Question about rescanning with a raised coil.......

GKL · Sep 23, 2020

I've heard the advice about rescanning an area with the coil raised to see if it might just be large trash like a crushed aluminum can and it is good advice....

.....but are there ANY times when you still might dig even if you still get a signal with the coil raised ?

I ask that because in the trashy area I am detecting right now I am having quite a lot of spots where I still get a signal with a raised coil, some signals that otherwise would be good TIDs worth digging to check and I don't want to miss any good targets. But the very occasional time I dug a raised coil signal anyhow it would indeed be a crushed can though :lol:

Eventually I think I will dig some trash out anyhow just to see if it is masking good targets, but in the meantime I prefer not to dig trash unless I am wanting to dig it :lol:

DIGGER27 · Sep 23, 2020

One time at a park in the grass near a big lake I got a signal exactly like a big, thick can.
Actually higher numbers than most cans.
Huge, loud, very high numbers, could raise the coil very high.
I had been here many times before, got this same signal many times before, just walked on many times before.
I knew it was a can or some other huge piece of junk 100% and I just didn't have the patience to dig it even if just to see if it was masking something else.
On this time I was so sick of getting this same signal at this same place on every visit so I decided to dig it once and for all and get it out of my life.

This is what it was...an old, heavy, rolled gold Elgin pocket watch.
One of the greatest finds in my over 10 year long career to this day.

Every time after that when I get a can of some other large raise the coil high signal I always have to think twice about whether I should dig it or not.
Every time...for years.

GKL · Sep 23, 2020

DIGGER27 said:
One time at a park in the grass near a big lake I got a signal exactly like a big, thick can.
Actually higher numbers than most cans.
Huge, loud, very high numbers, could raise the coil very high.
I had been here many times before, got this same signal many times before, just walked on many times before.
I knew it was a can or some other huge piece of junk 100% and I just didn't have the patience to dig it even if just to see if it was masking something else.
On this time I was so sick of getting this same signal at this same place on every visit so I decided to dig it once and for all and get it out of my life.

This is what it was...an old, heavy, rolled gold Elgin pocket watch.
One of the greatest finds in my over 10 year long career to this day.

Every time after that every time I get a can of some other raise the coil high signal I always have to think twice about whether I should dig it or not.
Every time...for years.

Wow, neat story and VERY nice find, thanks for sharing that !

Guess I might need to at least occasionally dig a can just to see if it might be something like that, if not, at least I got another piece of trash out of the way that could be masking a good find :lol:

Beachhunter · Sep 23, 2020

I did that similar thing today and thought what the heck and dug up a vaping device.

DIGGER27 · Sep 23, 2020

Here is another one, dug up by a buddy I hunt with sometimes and he found it in my local huge park one half block away from my house so I have hunted there literally hundreds of times, still do.
On this one I completely blew it...could have been mine but it was not to be.
I try to learn lessons, that gold watch taught me a big one, but sometimes I still get lazy.

Dr. Detroit is a member but doesn't hang out here all that much and I am sure he won't mind me posting this one here as it pertains to the subject.
https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=228308

This is a solid sterling cigarette case, an award given to some member of some long gone local organization over 100 years ago for services rendered as the organization's secretary.
It's beautuful...lots of designs and writing etched into it plus a name and a date, this was presented to him in 1915.
Probably a long held cherished momento he was extremely sad that he lost.

The Dr. found it in a popular area between a very large pavilion and close to a very old small stone open building with enough room for one picnic table and a grill built into the stone wall on one end.
This park was dedicated in the mid 20's, I suspect the stone building was erected by the WPA in the mid 30's but it could have been earlier than that.

I have hunted this area literally more than 100 times, he showed me the exact spot he dug it and I know for sure I got this same signal dozens of times but never went after it because I was convinced this was a large crushed flat can not really deep and buried in the ground on its side.
It acted exactly like a shallow crushed can.
Same numbers as a full can, coil high could still hit it, using the pinpoint on any detector and I know for sure with a handheld pinpointer it painted as the exact same size as a crushed flat can.
I knew it was a can for sure so I never went after it, one day he came here to hunt this park, got the same signal I always did but he dug it up.
He found quality treasure I had a chance at so many times but missed.
Another lesson I should learn...hopefully this time it sticks.

