New Hunter Looking for Guidance

[Shamrock]

I just got a new detector from my wife for Christmas. It's been at least 20 years since I've owned a detector and my results were less than impressive back then. I purchased what I could afford back then and my results were frustrating at best.

It is a Garrett Ace 250. It's not what I would have picked out had I been involved in the selection process but under the circumstances I'm stuck with it for the time being. I could have purchased a unit wholesale through one of my distributors but I digress.....

There are plenty of old home sites and share cropper houses where I live. Most of the houses are long gone but it's easy enough to tell where they once were.

A old school house once stood on a part of my neighbors farm so I decided it would be a great place to start looking with easy pickings but I was ever so wrong. I turned the sensitivity way up on my unit because I expected to find old die cast toy, buttons, penny's ETC not to mention the soil is sandy and the digging is easy. After several hours hunting over the last couple of days I have dug many a dry hole and one piece of tin that looks like it was possibly an old snuff can lid.

What am I doing wrong?

Tips, hints suggestion needed and encouraged.

Thanks in advance...
Sham.

[Carol K]

You're sensitivity is up too high. With it that high you will pick up ground mineralization and ghost signals.

Garrett's are extremely sensitive, there is no reason to even have it turned up, turn it down.

This thread may help too. Ace250 LCD Visual Explanation

PS Welcome!

[emdees]

Welcome to the FMDF from Colorado! Keep the faith... there are many that are very happy with their ACE 250's, and they have photos of their finds to back it up! I'm sure you'll get some more great advice from them.

emdees

[billiard rich]

Welcome to the forum!

The ACE 250 is a good machine. Carol is right - turn that sensitivity down to around 4 and see if the false signals go away. You can always bump it up slowly until they return - then bump it back down a little.

[wolf-n-wa]

Your wife done good,The 250 is a good machine. Good advice so far from the other members. Be patient, take your time, good things will come in time. Took me a year to find anything gold and a silver quarter. Good luck and HH. WOLF

[tabdog]

I had tha wrong machines for 24 years.

Then I found out that it wasn't tha machines that was havin a problem?

Happy Huntin,

Tabdog

[steve in so az]

good one Tabster !!! Steve in so az

[rascal]

The Ace 250 is a good unit, Stick with it and learn it. Welcome to the forum.

[utahblue]

Welcome to the forum! Good luck and remember patience is your friend!

[Shamrock]

After reading some of the comments I reviewed the instructional video that Garrett included with the 250.

I adjusted the sensitivity to the recommended level and went back out to the old one room school site with renewed optimism but I'm still getting ghost signals and digging dry holes.

I was about 100 yards from my ATV when I got a strong signal. I pinpointed the location and marked it. I went back to my ATV and got my shovel and dug the spot. I didn't locate anything. I scanned the hole and the lose dirt again but I didn't get a signal this time. I repeated this process several times as my frustration level escalated. At least our sandy soil is easy enough to dig.

An old gentleman that works for me has been detecting for years so we will take time one afternoon next week and he's going to attempt to school me on art of detecting.

S.

[Bearharold]

Welcome to the forum , sounds like you will be getting some help .
I hunt with the Ace myself and love it . I hope the gentleman can help you figure out whats going wrong .You might fix you a test garden and work in it with your dector also .I it took me a little while to learn what my machine was telling me but after one summer of useing it I am alot better than when I started. LIke they said before the sensitivity should be down to at least a fur or maybe a three , thats where mine usely runs here in Missouri .
Good Luck Harold

[Doug Turner]

One tip!

Once you locate a “steady signal and cursor” (East & west) on the same signal go at 90 degrees again (North & south) if the indications are the same on the sound/cursor you may want to dig?

……..also its been said keep the sensitivity down to the absolute minimum. Think of it as a gas pedal on your car, nice and steady when you are learning to drive?

HH

Doug

[Shamrock]

On the bright side there are at least 8 old home sites that I know of a short ATV ride from my house. I even have a site on my farm where old share cropper houses were once located. They were torn down long before I purchased the property but a neighbor was kind enough to tell me about them.

I'm sure I'll be locating some decent finds once I get the hang of my 250.

I seriously doubt there has been any detecting in the general area where I live so I'm not hunting areas that have been picked over.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and words of encouragement.

S.

[BrownTrout]

Welcome from the Ozarks!

Which mode are you usually scanning in? Have you tried the All Metal mode?

[Shamrock]

Originally Posted by BrownTrout

Welcome from the Ozarks!

Which mode are you usually scanning in? Have you tried the All Metal mode?

I am using the all metal mode per the DVD's recommendation.

I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later.

S.

[agbkyle]

Welcome. I had the same problem today. First time out with my new Ace 250 and nothing but frustration and ghost signals. I too had the sensitivity all the way up so will heed this advice and turn it down.
It was beeping at my shovel a foot away and when my cell phone rang it went crazy.
Never had that problem with my BH even with sensitivity all the way up and was wishing I had brought that with me today.

[Dusty Eagle]

Welcome to the forum Shamrock. I think you'll like the Ace250, and you will find coins and jewelry. I also once tried metal detecting with a White's 2900 "with less than favorable results". I use the Ace150 for now, but I see an Ace250 or better in my near future.
Dusty Eagle

[dan]

Shamrock, my recommendation is to start with coin discrimination and hunt a few local modern tot lots (school playgrounds and parks with swings and slides and climbing structures, with woodchip or shredded rubber "floors").

You won't find any old coins, but you should find a lot of new coins and not much junk as long as you keep your discrimination high.

This will increase your confidence, and whet your appetite for the older stuff that is harder to find.

But get some of the easy stuff first, while you're learning your detector.

[kickback]

Shamrock Set the sensitivity on 4.Go to a tot lot,school,city park,somewhere there is going to be some(lots hopefully) coins.Keep your coil level to the ground swing it slow,overlap your swings by about a 1/3 of a coil width.When you get a belltone(coin signal) one way,check it from a 90 degree angle.If it belltones both directions pinpoint and dig.I gave my girlfriend an Ace 250 in Oct.I took her to a park with these instructions and turned her loose.She started digging clad like a wild women then got her first Wheatie.Bill

[BrownTrout]

Take a look at pages 34 - 35 in the Ace 250 manual which covers Bench Testing. I'd go through the different modes with various coins, rings and other jewelry, pull tabs, etc. and see how accurately it reads. You can set your sensitivity while doing this as well.