clivesgoldpage.com and blog

Excalibur Book Exerpt: "Identifying Bottle Caps"

21/ Identifying Bottle Caps
I thought it would be a good idea to write a separate section on identifying the ever-present bottle cap. One reason is because firstly many caps have a nice spongy sound that can initially be mistaken for gold. Secondly, with its multiple frequencies, the Excalibur readily latches on to the varied metals that bottle caps contain. However, it is the way that the detector acquires and leaves the cap signal that makes them identifiable. The Excalibur gets its discriminate accuracy by grouping targets into the primary frequency ranges that they occupy. With a cap, these are many; meaning that the detector has to work hard to make these multiple classifications. This causes a difference in the signal tone.

Caps come in one of two ways. Shallow ones sound abrupt, with multiple tones entering at once. The deeper, rusted ones are long, drawn out signal--usually more recognizable as something that is not completely non-ferrous. Both will have multiple ?notes? or pitches in the tone. As the detector tunes to the most central frequencies of the target the tone becomes smoother and even more likely to fool you, but in your initial passes where it is being compared to more of the surrounding ground, these multiple tones can be heard. This is the same ?defining? effect that makes a coin sound cleaner and higher as you ?wiggle? the coil across it.

Bottle caps can also be identified by how their varied composition causes them to enter the detection field. The detector must work hard to gather in a reading on all these metals and produce a tone response. This takes time and with practice it is possible to recognize the ?lag? in response time when the coil is swept over a cap. Coins, gold and other objects which are not such diverse alloys respond more quickly and cleanly.

Another way to identify caps is that because they are composed of so many metals, the Excalibur does not always choose the same one to report. Changing your sweep speed and angle will often produce these different tones.

Identifying caps by tone and signal characteristic is something that is definitely worth putting in some time at the bench to learn. Be sure to use several, rusted and not. Side-by-side tests over ground are a good idea too, because these are basically coil control methods.

As well, the steel, tin and or rust in a cap are similar to the ground. This causes the signal to have a unique quality that results from the detector attempting to separate ground from target. The signal:
· Drops at the ends as the ground / steel distinction is reported.
· Has a clipped tone as the machine tunes out the steel (rather than the target?s natural ?ramp up / ramp down).? In a sense the detector?s circuits shut out the target at the point where it resembles ground too much.

Most bottle caps also are what can be called a ?radiating? signal, in that instead of being a smooth tone arc, more of the response is in the rough drawn-out edges that are this interaction between the iron / steel--and ground. Understanding how this ?radiation? operates is the key to identifying most iron by using observing if the signal appears to move when approached from various angles. More on this below.

Several hunters report that although they can readily identify a cap by its tone with the 10? coil (described as a ?broken crackle),? but with a larger coil, they sound like good targets. This is because the larger coil is reading more ground and reducing this down (confusing ground and steel) into a solid-sounding signal, whereas the smaller coil makes the distinction more cleanly. Some caps are high in aluminum content and will just plain sound good. In particular, one green-bottle premium beer brand makes caps that sound very close to a completely non-ferrous target and in fact, digging them is a good sign that you are accurate in making this important distinction.

Developing your ability to recognize bottle caps is a very important skill because there are just so many of them at most sites. There are also a lot of varieties of cap. As with many problem targets, although there is no one ?iron-clad? cap identifier, understanding these general principles and observing the sum total of a signal?s features will help you to make accurate calls.

From: Advanced Methods for Finding Gold in the Water with the Minelab Excalibur" (2007) by Clive James Clynick
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,69722.0.html

Re: Excalibur Book Exerpt: "Identifying Bottle Caps"

Hi Clive, my book just arrived and I read 1/2 way through it today, some great tips for the Pros & Newbies to the Excaliber. Anyone with an Excal should read this one. H.H.:-)

Re: Excalibur Book Exerpt: "Identifying Bottle Caps"

Hi Waterman
Glad you like it so far. I have gotten some good results with this detector in the toughest possible conditions. Its accuracy makes it a good main machine in that it allows you to use your time well and cover a lot of ground.
Hope the book proves to be of good value to you this season.
Clive

