F2 Users .... HOW??

[Corence]

How do you find anything but trash??

I have been out everyday for the past 4 days and have dug up nothing but trash. If it was cool trash, I could live with it, but nothing but trashy trash.

It seems no matter what my signal dings as, I dig up pull tabs & can pieces.

I can't & wont give up ... I just need to find an area that is not trashed.

Despite the frustration, I am still enjoying the time outside playing.

[Longhair]

You can punch up the Disc more, at the possible expence of missing some finer targets, but it will cut down the trash digging.

I spent a little over two hours at an old school today with the F2. Didn't find anything earth shattering, found some trash, but dug these as well.

[PhotoRob06]

You just gotta mix it up... Sounds like it's where you're hunting rather than the detector. I use an F2 exclusively, and have been in areas where I will most likely avoid with ANY detector. Try someone's yard and see how it goes...

Also, as you get more familiar with the F2, you can start to guess the size and shape of your target; especially using the pinpoint button. Do you use this? Also, what coil are you using?

[Mike1961]

Try disc out iron foil and tab. Hunt the rest, look for consistent signals in two directions 180° to each other. You might need to turn the sensitivity down a bit too. This will eliminate most, but not all of the junk. After a bit of practice you will learn the machine and learn what signals are usually coins and what is trash. It does sound like you are in a trashy area. If you have the 4" sniper coil that would be a good place to use it.

[caheaton]

You may want to try maxing out the discrimination for a bit (just for a break from the trash). Don't make a habit of it or you will miss some good targets (e.g., I've had deeper wheats ring up as zinc, and it's well known that gold rings often ring up as foil or tab). I'll often run max discrimination when checking out a new spot, just to get a feel for where the coins might be, then open it up (all but iron and foil) a bit once I found a good area to work. This helps cut down on the amount of trash and lets you cover more area while you feel out a spot.
Craig

[Corence]

I've been using the 10" coil. I went to an old grade school that has been closed for over 20 years, and all I found was a 2008 penny. I don't know if someone has already gone over the place, but it was littered with cans and trash. I didn't have the 4" coil with me or I would of used it.
I normally run the on the factory settings and take out the foil and iron - but today every nickel & dime sound was trash after I dug it up.
I will try the recommendations and see how things change.
Thanks for the advice.

[radiotalent]

The parks around here are slim pickings, I generally spend 2 to 3 hours detecting in the same general area as Corence (and I've detected with him), and average about 30-50 cents an hour.

While cleaning the metal out of the yard (read, digging every signal at home), my neighbor sees me and says he has a detector and found a gold ring in the park with it. What?? Sure, I'm thinking its probably a fake ring because he's, to put it kindly, a bit simple. I asked what kind of detector he has, he is unsure but ordered it from a hunting catalog. I'm guessing a low end Bounty Hunter.

So this would explain part of why the tot lots are lean around here (high ratio of detectors to population, 4 to 8000 right off the top of my head) plus the added "bonus" that metal detecting was the "cool thing" in the early 80s, thus the lack of silver on either mine and Corence's parts.

In the end, it's looking like the only good spots for us will be private residences and the like, although I'm working on a couple coup d'etat's that if successful will give Corence and I some hopefully prime locations.

[havin_fun]

Trash items are ALWAYS going to be part of our hobby. Follow some of the suggestions, and most importantly...keep on swingin'!!! I hunt VERY trashy grounds and it does get a bit frustrating at times. It's those little unexpected surprises that aren't trash keep me going back!

[Hoze513]

I have the fisher f2 but never use it for to long. I have only use the 10inch and the 4inch coils. And i use the 10 inch coil the most. At first I was very happy with it because of the fast recovery. But then I notice that I was digging a lot of garbage and it seem to me that it wasn't that accurate at times. When I finally got mad at the F2 was when I dug a 4inch hole and put a quarter in it and it did't pick up a signal. But my BH pioneer 505 did pick up the signal. So I put the f2 away and did't want to use it no more. I know that a fresh coin is harder to get a signal then a coin that has been in the ground. At time I think that My BH pioneer 505 is better And more accurate than the f2. But the f2 is faster. So thats way I got me another detector. So far Iam in love with my XLT.

[DIGGER27]

The F2 is a very capable machine and will find the goodies, if you learn what it is telling you and you are in the right place.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=59570

Aluminum will show up as a high tone dime signal, other metals might too.
I usually only dig solid signals that hit from several directions...this usually cuts down on the trash a bit.
If I am feeling lucky, I will dig some of those iffy signals, too.

I hunt on full sense most of the time.
I get some falseing, sometimes, but I have learned to ignore those signals.

My 8" coil has found dimes down to about 8 inches, and I have some extremely mineralized soil...more than most.

I follow all the posts on the F2 and several people have had some erratic problems at first, but once they set the unit correctly and move to an easier and different site, things usually get a little quieter and easier.

I hunt parks and areas where it is common to have tabs, can slaw and bottle caps literally inches from each other.

I still have learned to find the goodies, even in sites like these.
I still dig every solid signal from foil on up so I dig a lot of trash too, this stuff just goes hand in hand.

Patience and practice...The more you dig the more you learn...even when you dig the trash.

HH

[djc1026]

Location, location, location and some time. I took my F2 out for a short dusk hunt last night, as I've been using my AT Pro solid since I got it a month and a half ago. I cranked the discrimination up and did some cherry picking at a local school and found $.72 in 30 min and dug 3 pieces of trash. Granted most of the stuff was within 3", but I was just out swinging and looking for clad, plus I was in a hurry as the sun was setting fast. Just keep at it.

Dave

[caheaton]

Part of the problem could be that 10" coil. In very trashy areas, I've had better luck with the 4" coil then when using the 8". This is due to masking (trash under the coil along with a desirable target). This can cause you to miss or possibly not even here a good signal. You do lose some depth...the deepest coins I've dug with the 4" coil have been around 5", versus 7" (so far) with the 8" coil.

Also, try my earlier suggestion of maxing out your discrimination and "cherry picking" after you've dug enough trash. It can help keep you from getting discouraged and if you find a few coins can leave you ending your hunt on a positive note.
Craig

[BAHUNTER12]

Originally Posted by Corence

How do you find anything but trash??

I have been out everyday for the past 4 days and have dug up nothing but trash. If it was cool trash, I could live with it, but nothing but trashy trash.

It seems no matter what my signal dings as, I dig up pull tabs & can pieces.

I can't & wont give up ... I just need to find an area that is not trashed.

Despite the frustration, I am still enjoying the time outside playing.

I just got an F2 last Friday and have found a ton of trash as well. You have to eliminate the discrimination and start by either notching out the tabs, iron etc.. or just dig on high end signals. I have found a little over a $1.00 in clad and a medallion in the 2 times I have been out which total about 2 hours. I have also found all sorts of odds and ends like zippers, hotwheels. brass wall hooks, heavy chain link, cans, tabs, etc.. Spend the time to research where you are going 1st and then be patient. It is a good machine and I can't wait to get to a few sites I have in mind to go. Good luck!!