Hole to China

[danloop]

Sandy soil. I registered a lot of dimes and quarters but I couldn't find any even after digging almost a foot down. And it kept signaling the same after digging.

Wondering if the F2 has a problem with damp sandy dirt,

 

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[georgia boy]

I have had the same problem with my f2

 

[Alan Applegate]

Common sand is made up mostly of silica (SiO2), in the form of quartz. Depending on the source, quartz can have a high percentage of imbedded metallic minerals, hence the detection scenario you're experiencing. Most folks call it hot sand, but the truth is it isn't hot unless the sun is shinning directly on it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Sandy soil. I registered a lot of dimes and quarters but I couldn't find any even after digging almost a foot down. And it kept signaling the same after digging.

Wondering if the F2 has a problem with damp sandy dirt,

Dan, "disappearing" (or "always further down", etc...) signals are something that someone would have to actually be there, to diagnose. They/we would need to see what you're doing, what you're hearing, how you're swinging, how you're digging/pinpointing, etc.... There is no way in printed text to see/hear those things.

Example: (don't get "lost in the example", as it's ONLY an example): One time I went to some abandoned military base barracks with a newbie guy. We took off in different directions. About 30 minutes later, he tracked me down. Asked me to check out a signal for him, that he couldn't find. He explained that no matter how deep he digs, the machine tells him the object is still there, deeper and deeper. He'd already tried widening out the hole (thinking it might be a pinpointing problem), played with his controls, etc... etc... When I got to his spot, I immediately saw the problem. And it was something that .... JUST LIKE HERE IN PRINTED TEXT ON A FORUM, could not be diagnosed till I saw what was going on:

He had gotten a good sounding signal at the base of the corner of a building. But no matter how big, or how deep he dug, he'd re-check, and the signal was still there! As I swung and looked at the situation, it became apparent to me right away, based on decades of experience:

There was a copper ribbing (like a flashing or lining or whatever you call it) running down the length of the corner of the building. And covering that, was wood exterior. So the signal he was getting was NOT from in the ground at all. Instead, it was coming from the fore-front leading edge of his coil, with each swipe/swing past the corner of the building. But since, of course, he couldn't push the coil (in an "x-marks the spot" fashion) closer to the building, he just assumed the signal was coming from more down. You see, he didn't know (or didn't fully realize or connect the dots) that coils are not only sensitive downwards, but also to a little degree on the edges (and the tops too, for that matter) of the coil.

Another time a guy I know dug for 30 minutes to several foot deep, before realizing he was digging right through the middle of a giant barrel hoop. Doh! The beep-or-no-beep CZ6 he was using simply gave the "beep" at the highest center of the barrel loop ring, dead-center. Yet since it was buried an inch deep, he simply had no idea and kept digging deeper through the center. It wasn't till he was down several feet, that he decided to widen the hole too (or perhaps did so incidentally in his quest to get deeper) that he felt something at one edge. Grabbing and pulling upwards revealed a hula-hoop sized iron barrel hoop. Doh!

So you see, all things that others with experience can spot or hear from the type beep, seeing what you're doing, hearing what you're hearing, etc.... Printed text can't convey. So if you can hook up with a proficient user, trade off flagged signals.

 

[danloop]

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I was too focused on the tones. I've run into something like this doing the area around tree roots. The roots absorb minerals.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

....... I've run into something like this doing the area around tree roots. The roots absorb minerals.

No, that's not the problem. I have never heard of "tree roots absorbing minerals" to the extent that it would give a signal to a metal detector. Again I tell you: hook up with a proficient user in your area (not just a sand-box hunter, but someone who routinely finds old coins). Go out to an area prolific with easy targets. Even if just a modern park with new clad. Cross-compare and flag a bunch of signals for each of you to compare. Watch how he swings. Listen to what he's listening to. If he says he'd pass a certain signal, ask "why?". And make note of what he's saying. Eg.: non-repeating in the same spots (ie.: "flutter" but not a true signal), or whatever. Nothing can replace in-field experience. Printed text can not do justice to this remedy.

 

[Frankn]

Two best guesses: 1- Turn the sensitivity down!
2- take that blasted coil cover off and through it away as far as possible.!
I have never had trouble with sand, with the possible exception of black magnetic sand.
And that's since the 70's with many detectors.
My XLT gives me a slight hum on black sand and my surfmaster PI pulls coins from blacksand.
Frank...

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Does your pin pointer sound off at all? Like they said it could be a number of reasons.

 

[Roger Mn.]

Run the coil over your shoes and pinpoint over your shoes. Try that to eliminate it and I have picked up pop cans a foot away just under the soil making me think it was under the coil. When I was using the DFX I got a sound from a piece of deer antler . The minerals in the antler.