Still getting a lot of false beeps Whites Coinmaster

[gusdigga]

im new to metal detecting. Purchased my coinmasterpro from a metal detector store. I as well get frustrated! I get signals that jump from .25 to penny. I dig and find nothing where I get frustrated and go to my next search. All I find is pennies and clad quarters. All found furthest 5". Pin pointer I have problems as well. I pinpoint after a i hit a target and start digging and i also have a pin pointer. No search then get up and use my coinmasterpro and pinpoint again. And the metal detector just loses pinpoint in all metal. So far I know I have alot to learn. And least Im not alone with this problem.

[GillyWI]

I replied to your PM as well.
For anyone else reading this, my next step (once the weather is good and I have the time, none of which seem to happen at the same time this week )
I want to just do some practice holes. I'll dig a normal sized hole in my yard, like I suppose 3 or 4 " deep, and try putting different things under there to try, different denomination coins, an old ring, pull tab, stuff like that, just to see how the machine reacts.
Stage 2 is to finaly get together with my metal-detecting buddy and compare his setup with mine. His unit is older but was fairly expensive in it's day, so screen or like that, but most importantly he has owned it for years and knows the machine really well and does really good on finding coins.
Step 3 is to assume either my machine is bad or the I simply made a poor choice and to change brands.
Gilly

[GillyWI]

Originally Posted by gusdigga

I pinpoint after a i hit a target and start digging and i also have a pin pointer. No search then get up and use my coinmasterpro and pinpoint again. And the metal detector just loses pinpoint in all metal.

Can you try explaining this part again? I am losing what you mean. It probably is a lot like my problem. I know I have a hard time explaing what's going on as well.
I sort of get in to this different state of mind when digging, others sort of mention this, even the guys who are old hands at detecting know you sort of get in to a "zone" when you are into what you are doing.
Then afterwords, when you have this happen I know I have a hard time explaining just what went wrong.
You say you have a handheld pinpointer too? Or are you just mentioning the PP feature on your coinmaster?

[Bear549]

I too have a coinmaster pro and I was also frustrated when I first starting using it. Although I knew it was more than likely something I was doing because my brother has one as well and both machines read the same. Below are some things that I have figured out.

First thing to remember that these machines have a max depth of around 9" and that is with perfect conditions. If you dig a 4" plug for a coin it is either going to be in the plug or slightly down in the hole a couple of inches. If you have to go deeper, you can pretty much bet it is going to be something big like a can, bolt or a piece of pipe. If you get down around the 9" mark and have nothing, then it is probably to the left or right of your hole.

Like the others have said, getting a pinpointer is a big help and saves a lot of frustration because you can tell if it is in the plug, down deeper or to the right or to the left of your hole. More than once I have dug up small pieces of aluminum or pennies and they have been right there in front of me. The pinpointer will find them for me. Also, I use one to check the other a lot of the times.

What I have learned when pinpointing with the coinmaster is to go over the spot serveral times until you have a pretty good idea of where to pinpoint. Turn on the pinpoint and just lay the coil down pick it up and lay it down next to the spot. Just keep doing this until when you lay the coil down it gives a continous beep. Try this by throwing a coin down in the grass and you will see what I mean. When the coin is in the center of the coil or touching the edge of the center coil you will get a continous tone. When small things are deeper, you may not get a continous tone, but you will get the best tone over the object.

I run mine with just iron and foil discriminated because I would rather dig trash than miss out on a gold or silver rings. When you get the hang of pinpointing and you have a pinpointer, you can recover the objects quickly and move on. I have a feeling that everyone on here will tell you that they dig as much trash as they do treasure because gold covers the entire range from a -2 (chain coiled up) to 45. The higher end machines with the multiple frequencies give you a better idea of what you are digging up, but the coinmaster does not.

[GillyWI]

Thanks much for that, Bear.
As I guess i stated, I'd have no big problem digging up trash, as long as "something" is there I am happy at this point. Any recommendation on where to keep the sensitivity setting? Do you understand what is meant by "All Metal" when running in pinpoint?
Glad to see that I am not the only one having these problems with CoinMaster. I might be moving on to a different model or maybe even a different manufacturer after this year, we will see........

