Yet Another Ace 250 Newbie

[klevitt]

Hello Everybody, I'm new on tnet as well as I just got an ace 250 yesterday. I like the overall look and feel of the ace,but I too am having a hard time pinpointing. I must admit all the advice given here is a bit overwhelming..But i'm certain I will figure this thing out.Anyone else in indiana on here?

 

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[stanjam]

I am new to the hobby, and have an ACE 250 as well. Pinpointing can be tough with this machine, but actually it can pinpoint very well once you learn it. There is a good video by khouse I think. You can find it on youtube. It will show you the basics of detuning your machine. Garrett also has some animations on the topic that can help. I will do my best to try and describe pinpointing and detuning for you.

First, get idea of where the target is. Press the pinpoint button and sweep slowly side to side. Find where you get the highest number of bars/loudest tone. Then do the same with the detector moving forwards and backwards. Now that you have the center of the target it is time to detune and really get a fix on the target!

Detuning essentially makes the pinpointing area of the coil much smaller, allowing you to get a much better fix on your target. Doing it can be tricky, and the ACE can sometimes lose the target altogether, but it is worth learning! Here is how I do it. I am sure I will be corrected if I miss something here.

Now you should be over the center of the target, or at least real close. Move the coil a couple inches to either side of the target (I usually move it left). Now press and release the pinpoint button (some will say this part is unnecessary, but I get better results doing it). Press the pinpoint button down, and once again find the highest number of bars side to side. If done correctly you should now have to move a lot less side to side to get a fluctuation in the bars. Once you have the center left and right, move forward and back, again looking for the largest number of bars/loudest tone. Once you have it you are on top of your target! Move the coil directly backwards until you lose the signal. The target should now be right under the inside loop of the coil! Depth can alter this a bit, but your target should be between the top of the inner loop, and the notch on the front center of the coil.

This takes some practice to get right. I suggest burying a few coins at varying depths, and practicing. Mark the area over where you bury the first ones, so you can see where the target is located in relation to your coil. Then try a few without the marker. You should be ready to go!

Now sometimes, despite doing this, it is still hard. Occasionally while detuning the detector will go buggy. Mine will sometimes tell me the target is everywhere, and will even continue whining at max volume even if I pick the detector up and point it at the sky! Sometimes it will hum very quietly, like there is a speaker problem, and sometimes it will lose the target altogether! Just press and release the pinpoint button, and try again. Sometimes I still have a hard time finding where the target is. Moving 90 degrees to one side of the target can often help. Attack the target from the side.

So try these tips and let me know if they help, or anything else you discover in the process. Like you, I am learning, so perhaps we can help each other!

If anyone else sees an error in what I have written, please speak up! Like I said, I am new to this also, and would appreciate any tips or corrections. Looking to get as good at this as I can!

Good hunting!

 

[Cynangyl]

Welcome to Tnet Klevitt! Glad you decided to join! There are many folks here that will be very helpful as you see already I am sure. Stan is new but he is doing a great job already and real excited about the ACE250 and detecting in general. He is a gem! He's a keeper for sure! Sounds like those videos he mentioned would be a help as well. I am sure others will be glad to help you figure out your new machine. Those lil ACE250's are great machines to get started out with and many folks that have been detecting quite awhile still use them too! As far as finding someone in Indiana probably the best bet would be to go to the forum specific to Indiana and make sure and get a shout out there too! Good luck and happy hunting!!

 

[stanjam]

Thanks for the kind words!

I found some of the links I mentioned that should help you:

The video on detuning and pinpointing:



The Garret pinpointing tips for the ACE series:

http://www.garrett.com/hobby/techsupport/pinpointing.htm


Also I would add some other tips:

First, tape the coil wire directly up the lower stem of your detector. This should allow you to run at a bit higher sensitivity. Also a loose coil wire near the coil will lead to false signals.

Don't crank up the sensitivity! I had real problems my first day out. Turns out I was running the sensitivity too high. Running it high will cause all kinds of problems, from false signals to pinpointing problems. At least this was the case for me! Now I normally run at about 4 bars.

I am going to be getting a sniper coil. They come highly recommended. If you hunt trashy areas they can help you find stuff, as trash objects often can hide the signal from a good item. It also could help your pinpointing. Since the sniper coil is like 4-41/2", when you get an item, it is directly underneath the relatively small coil. It won't cover nearly the same amount of area in a sweep as the regular coil, but should also speed up your target location and recovery!

I am also thinking of getting a pinpointer probe. Lots of people swear by these. Essentially it is a mini detector that detects objects at short range. For shallow targets you will be able to locate exactly where they are before digging, and for deeper targets you will be able to find where the target is in the soil.

Depth is most accurately recorded when your coil is centered over the target. Once you have pinpointed a target, you might want to check the depth again. The again there are a number of things that can throw the depth indicator off, so don't rely on it too much!

 

[Frank1960]

Welcome to the ACE family and the forum as well. Good HUnting!