Question that needs an answer

blastpak

I have an Ace 250 that is starting to drive me crazy. When hunting I'll get a tone for a coin and pinpoint it's location. I dig the hole and swipe again while getting another tone so I dig a little more. I'll swipe the hole again and no tone...so I swipe the pile and no tone. This happens alot. Where does it go and why do I get a tone numerous times and then nothing ever again?

30AnvZ28

Iron halo probably. I had the same problem myself with the 250... but I think its all detectors.

blastpak

I also retrieve many nails that fall into the coin tone. Does this happen with other detectors? I've had this for almost two years now and dug one medal/pin, two statehood quarters,a nickel and everything else has been trash metal that is supposed to be discriminated against. Should I buy a different detector because I'm getting very discouraged and it's not fun anymore.

phut

I've had it happen on four different machines, but I like chasing the iffy signals.
Are you getting the same signal in the side to side swing as you do with front to back?
Goldrush had a good tip that works about half the time. After you pinpoint, stomp on that spot to see if you can break the halo, then swing to recheck.
I've also had several small targets fall off the end of the shovel back into the hole that is now too deep for my coil to find. Take another scoop out, or use a pinpointer.
As for not finding much in two years......What State are you hunting? How much time do you put in? How much time you you spend researching? Are you hunting obvious spots that others are likely to hammer?
I average 8 to 10 hours per week and probably a little more staring at maps and studying local history. Most of the time I prefer to hunt the hard to get to spots, but even hammered spots can produce some cool finds if you get out of coin shooter mode.

Morglan

I'm a new 250 owner, and I was frustrated at first too. I've got 50-75 hours in now, and I've just learned how to tell the difference between rusty nails and coins--but it has taken digging a TON of nails to get it right.

At least on my machine, a rusty nail can give a strong silver signal (usually too strong), and will (99.99% of the time) bounce down into the iron range from at least one direction, whereas not one of the coins I've ever dug has done this. When I hit a coin, it reads the same pretty much every time I pass the coil over it, and usually from any direction I approach it.

If you get an unusually strong signal, approach the target from 90 or 180 degrees in the opposite direction--if it's a nail, it'll probably either bounce around on the scale, show up as iron only, or possibly disappear.

If not, dig it--worst case, you just dug up another nail and you know your detector can tell if there's something metal down there. Best case, maybe a Morgan dollar!

If you have not already, you should try detecting with the sensitivity down to 3 or 4 bars for awhile.

One other thing that (to me) is as important as swinging the coil is research. You're probably not going to find old coins in an area where there were no people 75-100 years ago. My knowledge of local history has grown quite a bit since I got my detector--to the point where the local history clubs have started bugging me to join!

Just keep at it.

kevinstang

My Garrett Gtax model will do the same thing, its often old pull tabs on those ifffy signals. Once the dirt is removed the detector finally discriminates the trash out and the signal is gone. Usually if if you look hard enough in the hole you will find some type of trash that caused it. Like mentioned, use a cris cross pattern with your coil over target, if the signal is solid in one direction, and weak or not there at all in the other - its most likely a trash signal. A good solid hit should give a strong signal both ways. The worst ones are the reall old pull tabs with the tang bent into the middle opening, they really fool the detector- usually give a quarter signal on my garretts scale.

millennium

Here is what I have discovered.......When you sweep the hole and get a solid signal then do another sweep of the the hole making an "X" pattern...If the signal repeats itself with the same sound BOTH ways, then dig the target until you find it...Nails and junk seldom have a repeatable signal...

Also one of the things I always carry with me is a plastic mat (like a floor mat for a car) about 15" x 15"...I dip all the dirt out as I dig and place it on the mat. Until I get the signal on the mat. I then cut the dirt in half, and sweep again. Discard the dirt that has no signal and cut the remaining dirt in half again...repeat until you find the target on the mat.......
This works for those targets that are a bear to find......

I had to use this method to find this coin...they are small, thin and this was in gray dirt, I just could not see it....this was in the days before I got my Tinytec probe...

blastpak

Thank you for the info all...it has helped out greatly. Todays finds are: 1943 p war nickel...1964 nickel...4 roosies/no silver....3 wheaties/not sure of dates yet....7 lincolns/not sure of dates yet....a medal of some kind/looks like a sheriffs badge with the date of 1913 and two buttons. I only had time to search 1/4 of this land and will go back tommorrow.


Any idea of the badge or medal?

grip

millennium
First time I checked out your MD finds,just super.

Al

millennium

Thanks Grip.....The Fotki site is a great place for storing pics....

lonelyp

Hi Board,

I did a little detecting my last 2 days of vacation. I went out as much for the walk on the beach, as for anything I might find. On Hampton beach NH, I found .28. On Plumb Island point, Newburyport Ma. $1.36. And alot of lead (sinkers). Funny thing was in Hampton there was at least 5 other guys with detectors, on Plumb Island, I was the only one.

The detector I was using was borrowed, I'm not sure what brand/model. But I found a squashed alum. can would give me a coin tone, but it had to be squashed.

Jroy

<< <i>Funny thing was in Hampton there was at least 5 other guys with detectors, on Plumb Island, I was the only one. >>



When I first read this I missed the "Newburyport Ma." part of Plumb Island, I was thinking of a different island which would explain why you were the only one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_(New_York)

lonelyp

<< <i>

<< <i>Funny thing was in Hampton there was at least 5 other guys with detectors, on Plumb Island, I was the only one. >>



When I first read this I missed the "Newburyport Ma." part of Plumb Island, I was thinking of a different island which would explain why you were the only one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_(New_York) >>



Not to mention Hannabel Lector (sp)
Silence Of The Lambs

lordmarcovan

Warnickels count as silver, even if they ain't 90%.

Counts as "gettin' silvered", in my book.

And you're gettin' Wheaties, too, so it sounds to me like the Yeller Feller is doin' you right, and you're usin' it right.

A certain amount of "iffies" and phantom signals and aggravating stuff like that is just par for the course, sometimes, no matter how fancy your machine is.

We'll be wantin' to see pix of this badge, for sure. You could have yourself a real find, there. Could be a chauffer's badge. Just ask your fellow Ace-250 user, William (30AnvZ28) about that. He was visiting on one of my sites and dug a 1926 chauffer badge right under my very nose, on a spot I had hunted several times.