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

 

[Copperhead]

I dug 2 rocks at about 5 inches in a yard that both read a dime at 2 inches with my Ace...a strong, steady reading in both directions...go figure...

 

[Montana Jim]

Yup... common... I have learned though, depending on the trash in the area what signals they might be...

 

[luvsdux]

This is a common situation as the machines can only give a best guess which as mentioned can be thrown off by many variables. I've been using an MXT, new to me this summer and have discovered that Nickle signals under 20 on the display very often are, but 20 and up are much more likely to be tabs or foil. Unfortunately this isn't always 100% either. The bottom line is seeing the target is the only sure form of identification. If the target sounds strange, the id is bouncing or other indications seem a bit off, DIG. You'll get a pleasant surprise just often enough to make the junk you dig worth the effort. If there never was any doubt about the target, there wouldn't be much to this hobby and everybody would be crowding the likely locations as they wouldn't get discouraged and leave the hunting to the rest of us. Have fun, dig most if not all and find the goodies.
Dig deep and often,
Bill

 

[doozis]

I think metal detector ID's are a lot like politicians , they promise
great things but deliver junk

Doozis

 

[re-tek]

yep, often even while using discrimination notches. bottle caps are annoying. washers can cause cause it to say "coin" because it is small, flat, and round. squashed soda cans give me a silver reading but can be eliminated by simply sizing up the target using pin point.

i found a hotwheels car the other day that rang up like a silver coin.

you need to use some judgement on these.. for example, that squashed soda can could be a cache but caches are very unlikely in many of the places i hunt.

 

[BamaBill]

Interesting discussion. Why do we bother to buy machines with such elaborate ID systems if the advice is to generally dig everything, because the meters and readouts lie? Seems to me that a machine where you can hear some subtlety in the tone difference would be the best once you get good at identifying the differences.

 

[Monty]

Quite often as a matter of fact. But more often than not the object ID is correct or very close. I use Garrett equipment and the most often missed coin is the copper penny. Nine out of ten times it says it is a dime. I can usually tell the difference if I listen closely though as the true dime signal is a little more "urgent" is the only way I can describe it. Old rusty steel bottle caps show up as quarters a lot. Aluminum lawnmower slaw shows up as coins quite a bit, a dime or quarter or even a dollar depending on their size. Silver rings show up as dimes or quarters and gold rings show up as a bounce between pull tabs and a nickel. I can usually tell a true pull tab or nickel however because they are mostly solid tones and don't bounce. The object Id is quite worthless if you don't bother to learn to distinguish between the tones that accompany the icon that lights up. On my GTI 2500 I get more useful information on the size of the object than the icon ID I think. If the size indication don't match the icon, I know the icon is incorrect. Of course a Garrett machine operates different than a Whites than a Minelab than a BH than a....well you get the point. Monty

 

[Montana Jim]

Quite often as a matter of fact. But more often than not the object ID is correct or very close. I use Garrett equipment and the most often missed coin is the copper penny. Nine out of ten times it says it is a dime. I can usually tell the difference if I listen closely though as the true dime signal is a little more "urgent" is the only way I can describe it. Old rusty steel bottle caps show up as quarters a lot. Aluminum lawnmower slaw shows up as coins quite a bit, a dime or quarter or even a dollar depending on their size. Silver rings show up as dimes or quarters and gold rings show up as a bounce between pull tabs and a nickel. I can usually tell a true pull tab or nickel however because they are mostly solid tones and don't bounce. The object Id is quite worthless if you don't bother to learn to distinguish between the tones that accompany the icon that lights up. On my GTI 2500 I get more useful information on the size of the object than the icon ID I think. If the size indication don't match the icon, I know the icon is incorrect. Of course a Garrett machine operates different than a Whites than a Minelab than a BH than a....well you get the point. Monty

Well said Monty... as always.

There are three indicators on my machine...

The forth is the human element...

It's a combinaiton of those that I use, through some descrimination, depending on location and taking into account the likely taget. One example is when I button hunt... I am sure a bouncy signal between pulltab and penny/dime on my BH means button at my relic spots - but means pulltab at a local park.

It's really the same answer for 90% of the MD questions: Dig everything 'till you know your machine.

 

[whitesPA]

yes many times

 

[Dirt Fishin Dale]

I hunt the beach a lot. You know what? Condom wrapers have the same VDI as a ring.

 

[jorge del norte]

my Umax even with discrim. way past pulltab, sounded great on a gold ring.....that puzzled me. Silver jewelry........also comes in as like a quarter....but more "urgent".....but it can fool me. How about some other Tesoro users?

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

I hunt the beach a lot. You know what? Condom wrapers have the same VDI as a ring.

Can honestly say I have never dug one...LOL

 

[Michigan Badger]

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

Nice post but you forgot to add "all" ("do tell all")

Meters are toys designed to encourage beginners. I wouldn't say they're worthless but they can be very misleading.

Meters tend to become crutches and people trust them too much.

Some read targets 30-50% deeper than they really are. Thus reports of "that coin was 12 inches deep."

Most all jump around and the user has to guess on target ID.

Back in the early days of the meter craze Fisher tried hard to persuade THers not to buy into them but they lost the battle and were forced to play the game.

Meters and programing are all gimmicks.

The real advancements have been things like VLF, discrimination, and coil designs.

Hunt with as little discrimination as possible and learn to understand what the detector is communicating.

Badger

 

[BamaBill]

Well then, what are some of the best machines for tone differentiation? So far, I like Tesoro's alot and in the future will probably lean heavily that way. I have an MXT and a Cibola, but frankly I'm starting to wish I got the Tejon and an some point will probably make the switch or add a Tejon to my lineup.

 

[Michigan Badger]

my Umax even with discrim. way past pulltab, sounded great on a gold ring.....that puzzled me. Silver jewelry........also comes in as like a quarter....but more "urgent".....but it can fool me. How about some other Tesoro users?

If Tesoros love any metal it's gold. Next to gold would be copper.

I don't understand why but gold is Tesoros thing. Even in an air test you may even see a little better distance on a gold ring than on a silver half dollar. Well, at least my Tejon was that way as I recall.

Don't worry about good old Tesoros. If a gold ring gets under your coil you'll probably hear it.

I think that Silver uMax is one of the best detectors made today. Try a 12x10 coil on it sometime. It will blow you away!

Badger

 

[EasyMoney]

I dug up a couple of old bottles that gave a signal. Sometime in the mid 70's