Size of the Coil Questions

bigfish313 · Oct 4, 2016

So I found this diamond earring for a really nice lady. She lost it at a local park playing with her children. She is a Facebook friend of a Facebook friend. She made me homemade cookies! :hello2:

I was using my AT Pro with the stock coil. I was in Pro Zero 22. This earring sounded like a piece of trash. I could barely hear it and it was ringing up at 30-33, way below foil. I would have never dug this signal... When she held the earring in her palm I could not hear it at all. :icon_scratch:

My question is, would a smaller coil on the AT Pro have picked this up better? Or is it time to get another detector.
I wonder how much jewelry I've walked over in the last three years.
I do try to dig everything that repeats (check the last picture).

Cookies!!

2015 Total. :tongue3:

Terry Soloman · Oct 4, 2016

Yes, in general, a smaller coil will help find smaller targets. Were you running in All Metal?

bigfish313 · Oct 4, 2016

I was in Pro zero mode with discrimination turned up to 22.

NeilinFR · Oct 5, 2016

Even with the smaller coil they are going to read below iron.....smallest of gold that is. Theres not a lot of gold there. You are right, you probably have been walking over a lot of those earrings/charms/chains but you've also walked over a lot of small foil that would come in at that reading also.
Try testing the smallest gold you have at home, probably that's about it right there, and just dig to those numbers from now on....

beerguy · Oct 5, 2016

Nice job earning those cookies. I tend to dig a lot of foil targets, and I have found earring backs all by themselves. The CTX gives very good target info, so I usually know it is foil and hope to be surprised.
I places I hunt the most do not have too much in the way of foil, but if I find a site that is full of foil, can slaw or any consistent type of junk, I have been known to start walking past them. Who knows what I miss when I do that.

cudamark · Oct 5, 2016

Small stud earrings are tough for most all-around detectors made for coins and jewelry. When you need to find a small item like that (made of gold or platinum) a gold nugget machine works the best. It's designed for those tiny targets. If you don't have access to one, use the smallest coil you can and in all metal.