Detecting Books by By Clive James Clynick - clivesgoldpage.com

Advanced Field Methods for the Minelab Excalibur: Theory and Practice
By Clive James Clynick

This is Mr. Clynick’s most detailed and informative book to date. In it, he helps the reader to develop an in-depth and practical understanding of the Excalibur’s in-ground operating characteristics and capabilities. Topics include:
• -how understanding BBS detectors can increase your treasure hunting accuracy and effectiveness.
• -understanding the Excalibur 11.
• -tuning: the “Salt and Pepper” method.
• -coil control methods for identifying targets.
• -audio tips and methods.
• -recognizing gold, alloys and foils.
• -top hunter “Goldinwater’s” high-power system.
• -using “ground noises” to identify targets.
• -gold and the discriminate control.
• -understanding “out-of-range” responses, “nullouts” and “returning” signals.
• -high-accuracy “Reverse Hunting” with the Excalibur.
• -modifications, maintenance, basic repairs and troubleshooting.
• -and much more…

(8.5 X 5.5 softbound 120 pages) $19.95
Prestige Publications 2009

Sorry Clive, I thought for sure you had several threads here in Member Links about your books, but I can't seem to find them.

Repost the names of your other books here if you like. I've heard some great reviews about them.

New Book! "Site-Reading for Gold and Silver: Understanding Beach Shore and Inland Metal Detecting Sites" by Clive James Clynick

Hi Carol. Hope you are well. This is my other new one.

“Site-Reading for Gold and Silver”

Understanding Beach, Shore and Inland Metal Detecting Sites

By Clive James Clynick

These proven methods for choosing, assessing and examining treasure hunting locations will help you to become a more accurate and effective treasure hunter. Topics include:
• “Site-reading” for gold.
• “Guesstimating” the potential of sites based upon key factors.
• Recognizing “hotspots” within sites.
• Versatility and on-site problem solving.
• Assessing and working difficult or previously hunted sites.
• Understanding strata, “precipitate” and shore grades.
• Learning from what’s in the ground.
• Building your skills “kit.”
• Assessing resort and beach sites from photographs.
• Working sites with dense trash or iron.
• Using your time in the field effectively.

(84 pages, 8.5 x 5.5) $14.95

Inquiries: [email protected]

http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/clivesgoldpagehome.html

is this an e-book ? or a normal softcover

cjc said:

Advanced Field Methods for the Minelab Excalibur: Theory and Practice
By Clive James Clynick

This is Mr. Clynick’s most detailed and informative book to date. In it, he helps the reader to develop an in-depth and practical understanding of the Excalibur’s in-ground operating characteristics and capabilities. Topics include:
• -how understanding BBS detectors can increase your treasure hunting accuracy and effectiveness.
• -understanding the Excalibur 11.
• -tuning: the “Salt and Pepper” method.
• -coil control methods for identifying targets.
• -audio tips and methods.
• -recognizing gold, alloys and foils.
• -top hunter “Goldinwater’s” high-power system.
• -using “ground noises” to identify targets.
• -gold and the discriminate control.
• -understanding “out-of-range” responses, “nullouts” and “returning” signals.
• -high-accuracy “Reverse Hunting” with the Excalibur.
• -modifications, maintenance, basic repairs and troubleshooting.
• -and much more…

(8.5 X 5.5 softbound 120 pages) $19.95
Prestige Publications 2009

Click to expand...

I hear the excal is the same as a sov GT...would a person be able to apply the info in this book to the sov as well as the excal? Im trying to find a good detailed book about the GT but am having a hard time locating a good one...Ive got a couple of your other books for the XLT and they have helped me alot.

Re/ Book

MyrtleBeachGuy said:

is this an e-book ? or a normal softcover

Click to expand...

