How does the weather affect your detector...cold vs hot ... or does it ??????????????

[AQUA]

HEY GUYS AND GALS

Made it out today for a 4 hr hunt.

Temperature was +5 ...awesome day to be out !!!!

Here is my findings on weather conditions hot versus cold. This is SALTWATER HUNTING.

We have been out in a lot of cold weather detecting this winter...cold as -19 and a lot of days -5 to -10.

There have been very few days this winter where the temps have gotten above 0.... but what I did notice was this.... USED THE CZ 21 AND COUSIN ED F75.

Went to a spot 4 days ago that we have been to numerous times...TEMP WAS -10. The targets are obviously getting less and less...on this day I hit only about 15 targets which is fine cause 3 of them were good ones WHICH IS STILL A GOOD DAY OF COURSE. I covered the ground very good ..or so I thought !!

So when we got back to the truck we both agreed that this spot needs a rest cause it is getting beat .

Today we were undecided as to where to go...TEMP WAS +5 . I said maybe we should give it another try cause there is always a chance of finding something special there.

I could tell COUSIN ED wasn,t really thrilled.....but away we went anyhow. Well everywhere we went there was targets. Places I know for a fact that I covered really really well numerous times had targets all over the place.

WHY IS THAT ?

I dug and kept 55+ targets !! ED had many more targets than ever before also...even more than the 1st time he hunted this spot.!!

AND... we both were seeing smaller targets than previous days.

This happened last time we had a mild day with + temps......this is with 2 different detectors ...so it isn,t just the user.

I just kept shaking my head in disbelief all day....I really don,t understand. But it was very obvious that the detectors were much more sensitive than previoys days.

Must be TEMP related ...OR IS THERE ANOTHER EXPLANATION ?

Anyone else experience this ?

 

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[AQUA]

I looked up the INFO on the CZ 21 and re-read the manula again... says use in 32 to 101 F degree temps--thats 0 to 80 celsius.

Obviously manufacturers know something about this also.

 

[WHADIFIND]

One thing that you have to be very careful about in the cold is not so much the detector itself but the cabling. I have noticed that the colder it gets the more stiff/brittle it becomes. Also, I tested an old pair of headphones and the coiled cable's outer insulation actually broke! Bent it back and forth a couple times in the cold and pop! Something I hadn't considered before.

Just FYI.

 

[K1DDO1979]

I think temp effects them in some ways for sure. The more cold it is it seems to slow detectors down I think. Maybe not all makes but I find they perform better in warmer temps. Not that it will stop me from hunting in the cold. Battery's get weaker in the cold as well but can still be good sometimes when they warm back up.

 

[cti4sw]

A wire's inherent resistance fluctuates with temperature. I think it's called resistivity. Temperature can also affect conductivity, too, as temperature is essentially energy, so as temperature/energy fluctuates, so will conductivity.

EDIT: Battery degeneration in low temperatures is a prime example of loss of conductivity due to decreased energy.

 

[CASPER-2]

WHAT ABOUT THE BATTERIES - MOST BATTERIES DONT LIKE THE COLD
IF YOUR BATTERIES ARE LOW - COLD WILL DRAG IT DOWN TOO

 

[AQUA]

Batteries are good...


As I said...2 of us hunting with 2 different detectors ...seeing the exact same thing.

The Tesoro SandShark needs good batteries and the lower the batteries get the more its performance deteriorates.

Is the CZ21 the same way ?...... I would end to believe this if the F75 wasn,t seeing the big difference also.

 

[AQUA]

A wire's inherent resistance fluctuates with temperature. I think it's called resistivity. Temperature can also affect conductivity, too, as temperature is essentially energy, so as temperature/energy fluctuates, so will conductivity.

EDIT: Battery degeneration in low temperatures is a prime example of loss of conductivity due to decreased energy.

This explanation seems very plausible.

Is definitely something to it.

