Pinpointing...

[SirJoey]

I've heard at least twice about a method of popping a shallow coin outta the ground with just a slit in the dirt, & a screwdriver. Does anyone have or know of a video demonstrating this technique?

Not that it'll do me much good, though, but I'd still like to see it. Seems no matter how I try, I can't narrow a target down to a smaller area than about a foot diameter, so I usually end up excaving this monstrous hole about a foot across, & 6-8 inches deep, only to find junk, if I find anything at all. My pinpointer is about useless, too. It doesn't do anything unless it's practically TOUCHING the target. Maybe it's junk too, IDK. Maybe I need a more sensitive one. Sure would be nice.

About a half hour this morning in high heat & high humidity resulted in me looking like I'd just taken a shower with my clothes on, a headache, & total skunkage to boot. Wires & pop cans. Had my discrim turned way up, but even above the coin setting, it still registers pop & beer cans as coins.

Unfortunately, there are no easy, novice-friendly areas such as tot lots & beaches nearby for my to practice or learn on. I have to do it the hard way, in hard, rocky, rooty dirt. Hope I didn't make a $400 mistake buying this thing...



"The Lord is my shepherd"

 

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[njnydigger]

It's pretty simple actually. However, keep in mind that the "probe" technique generally works best on shallow items only. Since most of the stuff I'm looking for tends to be deeper, I don't use it that often. BTW, it is a LOT easier to do with a pinpointer.

Once you have a good signal, pinpoint it to the best of your ability with either your detector or a handheld unit. From there, take a screwdriver or probe and make a "slit" in the grass over where you believe the target to be. The slit should be roughly an inch or two long. You can also try widening the slit by rocking the probe back and forth on the walls of the slit itself. You can even make an X slit too. But, it's all the same. Then...

Insert the probe into the slit and GENTLY push the probe around until you feel the probe hit something. This is your target. You would then lever the target out of the hole. If you cannot locate it with the probe, you can also stick your fingers in the hole and feel around for the target as well. However, BE CAREFUL!!! Could be can slaw, glass, etc., in there. Might want to use some gloves for this.

You should find the target pretty easily. Do it 50 to 100 times and you will become quite good at it. I promise

Again, this technique is better suited to shallow targets. Anything more than 3 or 4 inches and you will most definitely have to break out the digger.

Finally, a good probe costs about $10 or $15, I'd highly recommend one. However, you can also use a regular old screwdriver. Just make sure to blunt the end of it pretty good. Preferably so the tip is rounded. This will prevent marring or scratching a good find

 

[njnydigger]

BTW, if I remember seeing your last few posts correctly, didn't you say you just purchased your detector? If so, be P-A-T-I-E-N-T.

There is no rush. It's going to take you at LEAST a few months to learn the in's & out's of your unit. The nuances. Don't expect to find anything great initially. You might. It happens all the time. But, don't expect it. Just get out there and learn your detector.

Read the manual a hundred times. Seriously. Don't try to memorize it, just let something new kick in each time.

And finally, pull-tabs and bottle caps are part of the game. For everyone. You will not find anything decent unless you dig them. So, get used to them. You have a lot of them in your future
The reality of this hobby is you have to find a lot of junk in order to get a few keepers. Fact.

Be patient, learn your detector and good things will come. You can bank on it

 

[Michaelangelo]

Like Digger said-patience is the key. Ever heard the old expression "you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the Prince". Same with metal detecting. It can get discouraging but good things will come if you just keep at it. We've all dug our share of pull tabs, bottle caps, cans, and nails that we thought were going to be that "great find" we've been looking for. Once you dig a few coins and relics the passion will take over.
Keep at it and above all be patient.
Good luck and keep us posted on your finds!!

 

[SirJoey]

Ok guys, thanx! Although I seriously wonder if this thing's even working right,
I'll keep at it for awhile, at least as much I can stand in this heat & humidity.
This black outfit is MURDER in the sun! Maybe I could lose the cape & helmet, at least till Fall...

"The Lord is my shepherd"

 

[Old Town]

Dear Darth: I have very good luck with this method. But as others have mentioned, it's really only good for very shallow coins. Shallow to me means under 3 inches. Coins that are just now caught up in the root thatch or just beginning to get clear of it.

