One thing I learned...

[OkieDigger]

...about creating your own test garden. Be sure you don't have 26,000 volt power lines in your back yard. Talk about screwing with your detector. Now I have to dig all my test targets back up I guess I'll go test this detector at a park near my house.

 

[simonthesearcher]

Electrifying storie there Okie,whatever you do leave the cables alone

 

[OkieDigger]

Oh, I should make it clear that they're on the power pole running high above my back yard, not under the ground

 

[hoser]

Yup, OD. I found out just how bad HV lines can mess up you MD last year. Couldn't figure out what was up with my machine till I looked up. DUH!

 

[FelixtheCat]

I had the same experience at a tot lot with huge above fround power lines. In one section my md went bonkers!

 

[steve in so la]

I had the same experience at Roswell, New Mexico a year ago. Detectors wouldn't work over a large area. Guess they are still out there Steve in so az

 

[hoser]

 

[Jason]

I would like to make a test garden. Anyone have any thoughts on how to do it??

 

[OkieDigger]

Well, here's what I was going to do, but had to scrap.

Gather the items you'd like your detector to "see" in the ground. In my case, I hunt mostly coins so I geared my garden to that. I planted a silver quarter, silver dime, war nickel, buffalo nickel, IH, couple of wheats (one vertical), pull tab, lead bullet, zlincoln and a gold ring. I spaced them all about 1.5 feet apart from each other in a straight line. How you configure the layout is totally up to you, this arrangement worked for me. I buried all these items between 7" and 8" in depth. The reason I did this is because I wanted to configure my machine to find coins at that depth or deeper. Where I am, I can (and have) found coins and relics around 8.5" to 9" deep.

 

[hoser]

OD, you raskel, did you come over and look at my garden.

 

[OkieDigger]

Great minds think a like

 

[Carol K]

26,000 volt power lines in your back yard.

Wow

Does that mean you've never been able to detect your backyard???

 

[Brin-PA]

Don't feel bad,I'm with you. I can't have a test garden either. My yard is filled with coal cinders. They make my detector speak morse code

 

[joe-in-ohio]

One thing that I learned

I live in an area where Iron Ore was dugged and put through furnaces--talkin about making a detector dance--all over the place