mike98000 said:
I have been scanning one way and then 90 degrees to that and zeroing in that way. I believe the field from the coil is narrower left and right and longer front to back on my detector (ACE 250). I am not sure of that however. But it seems to work very well. I have only had my detector a short time and I am already starting to think a pinpointer is also a good idea. Depth seems to be harder to figure than location. Some times the coins pop right out and other times... Can someone recommend the smallest pinpointer that works well (and hopefully cheap). I definitely one that doesn't look anything like a gun!!
The 'sweet spot' on the 250 is the tip of the inner coil.
Signals are radiated from the outer, and received with the inner. I used the center as my target when I first got mine, and found I was more often off by a few inches than not. One can pinpoint with the center if so inclined - Be aware that your target will be a good 3 inches ahead of that.
I take it you meant you don't want a pinpointer that looks like a gun. Why not ? Think the cops might mess with ya ?
One of the best, and certainly the cheapest, is shaped like none other than a gun, I love the thing and wouldn't go detecting without it.
Its adjustable detection range [say,for a quarter] is anywhere from about 2 inches at max, to dam near nothing at minimum.
Larger targets will have greater range, and smaller targets less.
It has audio,vibrate and visual alerts - And even a little LED light for lighting up those pesky dark holes [that actually comes in handy now and then when detecting near sunset and/or in an 8 inch hole]. And it costs about half/a third of what other PP's cost.
They are on ebay sometimes - This here is the cheapest source I know of
http://www.billsdetectorsales.com/pinpointers.html
Be aware that with any pinpointer you may get, their long PVC necks are fragile and tend to snap off rather easily.
I snapped mine twice probing a bit to aggresively, but managed to patch it back together with JB Weld.
I've found that they in no way detract from my pinpointing abilities with the detector itself.
I pinoint everything I find with the detector, then:
In sand, wood chips or pebbles stick it in and make sure I'm in the right spot.
I almost always get a nice beep, then proceed to recover the target.
In the ground - If its a strong signal, often you can stick the pinpointer right on the spot on the groud where you think it is, and if it beeps [or vibrates] you know the target is right there less than an inch or so down. I can then make a little slit in the ground and yank it out with my fingers.
If the target is deeper, I'll dig a bit then periodically probe the hole, bottom and sides, and also the escavated dirt pile.
This can very well save you time, and also save you from damaging a target with over zealous digging.
Quite a few times I've been off on my pinpointing by just an inch or less - More than enough to throw you way off.
No matter how good you get, this will happen at times - A coin in the ground slanted to a side, for instance, will throw your pinpointing completely out of whack. A hand held pinpointer is not at all fooled by this, and as you move it around the sides it will tell you right where that little metal bugger is hiding.
The best advice you'll hear is practice, practice, practice. Metal detecting is much like any other sport, with time and experience you become proficient.
It has come in very handy. Especially when the suns going down and it's pretty black down in the hole. The light on the Bullseye II is a definate plus. Also helps in locating small targets that I've missed and ended up in the pile of dirt I've removed. The size of plug I dig in parks and schools is usually about three inches in diameter. Sometimes I'm off just a bit in my pinpointing and the bullseye is great at finding a target that is in the side of the hole. Do I use it every time I recover a target? No. But when I need it I'm glad I have it.
