Gold but cant pinpoint it

danloop · Mar 22, 2014

Gold but can't pinpoint it

Using the 4 inch coil on my F2 and got a few beeps for gold in the park but hard to get it to repeat the find.

I have a feeling I need to come back with my posthole digger.

migrider56 · Mar 22, 2014

I have found a lot of reading like gold on my ctx 3030 that don't have good repeatable signal are usually small piece of aluminum gum wrappers or foil from grilling and hard finding even with pin pointer because of the size.

hunter_46356 · Mar 23, 2014

Having never used a Fisher I'm just assuming that typical results would be similar to my AT Pro. Gold in any form could be indicated by a VDI rating anywhere from the low 40's to as high in the 60's. That why it's hard not to dig these numbers when in a area that could produce any gold item. your target could be as small as a gold post for an earing. Most likely it's a trash item. Depth indication on a ATPro is not all that accurate on non coin items is what I've found. I've also dug many possible targets in this range that turned out to be nothing but did find rusty spots that indicate whatever was there has deteriorated to nothing but rust. It's all part of the game in my opinion. The best you can do is learn what your detector is telling you by observing everything before you dig, dig the target, see what you get. The nest time your detector gives you the same indication that's when you need to decide whether you dig or not. That's why I like the AT Pro. The Pro part of this detector stand for proportional. The audio information in Pro mode give you a little more information in the form of proportionally varying audible tones or sounds that help me make this decision. Learning this didn't happen over night. That's why you have to learn from digging a lot of trash before you can learn what any detector is telling you. Many people don't care for all the "noise" that the AT Pro is noted for. I don't have a lot of experience with other detectors but once I became accustom to this detector I've come to appreciate what is telling me.

danloop · Mar 23, 2014

The fisher f2 really just tones for coin and non coin. Example is it sounds the same for a coin but gives different numbers for gold,

I always dig anyway so it doesn't matter,

fella · Mar 23, 2014

danloop said:
The fisher f2 really just tones for coin and non coin. Example is it sounds the same for a coin but gives different numbers for gold,

I always dig anyway so it doesn't matter,

No, that's is NOT how it works. No detector, including yours, tones different for coins or gold. They tone different on the conductivity of the target. It just happens that a clad dime will have a higher conductivity than most gold rings. A nickel, which is still a coin, will have a lower conductivity like many gold rings, pull tabs and other various pieces of aluminum (can slaw).
Also, size play a huge part in conductivity. Take for example a soda/beer pull tab off an aluminum can. The tab it self will have a lower conductivity like a nickel or gold ring. However if you run the coil over a aluminum can, it'll ring up much higher in the conductivity range. The type of metal didn't change but you got different readings for those two targets. Why? Because you added more metal thus creating a more conductive target.
It works the same for all metals. You can take a tiny piece of silver and get to ring up as iron and you can take a big piece of iron and have it ring up in the silver range.

wvplug · Mar 23, 2014

hunter_46356 said:
Having never used a Fisher I'm just assuming that typical results would be similar to my AT Pro. Gold in any form could be indicated by a VDI rating anywhere from the low 40's to as high in the 60's. That why it's hard not to dig these numbers when in a area that could produce any gold item. your target could be as small as a gold post for an earing. Most likely it's a trash item. Depth indication on a ATPro is not all that accurate on non coin items is what I've found. I've also dug many possible targets in this range that turned out to be nothing but did find rusty spots that indicate whatever was there has deteriorated to nothing but rust. It's all part of the game in my opinion. The best you can do is learn what your detector is telling you by observing everything before you dig, dig the target, see what you get. The nest time your detector gives you the same indication that's when you need to decide whether you dig or not. That's why I like the AT Pro. The Pro part of this detector stand for proportional. The audio information in Pro mode give you a little more information in the form of proportionally varying audible tones or sounds that help me make this decision. Learning this didn't happen over night. That's why you have to learn from digging a lot of trash before you can learn what any detector is telling you. Many people don't care for all the "noise" that the AT Pro is noted for. I don't have a lot of experience with other detectors but once I became accustom to this detector I've come to appreciate what is telling me.

