Hunting by ear..... Audio tones on the X-TERRA

[bubber]

Digger: What is the difference between using a pattern mode with no discriminaion and using all metal? Wouldn't you get the same results either way?

 

[Digger]

I believe that All Metal covers a wider range of targets than using zero discrimination in a Pattern mode. Here is my theory........ each notch segment has a preset range of ferrous or non-ferrous (conductive) values. If you accept all the notches, a detector will detect those targets that are included in all of those notch segments, combined. All Metal does not have "restrictions" placed on it, as those found in a grouping of notch segments. It is "unfiltered" Xmt/Rcv signals, based on ferrous and/or non-ferrous properties.

If you turn your X-70 or X-705 to a Pattern mode with all notch segments accepted, you can occasionally hear the Threshold "null out". (especially when hunting in an iron infested site) If you switch over to All Metal and sweep over the same area, it will not null. Instead, I usually get an harmonic audio tone and a TID bouncing between -8 and +48. If you switch to Prospecting mode, you will hear a change in the Pitch of the audio tone. In my opinion, if sweeping over a target (while using a Pattern mode with all notch segments set to accept) can cause the Threshold to blank out, it is not accepting "All Metals". JMHO HH Randy

 

[goldseeker4000]

Digger, check out the 1758 Isle of Man penny I found yesterday. It is posted 1758 Isle of Man penny found in Montana with 705. It is the oldest coin I have ever found. In the last three days I have found 4 wheaties one is 1918 and another one is 1920 and also 1947. Haven't cleaned the fourth yet. I also found a 1905 V nickle. 705 is working very well. I love hunting with this detector set to AM and 99 tones. I am getting it down pretty well. the 1947 wheatie rang off like a quarter until I got it dug up. Strange.!

 

[digmeahole]

What an outstanding article! I have been reading you posts and have used all of your advice but this is bar far the best advice i could have ever received. I have been using this method more and more as i am getting used to it.

I can say without a doubt this works and from what i can see and what i have dug it has not failed me once!! You have helped me more then i could have every dreamed of! better then if someone was here in person training me! THANK YOU so much for training a newb and turning me into a great armature treasure hunter!!! If you are ever in NY I would love to buy you a drink!

 

[goldseeker4000]

digmeahole, I agree with you 100%. since I have been hunting in AM with 99 tones and the more I get used to it the more I trust it and the more better things I find. good post.

 

[goldseeker4000]

Digger, I will be getting a new coil for the 705 soon from AZO. I have the 6"DD HF, 5x10" DD HF and the standard 9 or 9.5 Concentric MF. I am trying to decide which coil will be best for silver and for depth. 9" LF concentric , 10" DD MF, or 10" DD HF. Will the 10" HF DD be good for silver? Torn between sivler and a larger coil for gold. More versatility. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Digger]

I find that any of the coil frequencies will detect silver, gold and copper very well. Much of what I'd recommend will depend on your soil conditions. If you typically ground balance the stock concentric coil at a ground phase reading of 28 or higher number, the concentrics will perform very well. On the other hand, if your ground phase number is less than 28 when properly ground balancing the stock 9-inch concentric, then your soil has the mineralization that would best be served by chosing a DD coil. It is difficult to compare the 9-inch concentric with the 10.5-inch DD. Larger coils typically detect deeper. But with all things considered, I get more depth (and a more accurate TID) using the 9-inch concentric coils in my moderately mineralized soil. (I can properly GB my 705 with a ground phase reading between the mid 30's to high 40's) As such, I am very impressed with the ability my 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz is able to pull out the old silver. I've never found as many Seated and Barber dimes with any other detector/coil combination. Let me know what your ground phase readings typically are and we'll see if that narrows down the choices. HH Randy

 

[Joe Z]

