Bench testing(in the winter or anytime).

[David]

I went into a hardware store and got a whole bunch of plastic paint stir sticks. You can glue gun, tape, plain glue, caulk, epoxy, or tie, etc. different objects near the end of each stir stick. Save some of your trash for this. Both, a whole variety trash and goodies. It is more handy if you get white or light gray plastic stir sticks instead of black ones because of the lighter background is much better to see the test objects against and also to write on with a fine tip felt pen. Wood paint stir sicks also work. Paint stir sticks are kind of nice as they have a smooth handle on them that are comfortable to hold otherwise you can make some out of about 1/8" to 1/4" x 1 1/2" to 2" x 12" to 16" wood strips.

Away from any metal you can put your coil with lower shaft at about a 90 degree angle(perpendicular) to your TID screen with upper shaft, so you can wave a stick in front of the coil at arms length and watch the screen at the same time while sitting down, inside or outside, to reduce fatigue. Remember not only on the flat but you can also wave the object in front of the coil on edge as well to test it(coin, ring, nugget, trash, etc.) from a different angle(s) and different distances from the coil. You can put a scale in inches from the bottom of the coil as well, to about 15" or so for this aspect also. Build a wood saddle with padding to hold your metal detector unit safe, secure, and still while reading all TID numbers and listening to various tones or broken ones. Real comfortable bench testing!!!

This is especially good for the cold winter during detecting down time, or just anytime. Some of you may have done this already, can you share any tips please?

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

You're right on track there David. Creating all sorts of variations really helps to understand what can happen in the field. Coins don't always behave in the same way all the time. That said, due the the fact that each coin is identical to the next one (unless there is a bit of corrosion in which case the numbers can be lower) then seeing how coins behave at different depths and angles, gives you the knowledge of what to expect in the field. Putting multiple coins together eta can also show you how a coin spill can sound/look in the ground. (Hint. Always check your holes after a recovery.)
There is some information in the FAQFAQ written by Des Dunne of Minelab that is very helpful. In it he also talks about learning what pull tabs can sound like using a high frequency coil. Even with the standard coil on, you can sometimes pick a pull tabs that locks into a single number.(they generally bounce.) If the target gives a single beep in 1 direction and a double beep at a 90 degree angle, it's a pull tab. Any other equal single or double beep is how coins behave. Pull tabs can do this too, but it's just another tip of what to look for.
Crown caps are another infamous target that you will come across. I've heard alot of experienced detectorist talk about how these targets can sound like coins, especially with a DD coil attached. While it seems to be true to some extent, from personal experience, I have generally found them to have their own distinct signal. Crown caps will generally give an inconsistent sound with the meter generally bouncing around between a few numbers. The ones that tend to fool you, tend to be the gold coloured ones, or sometimes if they are upside down, they can give a good solid signal. I hunted a couple of parks in Sydney on New years Day, that were utterly infested with crown caps using another brand of detector that was armed with a DD coil I choice the DD coil simply because of the superior target separation, despite the fact that I knew the ground was going to be putrid with crown caps. While the do mimic certain characteristics of a coin, they were still distinct enough to usually tell apart with relative ease. I pulled up $118 for the day out of these parks which was a record for me. Had I had the X-Terra armed with a DD coil, the result would have been the same.
Screw caps are another target that can be a bit of a pain. Our $1 and $2 coins are in this range, as are your zinc and copper pennies. Listening to the strength of the pinpoint plus how the meter responds significantly reduces the number of screw caps that you''ll dig.
Did you notice how the coins on edge behaved? If they are pointed in the north south orientation, the detector could hear them well, but it may have registered at the next number higher than usual, plus given a shorter signal. When hunting, if you here a shorter signal, look at the meter, if it's hitting a notch higher than a specific coin, dig it. if you put the coin in an east west orientation, then you may have noticed how easy it is to walk over a coin. this is one of the reasons it pays to detect a spot from more than one direction. target masking is the other reason.
Enough said for now. You are on track to learn your machine well.
Enjoy your experiments.
Mick Evans.

 

[David]

Thanks for that reply Mick, it gives a new way of looking at it things! I also have the great Musketeer Advantage but a person cannot use it indoors(the house or garage) for bench testing because it picks up interference very badly BUT the X-70 can be used indoors because the V-Flex technology IS immune to most interference, so it can be used alot of places indoors for bench testing. Bench testing can also be done outdoors on the deck, grass lawn, etc. Forget about using the Minelab SD, GP, and GPX series for bench testing near towns or cities, they pick up interference big time, only to be used in the bush for these machines!! As some of you probably already know.

I do not know know how immune the E-Trac, Whites, Tesoro, and Fisher are to interference indoors for bence testing?? May have to do it outdoors. I love that X-70 V-Flex's immunity!