Ace 250 woes

robpatt · Jun 8, 2006

I purchased the 250 last Thursday and have taken it out a few times. Today while out I detected a dime however when I dug it up, it was a penny. This happend twice. I assumed maybe the penny wasn't flat in the ground and gave off a weird signal. Well after I got home I thought about it and pulled out the detector to check it. Sure enough, when I pass a penny under or over the coil, it dinges out a solid dime. I turned the sensitivity down to 1 and still it dinged as a dime.

I then checked other coins and they all ding to their type, quarters where quarters, nickels were nickles .... etc. I did however notice by passing multiple pennies, a few dinged as dimes but the rest dinged between a penny and a dime on the readout. Not one actually dinged as a penny. Is this perhaps a known problem with the 250 or is mine defective?

jeff@middlesex · Jun 8, 2006

This happens from time to time on all metal detectors. One of those unexplained things. The meter is only works on what they call "averaging" so it's readout is a estimation or an average reading for all thing taken into account. Such as ground minnerals, dry or damp ground, type of metal, age of the metal, and the length of time in the ground. So don't sweat it, it's not perfect and your ID meter should never be viewed as the perfect indication of whats under the coil. Just another piece of the puzzle. As for passing coins under the coil. Machines are built to look through the ground. If it is not doing that then any readings cannot be taken to serious as the machine being used in a way it was not designed for.
Keep hunting!!!

~Alan~ · Jun 8, 2006

As Jeff says. you should only view the ID meter as an aid. This goes for any detector which has a meter such as this.

There are too many variables for it to be 100% accurate.

WThesing · Jun 8, 2006

If it was working properly before, and now the readings have "shifted", pull your coil cover off (if you are using one), and clean it. You may have picked up some soil / minerals / small metal contaminants that are affecting the way the detector "reads' the coins.

grinsebring · Jun 8, 2006

I never met a detector that did'nt have that same problem. copper pennies (pre 82) have about the same ring as dimes. Clad dimes seem to have an odd beat to them if they are really blackened. This is not a problem after you gain more experience with THAT model. It's all in the ear. A lot less of a pain then a half $ reading and coming up with a cap from an orange juice bottle............Gil

robpatt · Jun 8, 2006

Thats good to hear. I was hoping it wasnt anything serious. Im just going to keep pinging away

Thanks@

OZ_IL · Jun 8, 2006

robpatt said:
I purchased the 250 last Thursday and have taken it out a few times. Today while out I detected a dime however when I dug it up, it was a penny. This happend twice. I assumed maybe the penny wasn't flat in the ground and gave off a weird signal. Well after I got home I thought about it and pulled out the detector to check it. Sure enough, when I pass a penny under or over the coil, it dinges out a solid dime. I turned the sensitivity down to 1 and still it dinged as a dime.

I then checked other coins and they all ding to their type, quarters where quarters, nickels were nickles .... etc. I did however notice by passing multiple pennies, a few dinged as dimes but the rest dinged between a penny and a dime on the readout. Not one actually dinged as a penny. Is this perhaps a known problem with the 250 or is mine defective?

Pennies may ring up as dimes, and pulltabs may ring up as nickels - at least with my Ace 250 also..

TonyinCT · Jun 8, 2006

The ID capabilities of the Ace is limited even more so than other detectors. On the DFX for example , there are 190 different numbers that can indicate a target value. Indian Head cents read in the 50's (some are bronze) , Copper cents read in the low to upper 70's , zinkers read in the 60's . Clad dimes will read just a number or two above the copper cent and silver dimes may even read in the low 80's. With the limitations put on the Ace and other ID metered detectors like it , the detector can not differentiate between the different coins and materials that well so at times pennies show as dimes etc. I say if the meter shows penny;dig it...if it shows dime;dig it and as always . "When in doubt dig it out". :yes:

local_coins · Jun 9, 2006

When I am hunting with my ACE250, a true copper/bronze penny will almost always ID as a dime while the Zinc Lincoln cents will ID as a penny or even lower if it has any amount of corrosion on it. A corroded Zinc Lincoln will jump around the ID screen.

Ace 250 woes

robpatt

New Member

jeff@middlesex

Full Member

~Alan~

WThesing

Elite Member

grinsebring

Global Moderator

robpatt

New Member

OZ_IL

TonyinCT

Elite Member

local_coins

Elite Member

Similar threads