MDing for a while, feels like Im getting worse!

kblackphoto · Sep 15, 2011

MD'ing for a while, feels like Im getting worse!

What can I say- I have been MD'ing for a few months now and can honeslty say I feel like I am getting worse at this! My pinpointing is never on point and half the time I can't even find what I have pin pointed after digging almost 3 inches all around and in my target. I have tried to do the pinpoint trick where you let go of the button and swing on a smaller scale. I still had no luck. I also noticed Im pretty sure I got my sensitivity backwards. I had 3 bars on my screen (I have an Ace Garrett 250) and I thought I had high sensitivity when in fact I have low sensitivity- (is that correct??). I have found old foundations and trenches and tried those areas...after digging forever in one spot I find scrap metal or foil. What are some good tricks of the trade? I have done tons of research online- looked at old maps and even tried to read a plat map. I have watched the video- and I have done a test Garden- I do notice when I swing over a coin- The scale is unchanging and stays consistent with the weight of the metal. Most times my scale is jumping around- so I tested it today- I went out and found a consistent target- dug it up- it said it was a penny...and of course it wasnt- It was the rim of a coke can. I am not going to give up I am just itching to find something of historic value!! But now that I am getting WORSE at pinpointing I am exhausted from digging and re-pinpointing. What can I do? AHHHH!! lol. Thanks for listening guys!

jadeblackhawk · Sep 16, 2011

Re: MD'ing for a while, feels like Im getting worse!

One bar is low sensitivity, eight bars is all the way on. Keep digging the junk, then recheck the hole. I've found more than 10 silver dimes that way, and a couple of silver quarters, hidden by the stronger junk signal. I once found a heavy 10k ring UNDER an old iron door hinge.

A $10 gold coin produces the same signal as an aluminum bottle cap. (I turned in $26 worth of dug aluminum last year. No gold coins yet, but I am always hopeful) A gold bracelet will ring as foil, up one notch above iron. Pull tabs chime the same as a gold ring.

I assume you are using the stock coil? (I ask because the new DD coil thinks everything is a quarter, very annoying to dig rusty bottle caps all day. My "good" target rate has plummeted since buying it.) The detecting field is cone-shaped, so the pinpoint is in the center of the coil. If you pinpoint a deep coin, you should only be moving your coil a few centimeters, while a can lid at the same depth will be a few inches wide.

I've found the depth meter to be counter productive. (I don't look at the screen anymore. It's almost never right.) Unless it is a silver coin, which is when it IS usually right. Unless the coin is on edge, silver will be a constant fast high tone, always. Anything on edge, even a little, can ring up as something else. I have found a couple of Mercury dimes completely on edge, that rang up as iron for some reason.

I dig everything, even after six years with the same machine. I have found many gold rings, silver dimes, and indian pennies in heavily hunted parks, by digging all signals. Wet ground will respond better where I live, but it might be different for you depending on the ground mineralization. I've also heard someone say to tape a coin to a piece of cardboard, flip it over, and try to pinpoint it. Then place a pin where you think the target is, and see how close you are. Try watching some videos on youtube, or going to the Garrett board on this forum. Slow down your swing speed, and make sure you keep the coil level, even on the end of a swing. The targets are out there, it just takes a lot of patience sometimes. And practice, practice, practice. It was 7 months before I found my first gold ring with my 250. And it was the one under the door hinge!

I hope I haven't confused you too much!

kblackphoto · Sep 17, 2011

Re: MD'ing for a while, feels like Im getting worse!

No thank you for the advice. I did try the cardboard trick and noticed it is way off on the pin point- i bought my machine at a md store so i suppose it is stock- came with the machine. I am just frustrated because before i was able to find whatever was sounding my machine alot easier- now its like i have to dig and dig and dig and then finally after 15 minutes i find it- sometimes i give up and think that im wasting all this energy on a coke can. But i will take your advice into consideration and just keep practicing! thanks alot!

njnydigger · Sep 17, 2011

Re: MD'ing for a while, feels like Im getting worse!

You just have to get out and dig ALOT :sign13:

It will come to you after awhile. Pinpointing with the Ace 250 can be tough - especially if you're newer to the hobby. Watch as many videos on youtube as possible. Even more so the videos with the same detector you're using. This way you can SEE what they're doing instead of just reading advice on a screen - which can be confusing :thumbsup:

Don't get discouraged. We ALL started out exactly like you. This hobby isn't for the faint of heart. It takes work, practice, sacrifice & dedication. Just by you posting your questions means you want to learn, so, you have the hunger. Now just get out there and dig...then dig some more - that's the best way to learn :icon_sunny: