How Do You Test Your Detector?

[Michigan Badger]

I'm curious, how do you test your detector on an ongoing basis?

How do you know you're really getting down deep at every site?

How do you know when your machine needs servicing?

Do tell all.

Badger

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

Test it?

I carry a Buffalo nickel and, when setting the discrimination, I set the nickel on the ground and adjust it so it just picks it up clearly.

Beside my driveway I have a series of buried coins (cents, nickels and quarters), nails and lead musket balls at known depths - my test garden. I hit it regularly to make sure things are copasetic.

I've never seen a hovering or flying coin so I never put much faith in air testing.

I guess if I had a detector that was physically damaged, didn't beep with two swap-outs of new batteries or was so unstable I couldn't isolate targets I would send it in for service. The only time I have sent one in for service was after the person carrying it fell down the side of a hill in the skree/gravel and pulled the coil cable right out of the connector plug on the electronics box.

 

[Michigan Badger]

So right, speaking of air testing, it's amazing how much distance is lost from air to soil. I once thought it was 30% but now I'd say closer to 60%. Most detectors that air test a quarter at 14 inches are doing well to detect a buried quarter at 7 inches.

If one does some looking around online today more and more people are posting depth charts. While these are subject to many variables, it is most interesting that I often find the same results in my own testing.

It takes a mega great VLF detector to consistently detect coin sized nonferrous objects at more than 10 inches deep. The average is about 6 inches.

We're making progress though. Back in the 80's the average was about 4 inches.

Badger

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

It takes a mega great VLF detector to consistently detect coin sized nonferrous objects at more than 10 inches deep. The average is about 6 inches.

I can honestly say that in my measured-with-a-yardstick holes for my test garden that My Minelab Musketeer Advantage will signal cents flat and on edge at 8", a 1963D (90% silver) quarter at 12" and a 0.715" lead musketball at 12". Those are the deepest targets in my test bed. Now, if I got the same signals in a park in probably would not dig them unless it was a slow day as they are very marginal. Knowing they are there is something of a cheat, but it does help me play with settings and such. I also have a nickel at 7" and a clad dime at 7", a shotshell base at 6" and three different styles of pulltab at 6". For added play value I have a cent at 6" with a ring pulltab 2" deep and 2" to one side and another cent at 6" with an iron nail 2" deep and 2" to one side. All the cents are pre'82 Lincolns (after that date they had more zinc in with the copper). I have a few post'82 cents tucked under the soil but only 2" apart just to see how shallow targets distort things. (tip - lift the coil and you will be able to interpret them better).

I have to add an aluminum twist-off cap as I am running into more and more of them lately. Thank goodness the trend is to plastic caps now; but fie on the designer of those aluminum sided peel-off juice lids.

 

[Michigan Badger]

It takes a mega great VLF detector to consistently detect coin sized nonferrous objects at more than 10 inches deep. The average is about 6 inches.

I can honestly say that in my measured-with-a-yardstick holes for my test garden that My Minelab Musketeer Advantage will signal cents flat and on edge at 8", a 1963D (90% silver) quarter at 12" and a 0.715" lead musketball at 12". Those are the deepest targets in my test bed. Now, if I got the same signals in a park in probably would not dig them unless it was a slow day as they are very marginal. Knowing they are there is something of a cheat, but it does help me play with settings and such. I also have a nickel at 7" and a clad dime at 7", a shotshell base at 6" and three different styles of pulltab at 6". For added play value I have a cent at 6" with a ring pulltab 2" deep and 2" to one side and another cent at 6" with an iron nail 2" deep and 2" to one side. All the cents are pre'82 Lincolns (after that date they had more zinc in with the copper). I have a few post'82 cents tucked under the soil but only 2" apart just to see how shallow targets distort things. (tip - lift the coil and you will be able to interpret them better).

I have to add an aluminum twist-off cap as I am running into more and more of them lately. Thank goodness the trend is to plastic caps now; but fie on the designer of those aluminum sided peel-off juice lids.

Great post, thanks!

Those are great depths.

I'm pretty sure my new Tejon won't make some of the depths you mentioned. I get a very broken weak signal on an air test silver quarter at 14 inches. I think I'll be lucky to get a decent buried quarter signal at 10 inches (I'm hoping for at least 9 inches). I plan to check this out soon.

Thanks again.

Badger