....I may be deluded and may have to realize that if I want the good stuff I will have to dig trash because technology is not up to telling me the difference between a zinc penny and a gold ring...
Correct-a-mundo!
The technology you refer to is based on the science of electrophysics. The laws governing this science are immutable; they do not change and cannot be bypassed.
Detectors can ONLY give an approximation of a buried items conductivity. Very often, it is a close approximation. That's good. Discrimination technique has come a long way from the old days - take my word on that.
But, thanks to about a zillion different variables, it can also be imprecise.
Thats not so good.
Fortunately and for the most part, ztincers are generally identifiable by their depth,
location and conductivity. So take heart.
TIP: Get to know the TRASH in a specific spot, or type of general location. This will make your confidence increase. Put another way, it's as important to understand the trash, as much as the instrument used to find it.
NOTE: I'm deliberately removing the detector from the equation here, because it is only a tool to measure conductivity, nothing more.
Case in point, I have found class rings, large men's rings and once, an entire dental bridge piece of 18k gold, each of which had the conductivity of a zinc cent...
There is a positive in learning to be a 'trash guru' - there is NO immutable law that says you must dig targets that conduct like ztincers. You are free to pass them up. It's your choice.
This is is very liberating
You play the odds when doing so, that's all. So learn THE ODDS and how they apply and you will improve. For a little deeper understanding of this concept, see my signature line.
HH
David