VDI help for CW buttons please

[bigtim1973]

Hey fellows just got some new places to hunt where there has been camp sites and all that good stuff. I was wondering if someone who has dug a few civil war buttons could please put the VDI numbers up so that I can take note of them. I have never dug a button before and I every time I look or search for VDI charts they are always for coins, Thanks Tim (using the MXT)

 

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[Hutch911]

I hardly use the VID's on my MXT if you are in a camp dig everything that breaks the threshhold. How are you setting up your MXT for Relics.

 

[bigtim1973]

Well yesterday I set it to just below the nickle mark and tried to dig the better non iron targets.(I was not at a civil war site just out in a field seeing how it reacted) I have not really looked with it yet and am going to take her on the maiden voyage this week hopefully. I dug several of the old zinc and ceramic mason jar lids and they came up as bullets but I try to go by the number more than anything with the machines I have used in the past. They came in on my mxt at about 38. That was really the only thing I dug yesterday. I dug a few Buckle range targets that ranged in depth from 10-12 inches. Just turned out to be unidentifiable iron. I did not have long to really get down to business with a good search. I have some bullets that I can see how they come up on the VDI and that will give me some kind of idea on what it will be before I dig. I have never really been able to search an area known to have CW stuff before. I have dug bullets but they were few and far between. I being a coinshooter for all of the time I have been detecting and have tried to stay clear of the iron stuff........I know I will have to break that habit because now I am going down a different avenue with detecting.

 

[Hutch911]

It's a guessing game with CW relics. Iron tones may be junk or a cannon ball or a lock plate. Flat iron will drive you crazy cause it will ring high and say buckle. I dug 4 or 5 beer cans and on the 6 high tone that sounded just like the other beer cans turned out to be a nice US box plate.
Buttons in the Hot ground in VA are funny some give broken tones all depends on how they lay in the ground as well. I learned from digging almost every tone. Iron -95 no but if it is jumping between -20 +20 dig it. in the red clay some times pending on how dry the soil is bullets ring as Hot Rock. God luck in the camps you will have to dig up the junk that is masking the good stuff anyway DIG IT ALL !!!!

I use relic mode with trigger in center DIS 2.5, gain around +2 as long as it stays stable and low threshhold hum.

Good Luck

 

[bigtim1973]

Well I will sure keep you guys posted..I also noticed something about this MXT too, during the little hunt I performed yesterday........I knew there was going to be alot of small pieces of iron where I was. I balanced the MXT and then I put the ground on lock, thinking it would make it more stable and to cut down on the false signals. While I was swinging I noticed it kept on snapping and popping while I was swinging the coil, I turned the gain back down to the preset level. I tried it again and no difference. I even turned the gain back to about 7 then I squeezed the trigger thinking if it was small pieces of junk that I would be able to kind of pinpoint the location of it and go away from that. Nothing happened when I tried that either. I flipped the switch back to ground and went to swinging again and it smoothed the operation out and there was no more noise. I thought that the machine would be more stable in the lock position but it was just the opposite of what I thought. This MXT is new to me and I am trying to learn its qwerks. I picked up that MXT Edge book and I am only about 1/3rd the the way through it. I enjoy reading alot about detecting and have learned some things that have been benificial to me through the years but, I have not read alot in this MXT book so far that I could say has opened my eyes about it. Matter of fact the book said it would be better alot of times where there was man made iron deteriorating, to put it in the lock position, which was the exact opposite of what I ran into. Any input or similar experiences with you fellow T'Netters with your MXT?

 

[kuger]

I usually dont pay attention to the VDI numbers either,but am starting to just for the fun of it,+80's are usually silver,so I like to get an idea of what I am digging.I always hunt RELIC,Toggle middle,and presets,and only lock in to gain a little depth(I have ran into your problem,and I think it was balancing on unclear ground)I like the machine to be able to adjust itself.My buddy has just got me to hunt Disc. 0,Relic mode.and toggle forward,takes some getting used to but if you watch your VDI's you will learn whats what and dig those iron gun parts!!!My gold coin came in as a pull tab or zinc penny!!!!