LTD vid readings

[jim tn]

I'm just curious as to what your readings are on various coins with your LTD. This is on coins in the ground, not just laying on top or ones air tested.

I have kind of felt from day one that the vdi readings on my LTD were running higher then did the same coin readings on my F 75...and also then what the manual shows. I have been watching the screen pretty close the past couple of weeks and all silver dimes recovered (9) and silver quarters(3) have all read higher. Silver dimes, 78-80, silver quarters, 87-90. These silvers all ranged in depth from 4-7."

I reallize there are many variables to consider, but clad is running high as well. Nickels are usually close, 30-32, clad dimes,73-75, ( as well as most wheats and most pre 82 Mem. cents) clad quarters, 83-85 and (1) clad half, 89-90.

Readings are the same in both bp and de using both the 11"DD and 5"DD coils. I am going to try the 6 1/2" elliptical and see what it does.

These are typical in ground readings. Just laying on top of the clump, they read pretty close to norm. Clad dime, 71-72, silver dime 74-75, ect. I have found a couple of silver rings and they both read 76-77. One was pretty hefty, so about what one would expect.

Anyway, I am just curious as to what readings other LTD users are getting.

Thanks, and HH jim tn

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

it varies seemingly even from day to day at the same site(s).

 

[jim tn]

Thanks Brad, it is probably more of a problem in my "head" then in actuality, but it is quite often a real guessing game as to what the coin is.

I hunted a school yard this afternoon with the 6 1/2" elliptical coil on and readings were much the same as with the DD coils. The funny thing is, nickels read pretty near dead on 30-31 in clean ground. It is the dimes and quarters, clad and silver, that seem to be reading higher then I experience with my regular F 75.

Are you aware of any changes in the coils that come with the LTD verses the F 75 and F 70?

HH jim tn

 

[M-scope]

I have YET to see a "locked" number on my LTD..68 one-way 31 the other, 71/46 next pass,etc,etc...So i've figured that a signal like that{68-71} is a penny!? But I waste alot of time making WAY-too many passes over a target trying to get a number....I've been relying more-so on Audio signal repeat at different angles than anything. I look at the numbers but they arent even staying close to the same in opposite sweep directions and havent really been of too much help. A little, but not much!!..Good thing I earned my wings on a 1265!!!

 

[jim tn]

Well, I am getting some "lockons," but few coins are reading like my regular F 75 does and in many instances it is a crap shoot as to what the coin actually is. The "lockons" are quite often silver. Yesterday I dug 2 silver dimes at 5-6" depths and both read right at 90. Another silver target was a pretty hefty sterling ring that locked on 92. It was 4-5." I am finding that the bp mode and the small 5" coil is a real killer in the trash and the coil gets really good depth. I just wish I had a better handle on what I am actually digging most of the time. In some fairness to the LTD, I am re-hunting some of the most trashiest spots on various sites with the LTD and seldom is a good target not hampered by trash either above, below or right beside the target and such no doubt effects readings. I guess I'll use it in the woodchips and see how it reads targets in a less trashy envirement. HH jim tn

 

[markg]

Interesting.

 

[sandnsea49]

n/t

 

[jim tn]

I think for many of us F 75/F75 LTD users, "lockon" is somewhat of a relative term. The F 75 (LTD) are so sensitive that the slightest movement off target will cause vid numbers fluctuation. Combine just a little bit of careless pinpointing with a nearby trash item or slanted or on edge coin and we will see more bounce then lockon, IMHO. HH jim tn

 

[M-scope]

I think for many of us F 75/F75 LTD users, "lockon" is somewhat of a relative term. The F 75 (LTD) are so sensitive that the slightest movement off target will cause vid numbers fluctuation. Combine just a little bit of careless pinpointing with a nearby trash item or slanted or on edge coin and we will see more bounce then lockon, IMHO. HH jim tn