Hi MBG
I'm afraid that I'm kinda low tech and that its only a softcover book.
Thanks for your interest.
clive

New Book:"Pulsepower: Finding Gold at the Shore with a Pulse Induction Metal Detector

“Pulsepower!”: Finding Gold at the Shore
with a
Pulse Induction Metal Detector

by Clive James Clynick

Pulse induction metal detectors offer awesome depth and gold sensitivity. Clive James Clynick is the author of nine previous books and numerous articles. In this detailed and informative book Mr. Clynick instructs the reader on how to get results at shoreline sites with a pulse.
Topics include:
• -overcoming pulse induction “phobia.”
• -equipment choices and equipment “handling.”
• -recognizing gold by its signal tone and characteristics.
• -tuning secrets for performance, stability and accuracy.
• -advanced site selection and analysis.
• -understanding shoreline grades and strata.
• -understanding “sanded-in” conditions.
• -recognizing common junk targets.
• -skill-building with the White’s Surf Dual Field TM.
• -“pro” methods for easier digging and sifting.
• - and much more…

(8.5 X 5.5 softbound, 106 pgs.) $14.95

Prestige Publications (2009)
Inquiries: [email protected]

Re/ Excal Book

Hi Relic Hound
Hope that I hve not taken too long to reply, dont have notyification figured out yet. My book does indeed app;y to the Sov. more in the disc mode stuff becasue the GT is so different in all metal. I do have a book specifically about the Sov. out kind of backdated, but still timely. Check my site: (search) "clivesgoldpagehome" for more info.
Good Luck Detecting,
clive

RelicHound said:

I hear the excal is the same as a sov GT...would a person be able to apply the info in this book to the sov as well as the excal? Im trying to find a good detailed book about the GT but am having a hard time locating a good one...Ive got a couple of your other books for the XLT and they have helped me alot.

Click to expand...

I'm heard the same a RelicHound.

Pulse Hunting: Where? (Book Excerpt)

Thought I would post this; it's from a book that I'm working on about the Dual Field. Please excuse the typos; it's a draft.
cjc
Where?
I’ve had good success with the Dual Field by working shallow to medium depth water, simply because this is where the most is lost. By focusing on these prime sections, I avoid the trash of the shallows, and the vacant areas of the deep sections. These shallow flats also see a lot of changes that expose old targets, because the base is closer to the surface.
The Dual Field is also an excellent edge machine in that these areas in close to shore often have a lot of deep finds that have been covered by wave action. This is good ground to concentrate on at heavily worked sites. These are areas that may require “discriminate mode” type settings to help you weed through the many bottle caps that a lot of shorelines have. This is something that can be learned at the bench. Practice listening for the “popping” or blaring tone that bottlecaps give.
As well, in-ground practice will help you to recognize how caps enter and leave the detection field differently that does a response that contains no steel. Large-coil detectors such as the Dual Field are particularly good for allowing you to hear the mix between a steel or iron target and the part of it that is similar to the surrounding ground. This will take the form of a wide, drawn-out sound. Just as with our large-iron test above, the machine will de-tune slightly over a cap—instead of the sharper tone of a completely non-ferrous object.
As mentioned in “Pulsepower…” bottlecaps can also be recognized by their size. Just acquiring the edge-hunting skill of taking those responses that are slightly smaller than a bottlecap will speed you up a lot and bring some good finds over time. When hunting ground with a lot of caps, keep in mind that any ring putting off a signal the size of a cap, would sink deep within minutes unless the sand is very hardly packed.
Using a detector that has no discrimination places a greater emphasis upon understanding the sites you hunt thoroughly. In a sense you are looking for ways to balance out the fact that pulse hunting is slower. This involves removing as many unknowns as possible by having knowledge of: what the various sections (and water depths) of a site have produced in the past, crowd patterns, strata, sand grades and textures.

Find History
A VLF can cover ground to find recent drops. The best way to use a pulse is to develop a knowledge of where the most good finds turn up at a site, then go in to search deeper there. Watching crowd patterns will also tell you which areas have high-potential. A key point mentioned in my previous book “Site-Reading for Gold and Silver…” is that once you begin to go outside these prime areas, having no discrimination begins to work against you.

