A question for the experienced MDer

[glazier]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I gotta ask "How often do you end up with nothing in the hole you dug?"
The reason I ask....today I must have dug 10-15 holes...3 of them contained nothing, nada, zilch.
I'm using an AT Pro with a Pinpointer.

 

[jimther]

Almost never... well, maybe hit happened once many moons ago. Try Detecting with a buddy who can double check your target readings and figure out if you are doing something wrong. Good luck!

 

[pescadore]

I never have empty holes. Could be a pinpointing issue. I suggest you place some coins on the ground and use the pinpointer on the detector to see where on the coil the sweet spot is. You can even mark it with fingernail polish if you need to. Double D coils can be a little tricky when you first start using them.

 

[jerr-man]

Do you use a pinpointer?
If you are off your pinpoint 2,3 even 4", your hand held pinpointer is not going to reach your target.
Try going over your target again with your detector. More likely then not, you have missed the spot. Or in some instances, the object is deeper then you thought.
I had this problem the other day hunting , started finding BB's. They were very tough to find . Plus I have found very small pieces of iron, pieces of rusted nail that move around as you try and pinpoint them.
Just my thoughts, hope this helps

 

[sandgroper]

I sometimes accidentally dig next to the target (poor pinpointing on my behalf), but I'll always find the target by digging another plug, or expanding on my previous one. My plugs are usually quite small (≤4in) in comparison to other peoples' plugs

 

[halfstep]

I've seen some posts about guys having that problem with the AT Max but not the AT pro. Some guys who used the max complained about the ghost holes and said they didn't have that problem with the pro. I have no experience with either machine, just repeating what I have read.

 

[SoOregonMd]

when that happens to me it usually means something VERY small and usually it means my discrimination is set higher than the target. The halo effect is what is what's giving me the target higher than my discrimination setting..
once I break the seal so to speak it is below my setting.. When this happens I switch to All metal.. if it now reads as Iron.. I cover my hole and move on.

 

[Mud-puppy]

For an Experienced detectorist? 100's of thousands of targets dug? Got a good ping and cant find the target? It happens about never....

You CAN condense your learning curve, based upon the amount of targets you can pull in an hour...the quicker and more targets you pull, the farther ahead you are on the learning curve over somebody who might have years behind the coil..Its about the targets..Go pull 1000 pulltabs and 1000 pennies this month and report back with your finds and observations....there you go! You just gained 10yrs of experience in one Month!...You will never dink around with a ghost target again!

Some lessons in this Sport you can only learn by putting in the dirt work..

 

[bowwinkles]

Sometimes the signal your chasing is something that is deep and very large. Large iron deep gives off a high number normally for me.

 

[duggap]

I have detected for over 30 years and, yes, on rare occasions I have a target that "disappears". I use the AT Max and I have no problems at all with that machine. I think you may be setting up your machine a bit wrong. A test garden in your back yard is always a useful tool, not just for beginners. It helps big time on adjusting to a new machine. And taking along a partner is a very good idea to help "verify" your target. And a lot of practice never hurts.

 

[chaiosComo]

I have dug targets that showed up with the detector but not with the PP. The targets ended up deeper than what the machine was telling me. One of my deeper targets ended up being a folding chair about 16" down, my machine was telling me it was 5", and it sounded good so I kept digging.

 

[DaviDs]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I gotta ask "How often do you end up with nothing in the hole you dug?"
The reason I ask....today I must have dug 10-15 holes...3 of them contained nothing, nada, zilch.
I'm using an AT Pro with a Pinpointer.

I only have that problem when using single-frequency detectors in areas with heavily mineralized soil and salt water beaches. To mitigate the situation, try reducing the sensitivity and then ground balance -- balancing every few feet if needed. You may lose depth and the ability to find small targets, but the false signal will go away.

If you are using the detector inland, perhaps post in the forums find a buddy section and see if someone can come hunt with you. If they have a similar machine and do not have any issues, well, it may be time to send your ATP to Garrett for a checkup.

 

[hoser]

I sometimes accidentally dig next to the target (poor pinpointing on my behalf), but I'll always find the target by digging another plug, or expanding on my previous one. My plugs are usually quite small (≤4in) in comparison to other peoples' plugs

I'm with you here. There are times I have dug my plug and the target is not there. Usually it is just a fraction of an inch in the side wall. God bless the pinpointer. But I have to admit there have been those rare times where a piece of rusty iron will set off my E-Trac like a coin, and disappears when I dig. If I lose it and see some rust in the dirt I pretty much know what just happened.

 

[ollievon]

Not trying to sound snarky, but if you are an experienced MD'r how often do you use the pinpointing feature of your machine before digging?

There have been times I have had false signals, but it's pretty rare. Depending on the machine you are using, you may have the luxury of a ground balance feature, if so, be sure you ground balance away from any targets - sometimes balancing over metal can cause the machine to give false readings.

Often if I dig and don't find anything...my buddy then hits it and finds it...ugh! It's usually due to my lack of patience, not the machine.

 

[Troller]

When I first started with my Ace 350 it used to happen a lot so I did some reading on this forum. That's where I learned about securing the cord snuggly to the shaft with wire ties or tape or whatever so the cord doesn't move especially near the coil. That took care of most of the 'phantom' signals. I hope the answer to your problem is this simple. Good luck to you!

 

[Silversmith45]

The other day I had a strong signal on both my detector and my pinpointer and it suddenly disappeared. I couldn't find it in the pile of dirt, in the hole or any place around. It was weird.

 

[wvdave107]

Could be a very small target. By removing dirt from the plug you could have lost it. Also, if the soil is wet it could be a conductivity issue with the soil. There could be an actual target but the moisture is throwing it off a bit. Ensure you ground balance. When in doubt, ground balance. Just make sure it's in a clean area. Also, ensure your sensitivity is set accordingly. Could be something interfering, electrical, cell phone, wifi...etc. Seems 3 phantom targets in one outing is a lot. Good luck

 

[Dave1904]

Last week I was digging a signal that was hard to pinpoint. After searching around for a minute I looked to the side at my shovel and saw a nickel stuck to the blade Happens occasionally to me when I get careless.

 

[yooper69]

Had it happen a couple times digging small float copper. Get a signal dig a hole and only find the ball of green patina. Copper has deteriorated and left only the patina from the copper.

 

[Martin_V3i]

The other day I had a strong signal on both my detector and my pinpointer and it suddenly disappeared. I couldn't find it in the pile of dirt, in the hole or any place around. It was weird.

It happens to the best of us, and the best of the best. I know one the absolute best tectors and we both have lost signal after opening a hole up. It's few and far between, but it happens. Rust pockets making a halo, gets disturbed for one. It should not happen a lot in a hunt though.

As mentioned already,,,the deeper, larger targets can fool you. If my detector says it's 6 inches and I dig a 6" plug and no sig with the pinpointer, but the detector still sees it and it pinpoints with the machine again in the center of your hole, I call it quits.

I did have a lot more ghost sigs when I first began the hobby though. Some of it is newbie.