Well, today I worked a field for about an hour next to a school with minimal "trash" and coins few and far between. I "crept" the coil VERY VERY slowly over favorable sounding signals. EACH and EVERY sweep across resulted in a different number and a confidence meter bounce with each number. I tried this on quite a few signals. I managed some clad{48 cents} and some can-slaw. I ran with the 6" elliptical coil,99 sens,2 on disc, no-notch in bp process with 2f tones. Fast grabbing around 65/70 and not too much EMI chatter. Nothing was deeper than 4/5"..Nothing repeated the same number,ever!. Numbers on a couple of the targets were closer together than others,but there were a few that were WAY off each swing making the decision to dig? or not to dig? very confusing! If a signal reads 31 one way then 69 the next you could guess nickel,clad,copper then the next pass you get a 40's then a 54....I bet I pass over a target atleast10 times back and forth to get some kinda close consistancy..! Silver does seem to give alot better numbers than clad in fairness but, It seems like I am spending way, WAY too much time trying to get somewhat consistant numbers so I can make a dig decision... When I first got this unit, I thought the bad I.D.'s were from my lack of knowlege and/or wrong settings or bad ground balance.etc.etc.. Now with more than 40 hours on this unit I'm starting to think there is something wrong here besides the operator!!?!!

 

[grumpy]

OK so if you get a signal that is like 40 one direction and 75 the other instead of like a steady lockon 72 ; would you dig it or is it trash?? I guess question is does it usually come out to the high number ; low number or average when you dig a bouncer like that; I have been getting a lot of like 22 / 45 signals and some that are 45/ 75 but new to the machine I dont know enough to out guess the odds???
Thanks for the help
Grumpy

 

[Cal_Cobra]

I see the same things you guys are seeing with the TID #'s bouncing all over the map a lot of the time, it's annoying. And like Buckeyebrad says it changes from site to site, day to day, very odd. I've seen nickels read in the 80's, silver dimes read as silver halves, silver dimes read as pennies, and have oddly noticed that barbers and mercs read lower, mid 60's to low 70's, whereas silver rosies read in mid and 70's and higher. Silver and clad quarters tend to lock pretty well (got an honest Abe 11" deep SLQ that had a solid lock).

The other night I hunted with a friend that got an etrac a few months ago, he worked around a tree that I've worked around with my LTD and he managed to pull an 8" deep barber dime...OK, I could see missing a dime, but he also pulled an 8" deep BIG sterling silver chauffeurs badge. How on earth did the LTD miss that?

There's a lot to mentally and audibly process on the LTD, sometimes I like to take a break from it and take my CZ70 out. The CZ70 is simple, and it's nice and quite and just about as deep.

 

[Sonny(IN)]

this is the kind of experiences I have had with the detector. Never seems to lock on at all. I am under the impression that the people that REALLY like them are relic hunters as compared to coin hunters. Never have relic hunted, but I am under th impression you basically digg all solid signals. as coin hunting in parks or wherever you cannot dig all signals or you would have to ton of undesirables. One example, at a fairground I got a solid coin signal at 5 inches with one detector and then tried my ltd and the numbers were all over the place. Swept on way got a hi signal and then going back the opposite direction got a totally different number. Very iffy to dig signal as far as I was concerned..I know they are a great detector! Some people use to post and say they were not set up right. I really find that hard to beleive,but ? jmho...thanks and HH I also have the Omega 8000 and it seems to do pretty well , just not as deep as my main unit,.. but also not near as much $$$$...