I've never used an electronic pin pointer. (have tried and discarded them) I only use a good detector that is good at Xing a target to determine location. Then I probe with a thin 3/32 T-handled Allen wrench with the end rounded up. 9 times out of 10 if the coin is within 3 inches I can find it quickly with the probe. Once you have it with the probe, you know exactly how deep it is. Then take a knife and make a shallow slit above the coin but not so deep as to strike it. This is where a metal probe beats an electronic pin pointer. You can actually tell exactly how deep the coin is with the metal probe.

So you make a little slit above the coin and then use the same knife point to go in under the coin via the slit and lever it out. I use a fairly wide Ka-Bar marine knife and this is wide enough to take a wide swath. Rarely do I fail to get the coin on the first try.

This technique requires fairly uniform, rockless soil. Lots of stones will be a problem. But on a nice lawn or athletic field, you can do some very fast and neat work. Most of my athletic field finds are very new and very shallow. This coin popping is perfect for this kind of work. Plus nobody sees a guy digging big plugs and removing mounds of dirt. This can only be a good thing.

Old Town

 

[McKinney_5900]

Dear Darth: I have very good luck with this method. But as others have mentioned, it's really only good for very shallow coins. Shallow to me means under 3 inches. Coins that are just now caught up in the root thatch or just beginning to get clear of it.

I've never used an electronic pin pointer. (have tried and discarded them) I only use a good detector that is good at Xing a target to determine location. Then I probe with a thin 3/32 T-handled Allen wrench with the end rounded up. 9 times out of 10 if the coin is within 3 inches I can find it quickly with the probe. Once you have it with the probe, you know exactly how deep it is. Then take a knife and make a shallow slit above the coin but not so deep as to strike it. This is where a metal probe beats an electronic pin pointer. You can actually tell exactly how deep the coin is with the metal probe.

So you make a little slit above the coin and then use the same knife point to go in under the coin via the slit and lever it out. I use a fairly wide Ka-Bar marine knife and this is wide enough to take a wide swath. Rarely do I fail to get the coin on the first try.

This technique requires fairly uniform, rockless soil. Lots of stones will be a problem. But on a nice lawn or athletic field, you can do some very fast and neat work. Most of my athletic field finds are very new and very shallow. This coin popping is perfect for this kind of work. Plus nobody sees a guy digging big plugs and removing mounds of dirt. This can only be a good thing.

Old Town

I have a question. What if it's junk, a pop top, something less in mass for the probe/screwdriver to "feel?" I mean...you could get real frustrated jabbing in the ground before giving up on whether it was a coin at all. Seems to me that digging would be the most efficient way to begin with. jm2c martin

 

[Old Town]

McKinney, believe it or not, you can feel the difference between odd shapes and round coins by probing around the edges. This is done very quickly and becomes second nature. The trick is to use the thinnest probe you can find. I use the aforementioned Allen wrench because it's very thin and very stiff.

Things like screwdrivers are way too thick and ponderous for me. I can't "feel" with them. A thin probe goes in like a hypodermic needle. Upon hitting the object (shallow, remember) quickly probe around it like the points on a compass. If it's not round you can easily tell.

Again, this takes practice but can be done in seconds when you get a feel for it. If you hit a pull tab it's very easy to tell with the probe. Same with most stones. If you have too many stones the probe is not practical.

The whole point of the probe is to avoid digging those surface targets that really do not require digging at all. The less holes on private or public property the better. When coin hunting in parks, I probably probe/lever-out fully one third of my finds. This is considerable.

OT

 

[SirJoey]

Thanx for the info, OT! Very informative! For me though, the problems with this method are twofold (not counting lack of experience, of course):

First, since my detector makes exactly the same sound regardless of target material, it's impossible to tell whether the target is small & shallow, or large & deep. Since I can't identify a target by tone, I have to rely solely on the display, which really isn't all that accurate, if you ask me. Of course, if the target IS small, it will definitely be shallow, since mine won't detect coins much deeper than about 3", but there's really no way of knowing what I'm getting into till I start excavating.

