705 Help for newbie...

[tarrx3]

OK I have a question that maybe someone can help me answer. First off I have the 705 Gold with the 18.75 kHz 5x10 DD Coil. I have read the manual for the 705 and I read the new eBook on Minelabs site. I have watched countless videos on how to use the 705.

So today I say to myself let's give it another try and see how we do. I head out to field not to far from the house that is part of an old school yard. I am in coin mode. Have multi-tone selected. I am using using zero discrimination in a pattern as suggested in the ebook. I set the noise cancel using automatic, I set the threshold, sensitivity and volume, then I use the automatic ground balance. Everything looks good (did I forget something?).

First target I pickup sweeping over it a few times getting a 10-12 on the TID nice solid sound so I check the pinpointer I start digging. When I dig it up it is a rusty piece of metal, nothing but garbage. So I keep going and the next good one I hit is reading 44-46 and also a nice solid sound, so I dig. What do I dig up? Pretty much the exact same thing as last time a rusty piece of metal. So I continue on and I start to notice that no matter what the TID says or how good it sounds I find myself digging up a piece of trashy metal. I spent an hour digging several different TID's and sounds and nothing but scraps of rusty metal or cans. I am always sure to sweep over the spot after removing the junk just in case there might be something still there.

So my question is this. Why does it keep reading as a good target and every time it is really a piece of garbage? Am I missing something or doing something wrong? I have tried to follow the instructions in the manual and ebook to the letter but the outcome is the same....please help.

 

[mapper65]

I start to notice that no matter what the TID says or how good it sounds I find myself digging up a piece of trashy metal. So my question is this. Why does it keep reading as a good target and every time it is really a piece of garbage? Am I missing something or doing something wrong?
.

Hi tarrx3, I'd like to make a suggestion that I'm hoping will help you out. I'm kind of getting the feeling that maybe you should start by using some discrimination here in the beginning. Although you may miss a few targets, it may help during your training with the 705. Get your detector tuned in.....noise cancel & ground balance. Grab a handful of coins. New pennines, old pennies, a quarter, dime and nickel. Go out in the yard and find a spot that is free of any ground noise or other targets. Place those coins one at a time on the ground and swipe over them and take note of three things. What the target ID is, how it sounds when you swipe your detector over each coin and also how it sounds in pinpoint mode. If you have some old silver coins that maybe you have collected over the years, test those also. At least in the beginning I would recommend taking one of your programs and turn off all target id's except for the ones that you know are coins. Again, you may end up missing some good targets with that much discrimination but at least it will settle down the sounds coming from the detector. I also like to suggest that you use 4 tone mode in the beginning. The 99 tone setting I feel is just too confusing for a newbie.

Once you get comfortable and you start finding coins then try using a little less discrimination. Off the top of my head, here is what you should be digging....at least here in the beginning.

12 or 12 occasionally bouncing to 14.
28
30
32
38
40
42

There are definitely more & I will post them but for the most part, these are going to be the short list of good targets for coin shooting you if you live in the U.S.. Others on here will cringe at this very short list because there are definitely more, but I think this will help you get more comfortable with the detector at finding easy, common coins. Keep in mind that in the beginning you want to be digging solid repeatable signals. If you swipe your coil across a target and on the first pass it's a 42 then the next swipe it's a 20 something and then an 8, don't dig that. in the beginning only dig something that is always a 42 or a 38 or one of the above listed number no matter how many times you swipe your coil across the target. Sure, it can vary by one number but don't dig it if it's bouncing around too much. You'll have plenty of time to dig signals that jump around but at least here in the beginning look for nice solid, repeatable signals. You'll still dig some junk signals from time to time by using the above listed numbers but I think you will have more success than you are having now.

Let us know how this works for you

 

[mapper65]

Here is a little less discriminating list of target id's that I use based on coins that I have actually swiped. I would suggest sticking to the id's that I listed above at least until you get comfortable with the detector.

ID Target
6 Nickel 3-Cent
8 $1 Gold
10 US Nickel $1 Gold
12 US Nickel 40% Silver Nickel
14 40% Silver Nickel
16 40% Silver Nickel
24 IH Penny Silver 3-Cent
26 $5 Gold
28 IH Penny
30 IH Penny Silver Half Dime
32 Zinc Penny IH Cent
34 Wheat Penny $10 Gold
36 Clad Dime Wheat Penny Silver Dime
38 Wheat Penny Silver Dime $20 Gold
40 Silver Dime Silver Quarter
42 Clad Quarter Silver Quarter Two-Cent
44 Clad Half Dollar Silver Half Dollar US Large Cent
46 Silver Dollar

 

[BH_Landstar_]

I'll update this list based on my findings with the test I've done over the last two weeks and the finds I've made with the X-Terra 705 Gold Pack 18.75 coil.

