Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Newbie welcomes help plotting renewed attack on an old school...

Iggyks

Iggyks

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,387
Location
NE Kansas
Hey everybody - it's snow, ice and -10F wind chill here at the moment so I'm plotting strategy on the old schoolyard that has yielded the only really cool coins I've found so far. Most of them were found in a relatively small area that I'm thinking may have been the playground. There is also a lot of iron including bits of rusted to pieces wire and cans that drive me nuts. I feel like I've covered the "sweet spot" fairly well - one of the last trips I went perpendicular to previous outings and cut some diagonals. Last trip I tried to be smart - took a wheatie and a silver Rosie out there along with a rusty nail and air tested them to discriminate the nail out. That day I still dug junk only. Only have the Mojave with stock coil so that's my only option there. I would really like to have some assurance I've done all I can on the sweet spot before I go do more on the rest of the property, which has yielded nothing better than a couple of headstamps and has some tough digging with gravel in the dirt etc.
One thought is to actually mark grid corners and record to the best I can what I have gridded and detected instead of eyeballing it and depending on memory. Also getting there after a significant rain. I use rechargable 9-volts I got on Amazon, if I use a fresh Energizer will it give a bit more voltage and therefore a bit more depth?
Anyway, I'm sure y'all will have better ideas than what I've come up with. Thanks in advance!!
 
I would not think battery choice has much to do with depth.. they must have regulators circuits to determine power'

I do think after rain your right to get slightly better depth...but for more depth use a bigger coil or check out the faint signals which indicates a deep target.
 
Dig all the trash and iron, it could be hiding something.

How old of a school? If you can find pictures of it, you can find where the doors were at, outhouses if it's old enough and where the biggest trees were. At modern schools I seem to do best between the employee parking lot and the entrance.
 
Personally,I don’t think going into a schoolyard where there is certainly going to be an outrageous amount of garbage and go dig it all up,it’s not a strategy I would use. Determine where the “ball” was played...football and/or baseball. Look at the grass...old thin grass that looks like anything BUT the “perfect lawn”...that’s where you want to be. While digging a target,pay attention to the soil...does it have little root systems going everywhere and is it super compact and hard to dig? That’s old ground. If you’re digging fill dirt with a Mohave,I don’t think you’ll get the depth you need to get the really old stuff way down there.
Pull tabby is right,the machine will have a voltage regulator,hooking a car battery to it will get you nothing but a bunch of smoke. Usually the operating voltage is around 7-8v on something like that. If you’re hunting OLD COINS...just hunt OLD COINS! Forget about nickels,set your disc a little lower than zinc to get the Indians and pay close attention to anything that is faint and REPEATABLE! These signals are your money makers!
If you’re hunting clad,then yes,the well traveled footpaths and such will get you plenty of that. If you had an old photo then depending on what was where,these areas could get you into the older stuff as well,as long as things were the same at that time.
 
Scooterjim said:
Dig all the trash and iron, it could be hiding something.

How old of a school? If you can find pictures of it, you can find where the doors were at, outhouses if it's old enough and where the biggest trees were. At modern schools I seem to do best between the employee parking lot and the entrance.
Click to expand...

School was open 1910 to early 60s. Only photo shows the building but not the grounds. I need to talk to a few more old timers, asked one and got some info....
 
IDXMonster said:
Personally,I don’t think going into a schoolyard where there is certainly going to be an outrageous amount of garbage and go dig it all up,it’s not a strategy I would use. Determine where the “ball” was played...football and/or baseball. Look at the grass...old thin grass that looks like anything BUT the “perfect lawn”...that’s where you want to be. While digging a target,pay attention to the soil...does it have little root systems going everywhere and is it super compact and hard to dig? That’s old ground. If you’re digging fill dirt with a Mohave,I don’t think you’ll get the depth you need to get the really old stuff way down there.
Pull tabby is right,the machine will have a voltage regulator,hooking a car battery to it will get you nothing but a bunch of smoke. Usually the operating voltage is around 7-8v on something like that. If you’re hunting OLD COINS...just hunt OLD COINS! Forget about nickels,set your disc a little lower than zinc to get the Indians and pay close attention to anything that is faint and REPEATABLE! These signals are your money makers!
If you’re hunting clad,then yes,the well traveled footpaths and such will get you plenty of that. If you had an old photo then depending on what was where,these areas could get you into the older stuff as well,as long as things were the same at that time.
Click to expand...

Haven't found any clad on this site, guess because school shut down so long ago, Thanks for the tip on faint and repeatable signals, I will definitely do that! The dirt varies but thanks for the info on recognizing untouched soil.
 
pplinker said:
Use 1958 historical aerials.
Click to expand...

An aerial photo of that era would answer all my questions on what was where, but I'm not having any luck on finding the photos - would you happen to have a link? On a modern aerial view I think i spotted where the football field was and it's an area I haven't gotten to yet! Thanks!
 
I'd give up on the playground and try to find where the concession stand was located. Entrance gates and bleachers would be a good place too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Advice please
Replies
6
Views
68
Toddy654
T
maxxkatt
Which detector was the hardest to learn for you?
Replies
11
Views
86
maxxkatt
maxxkatt
M
Meteorite Rockhounding
Replies
5
Views
65
Montrose81401
M
Z
Silver ore
Replies
8
Views
139
GTimberMT
GTimberMT
V
Who did it?
Replies
13
Views
214
Kansashunter
Kansashunter
Back
Top Bottom