Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Reasons why we miss coins

steve in so la

steve in so la

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Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
7,545
Here's a few reasons why we miss coins in a dig:

1. When digging a deep coin the signal disappears. Frequently, I find the coin has dropped out of range or has become moved sideways. When this happens I dig a bunch of dirt in the bottom of the hole and the coin appears. Just this morning this happened 3 times in my hunt

2. The coin may have been part of a dirt clod you pulled out & put to the side. I used to go detecting with a guy who didn't check his dirt well & moved on. Several times I went over his dug dirt & got the coin. As this guy was a know it all I didn't mention my getting the coins.

3.One time I was hard put to find the target and eventually saw a silver ring stuck on the end of my Lesche off to the side of me. Talk about pinpointing :)

4. If you don't set your machine on low disc then a signal may come up or may not repeatedly.

5. You can increase your finds by getting as close to the metal poles, bars, etc as you can. Otherwise you miss targets.

6. Maybe the most blatant one is going too fast. Here's a gold coin on a ring I dug by following another detectorist right behind him but going slower and swinging my coil to the metal bars and away. The ring was close to the metal structure but clearly audible. He whipped right along but I took my time. What's the hurry for anyway?

veomft.jpg


What other tips can you add to this list ? Steve in so la
 
Great tips! I lost a target last evening. Had a huge hole dug 12 inches wide 8 deep. No target. I was pissed!

My reasoning was poor pen pointing with my at pro. I've tried to practice more to dig in the right area.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Darktower007 said:
Great tips! I lost a target last evening. Had a huge hole dug 12 inches wide 8 deep. No target. I was pissed!

My reasoning was poor pen pointing with my at pro. I've tried to practice more to dig in the right area.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I started using pro mode and it's a lot better on finding hidden targets. I run it one way and then turn 90 degrees and hit it another and make sort of an x and dig the center. Also get you a good pin pointer if you don't have one already.
 
I have a pretty good pro pointer but I'm learning to pin point better. Sounds easy.. but deep targets give me trouble sometimes


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If you dig a hole half way to China and still hitting a tone , ck the surface or a inch down to the side for a very small target . It happens ! ,,,,,HH
 
I think many people pass over the "iffy-souding" deeper targets. In my experience, sometimes even the junky-sounding signals turn out to be coins. I try to dig everything I have patience to for this reason. I've never run a deep high-dollar coin-killer like a minelab, but on most of the mid-range machines I've run, the deeper targets tend to be lower in the vdi and tone, as well. I also have ridiculously mineralized soil where I live, so perhaps it's related to that.
 
Ricki7 said:
If you dig a hole half way to China and still hitting a tone , ck the surface or a inch down to the side for a very small target . It happens ! ,,,,,HH
Click to expand...

+1 A very tiny surface target causes all sorts of problems AND wastes our time too. Detecting a circle around the open hole can sometimes help you find that annoying little bugger. (Tiny pieces of copper wire, bb's, tiny screws etc.)
 
It is very important to do these two things:

1) sweep a target, and then sweep again 90 degrees from the first direction. This will show iron for what it is.

2) Pin point targets from two directions 90 degrees from one another. This will correctly pinpoint targets that are on edge. If you try pinpointing a target on edge in only one direction, it will actually be to the right, to the left, in front, or behind where you think it actually it. It really depends upon the how the coin in leaning relative to the direction you are pin pointing in.
 
BottleCapKing said:
It is very important to do these two things:

1) sweep a target, and then sweep again 90 degrees from the first direction. This will show iron for what it is.

2) Pin point targets from two directions 90 degrees from one another. This will correctly pinpoint targets that are on edge. If you try pinpointing a target on edge in only one direction, it will actually be to the right, to the left, in front, or behind where you think it actually it. It really depends upon the how the coin in leaning relative to the direction you are pin pointing in.
Click to expand...

Yes
 
BottleCapKing said:
It is very important to do these two things:

1) sweep a target, and then sweep again 90 degrees from the first direction. This will show iron for what it is.

2) Pin point targets from two directions 90 degrees from one another. This will correctly pinpoint targets that are on edge. If you try pinpointing a target on edge in only one direction, it will actually be to the right, to the left, in front, or behind where you think it actually it. It really depends upon the how the coin in leaning relative to the direction you are pin pointing in.
Click to expand...

I do this but have a follow up question... why do I sometimes only get a tone from side, or even one direction? For instance I might get a solid time both sweeping left and right, then rotate 90° and not get a tone. OR I will only get a tone sweeping right and then won't get it sweeping left?
 
older concentric vs. dd coils

Im still getting used to my at pro with the 8.5x11dd coil and pin pointing.
Im used to thirty years of using the old school concentric coils.
Ive only had my atpro for a few months and getting better at pin pointing with it
Had a few dissapear too...man is it frusrating when that happens!
So you are not the only one!
Just saying.......
HH
 
I just dug an 1877 seated quarter at 7 or 8 inches that sounded like an iron nail. It was a terrible signal but had a high tone chirp every now and then. Turned out that the quarter was straight up and down. I just started digging it all and it prayed off.





Greg
 
mwils said:
Very sound advice
Click to expand...

For sure! Guy can learn a lot of humbling lessons by going through a place several times once he thinks he has it 'cleaned out'...trying different swing speeds/settings, even different coils and gear...Some guys are only hearing the high silver pings and passing over the mid tones or junk signals...Every place tells a story of who was here before you were, how they hunted, what they disced etc...Good on ya Steve! That there ring is one NOBODY would want to miss!
 
Another one -

Sometimes when we hit a new, large site we are anxious to "do it all" . Even knowing we should slow down we don't sometimes. I make it a habit to go over the original 1/3 of the ground again. And maybe at a different angle like someone said.

Just recently I did this at a huge playground I am doing and dug 7-8 more coins. And after 30+ years digging you would think I'd learn to go slow from the start :( Steve in so la
 
steve in so la said:
Sometimes when we hit a new, large site we are anxious to "do it all" . Even knowing we should slow down we don't sometimes. I make it a habit to go over the original 1/3 of the ground again. And maybe at a different angle like someone said.

Just recently I did this at a huge playground I am doing and dug 7-8 more coins. And after 30+ years digging you would think I'd learn to go slow from the start :( Steve in so la
Click to expand...

I think you have a point there, Steve. When faced with a large area and a small coil, there is a certain urge to go fast in order to make rapid progress, at least I feel that urge with my 8 inch coil. When I am faced with acres, and all I have to do it with is an 8 inch coil, reduced to level 3 sensitivity due to EMI, I feel like I need to go fast. But you are right, I need to slooow down. Nothing says that the targets are better farther away than they are right at my feet. And if I feel that another area is more promising, I should just start detecting there first, and work my way to the least promising area(s). I play a lot of mind games with myself, it seems.
 
chevysoldier said:
I do this but have a follow up question... why do I sometimes only get a tone from side, or even one direction? For instance I might get a solid time both sweeping left and right, then rotate 90° and not get a tone. OR I will only get a tone sweeping right and then won't get it sweeping left?
Click to expand...

If you are discriminating iron, the target is likely iron.

Unlike the things we are actually looking for, iron response is orientation specific. You can sweep a coin from any direction and you will get more or less the same response (this does change slightly the close the coin is to vertical). Iron will respond differently from different angles. It may sound really good from one direction, but at 90 degrees it will clearly be iron - it will either be discriminated out, or produce a very chopped signal.
 
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