[Bear549]

I do believe that the coinmaster is a good machine because it finds anything in the ground. I feel(myself included) that everyone expects more when metal detecting and it is a hit and miss game. I do understand your frustration of digging a hole to China and not coming up with anything, but still getting beeps on the detector. The coinmaster has a limit of 6-8" and within that range the detector does great. It is when you push it for more that it becomes iffy or I should say harder to get on target. I do believe that it is a good machine for a beginner or for the occasional hunter. It is good to use to learn the fundamentals and basics. It is just a shame that these beginner models just leave you wanting more and forcing you to step up. Everyone just gets sticker shock and confused with the higher end models until they understand the basics. I have been very happy that it finds metal in the ground, I personally just need to find a spot sometime that has more treasure than trash, but that is part of the hobby.

I believe I read in an older post that you were or have ordered a pinpointer? Once you start working with a pinpointer along beside the coinmaster you will get a better idea of how the coinmaster works. They really do help with the frustration. I have only had two digs out of 100 or more that I have not come up with anything now that I have a pinpointer. In those two, I have just given up because I was deep enough that what ever is there is more than likely something big that I did not want to dig out out a nice yard. Last night I was digging a hole for something that I had a feeling was trash because when I would swipe over it I would get a $0.50 reading in one direction and pop tab in the other. When you get readings like this, typically it is trash that is deep. I always hope that it is a gold ring though so I dig. Anyway, I got about 10" down and could not find it, I would put the pinpointer in the hole and still get a nice tone straight down. After I got about 12" down I stopped getting the tone on the pinpointer. It wasn't in my pile or in the bottom of the hole but then I noticed the pointer beeped coming out of the hole. I starting pointing at the sides and come to find out it was a bolt about 6" down but 1" off of the hole I dug to the left. Without the pinpointer, I would have not found it. Granted I have a Pistol Probe that detects a little deeper than most so if it wouldn't have been picking up the bolt at the great distance I may have found it sooner.

As far as where I set the sensitivity, I leave it on the factory setting most of the time. I do notice that when I am under a power line, that I have to reduce it by one notch to stop the interference. The pinpoint mode is actually called pinpoint/all metal because it turns off any discrimination so it is detecting all metal in pinpoint mode. As far as the scale (VDI) goes in pinpoint mode it is not accurate. If you watch the YouTube video on Whites website when they are going over the penny in scan mode it reads a penny, but in pinpoint mode it registers as a nail. When I am in pinpoint mode, it almost always stays on the nail as well.

Keep fresh batteries in it, make sure you get a repeatable signal in scan mode in the same spot before pinpointing. I tend to go over it and over it in scan mode and I can pretty much pinpoint it without going into pinpoint mode just by barley swinging it over the target. If you think that it is not working properly, talk to the dealer and see what options you have. I do know what you mean by stepping up to a betting machine because after having pushed the coinmaster to it's limits I am ready to step up as well only after a month.

[Mtnmn]

Getting a Cen-Tech pin-pointer is a step in the right direction, though their lack of depth can cause one to miss a lot of targets. Think many of you would be shocked at how many of your missing targets aren't missing at all, but are either very tiny over-looked targets or very deep large targets and especially targets that are just off to one side of your plug. That is where having a good pinpointer really comes in handy. When pinpointing try either raising the coil or cutting back all the way on your sensitivity to get a more accurate pinpoint. In my ground the Coinmaster won't hit on a coin deeper than 6", so unless digging relics there is not much need to dig any deeper than that. As far as digging those fifty cent readings, there is not much use in digging anything in that range but a very locked in signal. Most fifty cent readings are what is known as a wrap-around iron reading as most detectors go directly from the highest silver reading, directly to the lowest iron reading. Almost exactly like the 12:00 and 1:00 positions on a clock. Because large silvers are so rare, 99.9% of those signals will be junk. What I have found best for coin shooting is to notch out everything up to and including the pulltab, then if you get an iffy signal notch out the zinc penny too. If it then signals a regular penny (the gold one), then there is a good chance that it is a dime rather than a zincoln, of course it could still be a pre-84 penny too. Most dimes will usually read as the gold penny symbol. Always look for good repeatable signals when coin shooting, those iffy signals are often trash unless a coin is being partially masked by nearby targets or else at the edge of the Coinmaster's detection range. I have air tested various targets on the Coinmaster and they have read right where they should have including a small gold ring which read right where it should have, at the foil/ring symbol. Run your sensitivity as high as conditions will allow. The factory setting will cost you about an inch of depth as compared to being maxed out.

