Ever dug a target that was NOT even close to what you MD said it was?

[Ray S ECenFL]

It has happened to me more than once, my XLT said bottle cap / penny and out comes a silver ring. Made me think how many times I just did not dig the target thinking it was a bottle cap or penny.

Recently read where DFX user pulled a Morgan out of the ground when his DFX said it was a bottle cap.

Ever had an experience like that?

Do tell....



Ray S ECenFL

 

[bakergeol]

Pretty common really. When I owned an Explorer deep coins were all over the meter- tone was more reliable.

It is just how things are with a VLF. Besides target masking you have the mineralization issue. The deeper one goes the more iron mineralization your detector reads. Good targets will start to read toward the iron end the deeper you go.

The dig it all folks are not completely crazy.

George

 

[seas1to2]

thats why I dig those zinc penneys that people hate,I have had they turn out to be a deep silver ring a couple of times.Even got a thin silver chain this way.If the machine ID was 100% all the time,I think you would loose some of the exciment of metal detecting an it is suppose to be fun.

 

[utah hunter]

All the time. It is due to other targets in the exact line below the coil as the "good target", soil conditions and mineralization, depth, or a host of other reasons. Those fun surprises are what metal detecting is all about. I still don't dig everything and go through different stages depending on how I feel from day to day. One of my weirdest ID's was a 1912-d liberty nickel that gave a STRONG penny/dime signal and was 7 inches deep at the base of a tree. At first I had no idea what I had found when the target wasn't silver or copper, but I was very happy, it was my first. Keep the faith...Ryan

 

[jeff of pa]

YES.

and the Problem Isn't Brand Specific.

There are Many Factors involved.
From Ground Type, to Size of object, to Shape Of object,
to Position it's in,
to Depth of Object, to Metal Content, to time buried,
to Condition it is still in, & Halo Effect.

and Add any Combination of them to Confuse things more.

IF any manufacturer could Fix this Problem,
Discrimination on their Detectors would be worth using
in the Field.
And you'd need A very large Computer Brain to
set all the "Zillions" Of combinations.

Example :
Set your Detector to find.

and 1875 Indian laying at 40 Degrees, at 9 Inches,
In muddy ground, with 30% Clay Mixxed in & Etc. Etc.

& Miss a 1994 Memorial or Copper Washer in the same conditions.

 

[stoney56]

Sometimes the meter will read all over the board from 12 to a 95 on the DeLeon. It wouldn't settle down, even when just barely moving the sniper coil. More than once I've dug down and found nails, pieces of canfetti, and a wheatie or a silver dime in the same hole. I've had coins register as pulltabs and bottoms and iron rings register as coins.

 

[deepskyal]

You dont need all the bells and whistles to get weird signals either.
I own a whites 6000 series 2 and what I'm used to:

Bottle caps sound just like quarters, tin foil just like deep dimes, but funny thing, foil almost always reads 4" deep when it can be right in the surface,
and of course...there was the time I was demonstrating detector use to a few fellows at a church picnic so I had my headphones off so they could hear....I got that double ding, which to me said pull tab.I was digging just to show them how after practice you can identify junk or coins. It turned out to be 2 quarters 4" deep side by side...a 64 and a 65.
So I told them thats why you dig everything....

Just dig it all...your doing us all a favor and the next time you go back, you may just find that deeper hiding coin.
Al

 

[Sandman]

These meters are helpful sometimes, but I look on them as entertainment mainly and listen to the sounds. There are to many variables to these detectors doing everything right all the time for the reasons listed by the knowledgeable people listed above.

Some people only dig it if the pic or number is what they want and if they are having fun, so be it.

 

[mastereagle22]

When I use the Deleon I run in all metal and dig everything. I know I know, I'm crazy. I have found a lot of nickels that read pulltab. I have found several large cans that read as good coin signals. You never know.

The Explorer and I dig lots of iron nails, that are deep and read as silver. This is my fault and not the machines, I am still trying to learn it. The other day I go a quarter reading with the EX and it turned out to be an old Army button.

 

[Kas]

There are more variables than just reading the little symbol on a detector. The symbol being the least reliable. For an XLT, you should also have a VDI number, more reliable than symbol. If, you have a graph of some type, White's DFx has a signagraph, the most reliable. Add target depth to the mix and you can better decide to dig. Plus the location. A deep bottle cap my be in a park with fill dirt, but not on a farm.

I've dug indians at 7- 8" with my DFX, and they said bottle cap with a solid short signagraph line on a farm. It all adds up to dig or not to dig.

Dig it all and your worries are over.

 

[Skifisher]

When in doubt, dig it out. Thats what I say.

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

I dug this the other day...vdi said it was a cent....not sure why the symbol of the knight did not come up it usually does...

 

[SaginawIan]

Yes many times. I no longer use visual target ID to decide whether to dig. Visual target ID is not for me. When I started using my ears - I started finding much more.

Ian

 

[Kas]

I dug this the other day...vdi said it was a cent....not sure why the symbol of the knight did not come up it usually does...

More than likley because it is cooper, or cooper plated.

Detectors read what kind of metal is in the ground. ferrous/non-ferrous. It's up to you to determine the size and shape, and to dig or not.

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

I dug this the other day...vdi said it was a cent....not sure why the symbol of the knight did not come up it usually does...

LOL

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

I dug this the other day...vdi said it was a cent....not sure why the symbol of the knight did not come up it usually does...

More than likley because it is cooper, or cooper plated.

Detectors read what kind of metal is in the ground. ferrous/non-ferrous. It's up to you to determine the size and shape, and to dig or not.

Hopefully everyone realized I was joking...immediately thought the item might contain some amount of copper...

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

I dug this the other day...vdi said it was a cent....not sure why the symbol of the knight did not come up it usually does...

LOL

 

[stoney56]

Now that's what I call a (k)night hunt.

 

[Schrecky]

Does the XLT have a VDI Sensitivity setting like the DFX has? If so you can force the machine to give more accurate readings at the possible cost of a little depth.

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Now that's what I call a (k)night hunt.