Dig Everything? NO! (Restart of previous post)

[dahut]

It is apparent from reading a lot of posts here that the successful folks dig "Everything".
Did you folks that dig everything always do so? If not what motivated you to start?
I DONT dig everything. I used to, then I began to trust my instruments. We have come too far these days what with the great detectors we have to do otherwise. Several things apply to me here:

1. I don't hunt the sea coast.
I live 150 miles from the SC sea coast, so most of my focus is on fresh water sites. A PI unit is lost on me and an Excal is for the future. If you are truly bothered by minerals in your locale, need a PI because sand comes and goes and ultimate depth is your only issue or you have deep pockets, then so be it. An Excal is a GREAT idea no matter what, but read on...

2. I have selected a Tiger Shark as my main water unit. It is a great fresh water unit, good on small low conductive targets and has good iron DISC. I also got a great deal on it ($345) and it's a Tesoro - with that warranty of theirs. I sent it to them for a check up when I got it, which they did for FREE. These are things you dont always find on the more "purist" instruments. For the few times I DO make it to the coast and actually detect, it can be used at the sea shore with some compromises. I can live with that.

3. I enjoy DISCRIMINATION
I have to confess this here and now. I dont want to find a bunch of iron and old sparklers, on the off chance that I might also find a few cigarette lighters, bottle caps or a cheap watch. I do dig the occasional iron signal, just because it repeats well, even if it is choppy and easy to tell what it is.
for those signals like soda cans that simply overwhelm the circuits, oh well - whatcha gonna do? Everything else, from foil to fishing sinkers, I can live with.

4. I know I wont get it all.
I don't have "gold chain-itis," worrying that I might miss the tintiest of little itsy-bitsies that might escape my search.

Remember from "Jurassic Park," when the kid found the night vision binoculars under the car seat? Accompanying the kid in the vehicle was the lawyer, who asked the kid if the glasses were "heavy." The kid replied that they were, to which the lawyer responded with one of the greatest lines ever:
"If they're heavy, then they are expensive - put them back!"

Good stuff is just that - good stuff. It is easy to spot and detectors today are made to find these things. I just let my instruments do their job. If I miss something, then maybe YOU will find it. I can live with that, too.

Heres a ticket that is the result of NOT digging everything (PS, I DO hunt in low DISC, thus the bolt. See # 3 above):

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

I think the "dig everything" depends on where you live, and the condition of the beaches, and your back. If there are lots of good targets it's okay, if there is very little iron then it's okay, if your young it's okay, if you have lots of trash iron, and not as young then it's not, at least for me.

If I dug a target everytime my Excal nulled out I would be wore out and give up. Lots of trash iron on beaches I hunt. I listen for the good tones that tell me D-I-G!!! Loud or faint.

BUT, I am still a newbie, lol at 58.

 

[ronald99]

Treasure Hunter

Have you ever when using your excal when it nulled heard a faint tone,and the more you scanned over it was mostly null but another faint tone.

Have you ever dug,and if so what have you uncovered,The reason when i first started out i passed up a couple nulls wit a slight tone and always wondered what i passed up

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

If I get a null and a slight tone, I dig it. It could be a good target beside a piece of Iron. I only skip digging the straight nulls, and I double check ever null to be sure there is no tone from any direction left to right, front to rear.

Every null with no tone that I have dug has been iron, I have yet to find a null be anything else, and I have dug a lot of them to see.

 

[becket]

Not to hijack here, sorry; but I have missed the 'null' term I guess, what sound (or lack of it) would I know it as, please?
Becket

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It's not the scienctific term I know, but for me on the Excal it is when you lose all of the threshold hum sound as you go over iron, I only get a kind of "spiff" sound. The threshold hum returns immediately after passing over it and moving away.

 

[SwampHunter]

By digging everything at first we learn what to dig and what not to dig.
I don't plan on digging everything forever, just until I am comfortable by not digging some items.

 

[Sandman]

By digging everything when you first start out, you learn the sounds and targets. Nothing wrong with using some discrimination, it depends on the site. If you are finding foil and pull tabs in fresh water you aren't missing much. Don't count the Tiger Shark out on finding gold chains either. However with other detectors the sound is not so good and you could be wasting lots of time on tiny pieces of metal or even earring studs. These earring studs are not always junk either. They fall thru the scoop, but are worth retriving. Tiger Shark is my back up detector and it's lots better than the CZ20. LOL. Don't wanna start nothing but I own a CZ20.

Treasure_Hunter spoke true on the nulls being iron or bobby pins. If you hear another tone with the null you should dig it just to make sure there isn't a good target near a iron thingy.

 

[Dale1122]

Im a newb at MDing and i am usually on the 1715 beach sites with a tigershark. I dig everything and mostly get small pieces of iron. I cant get the tigershark to discriminate it out, even dime size pieces 7-8" deep.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

A ML Excal or Sovereign would fix that problem Dale.....

I love my Excal, and I just picked up my new Sovereign GT from the post office this morning.

 

[bwirth1999]

Ya know i was out on sebastian today, and couldnt get the iron to tone.. it was strange, almost like they were to rusted to detect... Sometimes it would pick up, but most of the time i would see it, passover it and nothing... Ehh, sure wish i could find the instructions to my MD... But the internet doesnt even have info on it..

 

[finderzzs]

I started digging everything after expermenting on signals. I will refer to fresh water hunting. After awhile you thought you learned what bobby pins sounded like, broken, crackle, wrong. Not always. Alot of time it's gold, could be in the hole at an angle, or if the band is split it gives a broken signal. Also I use a Fisher 1280-X with 10½" coil. I would locate a deep target, have my friend come over with his Garrett, and couldn't even get a scratch sound. To me I now dig everything, then I know I haven't let that good one get away. It only takes another couple of minutes and the lake gets a little cleaner, which by the way is another reason for a broken signal, trash in the same hole masking a goodie. Good luck, HH

 

[Born2Dtect]

I agree with Sandman and finderzzs. I don,t dig all signals. When I start the day I dig most to get used to the sounds. If I find a sound that gives all trash I may not dig those anymore. If I find no good signals for a while I may start digging all again. Simply put I am out there to find things. If I need to adjust my method, I do what ever is needed to find good finds.

Ed D.

 

[finderzzs]

I agree with Sandman and finderzzs. I don,t dig all signals. When I start the day I dig most to get used to the sounds. If I find a sound that gives all trash I may not dig those anymore. If I find no good signals for a while I may start digging all again. Simply put I am out there to find things. If I need to adjust my method, I do what ever is needed to find good finds.

Ed D.

Hate to say it, then you have to dig 'em all. Just this week I got a pull tab in the scoop with a coin, and a silver heart in the scoop with a bobby pin. Go figure!