Understanding Iron Bias and Falsies

RFWoodVT said:

Been playing at the local beach. I know it is loaded with trash and iron and that is exactly why I have gone there to learn my Nox

Running park 2 discriminating all iron, 1,2,5 and a couple more in the mid teens. Just don't like hearing all those signals and based on my collected data are all trash I have found at the beach. Am not worried they may be excluding some treasure right now.

Got a couple of things I don't quite understand and would like an idea as to what might be happening.

First: Quite a few times I've hit what should have been a quarter or higher, 28-32 kinda bouncy but consistent in 3 or more directions. I'll then dig it up and the signal disappears, fades significantly or in some cases changes (strong 23-26 then becomes a 12-16). Going to all metal before digging sometimes I hear iron, sometimes I don't, same when I go to all metal after digging.

In most cases I find nothing, but in a few I'll find an old rusty nail or bobby pin, usually down 8 or more inches.

Any thoughts on what may cause this?

Second is sorting out signals with all metal. A number of times I'll get a strong 7 (gold!) or other good higher signal, the signal itself doesn't really matter what matters is it is repeatable although not always stable. I then switch to all metal mode and I can pretty much isolated the signal away from any iron by as little as a couple inches. All metal gives me the impression that there are 2,3 and sometimes more trash items sometimes iron, sometimes not, in the hole alongside the "target" I first isolated.

Then, when I dig it, I usually find only one item and often trash. Again, any thoughts on what causes this?

Lastly, I've hit some strong signals, especially in the dime-quarter range with an indicated depth of 10 or so. And I dig to 12 inches and still don't find anything but if I put my carrot in the hole, especially in hi sensitivity, it goes nutz showing something "straight down to hell"

I'll dig a little more but still find nothing. Since I don't want to dig more than 12 inches I stop.

Am thinking it might be a buried beer can or something large.

Any thoughts not only what might do this, but why it does it?

Click to expand...

I’ll try to answer some or all of your questions, with some tips.
Currently trying to find a video that may aid you as well.

First: Quite a few times I've hit what should have been a quarter or higher, 28-32 kinda bouncy but consistent in 3 or more directions. I'll then dig it up and the signal disappears, fades significantly or in some cases changes (strong 23-26 then becomes a 12-16). Going to all metal before digging sometimes I hear iron, sometimes I don't, same when I go to all metal after digging.

In most cases I find nothing, but in a few I'll find an old rusty nail or bobby pin, usually down 8 or more inches.

Alright, first I recommend you get some bigger targets like can, horseshoe, half a horseshoe, etc.
Use you pinpoint on these even with say 5-6” of coil height.
You should hear your pinpoint really squalling.
Compare to a coin with coil only 3-4” in height.

So pinpoint can help a person recognize monster sized target.


Use of horseshoe button with Equinox -AM, can’t be depended on as far as what is beneath the coil all the time. For instance it is very possible to hit a coin on edge or a nonferous button. You switch and listen to this buried undisturbed target using horseshoe button, you may indeed hear iron on edges of target with good tone in the middle, you may only hear iron tone on one side of target. Guess what- NO ferrous is indeed present. Remember as you sweep coil the Equinox is continuously processing data. As the coil comes off of a nonferous target what the Nox senses is not always cut and dried. Meaning there is a breaking point where sensed conductivity (processed and reported ) is ferrous.
I have seen this quite often. Soil mineralization and or depth can drive too.

Remember if you DON’T have the horseshoe button pushed, you won’t hear the iron tone.

Sometimes what a user may hear with NO horseshoe button use, is good tone but the tone is cut off somewhat on the edge. These can indeed be nonferous targets buried.

Second is sorting out signals with all metal. A number of times I'll get a strong 7 (gold!) or other good higher signal, the signal itself doesn't really matter what matters is it is repeatable although not always stable. I then switch to all metal mode and I can pretty much isolated the signal away from any iron by as little as a couple inches. All metal gives me the impression that there are 2,3 and sometimes more trash items sometimes iron, sometimes not, in the hole alongside the "target" I first isolated.

Then, when I dig it, I usually find only one item and often trash. Again, any thoughts on what causes this?



See response I gave for your first concern above.

Lastly, I've hit some strong signals, especially in the dime-quarter range with an indicated depth of 10 or so. And I dig to 12 inches and still don't find anything but if I put my carrot in the hole, especially in hi sensitivity, it goes nutz showing something "straight down to hell"

I'll dig a little more but still find nothing. Since I don't want to dig more than 12 inches I stop.

Am thinking it might be a buried beer can or something large.

Any thoughts not only what might do this, but why it does it?[/QUOTE]


Could indeed be a monster nonferous or possibly a monster ferrous something.
For coin sized object 13” deep is about as deep as I would expect Nox to hit even in milder soil or inert sand. One must be carefulmus8ng Equinox. It can locate a nonferrous target, and a person digging can get fooled. It may be in side of hole and a person can chase their tail off. Even sometimes some monster ferrous or nonferous targrt dould exist down deeper in area, yet this is NOT what you detected to begin with. Trust me been there and done this.

One key thing to remember.
After locating nonferous not target with Nox, all bets are off what you’ll get when you swing over while find is still in the hole or beleove it or not in the plug out of the hole. You may get nonferrous tone, ferrous tone only, combo of both if hosreehoe button is engaged or nothing at all tonally. So a person needs to build confidence with wha they witnessed (saw and heard), or they may get fooled.

Excellent advice above,and not just for the EQ. Employing the BASICS of detecting goes with most any machine/scenario.