Foragist · Sep 23, 2020

Raising the coil for a strong, high-tone signal is a good way to tell if the target is or is not a coin or ring/earring, etc. Beyond that, it just gives you an idea of size, shape, mass. To dig or not to dig is up to you. Read the room. Feel your gut. Walk or dig. I do a fair amount of both. Just make the call without spending too much time thinking about it.

Redwaller · Sep 23, 2020

Just yesterday I dug a silver pocketwatch back that I could pick up 4 inches off the ground. Not only did it sound like a crushed can, it looked like one when I first saw it in the hole. Let's just say I have no regrets about digging that signal. The worst thing that can happen when you dig a large signal is you spend a minute or two digging up a large piece of trash, so when I can't say for certain what something is, I generally dig it. Just my 2 wheaties.

GKL · Sep 23, 2020

Beachhunter said:
I did that similar thing today and thought what the heck and dug up a vaping device.

well, not exactly the best of finds but definitely shows it's not always a crushed aluminum can :lol:

DIGGER27 said:
Here is another one, dug up by a buddy I hunt with sometimes and he found it in my local huge park one half block away from my house so I have hunted there literally hundreds of times, still do.
On this one I completely blew it...could have been mine but it was not to be.
I try to learn lessons, that gold watch taught me a big one, but sometimes I still get lazy.

Dr. Detroit is a member but doesn't hang out here all that much and I am sure he won't mind me posting this one here as it pertains to the subject.
https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=228308

This is a solid sterling cigarette case, an award given to some member of some long gone local organization over 100 years ago for services rendered as the organization's secretary.
It's beautuful...lots of designs and writing etched into it plus a name and a date, this was presented to him in 1915.
Probably a long held cherished momento he was extremely sad that he lost.

The Dr. found it in a popular area between a very large pavilion and close to a very old small stone open building with enough room for one picnic table and a grill built into the stone wall on one end.
This park was dedicated in the mid 20's, I suspect the stone building was erected by the WPA in the mid 30's but it could have been earlier than that.

I have hunted this area literally more than 100 times, he showed me the exact spot he dug it and I know for sure I got this same signal dozens of times but never went after it because I was convinced this was a large crushed flat can not really deep and buried in the ground on its side.
It acted exactly like a shallow crushed can.
Same numbers as a full can, coil high could still hit it, using the pinpoint on any detector and I know for sure with a handheld pinpointer it painted as the exact same size as a crushed flat can.
I knew it was a can for sure so I never went after it, one day he came here to hunt this park, got the same signal I always did but he dug it up.
He found quality treasure I had a chance at so many times but missed.
Another lesson I should learn...hopefully this time it sticks.

Wow, now you got me thinking maybe dig at least 2 raised coil crushed can type signals per hunt just in case :lol:

Foragist said:
Raising the coil for a strong, high-tone signal is a good way to tell if the target is or is not a coin or ring/earring, etc. Beyond that, it just gives you an idea of size, shape, mass. To dig or not to dig is up to you. Read the room. Feel your gut. Walk or dig. I do a fair amount of both. Just make the call without spending too much time thinking about it.

So far it has been stuff like crushed cans, but it's worth checking occasionally, how often I might check per hunt might depend on if it's a shorter hunt or a longer hunt. (or if I get several good finds early in the hunt I then don't mind risking wasting some time on likely trash digs)

Redwaller said:
Just yesterday I dug a silver pocketwatch back that I could pick up 4 inches off the ground. Not only did it sound like a crushed can, it looked like one when I first saw it in the hole. Let's just say I have no regrets about digging that signal. The worst thing that can happen when you dig a large signal is you spend a minute or two digging up a large piece of trash, so when I can't say for certain what something is, I generally dig it. Just my 2 wheaties.

Good catch !!!! Since many of the places I detect, especially my newest permission, is very trashy, digging every signal each hunt might get me a trash to non-trash ratio of 95% to 5% :lol:

- but - after reading these posts I do plan on digging more of those raised coil signals than before, instead of ignoring 99% of them like I had been doing.