 

[cooper1841]

Just had a tech from the cable Co. here to fix a problem, he did, but also put a new signle spliter in line. He said because of the extreme cold, my signle was to high? He said when it gets hot out I may have to remove it?? Way over my head.....................may be simulare to coil signle?

A wire's inherent resistance fluctuates with temperature. I think it's called resistivity. Temperature can also affect conductivity, too, as temperature is essentially energy, so as temperature/energy fluctuates, so will conductivity.

EDIT: Battery degeneration in low temperatures is a prime example of loss of conductivity due to decreased energy.

 

[pepperj]

I looked up the INFO on the CZ 21 and re-read the manula again... says use in 32 to 101 F degree temps--thats 0 to 80 celsius. Obviously manufacturers know something about this also.

Not to be picky, but I think 101F = 38C as 80C would convert to 176F a tad warm to be out detecting anyways.

 

[AQUA]

Not to be picky, but I think 101F = 38C as 80C would convert to 176F a tad warm to be out detecting anyways.

NO.....


32F IS 0 CELSIUS.

 

[AQUA]

Not to be picky, but I think 101F = 38C as 80C would convert to 176F a tad warm to be out detecting anyways.

OOPS SRY.. read it wrong....you are correct...I had had teh 80 wrong also...

But that is not what I,m asking in this thread.

 

[Iron Patch]

I can tell you this detecting phenomena used to seem to happen to us but not really since we've gained a lot of experience over the years. If you're using detectors where the battery power is not regulated, like my Explorer is, then maybe it's possible the really cold days limits your sensitivity and depth.

 

[AQUA]

I can tell you this detecting phenomena used to seem to happen to us but not really since we've gained a lot of experience over the years. If you're using detectors where the battery power is not regulated, like my Explorer is, then maybe it's possible the really cold days limits your sensitivity and depth.

ok...sounds like a good explanation....sounds like you guys have found a solution.

Now..how do I fix this or is it fixable...besides staying home on cold days. ??

 

[Iron Patch]

ok...sounds like a good explanation....sounds like you guys have found a solution. Now..how do I fix this or is it fixable...besides staying home on cold days. ??

It's pretty easy to feel like you hunted a place fairly good but there be another hot spot close that was completely missed. Ironhorse and I have 35 years detecting between us and even still we'll wander on to areas we completely missed. Last Fall there was a field we had a decent site, did try closer to the water a bit but didn't get much so stayed on the site. But the last time we were there I got this overwhelming feeling to walk to the edge of the back and ended up right on a nice little hot spot we completely missed. That was maybe 40-50 yards away from the site, but trust me, it can be a whole lot closer than that. The extreme cold is basically done now so if it was a factor it won't be now.


You should look at it as being you, and that way it will probably make you more thorough the future.

 

[AQUA]

It's pretty easy to feel like you hunted a place fairly good but there be another hot spot close that was completely missed. Ironhorse and I have 35 years detecting between us and even still we'll wander on to areas we completely missed. Last Fall there was a field we had a decent site, did try closer to the water a bit but didn't get much so stayed on the site. But the last time we were there I got this overwhelming feeling to walk to the edge of the back and ended up right on a nice little hot spot we completely missed. That was maybe 40-50 yards away from the site, but trust me, it can be a whole lot closer than that. The extreme cold is basically done now so if it was a factor it won't be now.


You should look at it as being you, and that way it will probably make you more thorough the future.

Ty for the reply..

Is very easy to miss small pockets of ground on a site .... but yesterday my foot prints were right there as there is mud everywheres...there was musket balls and buttons right there.

4 days before-- as well as 2 days previos to that durinG the week ..I combed it slowly and thoroughly in DISRIM mode and ALL METAL.

Cousin ED has spent 3 or 4 tides in that exact same spot coupke weeks previous to that.

I still consider myself a newb after only 15 months of detecting...so perhaps it is just me.... I hope it is ...That would mean there is lots left there to find still !!!!!