Well said Hunter.

danloop · Mar 23, 2014

fella said:
No, that's is NOT how it works. No detector, including yours, tones different for coins or gold. They tone different on the conductivity of the target. It just happens that a clad dime will have a higher conductivity than most gold rings. A nickel, which is still a coin, will have a lower conductivity like many gold rings, pull tabs and other various pieces of aluminum (can slaw).
Also, size play a huge part in conductivity. Take for example a soda/beer pull tab off an aluminum can. The tab it self will have a lower conductivity like a nickel or gold ring. However if you run the coil over a aluminum can, it'll ring up much higher in the conductivity range. The type of metal didn't change but you got different readings for those two targets. Why? Because you added more metal thus creating a more conductive target.
It works the same for all metals. You can take a tiny piece of silver and get to ring up as iron and you can take a big piece of iron and have it ring up in the silver range.

It sounds the same for quarter, gold, or aluminum can. That's how I hear it but I am partially deaf.

fella · Mar 23, 2014

danloop said:
No. It sounds the same for quarter, gold, or aluminum can.

Ok, good luck!

JunkShopFiddler · Mar 23, 2014

fella said:
No, that's is NOT how it works. No detector, including yours, tones different for coins or gold. They tone different on the conductivity of the target. It just happens that a clad dime will have a higher conductivity than most gold rings. A nickel, which is still a coin, will have a lower conductivity like many gold rings, pull tabs and other various pieces of aluminum (can slaw).
Also, size play a huge part in conductivity. Take for example a soda/beer pull tab off an aluminum can. The tab it self will have a lower conductivity like a nickel or gold ring. However if you run the coil over a aluminum can, it'll ring up much higher in the conductivity range. The type of metal didn't change but you got different readings for those two targets. Why? Because you added more metal thus creating a more conductive target.
It works the same for all metals. You can take a tiny piece of silver and get to ring up as iron and you can take a big piece of iron and have it ring up in the silver range.

So true, I think that is the hardest lesson to learn for beginning detectorists, (my beginning self included). All tones and IDs that come out of metal detectors are really just measurements of the target's conductivity, NOT a sure bet on the type of object, of the metal content of the object. And gold has the same conductivity measurement as many junk metals...(darn that periodic table, or whatever that element chart thingy in science class was).

Bottlecapbill · Mar 23, 2014

yup

JunkShopFiddler said:
So true, I think that is the hardest lesson to learn for beginning detectorists, (my beginning self included). All tones and IDs that come out of metal detectors are really just measurements of the target's conductivity, NOT a sure bet on the type of object, of the metal content of the object. And gold has the same conductivity measurement as many junk metals...(darn that periodic table, or whatever that element chart thingy in science class was).

Yup. On a side note, the detector may just be picking up trace elements of rust or other minerals in the ground. Or small trash like others have said, which is why your machine can't pinpoint it. Most of us also carry hand held pinpointing devices, which are handy for finding the smaller stuff. I suggest picking up one of those. Stick to one of the expensive ones, the cheap ones hardly work at all. They're garbage.

wvplug · Mar 23, 2014

Yeah, you can be going along digging the usual stuff and all of a sudden you get a really hard hit with the sweetest tone, hitting numbers off the chart and your thinking mother load. Well it can mean a great find or it could mean one half of a pair of old scissors, an old padlock or who knows. Usually something larger than coin and something solid. And unless you want to just pass up gold you better be digging those 40 and 50 hits.... Even with lots of experience you can't determine every target before you dig it. Dig man dig.

hunter_46356 · Mar 23, 2014

One of the simplest test for those questionable targets is lifting the coil off the ground while continuing to swing. If your detector continues to give you a signal six and more inches off the ground chances are it's not a coin and most likely trash. If the target still gives a strong tone high off the ground and a solid or fairly consistent VDI you might have large and or shallow good target. With a tone and inconsistent VDI it's probably trash. These comments are about using an AT Pro and may or may not be true for all other detectors. One thing I can tell you for sure is if you don't dig it..... you will always wonder!!!

I

fireguy · Mar 23, 2014

fella said:
Also, size play a huge part in conductivity. Take for example a soda/beer pull tab off an aluminum can. The tab it self will have a lower conductivity like a nickel or gold ring. However if you run the coil over a aluminum can, it'll ring up much higher in the conductivity range. The type of metal didn't change but you got different readings for those two targets. Why? Because you added more metal thus creating a more conductive target.
It works the same for all metals. You can take a tiny piece of silver and get to ring up as iron and you can take a big piece of iron and have it ring up in the silver range.

So what your saying is a Flava Flav size chain should ring up as high silver.

RobRieman · Mar 24, 2014

fireguy said:
So what your saying is a Flava Flav size chain should ring up as high silver.

Unfortunately chains are a whole different beast all together. The detector sees each link as a target and many detectors will not pick up a fine chain at all.