Grades, Strata and Sand Textures
While these topics have been dealt with more thoroughly in my previous books, it’s important to note that understanding sand conditions forms part of your ability to not only know where to search, but also to identify those signals that are worth digging. You could say that using a VLF to search for gold is just pulse-hunting “made easy” in that with either you are eventually brought around to the reality of searching for areas that have the right conditions. With a pulse however, you have the advantage of almost twice the detection “reach” with which to conduct this search. This also allows you to find these areas first.
It’s especially important to learn to recognize new sand that has been brought in from deeper sections. This material is unlikely to contain any gold targets and can waste your time in that it will contain tabs, caps, and light coins. With a VLF these junk items are more recognizable whereas with a pulse they can be a major waste of time.
A pulse is well suited for going in to heavily hunted sites and finding sections where deep strata is being exposed. An important part of becoming skilled with a pulse is being able to spot the clues that indicate the possibility of deep, heavy targets coming up. I recommend monitoring the sites you hunt and learning the patterns that indicate when grade changes are occurring. These are conditions where VLF machines will be much less effective than a pulse.
Another thing to avoid is locations that don’t have a deep base. In this kind of situation you may find yourself digging those junk targets that VLF hunters have left behind. Ideally, you want somewhere that has enough history and wave activity to allow for deeper layers and old finds. This is pulse-hunting at it’s best.
At heavily worked locations, always look for where targets are driven deep. This may be the wave break area, the edge or out in the deeper sections where there is more sand movement. The idea is to maximize the advantages that running a pulse give you rather than just repeating what VLF hunters can also do.

Volume and Type of Targets Present
There are a lot of situations where fast coverage and precise target selection are what is needed—period—not prime pulse ground. Any location that has a huge imbalance between junk and good finds may not be the best place to run a pulse.
The kind of targets that are present offer a key clue to how effective a pulse induction detector will be. This is especially true where you see a large number of nails, bottlecaps or other junk items that tend to be infinite in number. Coins or even tabs are a much better sign. A lot of sites where you have exceptionally clear water are also problematic in that more of the metal objects in the water will be coins. I see this in the Caribbean quite often as evidenced by the fact that a lot of the gold that comes out is white gold that’s less visible against the light sand. Locations with calm conditions and little activity taking place in the water may also not be the best place to conduct a search specifically for jewelry.
All of these factors need to be part of an effective pulse site analysis. You could say that the things that a VLF hunter can get away with overlooking are glaring mistakes for a pulse hunter. Those hunters who expect to go in the water with a P.I., wander around for a while “over hill and dale” and consistently make high-value gold finds are mistaken. The good new is that the extreme depth and gold sensitivity that a detector like the Dual Field offers will get you down to where the deepest, heaviest targets are--if you accurately address the question of “where”.

New Book!: "The White's Surfmaster P.I. Dual Field: An Advanced Guide"

The White’s Surfmaster P.I. Dual Field: “An Advanced Guide”

by Clive James Clynick
Clive James Clynick is the author of eleven previous treasure hunting books and numerous articles. In this detailed and informative guide to getting results with the Whites Surfmaster P.I. Dual Field, Mr. Clynick shares his 30 years of shoreline pulse induction detecting experience. Topics include:
• -hearing gold “optimization.”
• -high-gain methods.
• -signal balancing for maximum depth.
• -understanding P.I. interference.
• -developing your accuracy through bench-testing.
• -“faint target awareness”
• -P.I. target selection.
• -coil control tips and methods.
• -advanced site selection and analysis.

