While hunting around an old park or an old house using Park 1 setting, I often get mixed signals alerting me that there are possibly multiple deep mixed targets like iron and a coin. My question is, does changing to a low single frequency like 4khz or 5khz help in detecting and verifying a deep coin signal? And what is the best single frequency to use to verify this? Will changing to 20khz or 40khz help in verifying gold jewelry or gold coins?
I see you are also in Indiana, as am I. Old parks are tough and not so much due to the amount of iron in the ground but mainly due to all of the other bits and pieces of non-ferrous metals in the ground, this being the greatest nemesis.
What you’re dealing with is known as “clipping.” Generally clipping can occur whenever the search field encounters a target that contains both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, or whenever two or more targets are encountered in the search field at nearly the same moment. Clipping can also happen when an item registers at the edge (just above or below) of a notched out position. Keep all of this in mind as understanding clipping is important.
I’ve been using an Equinox 800 in my local old parks and those places of similar nature. While the 800 allows me recovery speed adjustments from 1 to 8 with 8 being the fastest, I seldom use anything faster then 6 and usually 1 through 5. The reason for this is because I don’t want to lose that potentially important clipping that these faster recovery speeds frequently sacrifice. You see, the only way to achieve faster recovery speeds is by arranging things so that the processor doesn’t have to process those clippings, or in other words, those weaker and fainter and uncertain returns, so these are often returns that you’ll never even hear when employing faster recovery speeds. Keep all of this in mind too.
Slower recovery speeds when used with slower coil motion simply provides for a great deal more target information because we are allowing the processor more time to accept and to process those weaker and fainter and uncertain returns. Make sense? Trust me, as all of this is going to address many of the clipping issues that you are experiencing.
Since slower recovery speeds allow for more target information and more time for the processor to evaluate targets this will often times turn clipping into actual target signatures when we employ slow and very short minute coil motions over the suspected target area. In essence we are allowing the processor more time to locate the suspected target and to isolate it from the surrounding contaminates, especially when those suspected targets are deeper and those returns are rather faint/weak. This is something we cannot do very often when employing faster recovery speeds. Thus the reasons why I seldom employ recovery speeds much over 5 or 6 and generally slower whenever possible. A small coil is also a big plus in those really trashy areas as this allows for fewer targets being in the swing plane and/or search field at the same time.
BUT, it still isn’t easy to ferret out what little remaining silver might still exist in these heavily hunted places. Detecting clubs use to be big deals in Indiana back in the 60-70’s and even back then detectors were quite capable. To offer you an idea I’ve been keeping track of my recoveries in the old and heavily hunted out park that I detect and my count to date is 43 quarters, 56 nickels, 85 dimes, and over 200 pennies. For all of these efforts, plus all of the other assorted crap, I’ve only managed 2 mercury dimes, 1 silver pendant, 2 silver rings, 2 late period silver quarters, and 5 rosies. “All of them deeper then 8”….another reason to avoid faster recovery speeds because faster recovery speeds also sacrifice depth. Sensitivity is also generally run as high as I can get away with, higher with the smaller coil and lower with the larger stock coil, depending on ground conditions. Hope some of this helps! PS: I'm generally in Park 2, sense usually between 14-20, and of late I've even notched out everything below 20 and everything above 34.....but this is strictly my coin hunting mode, less some of the pennies and nickels, in that particular old park and those conditions. This range still allows for coins (other then nickels) and most sterling jewelry items. I don't even bother with gold jewelry in this old park simply due to all of the non-ferrous trash.
? Do tell.