GA1dad · Sep 23, 2020

Good topic!! Great responses!!

IDXMonster · Sep 23, 2020

Totally depends on how you dig...if you’re strictly a coin hunter, how far away from your criteria and method are you willing to stray, and how many times when you DID stray did the item wind up being something useful? For me personally...I have seen a lot of “well, ya never know till ya dig” type posts over the years, and to a degree, I agree. With ALOT of experience and following basic rules, a person can whittle that notion down to a fairly fine point in most cases, and come away with the results they were expecting. I’m willing to walk away and “stay on track” to miss the solid silver cigarette cases and gold pocket watches. Those items to ME don’t present enough of a reality to dig every signal that I KNOW is NOT a coin. This has a lot to do with WHERE I hunt....ball fields, fairgrounds, schools....things like that are generally found and picked up before they can become buried. If I was hunting an area tall with weeds around an old farm site? That might be a completely different matter. For me it’s about keeping my eye on the prize and not getting lured into what is almost inevitably a bad decision.

GKL · Sep 24, 2020

IDXMonster said:
Totally depends on how you dig...if you’re strictly a coin hunter, how far away from your criteria and method are you willing to stray, and how many times when you DID stray did the item wind up being something useful? For me personally...I have seen a lot of “well, ya never know till ya dig” type posts over the years, and to a degree, I agree. With ALOT of experience and following basic rules, a person can whittle that notion down to a fairly fine point in most cases, and come away with the results they were expecting. I’m willing to walk away and “stay on track” to miss the solid silver cigarette cases and gold pocket watches. Those items to ME don’t present enough of a reality to dig every signal that I KNOW is NOT a coin. This has a lot to do with WHERE I hunt....ball fields, fairgrounds, schools....things like that are generally found and picked up before they can become buried. If I was hunting an area tall with weeds around an old farm site? That might be a completely different matter. For me it’s about keeping my eye on the prize and not getting lured into what is almost inevitably a bad decision.

Good points, I can understand how location and what you are mainly hunting for can play a key part in deciding whether to dig certain signals or not. Though some locations might have an unclear enough history to not be sure either way.

While I definitely do not want to waste a whole lot of time digging a lot of iffy raised coil signals, I still might dig a few per hunt but would decide each hunt based on location and/or if it's a short or long hunt.

The other factor that makes me okay with maybe digging a few raised coil signals that end up being crushed cans is it's at least clearing out some trash that could be masking some good targets.

KinTN · Sep 24, 2020

Do i do it sometimes?
Yes, sometimes i get bored with the lack of targets and am happy to prove that my detector is still On.

GKL · Sep 24, 2020

KinTN said:
Do i do it sometimes?
Yes, sometimes i get bored with the lack of targets and am happy to prove that my detector is still On.

.......but wouldn't be nice if one of those times surprised you with a great find instead of a crushed aluminum can ? :shock:

Fooleeze · Sep 24, 2020

Sometimes I'd say yes. This was a 70s signal, a few inches down. In a yard it had no business being in (See picture).

So if I'm in a yard or field and I'm pulling in aluminum can after aluminum can, I might start skipping large can signals. But sometimes. . . you just never know until you dig it.

diggin4clad · Sep 24, 2020

I think it depends on the type of site your hunting on. If I'm hunting an old park I might dig it out of curiosity but if I'm hunting a soccer field I'm moving on.

GKL · Sep 24, 2020

Fooleeze said:
Sometimes I'd say yes. This was a 70s signal, a few inches down. In a yard it had no business being in (See picture).

So if I'm in a yard or field and I'm pulling in aluminum can after aluminum can, I might start skipping large can signals. But sometimes. . . you just never know until you dig it.

Very nice find !!!! .....yep, just have to hope you are guessing correctly at the right times on some of those digs !

diggin4clad said:
I think it depends on the type of site your hunting on. If I'm hunting an old park I might dig it out of curiosity but if I'm hunting a soccer field I'm moving on.

Good point, history of the location can make a big difference !

Question about rescanning with a raised coil.......

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