$14.95 (87 pgs. 8.5 X 5.5)

Inquiries: [email protected]
Website: http://clivesgoldpage.com/

Understanding P.I. Interference

20/ Understanding P.I. Interference
Having encouraged several dyed-in-the-wool VLF hunters to give the Dual Field a try, Ive had the opportunity to hear their amazement at just how much deeper it goes. However, its important to recognize that pulse technology is not infallible. Just as with a VLF, pulse performance is operator and conditions-dependant. By this I mean that just as with a VLF, the amount of work that the detector has to do to keep a steady threshold and the work that the operator does with the coil are what determine if a deep target will or wont be heard. Lets look at some of the in-ground factors that will reduce P.I. performance:

1/ Depth of Water
The deeper the water you are hunting, the denser the electromagnetic signal that it produces will be. This is more of a concern in salt water which is more conductive to begin with. Try this test:
At a salt water site, find a spot where the water drops off steeply. Now take the coil and run it down hill. Notice how the tone rises and becomes louder. Try placing a target on this surface and note how much fainter and harder to acquire it is on the downwards sweep. Remember, its not so much the depth of water, but the change as you take the coil down into deeper water the causes interference. P.Is. lose depth as they tune. (More on this below).

2/ Current or Wave Action
This is dealt with more thoroughly in Pulsepower Salt water produces a signal that is just below foil and iron. The faster water is rushing past the coil, the more of this signal is present for the detector to react to. In effect, it competes with any smaller targets that you hope to find. At the waters edge, small droplets of water on the coil also produce this effect--summating to mimic a larger signal. It used to be a popular method amongst early pulse hunters to use a silicone spray to minimize this effect, although the technology for shielding coils has improved a lot since then.
Just as when the coil is moved downhill into deeper water, wave action increases the amount of work that the detector must do. In fact, a VLF machine in discriminate mode is better at making the distinction between water and metal than a pulse is. For a P.I., salt water is a signal, no different than any other--save for a slower onset.
The combination of current and changing water depth (hill at the edge) can really affect pulse performance. This is important in that these steep inclines are where a lot of stuff is lost or comes to rest.
Remember that its only at the ideal range of threshold tone that the detector is performing at its best. Where you have no threshold or the raised amplitude that wave action causes you are loosing depth--a lot of it. Ive had this illustrated to me in a very plain and obvious way: At one Caribbean site I decided to work along the shoreline to try and cover some prime ground quickly before my competition showed up. I though I could compensate for the steep incline and incoming waves with a slowed sweep. I found only a few surface targets--despite being accurate with my grid rows. It was only when I tried an in / out pattern that I heard several deep signals and saw that I had missed a 17 gram gold ring on my first search!

3/ Ground Conditions
A pulse also reacts to changes in the grounds composition. These may be contours or changes in the material that is under the coil (gravel, soft sand, solid weed beds). In fresh water, these changes can take the form of pockets (or ripples) of iron-laden black sand, or ground with a varied grade that exposes different kinds of material.
This is one of the great things about using a pulseinstead of riding over those features of the conditions that would cause you to loose depth with a VLF, you have the advantage of being made aware of them by changes in the tone. Using this awareness to react accordingly is the way to get maximum depth performance from the Dual Field.

4/ Sweep Speed
The deepest signals that Ive gotten with the Dual Field have all been sweep speed contingent. These tiny murmurs or threshold breaks disappear when the coil is not moved in such a way as to keep a light, steady tone. This relates to the wave action as well. Just as with our experiment above, a passing wave can bring you up too high or a lull can knock the tone out altogether resulting in no signal. This skill is highly site-specific and some of the best results Ive gotten with the Dual Field have come from re-working a productive patch combining different sweep speeds and Gain settings. The ideal is to maintain a sweep speed that does not overrun or lag behind the machines ability to process whats under the coil. This takes a
lot of practice and is one of the most important skills in using a pulse induction detector. This is something that you can familiarize yourself with
by acquiring a deep signal then altering your sweep speed. Notice how the response has a best speed where it can be heard the loudest.
Another good test to try is to take a coin-sized target and run the coil over it--and back. Notice how the more quickly you make the return pass, the less of a signal there will be. This is exactly what is happening when the machine is trying to catch up as it compensates for the various sources of interference while detecting targets at the same time. There is a continuous lag to be dealt with--which is where listening to the ground and coil control come in.
cjc

