Swing speed

Midden-marauder

Sr. Member
Dec 10, 2023
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This is something I've only just stumbled across doing air tests with my detector. It seems that I'm able to get better reach with my unit on targets if I pass them fairly quickly across the coil, better reach by far than if I move the object slower. Has anyone else observed this? Is there an "ideal" swing speed or does it vary by different machines? Any comments or advise on this matter from the masters here?
 

Far from a master, but I've played around with testing swing speed before. I think just about every factor comes into play. The machine, soil/sand composition, the detectorist's unique body movement/sweep, etc all factor in. I found that the denser soil (wet mud/clay in my case) needed a slower swing then if I was on dry sand.

I don't think there is a once size fits all answer. It took me awhile to find a sweet spot. I began to time my swing with half steps on dry sand and quarter step in wet.
 

Far from a master, but I've played around with testing swing speed before. I think just about every factor comes into play. The machine, soil/sand composition, the detectorist's unique body movement/sweep, etc all factor in. I found that the denser soil (wet mud/clay in my case) needed a slower swing then if I was on dry sand.

I don't think there is a once size fits all answer. It took me awhile to find a sweet spot. I began to time my swing with half steps on dry sand and quarter step in wet.
Maybe I'll try doing the macarena to see if it helps me find gold lol. I noticed a big jump in depth on a penny the faster I'd move it below the coil, there's a limit to how fast I can swing and still maintain control but I have noticed in a few vids that these cats in the field are nearly shaking the coil over the ground, kinda fast as they go so I'm gonna see if I can manage. My machine probably isn't as light as some but it's not especially heavy so I can probably wobble it across the ground at a decent frequency. Still learning over here obviously
 

This is something I've only just stumbled across doing air tests with my detector. It seems that I'm able to get better reach with my unit on targets if I pass them fairly quickly across the coil, better reach by far than if I move the object slower. Has anyone else observed this? Is there an "ideal" swing speed or does it vary by different machines? Any comments or advise on this matter from the masters here?
I think that a bit of practice and trial is needed for any machine to see what is the best. One brand, model can be different from another in recovery speeds, recovering from sounding off on one target to another or ground variations and so on. For any given machine you can go too fast or too slow from my time detecting.
 

Yeah, it's interesting, it worked with all the targets I tested though the difference with something as small as a penny was eyebrow raising. I gained a good 3 to 4 inches moving the penny rapidly back and forth, I'll have to see just how fast I can work the coil without getting sloppy but my impression was that the faster I moved the target, the greater the range became up to a point. I know my detector, it's surprisingly good for the money I paid but it's still holding secrets I've yet to discover. And here I assumed that a slow, steady swing was the best bet, I bet I've missed more than a few targets because of this phenomenon
 

I agree with most of what's already been said.

Some of what you're (OP) asking sounds like something I read in an article about DD coils and how they work, BICBW.

I constantly play with my swing speed for a number of reasons, and I swing multiple times in different directions over an area/signal to glean as much as I can about a potential target. Some get really strong, some disappear, and anywhere in-between.

I've dug a lot of targets that surprised (and aggravated) me how deep and tiny they were.

If not already mentioned, many machines today have the ability to adjust sensitivity & reactivity (recovery speed).
 

This is something I've only just stumbled across doing air tests with my detector. It seems that I'm able to get better reach with my unit on targets if I pass them fairly quickly across the coil, better reach by far than if I move the object slower. Has anyone else observed this? Is there an "ideal" swing speed or does it vary by different machines? Any comments or advise on this matter from the masters here?
I thought you detected with a pin pointer?
 

As new technology is developed the reaction time of the processors is faster.
Just between a machine that was designed a decade or so back, compared to the new machines is quiet a difference.
 

I thought you detected with a pin pointer?
I do, I also have a regular machine with a 9 1/2 coil that I use where it's possible, it gets used in "designated" metal detecting trips as opposed to simply being out in the field and needing a quick tool for a quick search. That's another rabbit hole there but, yeah, I have a more standard detector as well which is the one in question here. I messed with it last night around our property to see if I could potentially tease out some stuff with a faster swing that I had missed before. Unfortunately a large portion of the property is now devoid of targets thanks to my activity so no coins found at a greater depth, they may lurk but I think I've pulled a large percentage of them out of the ground at this point. I mostly practiced my swing and tried working it faster which seemed to work well enough. It's rather nuanced, more than it seems at a glance, I'm still figuring out exactly what this machine is fully capable of.
 

I do, I also have a regular machine with a 9 1/2 coil that I use where it's possible, it gets used in "designated" metal detecting trips as opposed to simply being out in the field and needing a quick tool for a quick search. That's another rabbit hole there but, yeah, I have a more standard detector as well which is the one in question here. I messed with it last night around our property to see if I could potentially tease out some stuff with a faster swing that I had missed before. Unfortunately a large portion of the property is now devoid of targets thanks to my activity so no coins found at a greater depth, they may lurk but I think I've pulled a large percentage of them out of the ground at this point. I mostly practiced my swing and tried working it faster which seemed to work well enough. It's rather nuanced, more than it seems at a glance, I'm still figuring out exactly what this machine is fully capable of.
What make & model is your regular detector?
 

What make & model is your regular detector?
It's a Gordon High Precision Metal Detector. I paid about $175 for it. It's an off brand machine but it's reliable, good sensitivity control, VDI is always consistent, pinpoint function works fine and it finds the stuff consistently. The depth on small objects I think varies a bit depending on composition and geometry but generally it does good. It seems to do better when I use a faster swing speed especially on small targets, it has no problem finding larger ones at depth that's for sure. It's entry level and sure to be only the first of a number of machines I'll ultimately get into, for now it works and seems to work well enough. I'm gonna keep working with it, learning it until I get into a nicer model which is definitely in the cards.
 

I had a 5000D Series II that was set up with a hip-mount for the control box, with a extended shaft..all so I could get that coil moving faster across flat ground. Faster you moved the coil the deeper it hunted, and with better discrimination.
 

What make & model is your regular detector?
It's a Gordon High Precision Metal Detector. I paid about $175 for it.
I thought you paid $145 for it. :icon_scratch:

Anyhoo, it came down again--$140
 

I thought you paid $145 for it. :icon_scratch:

Anyhoo, it came down again--$140
Oh it's been a while, I think it was closer to 175 after tax lol, I forget, it's somewhere in there. In any case it's the machine I have at the moment. I've been eyeing some nicer models on Amazon, I have a reasonably tight budget, anything over 250 is probably more than I'm willing to dump into it but I'm not buying anything just yet so who knows. Minelab and nokta both have my eye but I'm still thinking about it
 

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For me, its a moderate swing, not to fast and not to slow. Whatever is comfortable is the best. If you focus on it to much, detecting will seem more like a job than a fun hobby.
 

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