 

[boxofchocolates]

Ok guys I've got the same things going on down here in south GA......Just today I was at an old school yard did't find anything really good but I was having the same problems....My conclusions are ....This machine is so sensitive and its picking up everything..... Iturned sen. down to 40 ....4tone disc 5 got the coil up a little and got solid hits walked around because of masking ....so many small pieces of alumium cans etc but a high reading I would dig......I think there is a lot of masking going on ......and what about bb's and pellets....etc.....I got some silver here before running sens way way down I'm not giving up on this powerhouse just yet . hh God Bless.....Dan

 

[Cal_Cobra]

I tend to agree that FT/FRL is heavily catering to the relic crowd with their new high end machines. Yes they'll find coins, but relic hunting is their strength, not hunting in a trashy intercity parks for coins (old coins to boot!). The fact that BP mode will make a TINY bit of brass, aluminum or other non-iron target sound BIG at depth is a testament to its relic hunting ability (yet rather annoying to a coin-shooter digging endless 8-9" deep beaver tails that sound like silver coins ). This is all fine and dandy if you live in an area worthy of relic hunting, but if 90% of your hunting is coin-shooting for old silver, I'm starting to believe an Explorer may be the weapon of choice for that. Don't get me wrong, I've found plenty of goodies with my LTD, including quite a few old (for California) coins and have had a bit of luck with some gold, but as wishy washy as it's lock/TID is on silver dimes, and other old coins, I know for a fact that I'm missing stuff in some areas as I see my ET buddies digging goodies in areas I have already covered with the LTD If I lived in old areas with cellar holes and civil war sites, I know the LTD would be kicking booty, but for us that hunt old parks in search of elusive silver and other old coins, I'm starting to doubt it's the best of the best for that task (I could be wrong)

 

[boxofchocolates]

One more thing guys,all I've used is bp mode because of the depth....but what about the other modes has anyone tried those just to see what happens...I haven't yet maybe just calming everything down will work better......hh......Dan

 

[jim tn]

My biggest complaint with the LTD when I started this thread was with the higher readings I was getting verses the same kind of targets with my F 75. A "lockon" is rare with the LTD when running in the bp mode, but, in my opinion, that is do to the bp mode being so sensitive. In clean spots, I have had "lockons," however. Most importantly for me, though, the LTD is producing finds out of some pretty tough and hard hunted spots. Many are a guess as to what they are, but I don't have a problem with SILVER SURPRISES. HH jim tn

 

[M-scope]

I tend to agree that FT/FRL is heavily catering to the relic crowd with their new high end machines. Yes they'll find coins, but relic hunting is their strength, not hunting in a trashy intercity parks for coins (old coins to boot!). This is all fine and dandy if you live in an area worthy of relic hunting, If I lived in old areas with cellar holes and civil war sites, I know the LTD would be kicking booty, but for us that hunt old parks in search of elusive silver and other old coins, I'm starting to doubt it's the best of the best for that task (I could be wrong)

Shortened your thread a bit here Cal, This is exactly what I have been thinking lately! I'm going to keep swingin it for a while longer before I make a decision/change... But my gut-feeling is I'm going to have to....!?!?

 

[boxofchocolates]

Maybe the 11 dd coil has amuch larger footprint haven't used the 5" coil in a long time but it worked great ...the 11" can gather up more masking.

 

[osgood]

Ive only used my F75 ltd 4 times now. There are many things I like about it. It does take some getting used to. There are some lock ons but a number of those bouncing signals. The only rule ive used so far is to dig those that are solid hits "from almost all angles.", a good lock on usually produced a coin or some higher grade metal although I do admit I wondered if I was missing things with those jumpy numbers I had to ignore. The pinpoint helped me judge the size of the "target" Besides being fairly certain between Id ing the quarter and nickle, the dimes, and pennies where very confusing. I was very happy with the zinc notch out. I dont know about silver yet as havent hit any yet. This I attribute to sites, I just dont think there is silver there to be had at the ones I visited this week. I just did a relatively small private yard in two days this week, and really went with low discrim and high sens. Im going to return there and see if I do any better with my F70, on which Ive worked quite a bit. If there is a radical difference I would report it, but otherwise Im going to give the LTD more time- there is much about it Ive got to learn.

 

[gmanlight]

Thanks to those who posted on this thread.
Have you seen a bigger range on the Vid only in boost mode or does it
happen in all modes on the LTD Thanks Mike