Is it my metal detector or my technique thats bad?

[zeusophobia]

Is it my metal detector or my technique that's bad?

I'm using a Bounty Hunter pioneer ex.

I had a friend bury some coins in a small area where I didn't know where they were. As it turns out, the metal detector only picks them up when I go over the area VERY VERY slowly.

I spent 2 hours on the beach today and all I found was a penny.

 

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[ToddB64]

I'm using a Bounty Hunter pioneer ex.

I had a friend bury some coins in a small area where I didn't know where they were. As it turns out, the metal detector only picks them up when I go over the area VERY VERY slowly.

I spent 2 hours on the beach today and all I found was a penny.

zeusophobia,

Without more detail, such as which B.H. Pioneer model you have, (501, 503, 505), what hunting mode (All Metal, Discrimination) or the settings you were using, it is hard to give specific advice.
Therefore, for now, I can only give some general suggestions.

Work on maintaining a positive attitude and don't become discouraged. Remember that you can't find coins on the beach if they aren't there !

Hunt in All Metal mode with good coil control. Concentrate on keeping your coil close to the ground, maintaining consistent coil distance to the ground or sand as best you can. Overlap your coil swings and moving the coil "slowly" keeps you from missing targets.

After you get a target signal in AM mode, move your coil over the target in several directions to get an idea of the size, shape and tone of the target....is it round or long like a nail or jewelry chain......this coupled with the tone characteristics, smooth or scratchy, will help you decide what the target might be and whether or not to spend time digging. Otherwise, do like a lot of folks and dig all signals ("Beep-Dig" hunting) and let your eyes determine what the target is. Once in a while, what you suspect is a trash target turns out to be a jewelry item !

I could go on and on with more target signal types, but suggest you read some good books for this information. For example, the post I did recently in the T'Net Recommended Reading forum located in Research/Techniques mentions a book that I highly recommend for this type of info..

Good Hunting !

ToddB64

 

[zeusophobia]

zeusophobia,

Without more detail, such as which B.H. Pioneer model you have, (501, 503, 505), what hunting mode (All Metal, Discrimination) or the settings you were using, it is hard to give specific advice.
Therefore, for now, I can only give some general suggestions.

Work on maintaining a positive attitude and don't become discouraged. Remember that you can't find coins on the beach if they aren't there !

Hunt in All Metal mode with good coil control. Concentrate on keeping your coil close to the ground, maintaining consistent coil distance to the ground or sand as best you can. Overlap your coil swings and moving the coil "slowly" keeps you from missing targets.

After you get a target signal in AM mode, move your coil over the target in several directions to get an idea of the size, shape and tone of the target....is it round or long like a nail or jewelry chain......this coupled with the tone characteristics, smooth or scratchy, will help you decide what the target might be and whether or not to spend time digging. Otherwise, do like a lot of folks and dig all signals ("Beep-Dig" hunting) and let your eyes determine what the target is. Once in a while, what you suspect is a trash target turns out to be a jewelry item !

I could go on and on with more target signal types, but suggest you read some good books for this information. For example, the post I did recently in the T'Net Recommended Reading forum located in Research/Techniques mentions a book that I highly recommend for this type of info..

Good Hunting !

ToddB64

Thanks for the advice. I took the thing out in my front yard today, and found some coins. They were new, but it was a lot of fun finding them.

The thing beeps every time I go over cement. Probably not much of a problem because I can't dig through cement anyways, although I've had to make myself a rule that I will no longer dig at cracks in the sidewalk.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit the spots where there were 4th of July crowds. Wish me luck, but thanks to your tips I might not need it.

 

[Higgy]

Thanks for the advice. I took the thing out in my front yard today, and found some coins. They were new, but it was a lot of fun finding them.

The thing beeps every time I go over cement. Probably not much of a problem because I can't dig through cement anyways, although I've had to make myself a rule that I will no longer dig at cracks in the sidewalk.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit the spots where there were 4th of July crowds. Wish me luck, but thanks to your tips I might not need it.

Hey while we are at it, welcome to TNet! You couldn't have picked a better spot to learn from, nor could you find a nicer group of friends here. Welcome!

Cement: Usually cement/concrete is poured over a grid of rebar and steel mesh as reinforcement. Avoid it. You'll only get ferrous signals that lie to you, pretending they are non-ferrous wannabes.