Static in the head phones

[mtnmanpp]

Let me set the scene a bit. I'm detecting in southern Colorado around some old test pits where gold and uranium are found relatively close to one another. I'm swinging my gm1000 and i swing past a lively colored rock and i get static thru my earphones. i rebalance the machine swing over it slower, static gets louder as i get closer to this rock. no metal tones, just white noise whose frequency gets higher as i get closer. Gm wouldn't rebalance without a light static buzz. i had to restart the machine to clear up the audio, went on to find several nails and some lead, so its working fine again. Has anyone experienced this before?

forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

 

[Chilli]

Let me set the scene a bit. I'm detecting in southern Colorado around some old test pits where gold and uranium are found relatively close to one another. I'm swinging my gm1000 and i swing past a lively colored rock and i get static thru my earphones. i rebalance the machine swing over it slower, static gets louder as i get closer to this rock. no metal tones, just white noise whose frequency gets higher as i get closer. Gm wouldn't rebalance without a light static buzz. i had to restart the machine to clear up the audio, went on to find several nails and some lead, so its working fine again. Has anyone experienced this before?

forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

No nothing like that for me but I guess its plausible for that to happen.
A search reveals that uranium can indeed cause interference with a metal detector so it's highly likely if the rock contained it then that was your cause.
Interesting to hear about.

 

[Assembler]

Let me set the scene a bit. I'm detecting in southern Colorado around some old test pits where gold and uranium are found relatively close to one another. I'm swinging my gm1000 and i swing past a lively colored rock and i get static thru my earphones. i rebalance the machine swing over it slower, static gets louder as i get closer to this rock. no metal tones, just white noise whose frequency gets higher as i get closer. Gm wouldn't rebalance without a light static buzz. i had to restart the machine to clear up the audio, went on to find several nails and some lead, so its working fine again. Has anyone experienced this before?

forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

Uranium is a dense metal that can interfere with the magnetic field generated by metal detectors, leading to false rejects. The density of uranium similar to that of lead, which can cause confusion with lead detection.

Depleted Uranium is denser than lead and can also interfere with the magnetic field.

 

[mtnmanpp]

Thanks for the response, it was the oddest thing ive experienced happen while out. I'll have to go back soon and retrieve the rock and retest.

 

[Chilli]

Thanks for the response, it was the oddest thing ive experienced happen while out. I'll have to go back soon and retrieve the rock and retest.

Hi, yeah get a picture of it that would be great to see.
Here's hoping your memory is better than mine when I go back to check something out I typically spend an hr or more trying to retrace my steps. 😄

 

[mtnmanpp]

Sorry for the long wait, but I made it up to the location and found the special rock. I took some video, but the phone wouldn't pick up the erratic chop/ interference tones. I did put the UV light on it and nothing fancy.

 

[Assembler]

Sorry for the long wait, but I made it up to the location and found the special rock. I took some video, but the phone wouldn't pick up the erratic chop/ interference tones. I did put the UV light on it and nothing fancy.

This may help some with what may be going on:
Does Uranium Emit Noise? Unraveling The Science Behind Its Silence

Last updated Oct 08, 2025

https://soundcy.com/article/does-uranium-make-a-sound

 

[Chilli]

Sorry for the long wait, but I made it up to the location and found the special rock. I took some video, but the phone wouldn't pick up the erratic chop/ interference tones. I did put the UV light on it and nothing fancy.

Very interesting why it causes the interference. Perhaps put the picture up here somewhere on the forum where someone who might be able to id it can shed some light on why it does it.

 

[sturdyloser]

This may help some with what may be going on:
Does Uranium Emit Noise? Unraveling The Science Behind Its Silence

Last updated Oct 08, 2025

https://soundcy.com/article/does-uranium-make-a-sound Sprunki

Maybe post the image here on the forum so that someone who might be able to identify it and explain why it does that.

 

[Assembler]

Maybe post the image here on the forum so that someone who might be able to identify it and explain why it does that.

Denser materials often have higher acoustic impedance, which means they resist the propagation of sound waves more effectively. This higher impedance can both enhance and dampen sound depending on the context.

 

[mtnmanpp]

So here is some pictures of the special rock

 

[Assembler]

So here is some pictures of the special rock

Can you see specks of color here and there throughout the rock layers?
Interesting thanks for posting some better pictures.
May be time to crush and pan to see what you get?