FIRST TIME MD EVER

[Gump]

My wife bought me a BH Quick Silver about 2yrs ago and I fired it up today to learn how to use it in the front yard. I live in a 100 year old house and we are the 3rd owners of it. I was out for about a hour and managed to locate and dig 2 pop tabs, 1 hair clip, and an alumin top to a yogurt. I was just thrilled to find something. Any pointers on pin pointing when you find something?

 

[brokenarrow]

hey Gump,welcome to T-Net.........congrats on your maiden voyage out...even if it was your front yard. baby steps right. as for your question, once i get a good sound i shorten my swings until the sound is constant and steady as the swing speed slows. if you have a pinpoint option use it if not just slow down until you are right over it and the ton is strong and steady. if your swing is stopped and you an hear the tone nice and loud then your target should be right under the center of your coil.sometimes i change positions and just kinda work in a circle around the target until i get the best tone.
other folks my have other ways but this one works for me. hope this helps. good hunting

 

[Lowbatts]

Use the old homebrew Lowbatts tutor.

Piece of cardboard, glue varying targets on one side six or more inches apart and flip it over, practice over the targets. Hold the coil a few inches above the cardboard and swing it until you are familiar with where the target is under the coil when you believe you have it pinpointed.

Probe through the cardboard with a pick or awl until you can do it and hit the target everytime!

 

[camperlee]

welcome to TNET gump and have fun with that new detector.

 

[Suckerpunched]

I'm still fairly new to this "occupation" and keep my quicksilver in the trunk just in case I pass a likely spot....Brokenarrow pretty much said it all....use your discrimination to ID the target but when in doubt.......digg it!!!!!!
HH

 

[Gump]

I figurewd since my house is over a 100 yrs old, this would be a good place to start.

 

[Goodyguy]

I figured since my house is over a 100 yrs old, this would be a good place to start.

You got that right!

First study your manual and then just get out in the yard and do it. I would start closest to the front door then work your way around the foundation and just keep going around the house working further out as you go just like making laps with the lawn mower. Or any way that you can insure not to miss a spot.

Some may disagree but I stay in all metal mode and dig all targets because you never know what relics may turn up. (or iron pot of gold) However in order to get to know your detector you may first want to try using tone discrimination to get the feel of the different sounds different targets make. Then later try it in all metal and see what else you find. (Detectors tend to get more depth in all metal)

Don't forget to sweep your detector over the hole again after you recover a target in case there are still more targets there deeper down.

Make sure to use the headphones because you can hear the faint signals that way. If you don't have headphones then get some. They are that important !

Hunting your own yard is a great way to get to know your detector and get experience cutting a plug and filling holes back to original. Always treat any dig as if it were your own yard no matter where you go and this hobby will be able to continue without getting a bad rap. Oh as far as pinpointing goes just swing your coil side to side then front to back over the signal then dig where the signals cross.

Hope this helps.

Happy Hunting,
Goodyguy~

 

[mlayers]

I do the X thing. Once I find a target I turn 90 degrees and check again and where you cross your first line that should be center. ....Matt

 

[sniffer]

if you get a good repeatable signal, dig it, because you just don't know

 

[Gump]

GoodGuy, you are correct I do need head phones, but I am strapped right now and plan to get some. I managed to work about 5 yards from my front steps in that hour. And I figured I will did everything just for the fun of it. I tried the x pattern and circle pattern to locate and still seem to miss it. I hope I can locate some people to hunt with.

Thanks for everyones advice, please keep it coming, and thanks for all of the other posts, I am learning from.

 

[Goodyguy]

GoodGuy, you are correct I do need head phones, but I am strapped right now and plan to get some. I managed to work about 5 yards from my front steps in that hour. And I figured I will did everything just for the fun of it. I tried the x pattern and circle pattern to locate and still seem to miss it. I hope I can locate some people to hunt with.

Thanks for everyones advice, please keep it coming, and thanks for all of the other posts, I am learning from.

Don't worry you will get the hang of pinpointing in no time. Sorry to hear about the money situation. Even if you have an old set of headphones for a stereo they will work. Also ebay has new BH headphones for 30 dollars including shipping.

 

[Gump]

Everythin I have been reading it would help having headphones, So I plan on having a set by the end of April, until the mean time, when the weather up here in Ohio, I get back at learning the BH. This is all new to me. I have my eyes on a tot lot close here to home, that I have never seen anyone detecting in, I wan to learn more before I hit it up.

 

[camperlee]

Gump I don't know where you are from but if close enough I will give you a nice pair of head phones

 

[Goodyguy]

Wow Camperlee,
Nice gesture.

By the way Gump Be careful not to step over a dollar to pick up a dime. By that I mean it sounds like you have a lot of potential right there on your own property. Take your time get to know your detector clean out your own yard first. Then you'll be ready to take on the world.

Goodyguy~

 

[Gump]

Camperlee, thanks for the offer I am in S.W. Ohio, just below Dayton.

Goodguy, I hope you don't mind, but I just copied that saying down and hung here at work...... I agree with you, I have all summer, I do not see whole lot of MDer's around me, so I have time. I have a half acre to cover here at home alone.

 

[longsocks]

Welcome to T net ...
A 100 yr old house... women in those days would wash dishes, in a dish pan, in the summer time she might throw out the soapy water out the kitchen window when she was done... some times a ring slipped off in that soapy water and went out with the wash water... Look where there might have been clothes lines, women lost rings there also, and some times men's pants, hung by the cuffs, change that was not removed from the pants, were lost when hung upside down there also.. and or the house might have had an out house that might be a good place to check also where might it have been and what path from the house would they have had to walk another good spot..if your house is in the city then, maybe they had indoor plumbing ... good luck happy hunting
Paul

 

[Gump]

It was built in 1908. I have a shed out back with a fire place in it. I think it was an old kitchen or smoke house. I never thought of the washing dishes thing, thanks. The old lady across the roads family built the house. I need to see if she can remember anything about that.

 

[Suckerpunched]

Gump, I have found more interesting stuff in the yard of my 1940s apartment than in most places I have hunted. Best thing is....it's right outside the door///////////
HH

 

[mlhudson]

JUST REMEMBER:
1, LEARN YOUR MACHINE...
2, LEARN TO DISCERN, BETWEEN TARGETS
3, GET IN THE HABIT OF PROPER HOLE DIGGIN
4, PINPOINTING IN YOUR HOUSE IS GOOD, GO OUT SIDE AND PLANT SOME COINS, THEN PINPOINT THEM.. A WHOLE BUNCH OF TIMES
5, LAST THING---- HAVE FUN

JUST MY THOUGHTS

MLHUDSON

 

[gleaner1]

GUMP, good advice by all these guys. I keep thinking about pinpoint de-tune, I think your machine has it. It allows you to de-sensitize the machine in small increments (usually about 3 or 4), step by step, so you have to narrow in closer and closer to the target to get audio pinpoint response. Press pinpoint, zero in, press pinpoint again, zero in again. If you over-do this, your machine might become too weak and it will no longer respond (usually on the deeper small coins). This is all kinda tricky to to explain, just practice for a bit and you'll nail it in no time. With nice round concentric coils, you will get good at cutting nice neat round plugs with the coin close to the tip. After a while you will learn that the volume of the pinpoint response is a good way to estimate target depth. Try it on quarters and dimes buried in clean ground, 3 to 8 inches.