Ace250 depth readings

I have found with my Ace250 I usually figure the depth of my target to be half of what the meter indicates, esp. on coin size targets, not sure why this is, the other side is a buried beer can or a large lead sinker always shows to be at the 2" depth on my meter. Guess it comes back to every machine is different and learning your machine ...................

Thanks dooby. I appreciate your reply !

Todd

Todd

I think the cold weather affects the Ace 250.

I was out detecting 3 times this week with temperatures in the 40's to 50's, and had the same problems as you.
Every target ID bounced, and the depth readings never read less than 6" to 8". I found a wheat cent laying on top of the ground, put my coil directly on it and got a depth reading of 6".

I am going to tape a couple of those hand warmers they sell to put inside your gloves, to the control box and see if it makes a difference. Wheather it works or not, as soon as the ground freezes i'm sending the Ace back to Garrett for a checkup before my warranty runs out.

Disregard my earlier post.

I went detecting yesterday and my detector was going crazy. The target ID was jumping all over the place, and the depth indicator was bouncing between 6'-8". I held the detector over my head and it was still going crazy.
I finally determined that the coil wire was bad where it connects to the control box.
I knew i could repair it myself, but didn't want to void my warranty so i called Garrett.

The lady at Garrett said she will send me a new coil, and for me to return the old one with a note.

I also asked how cold temperature affects the ACE. She said that at 32 degrees the display screen will freeze and crack.

Lou-CT said:

Disregard my earlier post.

I went detecting yesterday and my detector was going crazy. The target ID was jumping all over the place, and the depth indicator was bouncing between 6'-8". I held the detector over my head and it was still going crazy.
I finally determined that the coil wire was bad where it connects to the control box.
I knew i could repair it myself, but didn't want to void my warranty so i called Garrett.

The lady at Garrett said she will send me a new coil, and for me to return the old one with a note.

I also asked how cold temperature affects the ACE. She said that at 32 degrees the display screen will freeze and crack.

Click to expand...

Do all the detector screens do that???

Lou-CT said:

Disregard my earlier post.

I went detecting yesterday and my detector was going crazy. The target ID was jumping all over the place, and the depth indicator was bouncing between 6'-8". I held the detector over my head and it was still going crazy.
I finally determined that the coil wire was bad where it connects to the control box.
I knew i could repair it myself, but didn't want to void my warranty so i called Garrett.

The lady at Garrett said she will send me a new coil, and for me to return the old one with a note.

I also asked how cold temperature affects the ACE. She said that at 32 degrees the display screen will freeze and crack.

Click to expand...

Lou........Glad you discovered the problem. Also, heart warming to hear the good folks at Garrett are taking care of
you !Personally, you'll never catch me out MD'ing at 32 degrees, but thats an interesting tidbit about the
screen freezing and cracking at that temperature.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Happy Holidays !

Todd

#2 on your list would have been enough for me. When it's jumping like that, that means the machine can't figure out what it is, 9 out of 10 times it will be junk. I would expect that in a park or similar location. When I am out in the woods in the middle of no where relic hunting and get a signal like that, you bet I will dig!

Epi..........Yes, I always scan the hole. Thats good info. about the size of the target affecting the depth
reading. I'll keep that in mind ! And yes, knowing this helps me alot !!!!

Thanks much.

Happy Holidays !

Todd

Thanks Jason ! Appreciate your feedback.
I thought Epi-hunters' reply was also good.....assume you read it.

HH........Todd

I did some test while in Ohio and Florida. I used new 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c, 1$. I did also used some euro's and old spanish coins I have but lets concentrate on the US coins.

I made a plug hole 4 inches deep; tested each coin while laying flat on the ground they returned a depth of about 4in. once they were on a 45 degree angle it changed to be 4 to 6, once they were vertical the ace returned 6 to 8.... these was not a scientific test but just a try to see how the Ace will measure depth and type of coin.

Also, put 3 and 4 coins in the same hole .... and well... that's a different ball game!

I like testing, cause it gives me a idea of what to expect on different type of situations in the field... but most of all; it is fun and i think it helps you guess when you are on the field on what type of object you are going to dig. Nothing like guessing... hey I think this is a 25c coin or a gold chain and being right when you dig it. The more you dig the more you learn! 8)

spittfire said:

[
Do all the detector screens do that???

Click to expand...

