New to metal detecting. Is my detector malfunctioning?

Dmar

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2018
Messages
30
I’m using the bounty hunter gold digger. I noticed as I was using it that the only finds I’ve found were like 1-2 inches down. I did a test with a ruler, put it on a flat surface and waved a silver quarter around at different distances, the furthest it goes is 3 inches.. and hats with nothing between the coul and the object. Am I doing something wrong? Or is his defective? Oh and his with the power all he way up
 
I’m using the bounty hunter gold digger. I noticed as I was using it that the only finds I’ve found were like 1-2 inches down. I did a test with a ruler, put it on a flat surface and waved a silver quarter around at different distances, the furthest it goes is 3 inches.. and hats with nothing between the coul and the object. Am I doing something wrong? Or is his defective? Oh and his with the power all he way up

Try using a nickel and checking.
 
Everyone starts somewhere pescadore..

Ain’t that the truth.

I started with a Bounty Hunter Prospector - like a Tracker but maybe a 7” coil (smaller) and depth was not super with it - so the 2/3” isn’t overly surprising honestly. That’s why I eventually moved to the 8” Tesoro Compadre - didn’t want to miss deeper items. However, it depends a lot on the ground type and long buried objects can sometimes be detected better than others so don’t give up hope on the detector. I used mine for a year or so and found silver coins and a gold ring with it. Moving up to a Eurotek, F2 or Compadre eventually would be a nice upgrade. Happy hunting!
 
Everyone starts somewhere pescadore..

Yes they do !!! The problem with starting with a detector that won't find anything below 3 inches is that you get frustrated with the hobby very quickly and don't stay with it. You have to get what you can afford, I understand that but you can't expect to get much performance from a detector that costs less than $50 new. Detectors can be found in garage sales and online that are decent performers and very inexpensive.
 
As it was stated, we all have to start somewhere. And unless you are born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth, you start on the cheap side for the most part. I know I did when I first got into detecting. In my opinion the only thing the cheaper machines will do is give you an overview of how a detector works......to a point. What pescador said is true. Most people starting out, and using a less expensive unit will lose interest in the hobby real fast. My first machine wouldn't find a cars hood even if I was standing on it. But after I did some research, I spent the bigger dollar and bought, at the time Garretts top of the line detector, the ADS-7, and the rest is history. So all that being said, Dmar don't give up, try to progress to a better machine if you can afford it and you will see a marked improvement. Frustration is the main killer to this hobby. If you decide to drop out now, you'll be missing out on a very fun and interesting time.
 
FWIW, with tuning and sweep maintenance, you should still find at least 80% of coins, etc in parks,schools. I had a $500 AH Pro discriminator many moons ago whose depth was minimal and found tons of stuff.:cool:
 
Yes they do !!! The problem with starting with a detector that won't find anything below 3 inches is that you get frustrated with the hobby very quickly and don't stay with it. You have to get what you can afford, I understand that but you can't expect to get much performance from a detector that costs less than $50 new. Detectors can be found in garage sales and online that are decent performers and very inexpensive.

It would have been more friendly if this was your first response.
 
Try using a nickel and checking.

TNSS is right. Your gold machine is probably set up at a frequency to hit harder on lower conductors like gold, nickels and pull tabs. It would be a good machine to hit playgrounds and areas with fresh clad drops. Just have fun with it. If you like the hobby and want to upgrade, there are lots of mid grade machines that will get you better depth if you want.
 
It would have been more friendly if this was your first response.
I sincerely apologize if you took my response as unfriendly. Probably just my Aspergers kicking in and being direct. I have a tendency to see only the black and white. Again, I apologize.

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
 
I sincerely apologize if you took my response as unfriendly. Probably just my Aspergers kicking in and being direct. I have a tendency to see only the black and white. Again, I apologize.

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

No worries. Thanks for the nice reply.
 
Is this the one I should get? I’m about to return the gold digger and upgrade a little bit

The Tracker IV is an old time favorite of mine! It has 3 modes-a/m, normal discriminate, and tone discrimination. By setting it on tone and rotating the dial from off position until a nickel gives a solid low tone, you will have a fairly accurate form of notch discrimination! Nickels/large foil will give a low tone, old style tabs and aluminum will give a broken hi/lo tone, and clad a high tone! And setting the sensitivity at 3/4 will give some great depth in normal ground. My FIFTH one was stolen and on some sites I really miss it!:cool:
AND it is a product of a great mind- George Payne- a pioneer in technology!
 
I didn't have much money to spend but I also wanted some thing of how you say better quality/grade.

Did a lot of research on some real good stuff out of my price range if I bought retail. Living near a larger city where there are a good quanity of pawn shops and didn't mind possiably buying a stolen product is where I decided to shop.

How ever my banker objected to that idea for a couple reasons.

(1. as stated the product may have been stolen from some one. Don't want to get caught in a play ground with a hot machine by the former owner, carry the bill of sale with you.

(2. product may not work properly, Make sure it is returnable if not satisfied.

(3 owners manuals may not come with the machine. Those can be had on line in PDF form so isn't a problem except with the banker.


So if your your own banker and do not have a truck load of moneies check out some pawn shops.


Never the less waiting a few years longer and storeing change in a buried PCV (GPS marked of course) pipe I was able to buy a fairly decent machine.


:D Al
 
I didn't have much money to spend but I also wanted some thing of how you say better quality/grade.

Did a lot of research on some real good stuff out of my price range if I bought retail. Living near a larger city where there are a good quanity of pawn shops and didn't mind possiably buying a stolen product is where I decided to shop.

How ever my banker objected to that idea for a couple reasons.

(1. as stated the product may have been stolen from some one. Don't want to get caught in a play ground with a hot machine by the former owner, carry the bill of sale with you.

(2. product may not work properly, Make sure it is returnable if not satisfied.

(3 owners manuals may not come with the machine. Those can be had on line in PDF form so isn't a problem except with the banker.


So if your your own banker and do not have a truck load of moneies check out some pawn shops.


Never the less waiting a few years longer and storeing change in a buried PCV (GPS marked of course) pipe I was able to buy a fairly decent machine.


:D Al
Uh, you do know the change can be detected thru the PVC , right?
 
Ya I know that but I didn't have a dector yet so the GPS location had to do.
OH ya it was in my back yard out of the banker vision.


:D Al
 
I’m using the bounty hunter gold digger. I noticed as I was using it that the only finds I’ve found were like 1-2 inches down. I did a test with a ruler, put it on a flat surface and waved a silver quarter around at different distances, the furthest it goes is 3 inches.. and hats with nothing between the coul and the object. Am I doing something wrong? Or is his defective? Oh and his with the power all he way up

First of all, welcome to the forum...we're a friendly bunch here :) Sometimes very direct, but it's all meant to be helpful



As for your detector, I don't think that it's defective...that's about the maximum depth you'll get with something in that price range, regardless of the brand.

Now, on the plus side, most stuff you'll find (numerically) will be within a couple of inches of the surface so you'll still be able to find some goodies. Don't get frustrated like I did for several years (with an F2 as my first machine even :) ) but learn as much as you can...dig it all, and learn your machine, and how to dig neat plugs. Once you're hooked into the hobby, you'll be itching for a higher end machine. The ACE series is excellent (I have an ACE 250), as is the Fisher F2 (have one of those two)...my go to machine now is my AT Pro.
 
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