angle I approached it it may read a pull tab or a nickel but would always tail off with the dime signal. For some reason dimes really light things up on my machine, even more so than a quarter. I would dig that signal without hesitation because from experience I would know that there was at least one coin there. JIM aka KS

 

[lonewolfe]

? ? My opinion is to ignore the icons. They are only a metal detectors best guess according to a targets electric conductivity. Too many variables come in to play in metal detecting to rely on the icons. If you want to pay attention to them use them as just one piece of the puzzle. Do not rely upon them on whether to dig a target or not. Unless you hunt the same parks as I do. Then by all means use only the icons in your decision to dig.?

"Excatly"

 

[wisc pete]

On my qxt,a buffalo nickel i found yesterday at 2 and half inches went from screwcap to coin and nickel/large ring.the only two mercs i found ,bounced back between screwcap and coin.and indian heads read screwcap also.but they were solid hits so i dug them.so yes, rely on the sound not whats on the screen.h/h scott

 

[Detecting Fool]

The last three coins I dug, started out reading nickle/ring 25-27 on my XLT. A few more passes and the reading jumped up to 54-57. The results...1904, 1911 and 1901 V nickles in that order. All found in an area where I had already searched rather thoroughly and had passed over them for one reason or another. Moral one of the story, even if you've been told its hunted out and checked it yourself to boot, its not hunted out. Moral two of the story, might as well dig every signal if you are out there hunting. You never know what you are passing up, even if you think its junk.

Anthony

 

[gregl01]

Hi all, I rarely relay on the icons unless I dig a plug and find nothing, them a quick scan at what I'm looking for sometimes helps. On my ACE250 older copper pennies come up in the dime range, so sometimes looking into a hole it helps.
HH Greg