Newbee Question

[Gadget]

Just got my MXT a few weeks ago and have been running into some targets that register as 75-86 VDI and 1-2" deep, but when my hole is at 7-8" I give up. Rechecking the hole, the VDI is consistent each time and the confidence bar is much stronger with the soil removed (solid quarter/dime indication, etc), but still shows depth at 1-2" in the 7-8" hole.

I always figure that these are big items that are buried deep and are just showing those VDI readings because I can't get the coil close enough to them. The PP sound is very concentrated over the hole, not spread out like you'd expect from something larger.

Should I continue to dig to China? I've run into a few dozen of these in the past week.

 

[TwoDogsBob]

One thing you may consider is buying a probe, really narrows down the search and saves a lot of time.. I went nuts one afternoon making holes with good signals and not finding anything till I discovered I was digging up shotgun shot and it looked just like all the rest of the dirt. Bought a SunRay for my MXT and have not regretted spending the money for a minute. Bob

 

[Rudy]

Sounds like you've locked into a crushed soda/beer can.

One way to tell if your target is really a coin sized object, or a deeper/larger object
is to pinpoint it again, with the coil raised, say 4 inches off the ground, and see what
depth is being indicated. In your example, if the target was showing at 2" and when you pin
point it again with the coil raised 4" off the ground; if the indicated depth is now 3", you know
it is not a coin sized object.

 

[Jim McCulloch]

... your target is likely to be a flattened aluminum can from 12" to 18" deep. Two things to remember: the VDI number takes into consideration the SIZE and ELECTRICAL conductivity of a target. It just so happens that an aluminum can has the same net VDI characteristics of a dime or quarter. Thus, ALL detectros will "see" them as the same. TAlso, the depth reading is calibrated for dime-sized targets. Thus a LARGER target will reader SHALLOWER then it really is. HH jim

 

[Gadget]

Thanks for the quick response and good info. I thought I was probably chasing junk, but wasn't too sure. So I guess a good rule of thumb for me (when coin shooting) is to dig a few inches past the depth indication and consider it deep junk after that.

 

[Jim McCulloch]

.... I only ignore such "deep, big, non-ferrous" signals at sites where there is a good possibility that MODERN stuff will be there, deep. The beach is a good example of this. BUT..... at a really old site, where there has been NO modern excavation, or modern burial of new stuff, then those "deep, big. non-ferrous" signals SHOULD BE DUG. They might be a worthless old CSA military buckel, rotten old sack of dirty gold coins, etc. (grin). "When in doubt, dig it out." Hope this helps; HH jim