Need advice for a newbie!

[featheredprop]

Hello Everyone,

I've always wanted to do some detecting. Last week my wife bought me an ACE 250, and so it looks like I'm ready to go.

The reason I am posting is because the only thing I've found so far is a lot of frustration. I took the ACE into the backyard and began sweeping around. Right away it started beeping - and I started digging after I did my best to pinpoint the target. I would dig and dig only to come up with nothing. Then, I swept the ACE over the hole that I just introduced into my yard and it wouldn't go off (I tried the dirt pile beside it too). I did this over and again. I would dig a hole that would make a pirate proud only to find the ACE either silent or moving me in another direction. One hole became an unproductive trench through my back yard. The ACE kept telling me to move the digging - but I gave up.

I then hauled the ACE to the local playground - which has a pebble base; very easy to dig. The same thing happened again. It would beep. I would dig. Nothing. It would beep. I would dig. Nothing. I suspected the metal detecting gods were pointing their fingers and laughing at me. So, I went home.

What kind of learning curve does this device/hobby have? Can anyone offer me some advice? Does everyone start out like this, or is this a sign that I should sell my equipment and turn my attention to something found in the Great Indoors?

... I would be happy to find a pull tab.

Can someone help?

 

[awhitster]

How many times have we heard this story

 

[Old Katz]

First let me say your not alone regarding the frustration.

I've been fortunate in that I have not had the problem of not finding my target.

1. When you pinpoint the target realize that the target will be directly underneath the coil where the rod meets and connects with the coil.

2. Take you time when pinpointing and make sure your certain your centered on the target. Sometimes it will be a little to the right or left of dead center.

3. Without taking your eyes off the spot on the ground where you eyed the pinpoint, place a golf tee or something to mark the spot! If you don't you'll lose the spot and be digging WAY OFF!

4. NOW THEN with your digging knife start to cut into the ground at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches in back of the
Tee. 3 inches might be better if you just starting out. Then proceed to cut all the way around the target 2 to 3 inches from the Tee on each side. You should end up with a U shape flap.

5. With your digging knife pry open the dirt so that you have a flap.

Your target will be in that hole!!!! OR it will be in the plug/flap you just dug. Run your coil over the flap to see if you get a signal. Trust me on this.

If you can't find the target it's because you need a small hand held pinpointer. Happens to me all the time.
I have a small $15.00 pinpointer I bought from Harbor Frieght and I have never failed to find the target (unless of course I got a false signal because my sensitivity was jacked up to high). Keep your sensitivity at three to
four bars.

You have to realize that if the target such as a coin has been in the ground for awhile it will blend in with the dirt. You just can't SEE the thing because it's so dirty.

You can go to www.harborfrieght.com and type in metal detector. You will see the pinpointer. It's a cheapo but it works just fine. I don't need an expensive SunRay or Whites Bulls Eye pinpointer.

Good luck and get back to me!!!!!!!

Right now I want you to go out to your back yard or where ever you are and practice this digging like I suggested. Don't worry if its a pull tab or whatever, just get a target and dig the way I said.

Remember, when you have it centered, don't take your eyes off that spot on the ground. Mark it! Start the digging at least 3 inches BEHIND the target spot and work your way around staying 3 inches on either side.
The target WILL be there right where the rod connects with the coil. Sometimes, due to human error it will be a little to the right or left of the center, but if you dig the flap big enough it won't end up buried in the SIDE of the hole.

After awhile you can make your holes a bit smaller especially if your digging in public parks. Try to dig flaps and not plugs because those high powered lawnmowers have a tendency to pull plugs out of the ground. Flaps too but not so much.

Another technique is detuneing but I don't think you'll need to learn that. I have never had to use detuneing to find my target.

Good luck.
Katz


Dang!!!!! I NEW I should have bought a pinpointer!!!!!




Katz

 

[Old Katz]

n/t

 

[treasurehound]

Shes right good advice , KatZ . that is pretty much it just take your time put a little trust in the machine , or give it 2 me if you dont like the hobby . practice practice always and u wont even have to look at the screen , no golf tee none of that . keep
your eyes on the ground , swing the coil alitttle fast over the target to get a good bell ring , then press the pin point draw a
quick X the i usally go around the targert to get the exact location . just practice

T H

tom

 

[gordygroover]

Find a spot in your yard that is clear of any metal targets for a couple square feet. Shove a penny underground a few inches and mark the spot exactly using a golf tee or some other high-vis object.
Now you have a clue as to exactly what a coin sounds like and precisely where the machine is telling you it is.
I have gone through the same thing as you (trust me) so have no fear.
My coin jar now holds over 100 dollars in finds. Mostly pennies. One stinking penny at a time. It all began with a coin buried alongside my house that I practised on over and over.

 

[flbowhunter]

May have to turn the sensitivity down a bar or so, sounds like it's falsing. Make sure you get a repeatible signal to dig, in other words if it sounds off every sweep, then you know there is a target there. If it sounds off and you re-sweep where it just sounded off and get nothing, then you are to sensitive, turn the sensitivity down until it is stable.