Randy.....
I am continually getting between 13-16 ground balance with my 9.5 inch consentric MF coil here on the trailheads in Arizona. I've seen where you say to use a DD in this situation (below 28 GB) but not sure to go with the MF or HF DD coil..... I won't be out in the gold field too often and there's very little grass out here so just looking for old coins, jewelry etc. in native highly mineralized soil.... In my short experience detecting i think i have narrowed it down to the 10" DD MF or HF or maybe the 10"x 5" Ellipical DD HF Coil.....I'm also running into a lot of junk on these trails.... any help would be appreciated as i have learned so much from you in the past few weeks.
really appreciate that.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[Blank Planet]

i liked the comment about any freq will find silver or gold and i believe it to be true also the 99 tones (28 tones) once gotten used too is a valuable tool also, have used the 99 tones from day one with the 705 and will not go back, nice silver coins ring true and sound sweet they just beg to be dug, also the amount of water in the ground can case falsing that will not be there as the water is less or dry ground so backing sens off is ok like digger said about the headlights, i used to want to run everything flat out and have found some great finds running at sens of 15.

i think just by the nature of the metal we want to find that detectors will see them better than trash as they are pure or mixed well with round shape for the most part excluding the gold ring with big diamond , but even then it would be high K gold and ring true on the 99 tones.

numbers are great but sound is why we wear headphones and listen hard

so have to love this thread very good reading and learning about others experience with this detector (705) and am sure the basics apply to all detectors.

good luck out there.

 

[Digger]

Between the larger round DD coils and the elliptical DD coil, I find the round coils hunt deeper. So if I am wanting maximum depth with the DD, I would narrow my choices down between the two round 10" DD's. Then, between the two of them, I'd base my decision on their response to certain targets. Either will find anything metal. But the width of the notches on the HF coils make it more difficult to differentiate between coins and some of the modern trash than with the MF DD. Based on that, if I were going to get one of the larger DD coils for coins, and not be concerned with future prospecting, I'd likely chose the MF as it would identify modern trash items more accurately. If the areas are really littered with trash, don't overlook the potential of the 6-inch DD. Although the HF is not my favorite frequency for coin shooting, it is exceptional on small jewelry, separates best of all the coils and it will suprise you as to how deep it will detect. JMHO HH Randy

 

[Joe Z]

Randy,
Thanks so much for that thorough explanation as I have some choices to make which i understand now what each coil does..... I went completely thru the "Frequently asked questions" and the search function.... also and those colored diagrams of the blade path underneath the coils confirms what you just said here..... there's no way one coil is going to do everything i want and this 9" concentric MF is hard to work with in highly mineralized soil in trashy area's.... I should have bought the gold pack instead and then just got the 10" DD MF coil to replace the 9.5 concentric..... there was also the notch diagram of the three frequencies that also helped.Today I found an old aboandoned church gathering place with bleachers and all and it is so full of trash that it was impossible with the9" MF concentric in this highly mineralized soil(did a lot of digging today n found many tin cans LOL)..... that 6"DD HF has the thinnest deepest blade and i have spent many many hours researching, so i will have to make an educated decision now.... thanks for taking the time to explain to a newbie.
Joe

 

[Old Longhair]

Hey Randy! Have you noticed the differences in high value tones between the LF and HF coils?
It seems to me that the different segmet size makes the subtle tone charateristics of high value targets more important with higher frequency coils. Which is to say, that I find myself digging more high value trash with the higher frequency coils. It takes me a little while to recondition my ear after hunting with the LF coil, so until I get my poop in a group, I tend to dig a lot of rusty bottlecaps.

 

[Digger]

The overlapping of "modern trash" targets on the HF coils is more apparent than with the LF coil. And as you pointed out, it is due to the "upper" notch segments being "narrower" than on the LF coil. As such, I've always found myself digging more "modern trash" with the HF coils, compared to the MF or LF. Particularly the LF. And the opposite effect is exactly the reason I like hunting old farmsites with the LF coil. Not only is the LF a silver and copper coin killer. But with the "lower" notch segments closer together, the deeply buried iron is more apt to produce those harmonic tones, making those targets more easily recognized. (by ear)

I'm glad to see that you have done your homework! Seriously, it makes me feel good to know that others have developed a thorough understanding of what I've tried to explain in my posts and the eBook. Thanks!!!! HH Randy

 

[Old Longhair]

Honestly, your e-book has made my understanding and learning the X-Terra so much less frustrating, that it instead has been a joy!
And I find that having (more or less) direct access to you thereafter is invaluable for any other questions or clarification that I need.