Secondly, the soil here is absolutely FULL of rocks! Nothing but roots & rocks! It's horrible to dig. Several times already, the target has ended up being something large & deep which I can't identify even when I finally hit it, so I just give up & fill the hole back in, cuz there's a lotta junk like car parts buried on my property!



"The Lord is my shepherd"

 

[utah1066]

ahh yes fill dirt just like my yard but you should be getting deep coins up to 9" or more try the cross method
+ and try with the side of the coil as well and if that is not working try putting it on all metal mode
and then start 1 foot passed your target puling back north to south then do it from east to west with the coil on its side if still not working for you start over with coil on its side 1 foot in front of your coil then pull it back untill no noise then move forward untill you get to hear some noise stop there mark it then put a coin on the ground and test it the same way just to see how far off you will be, if the coin is only 3" deep you should be right on it. i hope that helps you

 

[SirJoey]

Thanx, Utah! I've gotten a lot better at pinpointing in just the 6 days since my MD arrived.
Now, I can usually narrow it down to about a 6" circle, which is prolly close enough.

As for finding deep coins, anything below about 3" is out of the question... my MD just won't cut it,
but that's ok, cuz I really don't feel like diggin' deep holes in this rock-infested junkyard anyway!








"The Lord is my shepherd"

 

[NGE]

Mr. Darth, are you too young or too old to travel? Why not head over to another place other than yours? Like the next county or another nearby state? I am blessed with sandy soil in my city yard. But just 10 houses down, it is all heavy clay, then in our parks , old river bottoms, nice rich sandy loam. I would not spend another minute in an area such as yours, if it's frustrating me that much. I have run into rocky, root infested, heavily mineralized areas like you are describing, and I got out of there asap, it's not worth my knees and knuckles, or frustration . Get up and travel, who knows, you may like it. Oh, and btw, a storm trooper outfit would be better in the heat ..........NGE

 

[SirJoey]

Mr. Darth, are you too young or too old to travel? Why not head over to another place other than yours? Like the next county or another nearby state? I am blessed with sandy soil in my city yard. But just 10 houses down, it is all heavy clay, then in our parks , old river bottoms, nice rich sandy loam. I would not spend another minute in an area such as yours, if it's frustrating me that much. I have run into rocky, root infested, heavily mineralized areas like you are describing, and I got out of there asap, it's not worth my knees and knuckles, or frustration . Get up and travel, who knows, you may like it. Oh, and btw, a storm trooper outfit would be better in the heat ..........NGE

Thanx, my friend! U make some very good points! I'm no spring chicken, but I'm not completely shot yet, either. I'm only 57, but I'm already retired, due to serious back & hip problems which severely limit my time on my feet, to say nothing of physical exertion in general, so for me, this rocky, rooty, junk-infested yard of mine is pretty brutal, but it seems the logical place to start, albeit for only short periods at a time, & generally shallow digs.

Financial limitations also play a big part in how I approach this new hobby, as well. After I get my new MD paid off, I may be able to gradually branch out into surrounding areas, as abilities & resources permit. Can't wait!

Right now, I'm temporarily sidelined, waiting for UPS to arrive & pick up my defective MD. Hopefully, it won't be too long before a replacement arrives. In the meantime, all I can do is placate myself by reading stories here of everyone else's hunts & adventures!
HH!

Incidentally, I worked hard to rise above the rank of a common stormtrooper, thank you, so the black outfit is a small price to pay for the respect I command...


The Lord Is My Shepherd!

 

[Swartzie]

Had my discrim turned way up, but even above the coin setting, it still registers pop & beer cans as coins.
"The Lord is my shepherd"

A good way to tell if it's a pop can: lift the coil several inches to a foot above the ground and swing it. If it still signals strong then it's probably a pop can. It takes a while to learn the hobby. Give it a few months to get up on the learning curve.

Good Luck!
Swartzie

 

[SirJoey]

A good way to tell if it's a pop can: lift the coil several inches to a foot above the ground and swing it. If it still signals strong then it's probably a pop can. It takes a while to learn the hobby. Give it a few months to get up on the learning curve.

Good tip! I'll try to remember that next time. Thanx, Swartzie!










The Lord Is My Shepherd!