Back Yard Treasures

[stewartlittle]

Well,I'm just gettin started in MDing,so I hit the back yard.Have'nt been out there that much,though.

I've read the warnings and all about you dont always dig what yout think it is.But alot of the stuff I have found reads as good targets,but when I dig them,thay're just junk,but also treasure.

Example,Friday I thought I found a quarter.It read "42" every time I swipe it in all directions @ 2'' deep.The depth was about right,but when I pulled it out of the ground it was a peice of round aluminum label.Went in the center of the steering wheel of my dads OLD sears garden tractor.Some others are toy cars that I last years ago,screw drivers,an old water adaptor to put water in tires.

May not seem like much,but some of those things bring back memories.Plus its practice.
I have'nt been keeping a log book,but should I? With the ID numbers and all.

John

 

[RonNH]

That goes to show you that metal detectors aren't perfect. The machine read that aluminum disc as a coin, as it should have. I can't count the times I have dug old washers and even bent nails that read as coins, it's just the nature of the beast. One time I got a half dollar hit at a cellar hole site at a spot that my buddy had just gone over. In my mind, I was thinking how to break the news that he just missed a Capped Bust half dollar. Well, it was a large piece of perfectly round lead. The machine did the best it could with the ID and even gave me the high tone. So you just have to dig everything that sounds good and even ones that sound sorta- good. Ron

 

[Elton]

Memories are priceless !!!

 

[Beale]

That sounds like my finds! A screw on cap for old 2 liter bottles sounds so sweet, Beale.

 

[khouse]

About 20 years ago I was detecting at my best friends parents house. I pulled a metal cap gun out of the ground with him watching. He said that he lost that gun right after he got it for Christmas when he was 7 years old. I looked up and he had tears in his eyes. He was about 30 years old at the time. That was worth all the clad in the world! Not the silver though!!!!!!!!!

 

[robert roy]

Believe me, I have the same thing happen with my MXT.
Robert R

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

G'day John. What a great start to the hobby. Digging up the past is almost a mantra in detecting circles. For you, it was personal. Fantastic.
One thing that you are already discovering about detecting, is the fact that there is a lot more rubbish in the ground than good targets. The good news is, that as you gain experience, then you will reduce the amount of junk that you will recover. Don't be concerned about the junk though, digging it up is just part of the hobby. It adds a bit of mystery to it.
A couple of tips to help for you. Dig solid locks or signals that bounce only a notch at first. Dig other signals as you gain experience (and as your pain threshold will allow ) . This will give you a good grounding as to what your detector is telling you. Also; another little trick that will reduce the amount of junk that you dig is; instead of trying to locate a target using the VCO (which can give an idea of the size of a target if it is in top few inches) use the graphic to help centre a target under the coil, then slide it back towards yourself till you lose the pinpoint signal. Use the 12 o'clock position of the inner coil as your target location. Very accurate. Also listen to how the signal fades.With a good target, ie a coin or a ring, the signal will drop off fairly quickly and a piece of junk or larger deeper item will sound mushy or just hang on for longer.
Good luck with the hobby.
Mick Evans.