signal ???

[BIGHEAD]

I have a prism II and I have had a couple solid 25cent to 50cent readings, but when I dig I find no target. I then re-check the hole and I have no target. The target just did a vanishing act? This is strange because usually when I get this reading I find quarter or a big piece of metal. Could it be from soil conditions or could a small piece of metal that I can't find give off a signal that large

 

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[radarwill]

Sometimes iron plays funny tricks on detectors. I've gotten plenty of false hits on my Sovereign caused by large iron objects or small bits of rust. They sound great in the hole but once out they fall apart and seem to disappear. Once you get a good ID, go to an all metal mode and usually you can tell the good ones from the bad. A bad target will break up when you change the sweep speed and angle unlike a coin which will usually sound good no matter what.
Hope this helps.

 

[UncleVinnys]

Whoa, if I had a nickel for every time that happened to me!!!

It's called the TH-gnome, coin bandits, or cosmic tricksterism.

Actually it can be a lot of things, like:
- a coin that was laying flat and is now tipped on its edge
- a very thin wire, or ear-ring hoop that is too small to see or gets pushed to the side
- a rusty nail, camouflaged against the dirt, so you cannot see it, was flat, now standing on end
- a "hot rock" that doesn't look like anything, so you toss it aside
- a detector malfunction, such as a threshold set right on the edge, that registers
a small metal object then as the battery wears down, it dips below the threshold

Blah, blah, blah - - you get the idea.
Anyway, it's gotta be the most frustrating thing!

That is AFTER digging a 4-foot deep hole, still getting a signal and can find nothing,
even as you get down to bedrock!

 

[bruizr]

i keep a small magnet with me to scratch around in the dirt and will collect degraded metal debris that probably causes a lot of false signals.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Your best bet is to hook up with a proficient hunter in your area (not just an arm-chair sandbox hunter) and go out and compare, flag, and dig signals. There is simply no way, in print, to describe things like sounds, swing speeds, repeatability, etc..... Only by watching each other will the "lights go on", and you'll see what you might possibly be doing wrong.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Your best bet is to hook up with a proficient hunter in your area (not just an arm-chair sandbox hunter) and go out and compare, flag, and dig signals. There is simply no way, in print, to describe things like sounds, swing speeds, repeatability, etc..... Only by watching each other will the "lights go on", and you'll see what you might possibly be doing wrong.

This is an excellent approach!

I've had numerous signals disappear. The thing to remember is that there is something there that caused that signal. Most frequently a coin turned on edge can be oriented flat again by removing the loose dirt in the hole and spreading it out on a drop cloth or towel. A pinpointer will help you.

Many desirable targets have disappeared on me--a good many coins, desirable relics, and even a minieball.

Good Luck,


Buckleboy

 

[BIGHEAD]

I just got a Whites pinpointer for my birthday but have not got a chance to use it yet. I'm glad that its not just me because it drives me nuts . Thanks for all your replies, now that I know what to look for and have a pinpointer maybe I can fix this problem. HH BIGHEAD

 

[UncleVinnys]

A pinpointer will help you.

Many desirable targets have disappeared on me--a good many coins, desirable relics, and even a minieball.

Good Luck,

Buckleboy

Yes, pin-pointer is pretty much essential, and it saves a lot of time.

WORST scenario that has happened to me - - find the coin, then DROP it as
I fiddle around trying to find my coin pocket, THEN CANNOT FIND IT AGAIN
where it dropped on the ground - even with the detector scanning for it.
I tell you, there are nasty little lepracauns (sp?) following me around!

 

[briankb70]

i keep a small magnet with me to scratch around in the dirt and will collect degraded metal debris that probably causes a lot of false signals.

That's a heck of an idea. Really frustrurated me today. I just chalked it up to rust or BB's .my bullseye was going off everywhere I pointed it in the hole. And no, the threshold was set .I kept checking it ,check the hole and back again. Finally said "Oh the H@#% with it and covered it back.

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

I will go a different route on this one here..unless someone already said it! I would bet money you probably are getting a false depth reading... You are getting a larger deeper target (Beer, pop, large metal) causing the false reading...it is probably a few inches deeper....this happens to me with the se and dfx all the time...

 

[luvsdux]

The pinpointer will help a lot on the small pieces that blend into the soil. On shallow coins, I generally dig or cut a narrow slit and work them out with a screwdriver. Once in a while the digging will flip the coin out of the slit and behind where i'm looking so if I lose the signal I always look there. I've even had quarters that had taken the soil color that were hard to see flipped out like this. AND, sometimes we just never find what gave the signal in the first place.
HH
BB

 

[UnEarthed72]

I've used the prizmII and also experienced the same thing as you,i got 50cent signal kinda broken up(iffy) so i dug anyway. probably about 5 inches down the signal area seemed to move and a bit on the outside of the hole..better but broken signal. Eventually after about 5 more inches or so i found a 1950 Franklin half laying edge up(so it was a side view),i feel its just the deeper type signals that are harder to pinpoint and spotty/moving target when not face up..

A depth meter would be of great use on the prizmII especially with the deep stuff

Shawn