Yes and no. Though that screen is a _liquid_ crystal display...
I checked some webpages and for example Seiko makes LCD screens that have lowest operating temp 0 Celsius, which is that 32F. however their storage temp is -20 C. They do make LCD screens that have lowest op temp -20C and storage temp -30C.
I know for sure that the LCD display thermometer in my car has been in temps like -32C, or -26F and it is still fully functional. So I guess it boils down to what kind of screen the detector manufacturer decided to buy.

Voriax

I've found that when using the ACE the depth readings give a good rough estimate but are definitely not always accurate. I've gotten many 2" readings that are both deeper than 2" and some right below the surface, maybe an inch.

Jason is right about jumpy signals--Many times when the meter has jumped all around and I've dug it, it's ended up being junk. More often than not a solid signal is a GOOD signal and you will find exactly what the meter says is there, but on my last hunt I got a solid dime hit everytime I ran it over one particular target, and ended up digging a solid piece of metal similar to a pencil tip. If you have the time though, dig all jumpy hits and sometimes it will yield a good reward!

Messages to dooby and cmhphoto :

Dooby.........What you reported experiencing with depth readings from the Ace is normal for that machine,
as Epi-hunter reminded me in her reply #4 to this thread, and she explains it very well I might add.
The Garrett pocket manual for the Ace's mentions this on page #15, which I will reiterate here for your
convenience, as follows:

" Note : Targets larger that a coin may display shallower than actual depth
while targets smaller than a coin may display deeper than actual depth."

Hope you feel better now, knowing your machine is operating as intended by the manufacturer, but of
course this means we must remember the yellow-fellows nuances and make little mental gyrations in the
field as to the actual probable size and depth of our targets. The only way to make the machine do more
thought work is to upgrade to a better machine that retrieves, analyzes and reports more data,
which,of course, is what we all dream of doing someday.

Happy Holidays !...........Todd


cmhphoto.....I think you are experiencing the same thing regarding depth reporting from the Ace as dooby
and myself. Epi-hunter did an excellent job of explaining this in her reply #4 to this thread. Also, see my
reply above to dooby. As you changed orientation of the coins in the hole there was less surface on each coin
exposed to radio signals from the coil, and fewer eddy currents produced, causing the Ace to analyze the targets
as objects smaller than a coin (Objects smaller than a coin get reported deeper than actual depth and vice versa.)

BTW....When I talked with Gino Alvarez in the spring of 2005, he and family were planning to move to
Puerto Rico. Did they make the move ? I would like to send him an e-mail sometime, just to see how he is doing and if he is still metal detecting, etc.. Does he still have the same e-mail address, i.e. [email protected] ? Sorry if I'm being presumptuous asking these questions, but when I saw your username it brought back memories of how nice Gino was to help me re-post his pics of the Ace250 on this forum.

Thanks for your help and Happy Holidays !

Todd

Voriax said:

spittfire said:

[
Do all the detector screens do that???

Click to expand...

Yes and no. Though that screen is a _liquid_ crystal display...
I checked some webpages and for example Seiko makes LCD screens that have lowest operating temp 0 Celsius, which is that 32F. however their storage temp is -20 C. They do make LCD screens that have lowest op temp -20C and storage temp -30C.
I know for sure that the LCD display thermometer in my car has been in temps like -32C, or -26F and it is still fully functional. So I guess it boils down to what kind of screen the detector manufacturer decided to buy.

Voriax

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, now I will be more careful!

Thanks for the info regarding the LCD screen freezing and cracking at temperatures of 32 and less. Looks like I won't be doing any detecting here for awhile.
Terry

You can forget about the depth reading until you pinpoint. Is not even close. It is FAIRLY accurate when you pinpont if you are over the correct target. There is so much junk where I hunt sometimes it is hard to tell because the pinpoint works in the all metals mode.

I've used my ace 250 several times below 32. On another forum u use, guys are using the ace250 on ice covered ground up north where all of the ice storms are going on right now. I've never heard it mentioned about the screens freezing. Not to say it cant or wont happen, just that I'm not hearing of anybody up there having problems in VERY cold weather. Oh yeah, this is my first night on this forum and I like it alot. Always helps to visit many forums. Lots of info on more than just one of two. I've learned some new stuff tonight, especially about the ace250, I, as many am having problems figuring out where exactly, it pinpoints. I've got a little better understanding now, just need a test garden. That is a MUST for any of us. Especially newbies! Thanks