Infrared Camera

[Alan Applegate]

Well...... I'm not so sure.

I'm an amateur radio operator, and I have a web site dedicated to operating mobile. The Holy Grail is to minimize antenna losses, and in some cases, an IR camera is a valuable commodity toward that goal. I managed to find what I wanted from alibaba.com, a Chinese company (I could not afford the $12 grand FLIR wanted for theirs). Nonetheless, I paid what some might consider a princely sum for one. It proved less than I had hoped it would amateur radio wise, but I did use it to find a whole bunch of voids in the wall insulation of my home.

Then last year, one of my fellow detectorist and I searched an old house here in Roswell, scheduled to be torn down. I just happened to have the camera along. One specific area near a window ledge, appeared to be cooler than the rest of the area. Under the bottom trim was a small clothe sack. In it were a few divorce papers, and a single $5 bill issued in 1952. You can draw your own conclusions!

 

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[G.I.B.]

I've used IR cameras worth 1.5M in a variety of applications so, having a bit of experience and knowledge~

Break this down to it's most basic level without going into extended detail;

Think of the IR camera as a digital thermometer. The camera, or sensor, collects the IR emissions from surface objects and converts the difference into a picture.

IR emits different wavelengths based on it's temp. So, it's just a really high tech thermometer.

*Science alert* You can't see the heat of lightning with the IR detectors!

If you are looking at me through the IR device (like the firemen use) you will see my shape with differing shades of intensities due to differing IR signatures, or heat loss if you will. My head will appear hotter than my chest...

Now, hold a sheet of glass in front of me.

You will see a nice square, all the same shading as it's emitting a uniform signature. You can visually see me (eyeballs) but not thermally see me. I'm hiding behind glass. This works with something as thin as plastic food wrap.

The detector is seeing the surface of the glass.

If I hold my hand against the glass (or near it) I can change the surface temp of the glass causing a distortion in the emission- (like the example in the post above about the window)

So, will gold or a treasure, hold (and emit) differing signatures?

Yes, but at such a minuscule rate (if its buried) that your average IR detector or IR camera will NOT be able to see the distinction.

 

[fireguy]

GIB said it exactly. You hit the same points I said but I think you explained it a lot better. I think people think IR cameras work like in the movies.

 

[augoldminer]

A IR thermo camera can do things like search for things hidden in walls.
You can find old roads that are overgrown in some cases.
You can find graves in the desert for 3 to 5 years the county of LA calif does a scan in there desert areas about every two years looking for hidden grave sites where criminals have buried there victims.

these cameras are military grade camera not the ones you can buy easy.

Mid-Wave Science-Grade Thermal Imaging FLIR A6700sc IR Camera
Police raid home of Blunkett Bobby after infrared helicopter mistook bad insulation for cannabis factory | Mail Online

 

[thermal]

edittt

 

[fireguy]

Haha seems like no one listens to the people with first hand experience. What kind of camera did he have. Did it do what we described.

 

[mextallion]

Look my amigo. Last month I bought a polaroid x70 for 50 bucks. I bought a Uv lenses for 3bucks. A polaroidnfilm for 24 bucks. That's all you need to find a treasure with a camara. Practice practice. I have proof it works. Have a great day!!!

 

[mextallion]

Look my amigo. Last month I bought a polaroid x70 for 50 bucks. I bought a Uv lenses for 3bucks. A polaroidnfilm for 24 bucks. That's all you need to find a treasure with a camara. Practice practice. I have proof it works. Have a great day!!!

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

it was asked "What makes you think buried treasure would be at a different temperature than everything else in the ground?" Surface ground temperature can be affected during day temperature changes due to density of the ground and what is under it. An example is dew on a surface rock, which retains the night 'cold' longer than the grass and soil around it. The area above a septic tank will remain warmer and a light snow will not stick initially to that area of a lawn due to it being just a bit warmer than the surrounding area. A void may insulate the area above it from heat from below thus making that area just a bit colder than areas without a void. Not strict science, but a possibility of how surface temperatures can sometimes indicate something about what is under the surface. Of course direct sunlight, shade, moisture etc. can also play a big role, but a large amount of very dense gold buried COULD cause a temperature anomaly in my opinion.

 

[gallileo60]

Most digital Cameras will see IR all on there own..Turn on your Camera, and point a TV remote at it...On most it will appear purple..A really cool way to check remotes, not sure about Treasure..I do know they use IR to see old home sites, and locate villages from the air...