[GillyWI]

Thanks guys, thought I'd do a quick reply, am having supper then I finally can get out and do some MDing. Yes just got the cheap $15 pin pointer from Harbor Freight, first time using that along w/ the MD. Will try to report back later. Have the next 2 days off work, one day sounds rainy, the other I might get out a bit as well.

[GillyWI]

Went for a few hours, really nice night for it.
Went to a sand park area and found some coins, just to get back in practice.
Ran factory preset setting for discrim and sensitivity. Found my first nickle by doing that, had a few targets again that were not there, even using the new handheld. Got out away from the sand and found my first Zincoln, well my first corroded one anyways. I found one before but was as shiny as, well, a new penny. This one is not too bad from what I have seen pics of, it might even be passable, it is a 1998. (total 32 cents, clad quarter, the nickle, a copper and zinc penny, all in sand exc the zinc was in a dirt/sand mix at the perimeter of the play area, first time detecting that I recall not finding a dime)

The playground started getting visits from parents with toddlers, so started expanding out a bit into older dirt areas.
Started trying out the pinpointer on some hits that I would have tried before. Nothing really "good" yet but with the factory presets and pinpointer am now coming up with a few old nails and pulltabs, so I feel I am at least making some progress now.

[GillyWI]

Also happy that nothing I found was really at the sod level, it was all fairly deep, especially the nails and pulltabs. No way I am going to find silver unless i learn to detect the deep stuff successfully.

[Bear549]

I sure hope they can find silver or I will be upgrading sooner than later.

I can tell you that they are good at trash........

Most of this was between 4-6"






I have found a little clad at an old school house....

[GillyWI]

One of the nails I found might be kind of old, has a head on it, but the rest looks odd, sort of a spike look, although it isn't that big. Pretty dang sharp yet too, as i found out.....

[RWS51]

I tried a Coinmaster pro when they came out....looked like a decent little detector. Well, after a couple of days using it I had enough of the meter constantly jumping all over the place and the cheap rod system wobbled like crazy. The armcuff had no padding and irritated the hell out of my arm.
I sent the thing back where I bought it for a refund.
Your best bet is too sell the detector and buy a Tesoro Compadre or Silver
µmax. This will take care of the problems you are having with the Coinmaster pro. The difference in the Tesoro detectors and the whites is like night and day. Why have a meter when it isn't even close to being right.
I will tell you if I had kept the coinmaster pro one more day it would have been wrapped around a tree in my yard. The Tesoro's are very well built, have
a lifetime warranty, pinpoint like a laser, have very good depth, has many different coil options, basically everything the coinmaster pro lacks.

[GillyWI]

The one I have is a regular Coinmaster, not a Pro, I think the only difference is the Pro has Smart Notch.

I am going to consider myself sort of "married" to it for the season (WI has seasons). Possibly jump ship to a Tesoro next year, we will see.

I am just too new at this to throw the detector under the bus (although tempted to literally do that at times, especially since others complain about these models). I do like the "concept' of having the screen, but not if it is a !!!! shoot on if it is lying to me. Actually, it's not a crapshoot, it lies to me all the time. It's like i am in an abusive relationship with a metal detector! Lying little b!tch

I haven't really had any favorable contact with Whites, after a few emails, others say there customer service is #1. Maybe after you spend $500+ with them? Most recent email said to take it back to the dealer, this after I specified in the email I bought it FROM them. I pointed that out to her and "vanished", no return email. What's that term, customer no-service?

[GillyWI]

Continuing on, I did have a chance to go out a few hours yesterday MDing.

I am getting more trash and deeper, I know this is a common thing, it's sort of what MDing is about, lots of trash, not too much treasure. "When it doubt, dig it out" is what someone has in their signature around here, right?

So yeah found older pop tops, and what I have referred to as "can slaw", but was fairly deep and seemed really thin aluminum, thinner than a beer or soda can. But I am finding stuff anyways, better than I used to.

Had one frustrating case where I thought may have been a coin down deep, but turned in to a "tunnel to China" episode. Detector insisted it was there, dug deeper, still insisted, pinpointer getting nothing. Decided to expand the hole away from me, as the PP feature seemed to move the location that way, nothing. Decided to cut out a rectangular section on the right side of my hole, again because the PP feature now seemed to show it moving that way. Nothing in my dirt, it was showing the target at 1" or less, but nothing there. I was maybe 5 to 10 feet from a chainlink fence. I know that can mess up readings, but I thought I was far enough away to have that bother.
I know if I get an ID that keeps on beeping as I move towards a fence, that I am detecting the fence, but this would go away if I moved towards the fence. Gave up, put the dirt and sod back, detected over it again, no beeps.....