[size=x-large]THANK YOU![/size]

 

[unreel]

randy i have a 705gold with 10.5hf coil. we hunt gold nuggets here and have been doing ok on them. the settings i use are sensitivity at 30 noise channel to 0, coin mode pattern at -8 and +48 no iron mask and tone to 10 with2 tones in coin mode. i hunt in prospect mode til a signal than check with coin mode. do you think it would be better to use all metal and all tones. there is alot of junk around and we dig alot of it. lots of tailing piles to cover and some benches. last yr was my first yr. using the 705 so hope to have better understanding of the signals now. cant practice yet as we still have 6ft of snow on the ground so im reading all i can on detecting. thanks john

 

[Digger]

John, If you're finding nuggets, you must be doing something right! There are a couple things in your post that I would take note of. First off, I'd recommend running auto-NC every time you turn on the 705. Simply setting it to 0 might not be the best channel for the site. Secondly, the setting you use for Prospecting threshold tone (1-30 @ 140Hz-1010Hz) is simply a matter of choice. If you are able to hear subtle changes in the Threshold when using the setting of 10, then there is no need to change it. As far as changing the settings on your Coin Mode....... I think you would be able to better discern information from the junk and tailings if you were to change to multiple tone. And lastly, it won't cover nearly the amount of ground you are covering with your 10.5 inch DD HF coil. But if you ever get the hankering for a different prospecting coil, take a gander at the 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz. It offers supreme target separation, is extremely sensitive to small targets, and the depth of detection is simply amazing for a coil that size. JMHO HH Randy

 

[unreel]

thanks for the info. i will try out the settings you suggested as soon as we can get outside and the snow melts. im in alaska and we have record snow. i go gold hunting at ganes creek in western alaska. it is famous for large nuggets and i hope to get one this yr. something over 2oz. i hope. there is alot of junk from past mining in the area so if i use multiple tones what should i be listening for as to the tone sound for gold vs. metal. a medium pitch or high pitch. most of the nuggets found are from 4gr to 10.5oz. i know when a big one shows up they scream so no problem there but also so does a 55gal drum. last yr i got a .77, a .33 and 2 about .4 so it wasnt to bad. the biggest taken was a 10.5 oz and 11.5oz. quite a few in the 1.5 to 2.5oz. thanks for the help. john

 

[Digger]

John, sorry I can't help you with what the tone or TID will be on a 2oz nugget. I certainly wish I could! Maybe someone else on here can help us out! I've found some gold rings that read as high as 36 on the TID and other small ones that read in the single digits. Just depends on the size and surface area exposed to the field of detection. While you're waiting for the snow to melt, you might take the nuggets you've already found, run them under the coil with zero discrimination /multiple tone, and get an idea as to what they sound like and register as. Then sweep over several nuggets held tightly together. That should facsimilate what a larger nugget might come in at. Then practice the same process in Prospecting mode with varying degrees of Iron Mask. Remember, multiple tone is only available in Coin mode. Prospecting mode does not offer TID or choice of tones. HH Randy

 

[pescadore]

Randy thank you so much for all the information and thanks to everyone for the good questions. I feel that I am learning more about my new detector (705) every day and these posts definitely help.
Stephen

 

[Pennypacker]

I agree it sounds like a trashy site.

Your "good target" sounds like a zinc-Lincoln, which would cause trashy signals at times depending on the condition of the coins plating.

I have a short amount of time on my 505, but it is a great detector, I pretty much followed Digger's advice from the start, or I too may have been lost.

Hunting in All Metal mode is key, you can still discriminate, with your ears and eyes, you will miss less then if you discriminate.

Most MDs work all-round better in AM mode. The X-Terras and others with TIDs and multi-tones lets you do the discriminating. You will have a better feel and confidence if you hunt this way.

Also a DD or smaller coil may be ideal for you, I prefer the feel and like the coverage of a DD vs a Concentric. I "feel" like my 6" DD covers as good as my 9" concentric, but with better separation. I'm not knocking the 9", it has it's place.

Sometimes it's just the site but you can be certain something is there, follow Digger's advice again, maybe slow down a bit, grab another coil or start digging the iron out.