Measuring he size of a target is one the skill that helps to eliminate the ones that are not coins. However, CC is correct that a silver dollar will give a very large target sound and measurement. However, the large amount of silver will give a good high reading pretty much off the screen to the right. But you cannot count on that to alwasy be true. I found a silver dollar that was no more than about 4 inches deep and my guess it it had been walked over many times simply because it gave a very large sound. It was in an old park that had been detected for years but in a very trash area.
I have dug thousands and thousands of target to see what they are before and after discriminaiton. I still prefer to hunt with no more than iron rejection and use tones with the Explorer and it how constant and does the tone repeat that is the most valuable indication of the ID. It is amazing how large a screw cap will sound or a crushed soda can.
In pinpoint the Explorer has circuits that will shrink the target as you slowly sweep the target in pinpoint. It takes several sweeps of the coil but strong signals are slowly decreased in strength so you can pinpoint. You will notice this when a target seems to be in one spot but as you sweep the target you can narrow the location down to a specific point under the coil. It sounds like many users are not aware of this feature. If you have used the DFX it is similar to Ratchet Pinpointing.
Ferrous metal will have a wider signal response than precious metals and once centered you can back the coil away from the target then start to sweep in the direction of the target. Large target will be detected on the fringe edge of the coils magnetic field. You have to get much closer to most precious metals so can go by the width of the signal. Even with the double D coil this is very noticeable.
If you want to measure the width for references you can do so in a number of ways. Tape some iron targets, large and small, to the end of a dowel rod. With the Explorer on clear ground run the dowel rod towards the coil. Do the same thing with other metals and coins. You will get a very good idea of the electromagnetic footprint of the coil. If you do this for different distances below and to the sides of the coil then combine that with the use in the field you can pretty much know if a target is coin sized. The ID and depth indications are for COINED SIZED targets. It get to be second hand and you can measure and ID without thinking about it after a while.
Here are some of the finds from the last two summers. The better silver, mini and round balls, are in a display case if you would like to see them. I have some nice silver coins from an old Indian trading post site from about 1790 to 1830. The coins from this site are from 1793 to about 1890 with a few in the early 1900s.
Rejection of targets is a real chance of not finding some good targets. I found a slave tag with the number of person stamped in the tag. These were worn around the neck like soldier use to wear a dog tag. I also parts of of old knives, spurs, and all kinds of relics that would have been rejected if I went by target size.
So, I have to go with CC on this one.
HH, Cody
Cody