Mike

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

G'day Featherprop. Welcome to the forum.
The frustration you are feeling right now is quite normal and most of us go through it. Some are lucky enough to have a friend that can physically show you the ropes. You've found the next best help; a forum. I remember when I started out, it took me 6 hours of detecting till I found my first coin, a 5c piece. I didn't think that it was possible to get excited about such a small find, but after 6 hours, I was just about doing back flips. Shear relief that you can actually find stuff!
Although it doesn't feel like it at the moment, you have actually bought a machine that is fairly easy to learn with. To start with, set it up in coins mode and set the sensitivity to 4 bars. you can adjust this later when you become more familiar with the detector. Next, I would recommend that you find an area of ground that doesn't give you any signals and place various items there, both coins and other common junk items (on the surface, so that you can see them). waive the detector over them just to see how it responds, both the sounds and how the icon on the meter responds. Most good targets will lock onto one notch or bounce between two. Rubbish will often bounce around a fair bit. More on that later.
The next trick is to learn to pinpoint (locate accurately) the target. For now I will only tell you about the shallow method. Only use this method on targets down to a maximum depth of 6 inches. Once you have found the target, take the coil well to the side and engage the pinpoint button. Come over the target till you think that you have it centred, then using a slight wiggling movement, slide the coil towards yourself. The point that you lose the signal, will be the point the you will find the target right under the 12 o'clock position of the inner coil. Practicing on targets you can see will make learning this very easy.
There's more to learn about the Ace, but this should you a good start. As you build your confidence with it and become comfortable with it, we can pass on more information. You will also learn heaps yourself.
After a while, you'll actually find that going out swinging it, will become quite therapeutic and strangely relaxing even if you don't find anything on a particular hunt.
Good luck and keep us posted on how you're going.
Mick Evans.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Pebble and gravel playgrounds are full of mineralization and will set your detector off. You didn't say what mode you're hunting in or where you have the sensitrivity set. . You should hunt in coins mode only for many hours and set your sensitivity at four bars and leave it there. Detecting takes practice and familiarity with your machine. You can't just pop it out of the box and run out and find goodies. It just don't work that way.

Tape some coins ( about a foot apart ) to the back of a piece of cardboard and lay it down over a surface with no metal under it and practice locating these coins and pinpointing them. Use something sharp to poke through the cardboard to hit the coin. Then find a playground with bark chips and hone your skills.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Sounds like my first day and that was before fancy detectors with discrimination, ID, pinpoint, and all that.

Bill

 

[lazyaussie]

my bit of advice is first check the coil plug is pushed in & the nut is tight ( i got caught out with this a couple of weeks ago ) then make sure the coil cable is not flopping around or to tight.
back the sensitivity down to 3-4 bars & run in coins mode for the first couple of hunts & only dig the solid beeps that detect both ways that are stable on the target id also swing the coil nice & slow until you get the hang of it & i"d only dig about 5 inch holes also just till you get the hang of it.
hope this helps

 

[featheredprop]

Thank you everyone for your posts and encouragment. It really helped knowing that some of you experienced some of the same frustration that I have, and that this might be considered "normal."

Today my son taped some coins and a pull tab to the bottom of a large piece of cardboard that he then turned over. We both practiced finding the coins to see how close we could get. I was surprised to come within a few inches. That was a helpful idea.

I returned to my back yard and started again. The ACE 250 started going off like crazy. I reduced the sensitivity and kept going. It still kept dinging. I dug some more holes without any luck. Then, I discovered that one of the rocks that I uncovered was making the ACE go off. I have no idea why. It seemed to have small flakes of something in it. I have no idea what that's about...

I then moved to the side of the house (this house was built around 1839). The ACE started going off at the base of a small tree. I dug until the sun went down but didn't find anything. I'll keep at it tomorrow ...

Thanks for all of your help... I really appreciate it. I'll keep searching ...

dane

 

[Uncle Willy]

Your yard may contain hot rocks. The signal at the base of the tree was most likely mineralization in the roots that they suck up out of the ground. You need to find a bark chip playground to practice in.

Bill

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

It sounds like you have various minerals in the ground around your house. It could also be that you have a lot of small bits of scrap metal in your yard. I have a similar problem. The previous owners used to love tinkering with cars. The end result is that I have limited spots in which I can practice. Although you may be able to knock out the bottom 3 notches to help reduce the number of signals you are getting, when you go into pinpoint, you are in an all metal mode, and unfortunately, you will hear all these metals again. Perhaps if you could set up a pile of dirt or sand that is 9+ inches high, then you may be able to eliminate this problem. Or just find a clean bit of ground in your yard somewhere. trying to learn how your detector works with all these extra signals going on can be very distracting and rob you of the chance to build confidence with the detector.
Mick Evans.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

As a one finger typists, it just takes me a while to type anything.
Mick Evans.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah funny how that works out.

Bill

 

[slingshot]

I have to post this again. It's simple-just raise the coil 10-12" inches and pinpoint from this height. The target center will be right where it's supposed to be in the little pinpoint notch in the coil. The signal looks like a "V" and by raising the coil imagine pinpointing with the tip of the cone and it will be in the notch on the coil. Only thing to throw you off is two targets together or a huge target mis-ID'd: and by raising the coil even these become apparent.