ID Target
6 Nickel 3-Cent / Gold rings
8 $1 Gold / Gold rings
10 US Nickel / $1 Gold / Gold rings
12 US Nickel 40% Silver Nickel
14 40% Silver Nickel / Gold rings / Clad Nickel
16 40% Silver Nickel / Gold rings / Clad Nickel
24 IH Penny / Silver 3-Cent
26 $5 Gold / Gold rings
28 IH Penny / Gold rings
30 IH Penny / Silver Half Dime
32 Zinc Penny / IH Cent / Gold rings
34 Wheat Penny / $10 Gold
36 Clad Dime / Wheat Penny / Silver Dime / Gold rings
38 Wheat Penny / Silver Dime / $20 Gold / Silver rings / Clad Quarter (deep ones @ 8+ inches)
40 Silver Dime / Silver Quarter / Silver rings / Clad Quarters
42 Clad Quarter / Silver Quarter / Two-Cent / Silver rings
44 Clad Half Dollar / Silver Half Dollar / US Large Cent / Clad Quarter / Silver rings / Gold rings (24K)
46 Silver Dollar / Gold rings (24K) / Silver rings


I used my collection of Gold and Silver rings apart from one Gold Ring that I found this weekend (see below).

The Gold ring below is 999 pure gold and is my first jewerly find with the X-Terra 705 Gold Pack at this time (only had it two weeks). The ring has a TID of 44 / 46. All the other rings that I have (Gold / Silver) have been used to get the TID numbers.

I've also updated the TID numbers for some clad coins based on my findings here in Maine USA.

 

[mapper65]

I would expect that everyone will have slight variations on the above lists. The actual coil that you are using, mineralization and the moisture content of the soil that you are detecting in can sometimes make things read a little differently. I haven't listed any rings in my id list because they fall into the same id's as the coins listed and you're going to dig those id's anyway. For the most part you want to keep in mind repeatability of your target id's. Once you get comfortable using the detector you'll know when to dig things that aren't so repeatable but for now, get used to finding the easy targets.

Our 70 something year old mother switched to a 705 around the beginning of the summer. She's had some pretty nice finds with it so far this year. I think the most important thing of all is to have fun!

 

[chuckciao]

We all understand your initial frustrations and I am sure that we all felt the same early in our MD'ing experiences. Even the best and most experienced MD'ers dig trash!!!
Besides the great suggestions and TID charts given above, start hunting in ToT Lots. Unless they have been hunted out, they usually have easy and very clear coin signals and are not that deep.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting
Chuckciao

 

[Digger]

Try lowering your Sensitivity until you get a good understanding of what it is you're listening for. Running with your Sensitivity to high will enhance a lot of "bad" target signals to the point they sound good. In addition, although the initial pitch of a "trash" target might sound like a coin, if you work the coil around the perimeter of that target response, you will hear a harmonic low tone as the target enters or leaves the field of detection. Pinpoint sizing or Prospecting mode will also help you determine what the target might be by indicating the size and/or shape of the target. One other thing..............when you hit upon a target in C/T mode, make a mental note of exactly where that target is centered. A blade of grass, a pebble or a leaf. Something! Then, when you go back over it in Prospecting or Pinpoint, make sure the location of the target is exactly the same place. If it is, dig it. If it's not, you should still go ahead and dig it. (that's how we all learn) But I'd almost bet that if the location isn't consistent in both modes, it isn't what you thought it was going to be. JMHO HH Randy

 

[techdetect]

Hey BH_Landstar,

Can you also list what types of trash you are digging with the same TID's. That would be helpful too. Can's that are crushed and near the surface ring up 40-42-46, I can usually ignore them except when they are 3-6inches down then they sound just like a quarter. Pop tabs come in 10, 12, (14 sometimes). Bottle tops are killing me, sound like a quarter/dime. Although, i had a 20 minute lunch hunt and found a 1.33 in clad and a junk ear ring. I like the 18's always seem to be something of a surprize. I see the 8's all the time and usually sound like iron so i don't dig. Do the 8's have a high tone too versus a low tone for iron? Bit confused on that.

 

[BH_Landstar_]

Hey BH_Landstar,

Can you also list what types of trash you are digging with the same TID's. That would be helpful too. Can's that are crushed and near the surface ring up 40-42-46, I can usually ignore them except when they are 3-6inches down then they sound just like a quarter. Pop tabs come in 10, 12, (14 sometimes). Bottle tops are killing me, sound like a quarter/dime. Although, i had a 20 minute lunch hunt and found a 1.33 in clad and a junk ear ring. I like the 18's always seem to be something of a surprise. I see the 8's all the time and usually sound like iron so i don't dig. Do the 8's have a high tone too versus a low tone for iron? Bit confused on that.

Trash can come in at any TID. Crushed soda / beer cans -- TID 36 - 48, depends on the metal used to make them.

Iron range is below 2 (-2, -4, -6, -8 ), but in saying that, some iron can be above that depending on it's size.

I have my X-Terra set to either 2 tones or 3 tones when I hunt. TID's -2 through to -8 are nulled out and I only get to hear if there is a target in that range when the threshold tone nulls out (silent tone).

With all of the detectors that I have owned since 2010, the only way you are going to see what is under the coil is to dig it regardless of what the detector is telling you. The detector lies, so don't trust it, dig it and see.When I was looking for the quarter over the weekend (see above post with the gold ring), I was looking for a quarter or a large bit of chopped / torn can and not a 24K ring ! I sure did do the happy dance tho in this tot lot

The only form of discrimination are your eyes.