trying to figure out

tomme boy

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Nov 1, 2018
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Location
iowa
I am still trying to figure out this new hobby. I am using a Teknetics Minuteman. Several times now I have had very good vdi #'s that read 80-82 solid. Pinpointed anywhere from 2"-4" deep. I dig down and nothing! I use my hand held pinpointer and it is going nuts in the dirt but there is absolutely nothing there.

Now this is Iowa river bottoms BLACK dirt. It is fairly moist and not dry at all. Today it happened 3 times.

Is it something I am not seeing? Or is it just minerals in the ground? Like a hot spot? Maybe a fence post was there at one time????

I am also picking up small pieces of speaker wire. I mean the individual strand in the wire that are about a inch long down about 9". I feel it is because of the soil is wet.
 
Which pinpointer are you using? Some will allow you to "tune" them in the hole.


I've had the same sort of thing, and it ended up being a can 10 inches deep or so...when you get signals like that see what happens when you swing the coil 6 inches above the target. If it's still strong, it's something large like a can or some such....at least in my experience
 
Which pinpointer are you using? Some will allow you to "tune" them in the hole.


I've had the same sort of thing, and it ended up being a can 10 inches deep or so...when you get signals like that see what happens when you swing the coil 6 inches above the target. If it's still strong, it's something large like a can or some such....at least in my experience

+1 I agree, sounds like something large and deep and if you still pick it up swinging the coil 6+ inches over it just move on, Also you don't get a lot of depth with the pin pointer so if it's sounding off before you dig and 5 or 6 inches down you still haven't found anything that means it's something large. Where I hunt large usually means junk but if you have a good spot for relics, say a place where troops camped during cw, large might be good. Good luck!
 
Which pinpointer are you using? Some will allow you to "tune" them in the hole.


I've had the same sort of thing, and it ended up being a can 10 inches deep or so...when you get signals like that see what happens when you swing the coil 6 inches above the target. If it's still strong, it's something large like a can or some such....at least in my experience

Pryan is right. especially river bottoms and flood plains. stuff gets covered up with more sand and dirt every time there is a flood. On one flood plain I dug a modern (I mean less than 2 years old) almost 18" deep when I was looking for Civil War Relics. I have all but given up looking for civil war relics in flood plains of creeks and rivers here in Georgia.
 
I actually dug this up. The dirt I dug out and set to the side was giving the metal detector and the pinpointer signals. But nothing was there. I had it happen in a sandy area 2x also.

I think I may bring a magnet with me to try to see if I can capture something that may be in the soil.

I know what you guys mean by something large giving signals. I have dug down a couple times 18"+ and still had not got to what I was looking for. The pinpointer on the machine said 9" still! If I have to dig more than 9'' it is too deep for me.
 
Flood plains are useless, zinc pennies at 8+ inches..

Useless for detecting, and morel hunting, never did good for either on flood plains..

<°)))>{
 
Thinking there might be a pinpointing technique that could be improved.

Try finding a clean piece of ground, throw a dime down and practice pinpointing with both the machines pinpointer, the DD wiggle (and at 90) and maybe the wiggle back method and see where it ends up at.

Forgive me if I'm incorrect, but losing signals isn't too typical.
 
Ok, maybe I am not clear. I am getting a nice strong signal. I dig up the signal. I swipe my detector over the signal and it is not in the hole anymore. I swipe it over the plug and the dirt I dug out. It is there. I tear apart the plug and loose dirt but there is NOTHING! absolutely NOTHING! The more I spread the dirt the larger the signal spreads.

And when I said river bottoms, I should have clarified that the area has been diked off for more than 50 years and does not flood anymore. But the soil is as black as it can get. I'm not losing a signal, I just can't find whatever is there. There is nothing there!
 
Ok, maybe I am not clear. I am getting a nice strong signal. I dig up the signal. I swipe my detector over the signal and it is not in the hole anymore. I swipe it over the plug and the dirt I dug out. It is there. I tear apart the plug and loose dirt but there is NOTHING! absolutely NOTHING! The more I spread the dirt the larger the signal spreads.

And when I said river bottoms, I should have clarified that the area has been diked off for more than 50 years and does not flood anymore. But the soil is as black as it can get. I'm not losing a signal, I just can't find whatever is there. There is nothing there!

My apologies.

if it's in your plug, and you confirm that with your detector, it must be heavily mineralized soil. Or ash, I've actually hah ash do this. My concern if it was the soil only, your plug and your hole should have the same signal.

Your pinpointer works fine in other areas?
 
Both work fine everywhere. It just happens sometimes. And when it does it is always the same #'s on the VDI display. Normally that # is a Copper penny. Or a aluminum can
 
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