What am I doing wrong?

[Salura]

I’m pretty inexperienced, only getting a couple hours a year to try.

I had a couple hours yesterday to check my property. I found a nail pretty quickly. But my next try I got skunked.

I’m using a Garrett AT with pinpointer. I tried different settings. I’d get a nice loud high pitched ping with an indication of 83-to 99 at a depth of 0-10 inches. I’d dig the area indicated, find nothing, even after sweeping the dirt I pulled up with the detector and hand held pinpointer and find nothing. I enlarged my hole width and depth and ended up with a hole at least 12 inches deep and a foot wide, still nothing.

I ran out of time and daylight, so I closed the hole and marked it to come back to. I even took some video to post once I have a chance to edit it to post.

I’ve had this happen before so I must not be doing something right. My next attempt I’ll go back to basics and use my old White detector.

Any advice would be appreciated. I’m a bit disappointed and frustrated.

Thanks.

 

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[Red_desert]

If it still beeps, large metal targets (caches included) can be much deeper. Or foil coated paper or wad of foil you can punch trough. In the desert I dug a cigaret pack flat level about 2 feet deep. Another thing is a barrel hoop.

 

[Red_desert]

Edge of coil can detect also. Turn coil sideways, come in from 2 angles or opposite directions.

 

[Gare]

You might try checking out youtube for your detector and see what they they use for settings and how they work . It is usually very informative

 

[flinthunter]

Are you wearing steel toed shoes?

 

[diggummup]

You might try checking out youtube for your detector and see what they they use for settings and how they work . It is usually very informative

Good idea for those just getting into the hobby.

 

[rayoh]

I’m pretty inexperienced, only getting a couple hours a year to try.

I had a couple hours yesterday to check my property. I found a nail pretty quickly. But my next try I got skunked.

I’m using a Garrett AT with pinpointer. I tried different settings. I’d get a nice loud high pitched ping with an indication of 83-to 99 at a depth of 0-10 inches. I’d dig the area indicated, find nothing, even after sweeping the dirt I pulled up with the detector and hand held pinpointer and find nothing. I enlarged my hole width and depth and ended up with a hole at least 12 inches deep and a foot wide, still nothing.

I ran out of time and daylight, so I closed the hole and marked it to come back to. I even took some video to post once I have a chance to edit it to post.

I’ve had this happen before so I must not be doing something right. My next attempt I’ll go back to basics and use my old White detector.

Any advice would be appreciated. I’m a bit disappointed and frustrated.

Thanks.

I would bury some coins at various depths from 4 to 8 inches and mark the exact center of where the coin is buried with a golf tee or dowel rod at ground level. Practice sweeping the coil and pay close attention to where you get your most locked on signal(no jumping numbers or tones) When you get this part down, start using your pinpoint button. You will know exactly where the coin is and you can practice with pinpointing. When I started I doubt that I could get within 6 to 8 inches of where the target actually was. Good luck and in this hobby, practice makes perfect.

 

[CreakyDigger]

Lots of practice leads to better results. Don't give up!

 

[Gare]

I would bury some coins at various depths from 4 to 8 inches and mark the exact center of where the coin is buried with a golf tee or dowel rod at ground level. Practice sweeping the coil and pay close attention to where you get your most locked on signal(no jumping numbers or tones) When you get this part down, start using your pinpoint button. You will know exactly where the coin is and you can practice with pinpointing. When I started I doubt that I could get within 6 to 8 inches of where the target actually was. Good luck and in this hobby, practice makes perfect.

When you bury coins LEAVE THEM THERE for future tests, Also put some nails and trash close to the good targets so you can see how it affects your detector, SWING BOTH WAYS before you move

 

[Salura]

Are you wearing steel toed shoes?

No, and I checked my boots to see how far away they had to be order to not have the eyelets get picked up.

Thank you for your input.

 

[boogeyman]

No, and I checked my boots to see how far away they had to be order to not have the eyelets get picked up.

Thank you for your input.

Wife mad at you? Did she slip a penny in the toe of your boot? Just sayin it's happened. Don't ask me how I know........

 

[Salura]

Wife mad at you? Did she slip a penny in the toe of your boot? Just sayin it's happened. Don't ask me how I know........

Lol, nope. But I do test my detectors on my footwear before going out, to see how far my boots are detected, just so something like that doesn’t happen.

Thank you for your input

 

[Salura]

I would bury some coins at various depths from 4 to 8 inches and mark the exact center of where the coin is buried with a golf tee or dowel rod at ground level. Practice sweeping the coil and pay close attention to where you get your most locked on signal(no jumping numbers or tones) When you get this part down, start using your pinpoint button. You will know exactly where the coin is and you can practice with pinpointing. When I started I doubt that I could get within 6 to 8 inches of where the target actually was. Good luck and in this hobby, practice makes perfect.

That is good advice. I’ll try that. I thought I had that down, but it’s been so long I might just be rusty.

Thank you for your input.

 

[traveller777]

I am a bit fanatic about making sure nothing interferes or gives me false signal on detector. It may not give a solid hit but some boots and their eyelets or tacks can interfere. I have boots with absolutely no metal in them for detecting. I think better safe than sorry. But that is me. I want every edge I can get.

 

[crashbandicoot]

There,s a guy on youtube,Metal Detecting East Texas with Kevin.His older vids he uses a AT Pro and gives his settings and techniques.Very informative and entertaining. Look him up and watch some of them.

 

[traveller777]

There,s a guy on youtube,Metal Detecting East Texas with Kevin.His older vids he uses a AT Pro and gives his settings and techniques.Very informative and entertaining. Look him up and watch some of them.

Great advise from a wise man.

 

[oldkoot]

Do you have a coil cover IE(Skid Plate) on your coil if you do remove it and clean it out you would be surprised at what can accumulate under the coil and in the coil cover (Skid Plate), also if you have friends that likes to pull jokes on you I have known of friends pulling the skid plates on peoples coils putting a small bit of metal in the skid plate and then re installing the skid plate its all done in fun but it has happened it will cause all kinds of falsing when detecting

and no I have never played jokes on people LOL

 

[traveller777]

Do you ave a coil cover IE(Skid Plate) on your coil if you do remove it and clean it out you would be surprised at what can accumulate under the coil and in the coil cover (Skid Plate), also if you have friends that likes to pull jokes on you I have known of friends pulling the skid plates on peoples coils putting a small bit of metal in the skid plate and then re installing the skid plate its all done in fun but it has happened it will cause all kinds of falsing when detecting

and no I have never played jokes on people LOL

Good point

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

It could be you are detecting a large pipe underground I have picked up some old pipes about 3 feet down, a city guy told me what I was detecting because they ran under a playground I was detecting and he was by me when it happened. A large enough item will be picked up I have a Garrett AT gold so pretty similar to what you are using.

 

[traveller777]

I am a bit fanatic about making sure nothing interferes or gives me false signal on detector. It may not give a solid hit but some boots and their eyelets or tacks can interfere. I have boots with absolutely no metal in them for detecting. I think better safe than sorry. But that is me. I want every edge I can get.

I am not saying your boots are your
Main problem now. Just something to think about and consider. Crash gave you some good advise, as did others.