Had a chance to try a new place today and wow-o-wow was it strange. Two-story abandoned farm house, never been detected, and I get a solid 1-47 signal that jumps back and forth to 12-47, 10-47, 11-47, and back to 1-47. Rotating the coil 180 degrees, and BAM, I get a solid repeatable signal at 1-47. Rotate back 180 degrees and I'm jumping around again. Quick Mask fails to reveal any iron, lowest number is 12-47.
The ground is a hard, dense clay. I open a 3" deep, 6" diameter hole and BAM, I'm getting a solid, repeatable 1-47 that's only 1" away. Dig down three inches and I'm still 1" away. Dig down three more inches and I'm 1" away. Now I have to enlarge the hole, and I'm still 1" away. Repeat all the above until I've got a 12" deep hole that's 15" wide and I'm still 1" away. But now I've got a 1-47, 12-47 signal and I have to rest because I'm gassed--the ground is harder than hell. Three minutes later, I put the coil back in the hole and I've got nothing. The target has disappeared completely. I slow way down, increase/decrease power--change settings--search the dirt--search all around and nothing. ???
Ten minutes later, I'm 60 feet away and I get a loud 8-47, 4-34, 15-39, 1-49, 8-22, 12-45 and I'm not moving the coil! The coil is resting stationary on the ground and my E-Trac is literally singing to me. WTF? I dig down three inches and the signal goes crazy--nothing is repeatable--the coil/machine stationary, but working in over-drive: 10 tones a second. Three more inches and the E-Trac overloads. Holding the coil 18 inches in the air above the hole and the machine goes crazy again. Scratch around with a tool and a heavy gauge rusted wire emerges. ???
I honestly believe I had some kind of weird EMF ground interference going on and I was way out in the country. Or the place was haunted...
Bronc
The ground is a hard, dense clay. I open a 3" deep, 6" diameter hole and BAM, I'm getting a solid, repeatable 1-47 that's only 1" away. Dig down three inches and I'm still 1" away. Dig down three more inches and I'm 1" away. Now I have to enlarge the hole, and I'm still 1" away. Repeat all the above until I've got a 12" deep hole that's 15" wide and I'm still 1" away. But now I've got a 1-47, 12-47 signal and I have to rest because I'm gassed--the ground is harder than hell. Three minutes later, I put the coil back in the hole and I've got nothing. The target has disappeared completely. I slow way down, increase/decrease power--change settings--search the dirt--search all around and nothing. ???
Ten minutes later, I'm 60 feet away and I get a loud 8-47, 4-34, 15-39, 1-49, 8-22, 12-45 and I'm not moving the coil! The coil is resting stationary on the ground and my E-Trac is literally singing to me. WTF? I dig down three inches and the signal goes crazy--nothing is repeatable--the coil/machine stationary, but working in over-drive: 10 tones a second. Three more inches and the E-Trac overloads. Holding the coil 18 inches in the air above the hole and the machine goes crazy again. Scratch around with a tool and a heavy gauge rusted wire emerges. ???
I honestly believe I had some kind of weird EMF ground interference going on and I was way out in the country. Or the place was haunted...
Bronc