Master clive

Hi Clive nice to see the masters hard at work,looking forward to reading your newer books,i would be interested in seeing utube hunts from your adventures on this forum,that would be cool,we all would like to see the Best Water Pro in action,i am sure we all would Love this,how bought it Clive? We have read,we want to see,if this is not posable i would buy your movie in blueray Hd thanks a fan of yours, Earl Maryland

Re/ "Reverse Hunting" with the Excal and Sovereign

23/ High-Accuracy “Reverse Hunting" with the Excalibur.
This is the part where we put some of the principles covered so far to good
use. If you want to get maximum performance and accuracy from your
Excalibur, here’s how to do it.
I can’t say enough about the smoothness and stability of the Excal 11’s allmetal
mode. Those hunters who work only in discriminate are selling
themselves short--particularly if you work fresh water where the difference
in depth is even greater. I alternate between the two, and find that as a
search mode all-metal gives twice the information as does discriminate.
This is a learned skill which takes time to develop. Begin by finding anappropriate sensitivity setting. This is generally well below 12:00 o’clock--
even down at 3:00 o’clock will still get good results. In fact, what using
signals boosters with these low settings has shown me is that in many kinds
of ground there is actually more to hear. My Sovereign Elite has a preset for
beach hunting that is down around 2:00. I find that running a bit below this
changes the threshold tone of the Excalibur and make it more stable. As
with our test, you can hear the signal working more effectively in the
ground; there is a more hollow sound that describes it traveling properly.
Another way to recognize this tone is that when you increase the sweep
speed a bit, there is no significant change. This is a good setting especially
for salt water or where there is current--and even still you may need to slow
down the coil to not lose depth. (See “Edge and “Expedited” Hunting”
below).
Now let’s set the threshold. One thing that surprised me with the Excal 11
was just how faint some all-metal responses were. These were nothing more
than the faintest murmurs that could only be distinguished from ground
noises by the fact that they are repeatable. For anyone who is interested in
this kind of hunting it is worth noting that many these responses are so faintthat it is necessary to continually backtrack to determine if you are hearing
ground changes or a signal tone, so be prepared to really listen.
This means that a very low threshold is needed, but not so low as it’s cutting
out or is not a consistent sound. The smoothness of a correct sensitivity
setting should be reflected in how well the threshold stays even. When you
are hearing changes as a result of a threshold that is either too high or too
low, targets can be lost in this variation. Also, be sure to tune with the coil
moving slightly. As mentioned earlier, chose a comfortable volume setting, then begin to
fine-tune it so that there is less wavering in the threshold. If you do want to
run more sensitivity, this is the way to do it. Now find some ground that is
solid and has deep targets. (I find that BBS machines work better in solid
ground, and we also want somewhere that deep targets are retained).
Be sure to minimize the amount of cable that you have swinging in the water
if you are hipmounting and as well, keep any metal such as your scoop well
back and clear. Now work on accomplishing a sweep that will give you maximum stability.
Another surprising thing that is evident when you use a booster is that jerky
reverses actually make a sound at the end of each pass as the ground
“catches up.” Make your reverses smooth and try to “feather” each one by
slowing down at the outside of each pass.
When you get a signal, immediately concentrate on determining the shape
and whether or not it’s non-ferrous. If it’s wide, has a dragging tone or
“flat” (audio) shape, suspect iron or a cap. If you hear a “lag” combined
with a thin consistency to the tone or double sound, suspect a bobby pin.
With larger responses, listen for the “peaked” or more rounded quality that
indicates something non-ferrous. The all-metal tone itself should also give
you some indication of what kind of metal you are hearing.
Listen as well to how it sounds against the ground; does it conduct evenly
and have the “balance” of a solid, consistent target? Where you hear any
kind of carry-over in the tone usually means something that it has some partof it blending with the ground as do the “infinite” responses discussed
earlier. With practice it is possible to hear the difference between anything
with copper, zinc, tin or brass in it from something that does not corrode
such as gold or aluminum because there will be no carry-over at all with the
non-corroding response; (unless it’s something right on the surface).
