Found weakness in my MD.

[Anonymous]

Well, here's something I noticed while air testing at home:
I tried some small-chain bracelets, one from cheap metal similar to brass or tin-copper and another one in silver. I tested them one at a time on a cardboard box away from any metals and placed bunched up and not spread out. The MD didn't detect either one of them. I put the MD in different modes but nothing changed. I will do more testing when I have some time, now you guys try these tests and let me know how your MD's have done.
Cheers, Fabio.

 

[Anonymous]

Most detectors see the chain as individual links rather than the entire mass and therefore do not respond. Even larger items such as gold rings where the weld is broken may respond with but a weak or absent signal and is most pronounced when in a SALT mode where the response to gold is weaker.
Chet

 

[Anonymous]

The only chains I've found were some large silver chains that signaled good on the clasp, or some small, fine, chains that had a pendant of some kind. The only exception is a small brass rope-style bracelet that I recovered in a swimming area. The place had been hunted the previous weekend by a different club. I went in, and since I wasn't getting good signals, I was digging anything that came in above Iron, or bounced into the midtones. I managed to get the bracelet that way.
I think you'll also notice the same results on many gold earrings, especially if they don't form a complete loop.
HH from Allen in MI

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

you're going to be digging every piece of junk on the beach, from small rusty pins to nails and other junk.
This part of MD'ing is well know, that chains are not easy to find. I don't really waste my time digging every scratchy iron target I get in the water. I'll dig anything that bounces up above iron, though.
HH from Allen in MI

 

[Anonymous]

Chet and Allen covered it well...Some do use PI units and get some of these chains along with every bobby pin on the beach. Have heard of some experimenting with gold nugget machines but then again also dig much junk..I remember the old Tesoro machines with no discrimination gave a ratty hit on a bobby pin or fish hook but a solid hit on a gold chain and were the best I ever saw on gold chains, however were useless on salt water but performed well in fresh water..Might also want to try all metal, but you are back to digging a lot of junk...Guess we are back to Gold chains are tough and many are found because of a pendant on them which registers foil...

 

[Anonymous]

<BLOCKQUOTE><STRONG>Most detectors see the chain as individual links rather than the entire mass and therefore do not respond.</STRONG></BLOCKQUOTE>
What Chet said pretty much hit the nail on the head. Some detector

 

[Anonymous]

Native gold which is not solid such as wire gold presents the same problem for nugget hunters. Native wire gold which is easily detectable with my X-5 is not detectable with any PI or an Explorer 11.
I believe someone posted one time that single frequency detectors can detect these non-solid gold items more readily than multi-frequency detectors. Is this the reason?
George

 

[Anonymous]

The XP Gold MAxx from Europe. Not only would it a small link gold chain at 2-3" (which is great) but it would not ID it as iron. It is a 3 tone machine and would give it a solid 2nd tone which is from gold up to tabs.
Multifrequency machine do not do well on gold chains. Some higher Frequency machines from tesoro do o.k....Lobo...my Tiger was o.k.
The best so far was the XP Gold Maxx. But like evryone else said...overall chains are just plain tough.
Scott

 

[Anonymous]

Goldbug 11 with iron mask on. will pick up any chain, will work on dry beach or wet sand but not in the saltwater.