Ace 250 questions

[Billw]

Hi everyone,

Just joined this forum and am overwhelmed at the knowledge and experience in here !

I am a new MD'er, just bought an Ace 250 based on many recommendations. I've had a chance to use it now for about 8 hours or so and I think I starting to get the hang of it.

I have been to two fresh water beaches so far and have found a few coins. I have also been to a playground behind a school and found coins and a ring. Not bad for a newbie !

I have two questions:

1. How accurate is the target depth meter on the 250 ? I found a penny sitting on the surface and the 250 was telling me it was 2-3 inches down. I did check the spot again after I picked up the penny and there were no more targets. This seems to be happening more.

2. I just gained permission to hunt a cellar hole near me. It's a good sized hole, probably 20x25. It has a 10x10 foundation in the middle of it and you kind of walk around it. The challenge I am running into with this site is that there is stuff everywhere ! The 250 is beeping every foot. It looks like a garbage dump, lots and lots of cast iron, very old cans, broken bottles with metal tops, etc... I switched the 250 to coins mode and it got quieter. Now what is happening is that I get the tone signal for coins and all I finding is more metal, cans, etc... It's hard digging too, bricks everywhere and rocks. It got so frustrating today that I called it a day. I have the sensitivity turned down to about 3-4.

What am I doing wrong ? This site has got to have some good stuff. I found it on a 1928 USGS topo map of the area so it is quite old.

I would love some insight from 250 owners who have had similar dilemas.

Thanks for your help

Bill

[dingdingding]

my best word of advice for you is if you have the money pick your self up a sniper coil there the best thing ever made for the ace. and this should help with the trashy part. but as for the depth meter its a little tricky it can depend alot on the soil conditions aswell as your sensitivity and the size of the target. the pinpointing reading is much more accurate than the first reading you get. a general rule of thumb i use that really helps with this problem is always cut your plugg at least 1in deeper than the target meter indicates. you will come to know your ace like you know yourself i love mine like my child or at least my dog but i have spent at least 100 hours with it so far.

[Wanderer]

I'm running into the same thing. I get a hit, run it back over it, and it tells me it's a different item at a different depth. Sometimes it doesn't even register again. I've used it about 5 hours and have yet to find a coin. Lot's of aluminum where it says a coin is.

[Billw]

I have used mine for about 12 hours now and I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I do still get alot of false readings, but when I get the tell tale coin tone "Bing, Bing", real high pitched, it is almost always a coin. I am currently hunting an old cellar hole from the early 1900's that is full of tin cans and cast iron. The small pieces of old tin cans ring up as coins every time. It's very frustrating. I haven't found any coins yet from this site. I did however find two silver spoons and a silver top to a jar. I am going to post pictures soon.

Btw I have been hitting some local beaches on the lake and finding a good supply of coins.

[Dirt Driven]

as with any new machine the more you use it the better you will get with it. I would try to devote as much time as possible at first to get the hang of it quicker. Also, if you don't already have one I would set up a test garden. It will help give you better real world reading vs just air readings. Good Luck and congrats on your new detector. I love my ACE and I am sure you will to

[DiggerDun]

Try finding a park or totlot before attempting a trash ridden location. The sniper coil will help but try to find a 'cleaner' spot. Go to YouTube and check out the Garrett Ace 250 videos, there are plenty, some instructional, one that is an owner showing how to pinpoint. They range from parks, houses, athletic fields, beaches, you name it, it's there.

I've only been at it for a month, found 12 bucks in clad and two .925 sterling rings. The ACE is a good machine and it will produce, just takes a little time.

Good luck

[Silversmith45]

A cellar hole is a natural deposit for trash. You would probably do better hunting the ground outside, around the hole.

[hawkinlugies]

I recently read somewhere in this forun that the depth reading on the ace 250 will display a target with in a range. If a coin is 1" to 2" deep it might display in the 2" mark 3" deep, it might display up to the 4" line? I guess this is something you'll learn as you use your 250 more.

[Bearharold]

I use a the sniper on my Ace 250 back up machine and hardy ever take it off . As far as the depth I never pay any attention to it I just worry if I have a target that I think is good then I dig till I locate it using my Garrett pro pointer. I don't dig a signal unless it keeps jumping to the same target over and over or locks on the target I want to dig from all directions. If your hunting a real trashy area you will need a small coil to separate targets very easily .


Harold

[Billw]

Below are photos of the cellar holes I have been hunting. I wish I could determine how old these are. I'm guessing early 1900's ?

[ohiochris]

The ace is a little problematic in trashy ground but when you learn what its really telling you its not so bad. First of all , unless you really do want to dig everything , only dig the solid repeatable signals that do not change if you swing from a different direction or angle. Lots of times junk can read as a good coin and is even repeatable until you alter the swing and go at it from a different angle. Old cellar holes are usually full of rusty iron and other junk metal targets big enough to fool almost any detector and drive it nuts. If you are specifically after coins then its even more crucial to retest each potential good target from a different angle or position. If you wouldnt mind finding some other types or artifacts too then its just gonna take lots of patience and time going through all the other signals. The depth meter it not always accurate but it puts you in the ballpark. There are too many variables like soil type and moisture , type of metal a target is made of and the size of it , for any detector to be totally accurate in every situation on depth. Also , if there is any distance between the coil and the coin laying on the ground it will count that too. If the coil is an inch and a half above the coin then theres 2 inches of your discrepancy right there.

[sllingshot47]

I don't think you said the sensitivity you were at. If it's factory-6 bars- it's way too high. In my area, 4 bars is a little high for trashy areas;hence I run it at 3 bars in these areas-plus the sniper coil. This little puck has revolutinized my hunting.

[Billw]

Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't taken into account the distance of the coil from the ground, that makes sense now.

And btw, my sensitivity is usually on 4. I guess I still don't understand the whole sensitivity thing. If I crank it up to 8 or 9, does that increase the radius and depth from the coil ?

[sllingshot47]

Originally Posted by Billw

Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't taken into account the distance of the coil from the ground, that makes sense now.

And btw, my sensitivity is usually on 4. I guess I still don't understand the whole sensitivity thing. If I crank it up to 8 or 9, does that increase the radius and depth from the coil ?

Yes-to everything-trash, ground effects, minerals. You can actually lose targets by having too much.