KyJoe said:
I don't have enough time on the Racer to 100% confirm this but I noticed that either Iron iffy targets and screw caps (rusty ones) would raise the mineralization meter making them easy to identify.
Just remember, that most Bottle Caps are made of a ferrous-based metal while most Screw Caps are made of a higher-conductive, non-ferrous alloy, such as aluminum. The "rusty" targets are generally going to be so due to the ferrous metal make-up.
A ferrous target has a different effect on an EMF than a non-ferrous target of similar size and shape. This can help us size and shape some targets to 'classify' then as possible ferrous-based [size=small](wide response)[/size] or smaller non-ferrous [size=small](narrow response such as from a non-ferrous metal coin)[/size]. If targets are in a somewhat nice-and-proper position to the search coil and within a reasonably good detection range, without any nearby offending [size=small](masking)[/size] targets, then we can usually HEAR a more consistent and repeatable audio response and/or audio Tone ID. We will also SEE a tighter, more consistent Target ID number as well.
As for the visual Ferrous Read-Out, or Magnetic Mineralization Indicator [size=small](the 8-segment 'pie' graph)[/size] on the display, its primary use is to inform us of the amount of more challenging 'bad ground' [size=small](Magnetic or Intense Iron Mineralization)[/size] in the area we are searching. The benefit of this can be a reminder that often, in more severe ground, detection depth can be impaired, as well as accuracy of the target response such as Target ID or Audio Tone ID. We can also be fooled because this display will be effected by some target metal types we sweep over.
KyJoe said:
I was digging alot of iffy and one way targets today just to learn the machine.
If a person is mainly Coin Hunting in a typical urban environment, and they watch for a tight and repeatable Target ID number and be attentive to the strong and repeatable two-direction audio responses.
If a person is more desirous of any possible deeper Coin, or one at a bad angle, or searching for coins that are in a trashy site that poses a lot of good-target masking, then they will recover a lot of "iffy" audio responses, "one-way" sweep responses, and a lot of targets that provide a more inconsistent visual display. This is especially true for a successful search at older sites that often have more iron trash present than a modern, urban park might have..
I am always listening for an "iffy" or "one-way" target response because it alerts me to a potentially masked good target. Working the Racer with a lower ID Filter number of '10' [size=small](to hear virtually all ferrous targets)[/size] up to '23' [size=small](to just reject most iron nails)[/size], it will let me make a slow and methodical sweep around the questionable target to listen for any possible iron, or non-iron, nearby object that could be masking a good target.
KyJoe said:
Tone and #'s are first, especially tone.
True, I listen mainly to the audio responses, good and bad, and with a glance I can get a visual idea of what I might have encountered. I then check for two or more targets close together, and isolate the targets for a more proper Visual and Audible response.
KyJoe said:
The Racer seems to put a lot of targets around 82, not a large target ID spread.
The Racer does provide a lot of target spread in the mid-tone range using the 3-Tone mode, but that's often because many targets in that range are of mixed metal make-up, and also because many targets in that range seem to be of odd or unusual shape. A more consistent 'rounder' shape [size=small](Coins and Rings for example)[/size] tend to produce tighter readings, whereas odd-shaped things like keys, strips of discarded foil, old ring-pull type Pull Tabs [size=small](especially if elongated or bent/folded)[/size], church keys [size=small](can and bottle openers)[/size], buckles, and countless other targets, can result in inconsistent visual Target ID responses.
Most US Pennies, Dimes and Quarters, depending upon their orientation and depth and if the coil sweep is centered over the target, will produce a Target ID number close to the '82' to '86' range that is quite tight and consistent.
KyJoe said:
The meter seemed to confirm what my ear was telling me was all I was saying, just another tool to help ID possibly.
The Magnetic Mineral Indicator can give a little information in the 'pie graph' when you encounter a crimp-on Bottle Cap, but at times it might not, or it might not be too significant compared with the ground mineral make-up you arte searching in. Also, the MMI is really best used when you are making a Ground Balance adjustment over a metal-free target spot of ground. It is not the best tool to use when trying to classify targets you encounter.
The best method I have found for 'classifying' Bottle Caps, if I am hunting a site with a lot of them to annoy me, is to observe a Target ID that is usually less consistent, then I use the EPR technique and watch for, and listen for, and Low Audio Iron Tone and Iron-range Target ID read-out. If Bottle Caps are of insignificant quantity at a site, or if a site has a lot of discarded, higher-conductive Screw Caps, then it is a lot easier to just remove the trash targets from the site. That also allows me the opportunity to re-scan the spot and see if there was a deeper or nearby good target that was masked.
Monte