I was reviewing some of the posts and someone made mention of possible problems when carrying a cellphone while detecting. They stated that you may get interference that causes erratic signals on your detector. This wouldn't surprise me if it was true. My question to all of you is this: have any of you encountered this during your hunting?
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Cell Phones and Detecting
- Thread starter Crispytoo
- Start date
Eddie in Poulsbo
New member
Not a problem with me. I just leave the damn phone at home
I never have not had any interference with the metal detectors in my hunts .I don't like cell phones a real pain when you have gloves on and a headset.My wife gets upset when I forget to bring my cell.By the way I did lose a cell phone on a hunt about six months ago.
John - Maryland
Member
It's called Electromagnetic interference. That's the reason you cant use cell phones in hospitals, because they can sometimes cause problems with medical equipment. First I have heard of this problem with Metal Detectors.
I usually leave mine in the car. Occasionally if I'm expecting family to call for some reason I'll carry it.
Hard enough to leave work at work as it is, the last thing I want is my phone buzzing while I'm digging a target.
When I'm out hunting I do end up pondering work related issues which is ok to a point, but the idea is to clear ones head as much as possible.
Hard enough to leave work at work as it is, the last thing I want is my phone buzzing while I'm digging a target.
When I'm out hunting I do end up pondering work related issues which is ok to a point, but the idea is to clear ones head as much as possible.
I just started to carry mine this past year as my hunting partner moved and I pretty much go alone now. I sometimes leave it in the car but I do occasionally carry it in my shirt pocket just in case depending on the area I am in. I haven't really noticed any problem between it and the detector but have never given it any thought really. When I do carry it I leave it on vibrate because of the headphones being on. I guess I can't really give an educated opinion on whether or not it affects the machine or not but I don't seem to have any problems. I use the EX-II with the pro coil exclusively if that matters.
JoeinMemphis
Active member
I use detecting as an excuse to leave the *&%%^ thing in the car and enjoy some solitude. ( I usually hunt on private rural property and am not worried about the street urchins getting me though ) I havent noticed any problems though, when I did have it with me.
but a GPS unit is a different story. I carried my son's GPS unit with me earlier this year when hunting for a long forgotten 1850's fair grounds. Had it in my right pocket and noticed every time I swung my detector to the right it went nuts. Turned off the GPS and everything was fine. This wasn't my Explorer though, I had my F70 so I don't know if the GPS bothered the Explorer or not.
I think it's only interference when you are in an actual phone call. It's at that point that the phone is transmitting. I think that when the phone is in standby mode, that it is only "receiving" right?
I have not noticed any interference when my cell-phone is just on standby. But to be certain, I guess I'd have to run tests and try deep whispers with a cell on, and then turn it off and see if the deep whisper cleans up
One time I was using a bluetooth, which was under the earcup of my earphones. My cell-phone went off so I answered the call. I decided to be a smart-aleck and keep detecting as I was talking to the person. Afterall, it's hands free with bluetooth, and I still had all my detector on and hooked up right? So why not continue to swing and hunt while talking away? As I did this, I got a signal that was sort of cr*ppy, so I slowed down and tried to hone in on it. At that moment, I was ending my call, and kept swinging over the target. I noticed that second my cell-phone call ended, the signal cleared up and came in much better. It was then that I realized that there'd been cross-talk when the cell-phone was on a call. At first I thought maybe it was the talking between the blue-tooth and the phone (and not the actual phone call), so I did some expermenting with no blue-tooth, and the results were the same: A cell call in process does cross-talk with your detector.
One other note: Just because you (or a person standing talking on their cell-phone near you) moves out of cross-talk range, there can still be subtle depth and performance loss. There is no magic distance where there becomes zero interference. Once the interference (another detector, a cell-phone, etc...) moves out of audible range, there is still another distance it must move away to get the in-audible fringe range disturbance gone. I experienced that phenomenom in a small park with another hunter. We naturally moved out of cross-talk range, but no further than necessary. Ie.: "Just where we ceased to hear each other". We both noticed that when we honed in on a turf deepie, the minute we'd call the other guy over to hear it (we were trading off deepies for sound-practice) that the signals came in clearer and cleaner the minute the other guy turned off his machine, EVEN though he'd been out of cross-talk range. It was then that we decided that the interference extends a little more beyond what is actually heard in the headphones.
I have not noticed any interference when my cell-phone is just on standby. But to be certain, I guess I'd have to run tests and try deep whispers with a cell on, and then turn it off and see if the deep whisper cleans up
One time I was using a bluetooth, which was under the earcup of my earphones. My cell-phone went off so I answered the call. I decided to be a smart-aleck and keep detecting as I was talking to the person. Afterall, it's hands free with bluetooth, and I still had all my detector on and hooked up right? So why not continue to swing and hunt while talking away? As I did this, I got a signal that was sort of cr*ppy, so I slowed down and tried to hone in on it. At that moment, I was ending my call, and kept swinging over the target. I noticed that second my cell-phone call ended, the signal cleared up and came in much better. It was then that I realized that there'd been cross-talk when the cell-phone was on a call. At first I thought maybe it was the talking between the blue-tooth and the phone (and not the actual phone call), so I did some expermenting with no blue-tooth, and the results were the same: A cell call in process does cross-talk with your detector.
One other note: Just because you (or a person standing talking on their cell-phone near you) moves out of cross-talk range, there can still be subtle depth and performance loss. There is no magic distance where there becomes zero interference. Once the interference (another detector, a cell-phone, etc...) moves out of audible range, there is still another distance it must move away to get the in-audible fringe range disturbance gone. I experienced that phenomenom in a small park with another hunter. We naturally moved out of cross-talk range, but no further than necessary. Ie.: "Just where we ceased to hear each other". We both noticed that when we honed in on a turf deepie, the minute we'd call the other guy over to hear it (we were trading off deepies for sound-practice) that the signals came in clearer and cleaner the minute the other guy turned off his machine, EVEN though he'd been out of cross-talk range. It was then that we decided that the interference extends a little more beyond what is actually heard in the headphones.
Weasel_Loader
New member
I carry one all the time since my wife has medical issues that worry about. I usually end up getting the "when are you coming home" phone calls though. 
Big Fang Coin Biter
New member
At the site, there was electrical interference around the side of the road. Sometimes it went into the yard too. Well, I thought about the cell phone which I usually do not carry. I turned it off, hunted a while - no difference, so I turned it back on, still no difference. I did not try when talking on the phone.
HH - BF
HH - BF