Pounded park still gives up the goodies, multible silver!

[Goes4ever]

there is this park in my area where an old school used to be from 1920's to 1960 something. I have hunted all over this park but only one small area has ever yielded any old coins.

Well that little area about 100 x 100 feet, has given up a lot of silver and wheats in last 2 yrs. I hunted it hard with my xterra, and have hit it hard with my etrac, 2 of my buddies has detected it hard and they have an etrac and a SE pro.

We were to the point where we thought we had it hunted out, last 2 trips I did not get any old coins, not even a wheat here. Well recently I started using the two tone ferrous and thought this would be a good test to use here because for 2 yrs this small area has been hunted to death with 3 minelabs.

I went there and dug every non ferrous signal I got that was more than 3 or 4 inches. First find was the 1942 merc dime, I was shocked and could not believe the 3 of us missed a silver, well then came 2 wheats, several old nickels, including a buffalo, war nickel, other Jeffersons from the 1940's.

I was cruising along slow as possible got a high tone and from the numbers looked to be like aluminum/iron mix but directly beside it and much deeper I kept getting a 09-36, 10-40, but it was so close I could barely separate them. So I dug the can slaw, covered the plug and rechecked the other signal, it came in a lil better now easier to hear beside the iron. Cut a deep plug and in the hole was a 1906-D barber quarter and 1929 buffalo nickel!

so for any of you naysayers who say 2 tone does not work, fine with me, don't try it. But I am seeing just how powerful this program can be in a park I felt was truly "hunted out by minelabs!"

I think this program works miracles on old nickels too, they seem to just pop out of the ground using this method.
First pic is all the non ferrous TRASH I dug today that never gave a good enough signals before with all the iron near by. And look at the iron that was in the holes with some of the coins.

 

[weston]

awesome Terry i think i see and Etrac in my future so you dont kick my butt everytime we hunt together like you normally do!

Weston

 

[LabradorBob]

That's a great day!
and i thought i was the only one digging light bulb bases.
Love the silver,Congrats.
I have actually been to the same places from time to time,and picked up coins i had missed before.
I figure it was due to the changing moisture levels of the ground.
I know moisture helps the coins amplify better,as they build up a field around them from corrosion.
But i have wondered if in the trashy areas,or where targets are close together,if this field from corrosion
overlaps more and is amplified more when really wet. Masking the good stuff.
as compared to a drier soil later on.
I figure this is maybe why i pick out coins that i have missed before.
Just my theory.

Labradorbob

 

[Ray-Mo.]

You will have every one learning to use it and they will clean out all the public sites I wonder how owners of other top end machines feel about this option as well.Some of the other machines boast about lightening speed but I have used a few of them and just do not get the masked goodies the way I do with the E-Trac or even the Explorer II and SE Pro for that matter.
And if you think you were pulling goodies out of iron in the past you can do even better in dry soil conditions.Just have to be careful about site choice so as not to damage the grass.
Bet you no longer feel you or the machine have a problem

 

[Goes4ever]

lol....I had a bad day saturday and I didn't really feel that my machine was acting up, I was just venting from a butt kicking the other guys gave me....!!!

the ground was real dry here. So sure that helped with iron, but honestly I can't ever remember this lil park being wet or even damp for that matter. Here is a vid, you can see how dry it is when I do a full dig on the war nickel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zeP_COyogw

 

[NebTrac]

Awesome job Terry! Thanks for the video and the pictures as well as the run down how the Fe sounds are working for you!

Congratulations on the finds. Won't be long before you can write off that place for coinage....at least until a better machine comes along!

NebTrac

 

[Goes4ever]

I just got wore out today in the heat and started getting sloppy in the end, I need to go back and continue to finish covering that small area well, then hit it again at a different angle. I was there about 3 hours and that was enough with the humidity were having. Today was the best day I have ever had there and just think I have hunted that area like 20 times..lol

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Nice stuff Terry !
I'm really getting comfortable running in 2 Tone Ferrous - it's a secret weapon on iron infested sites for sure !
Keep up the good work !
HH --- Mark

 

[CT Todd]

very nice finds good going

 

[Derrelld]

Looks like the machine still works bud In the past i only used those settings on old house sites.. the last two days i have hunted parks using two tone ferrous and have been able to pull some goodies.. Thanks for sharing!!!
Derrell

 

[Digger]

Man, that slump you mentioned the other day sure didn't last long! Congrats!!! Good to see you are still pulling old coins out of a site that many would write off as being "hunted out". Frankly, I don't think a site ever gets "hunted out". It may require a new approach, such as changing the direction you sweep or the signals you hear, to uncover some that you missed on prior trips. But for those willing to change their approach, as you've proven, old sites can become new again.

I'm not a "naysayer" of 2-tone ferrous. I use it in the iron infested sites I hunt. I just don't use it all the time. And, although I think there are definitely places that are best hunted using 2-tone Ferrous, there are places that I prefer to hear the Conductive tones. For me, deciding whether to use ferrous tones or conductive tones depends on the amount and type of "trash" at each site. As I said, if I am hunting a site with tons of iron, I prefer to hear the Ferrous tones as it keeps me from looking at the meter all the time on iron targets with ferrous readings in the upper 30's and low 40's. (actually anything with a ferrous reading of 18 or higher) As most of us know, the low tone allows us to sort those high ferrous targets out, without having to look at the meter. I sometimes use 2 tones, sometimes 4 tones and sometimes multiple tones. The higher the density of targets, the fewer tones I use. However, if I am in an area with lots of non-iron trash (pull tabs, foil, shotgun shell casings, rifle casings, screw caps, can slaw, etc), the ferrous 2-tone would have me looking at the meter every time one of those targets beeped. In those types of sites, I personally like multiple tones in the conductive mode as it allows me to sort out some of the targets by ear, based on their conductivity value. Granted, an old rusty nail will sound like a high pitch coin. But looking at the meter, just as you look at the meter for pull tabs in ferrous mode, tells me what I need to know. My point is that I choose the mode that requires the least amount of meter watching. Lots of ferrous targets = ferrous mode. Lots of conductive targets = conductive mode. The number of tones used to accomplish the objective is entirely up to each individual. Some people like the two tone "dig or not" mode. Others like more information in their ears. I happen to be in the group that likes as much information as I can get, without inhibiting my ability to separate and decipher each tone. That is why I say that the number of tones I chose to hunt with is dependent on the number of targets I have to hear, with each sweep of the coil. More targets = fewer tones. Fewer targets = more tones.

