? how to hunt mineralised soil

[bula]

Yesterday I hunted an old site & came home with only one wheat, the soil there is very high mineral content & nothing seemed to read close on the vdi. I ground balanced the MXT & tried it, then did it again & locked it in same thing. I used both the 6x10 & the 4x6 both coils acted the same not another coin, I know there has to be other coins in this area but I can't find them.

Are there better coils out there that work in mineralised soil better than the dd coils or does anyone have a secret they use when hunting this type of soil?

 

[Larry (IL)]

The DD coils are the best choice as you probably already know and the smaller the coil is better but you really sacrifice on the coverage. Mineralized ground is tough hunting for everyone with VLF detectors and I doubt if you are doing anything wrong Bula. Have you tried placing a coin on the ground and see how high you can detect it, just to eliminate any other problems? A slow swing giving your detector time to "think" is my only other suggestion for hunting bad ground. Good luck Bula.

 

[srf2112]

Did you confirm that the machine was actually ground balanced successfully? If it was what gain were you able to run it at and keep stability? I ask because I think if the machine is having a lot of trouble giving accurate vdi's while hunting, because of the ground, then it would first be having trouble getting a good GB. Either the machine was running too hot for that site or there is a problem inside. JMHO Sorry I don't have any good tips for that kind of soil . .most of my sites are mild to mid. Good luck bula.

 

[bula]

Larry I did everything I could think of going slow, turning down the gain used the 4x6 I thought I covered all the bases but was just wondering if there was anythin else out there.

srf2112 the machine is running good it is just the soil in this spot. The alternative is that someone has pounded the spot in the past.

 

[Topo]

a small DD coil over here too, a 6x10 or a 4x6


I use my 6x10 for my nasty "ironed" sites with good results

 

[bula]

Those are the coils I am using but this soil is the s%&%$

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Maybe the prospecting mode with the SAT and gain turned up as high as practicle would help.

 

[MeMatt]

If I were you, I'd just start digging any repeatable targets that are on the positive side of the vdi's (so long as the target isn't the size of a beer can ). It's worth a shot. Try it for a few hours. I've been pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion by following that advice
Go back later and dig the crushed cans if your thinkin they're masking the good stuff

Hope this helps,
Matt

 

[Topo]

Those are the coils I am using but this soil is the s%&%$

experiment lowering the gain and locking the groundbalance, maybe that helps

 

[bula]

Those are some good ideas, I have not tried prospecting mode yet but I will. If all else fails I will have to dig all targets if my back will hold up.

 

[Monte]

That would be interesting for folks to know. Also, what type of location was an old site that you were hunting?

Yesterday I hunted an old site & came home with only one wheat,..

At least you got one old coin, but just how old is the place? Is it so isolated that it wouldn't likely have any newer era coins? Did you find any other smaller-size targets? Old bottle caps, bullets, cartridge cases, thimbles, buttons, ???

What search mode did you use, and what were the settings in Discrimination, as well as Sensitivity?

When I chance upon an 'older' site in 2011, I have to hope that it is an untouched virgin site that had a lot of activity and ample coin loss. reality, however, is that someone (or many, perhaps) have hunted the site in the '70s, '80s, '90s, or sometime in the past 10+ years. maybe, just maybe, that lone cent you found was simply a missed target that could be the only remaining good find? You just never know.

.. the soil there is very high mineral content & nothing seemed to read close on the vdi.

That's very common. Even more common than most people think because we search for targets that are located on or in the dirt, so we figure it isn't a problem to find them when only dealing with dirt.

Not the case because we have to accept the fact that some ground make-up is simply quite mineralized (with ferrous-type contaminants), or the texture of the ground is a challenge, such as a recently plowed field, a torn-up sidewalk with some under-laying smaller rocks, or any transported disturbed dirt that has dirt clods and other challenges. I don't look at target ID, just the VDI read-out, and if the ground mineralization is a challenge, then I concentrate on the VDI response.

Not exactly what the number is, but if it is above iron, a fairly tight reading, and/or a narrower, coin-like response. I know that coins can 'off-read' in many cases due to not just the ground environment, but the targets metal make=up, depth, position, and any nearby masking trash.

I ground balanced the MXT & tried it, then did it again & locked it in same thing. I used both the 6x10 & the 4x6 both coils acted the same not another coin, I know there has to be other coins in this area but I can't find them.

I always GB the MXT's and then lock the toggle. I prefer to have a properly set Ground Balance, and then work my favorite coil (the 5.3 Eclipse) at a good, functional sweep rate, which is slow or slower, and I overlap the sweeps. I also take shorter sweep spans, often equal to about the width of my shoulders or just a little more. Not more than 3' most of the time..

Are there better coils out there that work in mineralised soil better than the dd coils or does anyone have a secret they use when hunting this type of soil?

I can only tell you that I favor the 5.3 Eclipse coil. That 6

 

[mad dog]

i was inN M two week ago hunting for gold 6 10 dd coil set prospecting with setting max found gold does anyone know if it will sound or read on fools gold

 

[calibil]

Some time the ground minerals are so high the MXT has a hard time stabilizing, even with the 6x10 DD. I had to run the gain very low to some what kill the chatter. The result was that a .22 cal bullet could be heard at only 2.5 inches, best in prospecting mode. In these areas a pulse machine is lots better. Over all the MXT does handle high mineral areas better than most vlf's. I have only run across 3 area's inland where the MXT has this problem.