Archimedes24
New member
Let me preface all of this by saying, I've got a few hundred hours on a Spectrum XLT, and just bought a 3030 a few weeks back. This was my first field "hunt", even though I couldn't dig a damned thing...
It's been in the single digits and we finally got up to mid 20's yesterday. I had a few hours to myself and I couldn't stand not taking the CTX out any longer so I set out to a local spot I've researched. Since the ground is frozen solid, my intention was to just do a GeoHunt and map out a few targets to come back and dig later (ie; in the next few days when it might actually hit 50! WOOHOO). This site is owned by a local school district but is administration buildings, currently up for sale. According to my research, my little town founded in the 1820's had a log cabin school house on or around this location.
So...a few things. The target field is about the length of a football field, and as wide. I marked FindPoints for solid targets or stuff that sounded solid enough to be interesting.
[attachment 255545 Hunt1.png]
As you can see from the above, I went a little nuts. So much so, that I'm basically just going to ignore this and re-do the whole hunt again in a few days.
A few more pieces of background info, and then I'm going to start firing questions at you pros.
I was running GH's #2 combined. I was finding targets at all depths. About a month ago, with the White's, on another nearby section of this general area, I found a .50caliber bullet head in pristine condition, and an 1847 German 2 Pfennig coin. Some clad. I was finding targets like 17.43 at 4 inches. 13.9 at 5". 12.10 at 4.5". 14.33 @ 6.5". 12.24@4". Basically, all over the place. Now, I know that what you guys are going to say, "Well, when you're learning the machine, dig everything! Then you'll know!" M'kay. I'm down with that. I'm spry enough that digging all of these is no biggy to me. BUT how, realistically in my tiny dinosaur brain am I going to remember, that on 1/26/13 at 2:48pm I found a target bouncing between x.y and a.b at 6" was this here really nifty bit o' history? That's not gonna happen. Obviously, the CTX has a target reject/accept feature under the identify button but what I've never heard any discussion on is HOW TO USE IT?!? [Yes, I have read page 9 of the CTX manual repeatedly, seeking knowledge which does not exist there my friends...so here we go.] Clearly, as I'm getting started here, I'm going to dig a lot. That's fine.
QUESTION1: Do you oracles of MD expertise (O.M.D.E's? Sure, why not!) use the reject/accept target feature like this?
1) Find target
2) Dig up target
3) Realize target is something you never ever want to dig up again (is there such a beast?)
4) Drop target on ground
5) Scan target with CTX.
6) Press Identify button twice to reject this target for future hunts.
7) Future scans of this target will be ignored
??
This could be asked in the complete opposite as well, how to you include something that maybe got missed by the machine, or that you were iffy on but dug and sure were glad you did.
QUESTION2: After you've decided you're going to dig something, and you pull the trigger to pinpoint the target, if the target THEN slips into a greyed out target reject portion of your screen, do you O.M.D.E's still dig the target? I had this go both ways. Some targets that I was practicing pin pointing on would stay solidly in the white accept region, others would dive down into the reject portion.
QUESTION2A: How accurate is the pinpoint feature? My experience with the Spectrum was, if the target truly was on the surface, unless it was REALLY BIG, by God, it was right there. A few times, the CTX said something was 2" under the coil. I'd scratch away the snow and some grass and I never could find it. I didn't bring my pinpointer with me this go around because I really didn't expect to dig anything, but I wished I had a few times.
QUESTION3: What, in general/broad strokes, are the FE-CO numbers you O.M.D.E's are using as your goal posts for what you'll dig and NOT dig? If the machine is bouncing between two tones, and you're getting between say 10.25 and 14.29. Are you going to dig it? If not, why not? What other criteria are you using to make the decision?
If you're still reading this, thanks, and I appreciate all the advice and videos you guys have shared!! I'm looking forward to going back to this field and being able to bring back some nifty finds to show off.
A
It's been in the single digits and we finally got up to mid 20's yesterday. I had a few hours to myself and I couldn't stand not taking the CTX out any longer so I set out to a local spot I've researched. Since the ground is frozen solid, my intention was to just do a GeoHunt and map out a few targets to come back and dig later (ie; in the next few days when it might actually hit 50! WOOHOO). This site is owned by a local school district but is administration buildings, currently up for sale. According to my research, my little town founded in the 1820's had a log cabin school house on or around this location.
So...a few things. The target field is about the length of a football field, and as wide. I marked FindPoints for solid targets or stuff that sounded solid enough to be interesting.
[attachment 255545 Hunt1.png]
As you can see from the above, I went a little nuts. So much so, that I'm basically just going to ignore this and re-do the whole hunt again in a few days.
A few more pieces of background info, and then I'm going to start firing questions at you pros.
I was running GH's #2 combined. I was finding targets at all depths. About a month ago, with the White's, on another nearby section of this general area, I found a .50caliber bullet head in pristine condition, and an 1847 German 2 Pfennig coin. Some clad. I was finding targets like 17.43 at 4 inches. 13.9 at 5". 12.10 at 4.5". 14.33 @ 6.5". 12.24@4". Basically, all over the place. Now, I know that what you guys are going to say, "Well, when you're learning the machine, dig everything! Then you'll know!" M'kay. I'm down with that. I'm spry enough that digging all of these is no biggy to me. BUT how, realistically in my tiny dinosaur brain am I going to remember, that on 1/26/13 at 2:48pm I found a target bouncing between x.y and a.b at 6" was this here really nifty bit o' history? That's not gonna happen. Obviously, the CTX has a target reject/accept feature under the identify button but what I've never heard any discussion on is HOW TO USE IT?!? [Yes, I have read page 9 of the CTX manual repeatedly, seeking knowledge which does not exist there my friends...so here we go.] Clearly, as I'm getting started here, I'm going to dig a lot. That's fine.
QUESTION1: Do you oracles of MD expertise (O.M.D.E's? Sure, why not!) use the reject/accept target feature like this?
1) Find target
2) Dig up target
3) Realize target is something you never ever want to dig up again (is there such a beast?)
4) Drop target on ground
5) Scan target with CTX.
6) Press Identify button twice to reject this target for future hunts.
7) Future scans of this target will be ignored
??
This could be asked in the complete opposite as well, how to you include something that maybe got missed by the machine, or that you were iffy on but dug and sure were glad you did.
QUESTION2: After you've decided you're going to dig something, and you pull the trigger to pinpoint the target, if the target THEN slips into a greyed out target reject portion of your screen, do you O.M.D.E's still dig the target? I had this go both ways. Some targets that I was practicing pin pointing on would stay solidly in the white accept region, others would dive down into the reject portion.
QUESTION2A: How accurate is the pinpoint feature? My experience with the Spectrum was, if the target truly was on the surface, unless it was REALLY BIG, by God, it was right there. A few times, the CTX said something was 2" under the coil. I'd scratch away the snow and some grass and I never could find it. I didn't bring my pinpointer with me this go around because I really didn't expect to dig anything, but I wished I had a few times.
QUESTION3: What, in general/broad strokes, are the FE-CO numbers you O.M.D.E's are using as your goal posts for what you'll dig and NOT dig? If the machine is bouncing between two tones, and you're getting between say 10.25 and 14.29. Are you going to dig it? If not, why not? What other criteria are you using to make the decision?
If you're still reading this, thanks, and I appreciate all the advice and videos you guys have shared!! I'm looking forward to going back to this field and being able to bring back some nifty finds to show off.
A
