Puzzling results Ace250 on the beach

Spookydad · Aug 5, 2007

We just arrived in Port Aransas. It was late and the tide was high so I decided to just take out the ACE250. The sand was packed and somewhat damp. There didn't seem to be much dry sand at all.

I was getting plenty of hits. All of them at 6+ inches. I dug down quite a ways and there was nothing. The ace would sound at the edge of the hole and I would dig the hole deeper. I found nothing.

I gave up and went up by the dunes. It was dry sand and I started getting hits. I did find plenty of trash (pull tabs, can slaw, can ends, and the like) and one dime.

I have never seen such hard packed sand.

Any thoughts on this?

SpookyDad

fastforty · Aug 6, 2007

The Ace doesn't like wet salt sand, it causes a LOT of falsing. The fact that you located lots of targets in dry sand verifies that there isn't anything wrong with the machine.

MDMike · Aug 6, 2007

I get the same results from my XLT. It'll hit an area of high mineralization or whatever it is and is usually about 6-8 inches down. On the XLT it always shows up with a VDI of 91, or a silver dollar. I sure would cringe like no other if it is really reading a silver piece and I've been dismissing it like I have been.

But yeah, it's just falsing.

booker · Aug 6, 2007

Some say if you notch it down the 250 will do ok on the beach

Joe G · Aug 7, 2007

Check out this video. Almost all of this was found with an ACE 250..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fPCQQiHtLVU

Bruce_B · Aug 7, 2007

Joe G said:
Check out this video. Almost all of this was found with an ACE 250..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fPCQQiHtLVU

Wow, that's some serious hunting.

Xray · Aug 8, 2007

The circuitry on the 250, or any detector for that matter, can get quirky in given situations. I've had erractic performance [alerting like crazy, nothing there] on regular land, at beaches and at woodchip playgrounds.
I go back, and next time a few days or a week later, its just fine ... So atmospherics, electrical charges and moisture do indeed have an effect here, and no doubt others.
Some spots it is always quirky, and these I just give up on, as there are plenty of hunting areas out there.
I wouldn't just say "its wet sand" because I have detected plenty of wet sand, and 2 ft in the water in fact, with the 250 and it performed flawlessly.
So your case is most likely mineralization - But it wouldn't hurt to try the same place another time, in case something else was causing it.

Spookydad · Aug 9, 2007

This is a Texas gulf beach. We have tar and oil close to the surface. So much so, the beach has large black deposits usually no more than 3 or 4 inches down. The condo's here all give out these tar removal wet wipes. It is a major problem.

The girls tried to work the dry sand tonight with the 250. They gave up because it was way too trashy.

SpookyDad

Puzzling results Ace250 on the beach

Spookydad

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fastforty

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MDMike

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booker

Joe G

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Bruce_B

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Xray

Spookydad

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