If you Don't Have a Test Garden.........

Coin Operated · Sep 18, 2017

MAKE ONE! I detected for 15 years without one. This spring I FINALLY got around to making one. Boy Howdy. Here's a little of what I have learned from it:

1. Your settings probably aren't as effective as you think they are. Changes in settings may not be doing what you intend.

2. Ground moisture affects depth more than you may realize. A lot more.

3. If you mark your target locations with paint don't paint right over the target. Most paint has metal in it (cadmium, iron oxide, etc.) depending on the color. The metal will affect depth and vdi results and can affect moisture penetration. Keep it to the side.

4. Coins on edge are a bi*ch.

5. And much, much, more.

You may already know all this and more but I didn't and, well, Boy howdy what a surprise.

tnsharpshooter · Sep 18, 2017

Coin Operated said:
MAKE ONE! I detected for 15 years without one. This spring I FINALLY got around to making one. Boy Howdy. Here's a little of what I have learned from it:

1. Your settings probably aren't as effective as you think they are. Changes in settings may not be doing what you intend.

2. Ground moisture affects depth more than you may realize. A lot more.

3. If you mark your target locations with paint don't paint right over the target. Most paint has metal in it (cadmium, iron oxide, etc.) depending on the color. The metal will affect depth and vdi results and can affect moisture penetration. Keep it to the side.

4. Coins on edge are a bi*ch.

5. And much, much, more.

You may already know all this and more but I didn't and, well, Boy howdy what a surprise.

15 years !!
Why did you wait so long to make garden?

Trashfinder · Sep 18, 2017

Coin Operated said:
MAKE ONE! I detected for 15 years without one. This spring I FINALLY got around to making one. Boy Howdy. Here's a little of what I have learned from it:

1. Your settings probably aren't as effective as you think they are. Changes in settings may not be doing what you intend.

2. Ground moisture affects depth more than you may realize. A lot more.

3. If you mark your target locations with paint don't paint right over the target. Most paint has metal in it (cadmium, iron oxide, etc.) depending on the color. The metal will affect depth and vdi results and can affect moisture penetration. Keep it to the side.

4. Coins on edge are a bi*ch.

5. And much, much, more.

You may already know all this and more but I didn't and, well, Boy howdy what a surprise.

THANK YOU! I have been posting you can learn sooo much from tests in a garden! I think it is one of the single most important things a detectorist can do for him or herself. Then apply to real world situations and dig some things you probably would not have before testing and you find you were leaving lots of goodies behind! Ya you will still dig some trash but what you leave behind will drop considerably!

Coin Operated · Sep 18, 2017

tnsharpshooter said:
15 years !!
Why did you wait so long to make garden?

I was Waaaaaay too smart for that.

tnsharpshooter · Sep 18, 2017

Coin Operated said:
I was Waaaaaay too smart for that.

Gotya

remmy · Sep 19, 2017

Keep in mind also that YOUR soil where your garden it will have different results that soil elsewhere. My deus will struggle to hit my 10 inch clad quarter in my garden. I was at my buddys house playing in his garden and the deus slammed his 11and 12 quarters. His soil is very different in texture an appearance. This could work both ways, you may hit something in your ground but miss it elsewhere.

Interesting thought on the paint, maybe that rustoleum bright silver was not a good choice, I can see it well though! :lol:

sandgroper · Sep 19, 2017

I've been at this hobby for ten years, and still haven't made one! :roll:

Not sure why, but if I'm 100% honest, I've never seen the use for one. Of course, I've done lots of tests with different items on the machines in different soil conditions, but hey, I'm finding silver, gold and tonnes of clad, so obviously I'm doing something right! :lol:

(And that's all that matters too me!)

JackalopeZL1 · Sep 19, 2017

remmy said:
Keep in mind also that YOUR soil where your garden it will have different results that soil elsewhere.

100% agree, The soil is ever changing from location to location, Heck even in the same location 50' can make a difference.

Skwerly · Sep 19, 2017

Thanks for this. I don't have any excuses and I have a new machine. It may be time to make one for myself.

TabZilla · Sep 19, 2017

Mine is about half coins at various depths and the other half are mixed targets with coins, nails, tabs and misc. junk. Even have a merc dime next to a rusty old wrench. The row of masked targets is great to swing down and keep ears fresh to what masked targets may sound like.
I've never marked mine with paint. I have a piece of PVC pipe with a cap low enough to mow over at the end of each row. Targets are at 24" intervals.

One of the neatest things I've learned from it is the effects of EMI , even solar radiation. I've noticed there can be an impact on depth. Targets that are barely detectable at high noon usually are easier to detect when the sun is down.

Definitely worth doing given the space.

BottleCapKing · Sep 22, 2017

Of course coins on edge are tough. VLF detectors are effectively "surface area" detectors. The closer to edge they are, the less surface area they have, making they harder to detect. Add to that the response field is perpendicular to the face of the coin, which, as you can imagine is not pointing in the same direction as the coil. This is why you need to pin point from multiple directions, because otherwise, you could be pinpointing a coin several inches away from where it actually is depending upon its depth.

A good way to get a feel for this is to cut angles of various increasing degrees into a thin piece of wood and note where the coils actually pin point in various directions and different angles. It is an interesting experiment. I did testing of this with a 10" DD coil at ~6" (open air, coins on ground). Also note how far from the coin you are horizontally when the detector notices it.

My tests were done at 0, 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees. In most cases, the completely on edge coins were only noticed as a blip on the All Metal channel. In the ground, they are slightly more noticeable due to mineral halos.

If you Don't Have a Test Garden.........

Coin Operated

Senior Member

tnsharpshooter

Supporter

Trashfinder

Coin Operated

Senior Member

tnsharpshooter

Supporter

remmy

sandgroper

Elite Member

JackalopeZL1

Elite Member

Skwerly

Elite Member

TabZilla

BottleCapKing

Elite Member

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