Moved to a spot by an older tennis court and newer skate park, and really found the value in the pinpointer I bought (Cen Tech from Harbor Freight), found about 4 pennies at or just below ground level, the Cen Tech detected them all, only need to use my lockback knife to remove them, so happy with that.

Did some more poking around in different areas. Moved to an area that is usually good for some clad (annual beer tent area) and found a clad quarter and dime. The qaurter was a 2001 and I would say it was deeper than most clad i have found, it was under the roots anyways.

Gilly

[Bear549]

Sounds like you are starting to get the hang of it or at least knowing when and where to dig. You kind of have to figure out (guess) what it is in the ground by what the detector is telling you. What I am having issues with now is being in a trashy area because you cannot dig everything up or it would end up being one 10ft square hole. I imagine that it would be that way with any beginner detector with a concentric coil because you are picking up more than one target at a time and that is where you need a DD coil to help get in between the trash. Which leaves me wondering if I should spend another $150 on this thing or just use that money towards an upgrade? On the other hand, I could keep it with the DD coil for tot lots and such. Just don't know other than I wish I would have purchase better...

[GillyWI]

Yep, learning curve pretty steep if you really want to learn it. Tuition is pretty high, too! few hundred here, few hundred there........

[GillyWI]

Oh another thing I thought of from the last time I went MDing; I was waving the coil over a current pop top tab that was just laying on the ground, and I was getting a crappy signal from it, should have had a good signal, but didn't. makes me think there is some intermittent problem with my detector, why would it not give a solid return on a pop top ON the surface? Weird.

[gusdigga]

thank you bear 159. question? when detecting with coinmasterpro. Is it a better result to have sensitivity at about 3 bars where there are no intefirence? or always have it at max bars? and when detecting with cmp is it better to start detecting with tone id instead of regular. and then after i get a tone id should i all metal pinpoint and lock? thank you so much for your help.

[Bear549]

Originally Posted by gusdigga

thank you bear 159. question? when detecting with coinmasterpro. Is it a better result to have sensitivity at about 3 bars where there are no intefirence? or always have it at max bars? and when detecting with cmp is it better to start detecting with tone id instead of regular. and then after i get a tone id should i all metal pinpoint and lock? thank you so much for your help.

I have since upgraded from the CMP to the Etrac about a week ago. I found that I wanted more out of this hobby than the CMP would give. However, thinking back I would not have purchased the Etrac as my first machine not knowing if I would like this hobby. Working with the Etrac, I have been able to understand what the CMP is telling me. The most frustrating thing starting out is digging more junk than treasure. The CMP does a good job at finding items in the ground, but unless it is a lock on signal of a penny, dime or quarter you really do not know whether to dig or not. It is best to run the CMP with the highest sensitity setting you can without getting interference. After finding this out, I would always start out by turning off the discrimination for foil, turning on multiple tone and crank the sensitive all the way up. With holding the coil about 12" off the ground, if the CMP would register something, beep for no reason and jump for one object to another then I would turn the sensitity down a notch to see if it would stop, if not go down another notch. If you are around any power lines, especially transformers, the CMP will not like it making those areas unhuntable with the stock coil. The 4x6 shooter made this better, but still could not hunt near a transformer. Single or multi-tone is a personal preference. I like the multi tone because you really know when you get over something good. The main issue I would have is when you get a 0.50 reading. 9 out of 10 times it was something big, deep and trash. I have since discovered that when you go to P/P, all metal mode, it will give you a better indication of what it is. If it shoots down to the nail (iron) then it is probably trash. If it holds high, then it is propablay something good. However, any detector can be fooled by the ground conditions or how the metal object is bent or rolled up so you really have to scan the object to be certain that you are over it, turn 90 and scan it again before walking away without digging. When you do get over something that is what it says it is, the signal will be locked on. Meaning if you scan it multiple times, turn 90 and scan it again you will get the same reading over and over which is great for the coins and silver, but if you are after gold jewelry you have no choice but to dig and you will dig a lot of pop tabs and bottle caps. The best thing is to crank the sensitivity as much as you can, get a pin pointer and practice with it. Overtime, you will get a better understanding. Just keep in mind that the CMP works good but only down to about 5-6". More than likely if it is telling you that you have $0.50 reading at 8"+, it is going to be trash.