Wet sand or salt water?

[Ferfilus]

Is it the salt water or the wet sand that makes it impossible to metal detect?
I live in a place with a lot of sand, does that mean that I can't metal detect after it has rained?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Is it the salt water or the wet sand that makes it impossible to metal detect?
I live in a place with a lot of sand, does that mean that I can't metal detect after it has rained?

Both, saltwater contains salt minerals, basically metal. It is the salt in the water and in the wet sand that is causing your issue, you most likely are using a single freq detector, for salt water you need a multi freq or pulse induction detector to be able to get past the falsing caused by the salt, your detector basically thinks there is metal everywhere.

You can turn your sensitivity way down to try to stop it but your also turning down the depth too.

You can either hunt the dry sand or get detector made for saltwater. ...

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Is it the salt water or the wet sand that makes it impossible to metal detect?
I live in a place with a lot of sand, does that mean that I can't metal detect after it has rained?

It depends on the metal detector and type of soil. Water is a conductor afterall (albeit very mild). That's why you can get electrocuted on a wet floor, for example. And I'm guessing that SALTY water, is increased more-so. And certain mineral may be innert when dry, yet "get activated" when they get wet . Because I've seen sand types that we can work the dry sand just fine. And I'm assuming those sand contain "salt" crystals within them (from sun-dried earlier times when water was that high). But when we get down on the identical sand that is wet, it changes.

So the answer appears to be "all of the above". And different detector excell in different areas. Some might be better with minerals (of which salt is a mineral). And some might be ok with wet minerals.

And by the way: Just because a machine may be p*ss-p**r in wet salt, doesn't necessarily mean it won't excell in other venues. There's some Tesoro 2-filters that are SIMPLY NOT MADE for this type hunting. Yet they will kick the pants off those other beach-deep-seeker machines, in environments like nail-riddled ruins, ghost towns, etc... So each machine has its niche.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

TH and Tom in CA are, as always, correct.
Please let me add that land machines have the opposite effect on wet ground. They seem to pick up targets deeper in my experience.
My Tesoro Cortez usually picks silver dimes outta ground at a 6" limit. Yet, when ground is wet, I get dimes at 7-8".
Welcome Ferfilus!
GL and HH
Peace

 

[Tom_in_CA]

TH and Tom in CA are, as always, correct.
Please let me add that land machines have the opposite effect on wet ground. They seem to pick up targets deeper in my experience.
My Tesoro Cortez usually picks silver dimes outta ground at a 6" limit. Yet, when ground is wet, I get dimes at 7-8".
Welcome Ferfilus!
GL and HH
Peace

Good point C-kid. You're right: damp ground gives an extra "umph" on those deep silver coins So since land-sites are typically not "salty" (as you'd expect from the ocean's/beach's edge), then moisture/wetness alone, is not an impediment. Well, to clarify: moisture and SALT anyhow are a bad combination for some machines. Yet moisture and other types minerals can actually make for better. Hmmm . Strange.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Ferfilus the way I read your post is that you are questioning if you can detect in wet sand if the sand isn't at the ocean I don't think you have a problem. In fact as Tom pointed out moisture can improve the depth you can detect at.