 

[cti4sw]

Just had a tech from the cable Co. here to fix a problem, he did, but also put a new signle spliter in line. He said because of the extreme cold, my signle was to high? He said when it gets hot out I may have to remove it?? Way over my head.....................may be simulare to coil signle?

A signal's magnitude is adjustable, depending on how much energy (read: power) you put into or remove from the circuit.

Stereo amplifiers enable volume adjustment because the audio signal's magnitude is changed by the addition of DC voltage via decreased resistance. Your volume control knob is essentially a variable resistor called a "potentiometer" or "rheostat" that lowers the resistance (lowering power dissipation and increasing magnitude) or raises the resistance (raising power dissipation and lowering magnitude).

Your MD coil is a transformer; a transformer is a metal (usually iron) rod with hundreds or even thousands of copper wire windings. When the rod is magnetized, it generates a voltage; when the rod receives voltage, it generates a magnetic field. My guess is that a standard MD function is to pulse the coil with voltage to generate the signal transmitted into the ground (the "search" signal), and allow the return magnetism to be absorbed by the coil's rod so a read voltage is generated. Your MD's discrimination electronics then compare the returned signal voltage to the transmitted signal voltage and generate an output (seen on your VDI or heard with tones).

Anyways, every manufacturer calibrates their products to a given temperature range. Increased temperatures add energy to the circuitry, thereby increasing conductivity by reducing resistivity; it's like oiling gears. Decreased temperatures not only reduce energy within the circuit but they cause increased (and unwanted) power dissipation which can affect signal magnitude.

Hope this answers a few questions and clarifies a few things. I think I did a post on how MDs work a while back, but I can't seem to find it.

 

[AQUA]

A signal's magnitude is adjustable, depending on how much energy (read: power) you put into or remove from the circuit.

Stereo amplifiers enable volume adjustment because the audio signal's magnitude is changed by the addition of DC voltage via decreased resistance. Your volume control knob is essentially a variable resistor called a "potentiometer" or "rheostat" that lowers the resistance (lowering power dissipation and increasing magnitude) or raises the resistance (raising power dissipation and lowering magnitude).

Your MD coil is a transformer; a transformer is a metal (usually iron) rod with hundreds or even thousands of copper wire windings. When the rod is magnetized, it generates a voltage; when the rod receives voltage, it generates a magnetic field. My guess is that a standard MD function is to pulse the coil with voltage to generate the signal transmitted into the ground (the "search" signal), and allow the return magnetism to be absorbed by the coil's rod so a read voltage is generated. Your MD's discrimination electronics then compare the returned signal voltage to the transmitted signal voltage and generate an output (seen on your VDI or heard with tones).

Anyways, every manufacturer calibrates their products to a given temperature range. Increased temperatures add energy to the circuitry, thereby increasing conductivity by reducing resistivity; it's like oiling gears. Decreased temperatures not only reduce energy within the circuit but they cause increased (and unwanted) power dissipation which can affect signal magnitude.

Hope this answers a few questions and clarifies a few things. I think I did a post on how MDs work a while back, but I can't seem to find it.

You know your stuff about electronics !!

TY for the explanation.... that is the only thing that makes sense to me on why them targets are there on warm days and the cold days there is only a few....in the EXACT SAME SPOT.

Give some hope that there is still some really good finds still there waiting to be found.

 

[cti4sw]

You know your stuff about electronics !!

TY for the explanation.... that is the only thing that makes sense to me on why them targets are there on warm days and the cold days there is only a few....in the EXACT SAME SPOT.

Give some hope that there is still some really good finds still there waiting to be found.

Well, it's my day job

 

[WHADIFIND]

Like all the info being given here. A couple things come to mind though.

About missing spots:
Maybe the "new/missed" stuff came in on a tide?
Or, how about the ground's temperature changes?
Or, maybe, the slight angle change of the detector head made a difference?
or, maybe a combination of all the above?

As far as the electronics go, not my field. But, I was under the assumption that electricity flowed better, not worse, in the cold. As in the absolute zero experiments?

In any case a very informative thread!