False signals

[Salura]

Have a 20 yo white's classic sl1. Even with settings at the "presets" I've been getting a lot of what must be ghost signals for silver.

The led display will light up the max silver indicator with a weak but high pitch audio signal and I run my x to locate, pop a 4" plug and nothing...not in the plug or in the hole.

I get good indications when digging out the iron nails, barb wire fence, zincolns and such. I've yet to find any precious metals, though my detector has had me dig lots with no results.

I'm saving up to get a new rig, until then I'm just training myself in my yard. I want to be able to quickly and accurately dig small holes before moving out into the rest of the world.

I didn't think mineralization would create false max silver signals. I've ground balanced and tried other settings, but am not building any confidence with my detector unless I'm looking for iron, lol.

I've pulled over a pound of roofing nails, 10 pieces of 8' rebar, more barb wire and metal fencing than I can believe (this is my yard, where we play. So dangerous! I'm glad to pull it out.)

Is this operator error, and a new rig won't change things, or is my rig just old and I'm expecting too much from it and I'll feel better about my signals when I upgrade my rig?

I'm in Honduras now on business and can't wait to go home tomorrow so I can get back out there! I have cabin fever bad!

 

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[TerryC]

Put a piece (or two) of .925 jewelry on "clean" ground to see what you get. Don't give up too soon on the machine. TTC

 

[airscapes]

If you can not repeat the signal exactly the same in all 4 directions it is probably not a good signal. I have been learning my machine and have seen with rusty iron you get a couple of high silver tones as you swing over it. Big iron can give somewhat repeatable signals about a foot way.. However these are not repeatable over and over when you swing left then right, turn 90 degrees and do again. Sometimes it is a coin next to a nail but you will get a more repeatable signal that is more singular than the beebeebeep or the false one. Hope that makes sense..

 

[cudamark]

A couple of things come to mind.....maybe you don't have any silver (or coins) in your yard and the sensitivity may be set too high for your conditions. Also, I've found on many machines that if the signal completely disappears after you've cut a plug, the target is deeper than your indicator suggests or you've encountered a mineral deposit. Take out a couple inches more dirt and see if you have it now.

 

[RobRieman]

Are you using a pin pointer? You would be amazed at how a target can elude you in a plug or hole. I've had them stick to the back of my digger a few times too!

 

[Salura]

Great advice everyone! Yes, I use a pinpointer. I won't give up on my rig yet, I'm too broke to upgrade yet.

It is likely the false signals can be avoided if I do better x checks. I don't think I have much mineralization, most of the soil is Florida sand.

I've tried weeding out the false signals by adjusting my discrimination and sensitivity. I might need to adjust them more and learn the sounds of the different metals. I'll go out with a set of metals so I can hear what a good signal sounds like.

I'll try the suggestions. I can't wait to get home and do some more checking.

 

[airscapes]

The way I figured out what was going on with mine was to do NO discrimination and actually hear the iron tone just before or after the multiple high tones..

 

[63bkpkr]

Terry C had a perfect suggestion, using some real jewelry on the ground. I would add to that an air test where the coils is a good three feet off the ground, the target is taped to the very end of a 18" long Dry to Very Dry Thin piece of wood (paint stirrer).

With the coil out in the air, you have no coins/key's/metal of any type in your pockets/on your wrist/fingers or metal rivets in your pants OR you are clean of metal that could get anywhere close to the coil. With that done set the machine at its lowest settings and wave the target under it and record what happens at what setting. Slowly increase the settings on the machine and record what happens at what settings when the target is passed across the coil. You will soon approach your typical settings and record what happens at those settings. How do the settings compare in Air?

I would leave the target on the stick, put the target/stick on the ground and start all over and again compare all the settings.

If the in air settings and on ground settings are about the same then probably the machine is ok. If the settings are different then get in touch with White's to find out how much they will charge you to examine that machine for problems. If you can afford it send the machine in as when it is returned it is 99.999% guaranteed to be good to go. If you send it in - ask White's what you should include in the box (like every coil you have for it, likely they will tell you to not send the batteries with it).

Best of luck with getting/having the Dear Old Machine up and running well!............................63bkpkr

 

[Salura]

Thanks 63! I'll give that a shot. I will get fresh batteries while I'm at it.

 

[Muddyhandz]

It's been almost 20 years since I last used a White's and if you already typically scrub your coil FLAT to the ground, then my advice won't help.
I get false signals in tall grass or in a "Fluffed up" plowed field and kick the surface flat.
If the signal breaks up or doesn't sound any better then it's a false signal. If the signal improves then it's a non-ferrous target.
The general rule is the closer you get to the target, the better the signal should sound.
I guess I'm only speaking for what I currently use.
Good luck.
Dave.

 

[Qball]

If your all metal pinpoint mode does not pinpoint in the same place as the discriminate mode leads you to assume the target is you are probably reading iron that has wrapped around and given you a false good conductive signal. Sounds like you have a lot of iron in your yard. Large iron targets often read good in one direction and are really deep. Digging up large iron can be quite fun as you just never know what you are going to get

 

[Vortex360]

In regards to disappearing targets, I have found that small iron that has decomposed into a pocket of rust, can give a good signal. I believe these pockets of rust, if having been undisturbed, may still retain some halo effect. When you are digging a target, and you don't notice that rust pocket breaking up, it just became one of the many ghost signals you will encounter. A pin pointer will not pick it up, your detector has lost it, it's gone. This is from a Tesoro Toltec II's perspective, about the same era and technology of your white's classic sl1.

HH
Vor

 

[Salura]

Lots of good advice. Thanks all