Out detecting today...found a problem and 15cents..and a marble

[Tommi]

I was out detecting today and besides finding 15cents and a marble - don't ask for a pic I'm to lazy ... just imagine a really dirty 10 cent coin and a dirty 5 cent coin and a nice little marble.

Anyhows I was detecting my old primary school (seemed a lot bigger back in the day!!) and I got a really good strong silver signal with a squawk of gold... I dug 10inchs and still nothing and a strong signal from the hole.... so I gave up the chase...

Any tips for situations like these?
I'm using a treasure wise trowel (thanks Tabfinder!!) and some problem with small stones (which I thought could be hot rocks but none of them made a signal and no false signals all day)... I'm thinking I might need a shovel or a screwdriver...

 

[Ron B]

You've encountered what we Coloradians refer to as the "Phantom Ghost Hole!"
Sounds come out but nothing's there!

You may want to look into getting you a good electronic probe.
KellyCo has the UniProbe (Pulse Induction) for $145!!
I've never used the UniProbe but many do!

http://www.kellycodetectors.com/vibra/vibra_570.htm

 

[allen]

just keep digging until you find something...it is there...
i dug down 15 inches in a hole on friday just to find a steel beer can...

 

[seger98]

Yup just keep diggin' more then likely it's a can. But you'll never know until you find it!

 

[creeper71]

I'm still new at Metal Detecting but I had this problem a few times an the problem with me was I pinpointed just a hair off so the target was actually still in the wall about an 1/2in to a inch.. Don't know if that is your problem or not... Hope this helps...

 

[Tommi]

Nah, it was in hard sand, so every time I dug down more I would open the hole up in diameter to avoid that problem... It was a different sound then a can, hmmm I'll just go with phantom hole

I cracked it a couple of times and covered the whole over walked away... turned around came back.. detected the hole again and started again... I'll get myself one of those military style fold away shovels.

I'll go back there with the ace and have another go... so that will be in a couple of weeks.

 

[diamondjim]

had one of those that drove me NUTS. this was an amazing site, I'd found many large cents, early silver...but this one signal drove me crazy everytime I'd go, dig down and nothing. finally took out a shovel one day, determined to get to the bottom of this very strong signal. 3 feet down and still nothing. disgusted I slammed shovel in the wall of by now VERY large hole. CLANG. turned out to be the rim of a wagon wheel...I kept digging down the center and missing the 3 foot wide wheel. the detector was just averaging the signal and pin pointing down the center.

it happens.

usually I just cover up strong signals that aren't in the top 10 inches. I'll chase ghosts and faint signals to china if I have too...depends on the machine, the site, etc. I've dug enough enough aluminum cans in the 16-20 inch range to know when it's time to move on to the next hole.

 

[Felinepeachy]

I hate it when that happens.

 

[Tommi]

Thanks for the tips - really good for newbies

Electronic probe wise - hmm I can't really justify buying one at the moment, maybe one of those cheapie ones from a hardware store then I'll be able to find many of beer can

P.S: Have you noticed that most bottle tops and pull tabs are normally found very close to one another.... passing observation

 

[lockman209]

Keep digging

 

[Baldingboy]

Could be mineralization in the ground or outside interference messing with your detector (like nearby/underground cable). I have also had this happen when there is an itty bitty little piece of something that blends in so darn well you can hardly ever find it. If you have a pinpointer, it will help in such situations. As stated, very deep large objects will read as something more shallow at times. I must admit though, I have given up on these kinda phantom signals before after spending 15 to 30 minutes on a hole. I have noticed sometimes that if the target is in wet material on the edge of the hole, whether inside or out, it sometimes wreaks havoc with targeting the object. Hot Wheels parts that are missing paint are a pot metal color and blend in so darn well in gravelly soil, they are nearly impossible to find, yet they project a great signal. That's my 5 cents....it used to be 2, but with inflation in all.....

HH
Baldingboy

 

[diamondjim]

Thanks for the tips - really good for newbies

Electronic probe wise - hmm I can't really justify buying one at the moment, maybe one of those cheapie ones from a hardware store then I'll be able to find many of beer can

P.S: Have you noticed that most bottle tops and pull tabs are normally found very close to one another.... passing observation

if you must use a pin pointer, go to cheap dollar hardware store and buy a stud finder, make sure it has a metal conduit mode. I got mine for $9. It's just a tiny all-metal mode detector, gives about 2 inches depth. Works just fine, though I rarely use it...hate having to lug around extra equipment. I normally hunt in the woods and rough terrrian so less to carry is better and I dig monster holes to avoid damaging potentially valuable coins.

 

[lou423]

There is probably a large piece of metal deep in the ground.
A soda pop can or a piece of pipe.
Use a long, thin, screw driver to feel the shape and depth of the object.
Good luck.

 

[wwwtimmcp]

I once dug down 27" to find an old ford truck aluminum hubcap, and 22" to find a 3"x2" tin sheet from an old fridge or something similar. you just never know.

 

[Tommi]

sorta gave up.... it won the battle not the war
I was looking for one of those cheap metal stud finders and then I found this ... not sure it would be good enough.. the signal sounded deep

I'm hoping it's a fridge full of beer