This is where we get to use one of the Excal’s best features--something
highly effective and particular to BBS machines. Make a few all-metal
passes and listen to see if there is any change in the size, shape or location of
the response. Where you see any difference, this is caused by the machine
tuning out the less consistent parts of the signal. Anything that does not keep
its size and shape is not gold or silver. It may be a valuable brass or copper
coin, but it’s not gold--period. Based upon my tests, the Excalibur 11’sincreased shielding seems to make this effect cleaner and more pronounced.
Be sure that you have an accurate fix on where the signal is.
Now switch to discriminate. Set the coil out about a foot from center and
sweep evenly across the target. If you get an immediate sound note if it’s
high or low (this is where knowing your tones--especially the foils / caps /
iron range will help a lot) and reverse the coil right away and listen for a
second tone. Just having tone “ID” here is a huge deal--never mind all the
rest of the available information sources. Even hearing a “click” on the
reverse sweep is a good sign. (This is the same as the “wiggle” but without
such high standards). Then try to bring up the tone you heard by adjusting
your sweep direction and length. As well, make small adjustments in the
sweep axis to try and center the coil over the response. Ideally, the tone
should climb with a narrowed sweep. You may have to actually step around
the response to hear a consistent tone coming up with each pass. Unless youfail to replicate a sweep that had produced a tone, you should not have to
start again. As mentioned above, the exception is something that is so deep
(or masked / upended) that it’s only being heard as a discriminate response
in summation--that is it takes more than one pass to not read as iron. This
does happen, but is usually a characteristic of foils or other weak signals. If
you hear nothing at all, keep in mind that there is a big depth difference
between the two modes--which is why we are going to all this trouble in the
first place. The trick here is to recognize when a signal is deep enough to
invalidate any attempts to bring up a discriminate response. Another key
factor is if it’s sharp and very small. This could indicate something that will
not give a tone because it’s on edge. This type of response may have a small
carry-over component, but it will not be the full “inverse” sound of a weak
or non ferrous object such as a bobby pin. If you are running some discriminate to identify foils / nails (try around
9:00 o’clock or slightly higher if they are a real problem) this discriminate
test needs to be very precise in that as with the “wiggle” you have to stay
right on the signal where you heard the first tone and go back across. Listen
for extension in the tone--this usually means something that is cleanly above
your setting. The odd “click” usually indicates something below it
“summating.” Again, a high, pronounced, single spike or “ping” means a
nail. Also, when you hear a fluttering sound with multiple tones--that’s
going to be a nail too.
(While we are on the subject of identifying deep targets, it’s safe to say that
most new hunters don’t realize the extreme “punch” that the Excalibur’s
high gain circuitry has. By high gain, I mean that it pulls deep signals from
the ground by amplifying everything--ferrous and nonferrous. This means
that there will always be some overlap between what is seen as metal and
what is rejected as ground).
This kind of detailed “reverse hunting” is a great way to get extreme depthfrom the Excalibur. It requires a composite of skills in that each test tells
you a little more about what you are hearing. The end result is a very high
level of accuracy operating at the maximum depth the unit is capable of. If I
could point to one stage that is critical, it would be determining the target
shape and composition (iron or not) in all metal and initially hearing the
tonal range of the discriminate passes. Where you hear a middle tone; take
extra care to get more information. Another key area of skill-building is to
be able to recognize those responses that are strong for their size and
faintness--those ones that “carry” well. While the Excalibur won’t rival the depth of a high-performance pulse
machine--this kind of method allows you to compete effectively by having
comparable depth, along with a level of accuracy that no pulse can match.
More detail is given on this in my previous books and below under “Identifying Targets by “Correlation.”
Operating with the WOT coil will increase the effectiveness of this kind of
method dramatically as well.
From: “Advanced Field Methods for the Minelab Excalibur: Theory & Practice” by Clive James Clynick
clivesgoldpage.com

Cjc

Are you the Author? I just realized that your initials are the same as the author of the posted text.
Thanks for posting the excerpt.
HH,
John Morton

Wow alot of typing/reading but good info thanks..