It seems to me that the main difference between hunting in ferrous mode or conductive mode is whether you are hearing the ferrous sounds of the target or the conductive sound of that same target. Take for example the 9-36 and a 10-40 you got on those coins being semi-masked by the pull tab. In 2-tone ferrous, you heard a high tone on the 9 and the 10. In 2-tone conductive, with all other settings the same, you would have heard a high tone on the 36 and the 40. Either tone would have been "diggable". Again, I like ferrous tones in areas with high concentrations of iron targets. The low tone allows me to sweep more without looking at the TID. But it appears to me that much of your recent success might be because you are digging more targets (open screen compared to a discriminate mode) than just using Ferrous tones. As you said, you dug every non-ferrous target. I'd bet if you hunted in 2-tone conductive and dug every conductive target, you would have gotten the same results. I ain't trying to get you to change the way you hunt. But my point is, the E-TRAC receives a signal from the target and processes it via software. That same software sends the target's ferrous and conductive values to the TID and an audio signal to the speaker (headphones). Regardless of whether you are using Ferrous tone or Conductive tone, the TID is the same. And if the TID is the same, it is just a matter of whether you want to listen to the ferrous tone assigned to the target's ferrous value or the conductive tone assigned to the target's conductive value. JMHO


Again, congrats again on pulling out some nice keepers.

HH Randy

 

[Terra1959]

G4E,

Thats smart detecting Terry
and some truly nice old coins
thanks for sharing it / them with us.
HappyHunting

T59

 

[Goes4ever]

Randy,
I can promise you the last time I was there, I was with my partner who also hunts with an etrac, both of us were in conductive mode and in 2 hours neither of us could pull a single coin from this small area. I know you feel I would have had the same results in conductive but trust me, I would not have. I would much rather hunt a site in conductive tones and I always do BEFORE going to ferrous sounds. We basically wrote this place off as hunted out to us. But after I started using two tone ferrous and realizing how effective it was, I just had to go back to this little spot that has produced so much. In conductive mode there is a LOT of nulling going on and I think most of the stuff I found yesterday was not found before because of the iron masking.

 

[Digger]

I can't argue with your success. But I have to wonder how there could be nulling in a conductive mode if you were running an open screen with it as well? If you have an open screen in Ferrous mode, running anything other than an open screen with conductive tones wouldn't be an "apples to apples" comparison. If the only difference is whether you are tuned to hearing the ferrous tone or the conductive tone, seems to me that if a conductive number appears on the TID, you'll hear that conductive tone just as you do the ferrous tone for the ferrous number. But again, I can't argue with your success. If there were lots of iron targets, I'd been in ferrous mode too! HH Randy

 

[Goes4ever]

I am sorry I did not understand what u said earlier. I did not realize you were talking about an open screen in conductive. But in doing that, the iron screams out like silver, so how do you propose to do that method?
I meant nulling when in a modified coin program with conductive sounds.

I am shocked there were this many coins left here. And on several that I had a hard time getting a repeatable high tone signal even in ferrous because of the iron, I flipped it to conductive and only got a null, but iron was disc out, or it would have been a high tone as you know iron produces in conductive.

 

[Digger]

Yep, I was making a comparison of ferrous vs conductive with all other settings being equal. And you are correct in that the iron will scream out like a coin in conductive mode, just as modern trash does in the ferrous mode. My point is that 2-tone ferrous mode is beneficial for hunting in sites that are filled with iron targets as you get a low tone on the iron. Then it is a matter of taking a peek at the screen to verify which of the high tones you want to dig. Likewise, if you are in 2-tone conductive, you will get a low tone on targets with a conductive value of 25 or less, and you'll have to take a peek at the screen to verify which targets you want to dig. The major difference is, in my opinion, how many times you want to check the screen vs allowing your ears to help make the decision whether to dig or not. In sites with high concentrations of iron targets, I would opt for ferrous as the iron will produce a low tone. In sites with high concentrations of junk conductive targets, I'd opt for the conductive screen as it allows my ears to determine which targets have a conductive value greater or less than 25. Again, I'd have to look at the screen, just as with ferrous mode. But you have the advantage of sorting out most coins by sound. And in either mode, the open screen allows an audio signal on all targets, without nulling. The things I consider when setting up my E-TRAC are.....more ferrous targets = ferrous mode. More conductive targets = conductive mode. Greater concentration of targets = fewer tones. Fewer targets per sweep = more tones. I will say, however, that it does take some persistence to effectively switch back and forth between ferrous and conductive, 2-tone and multiple tone, without losing track of what you're hunting for. But for those who can keep them straight, I believe each tone setting has it's advantages. JMHO HH Randy

 

[OhioCoinHunter]

Nice job, Terry! You're getting coins others have missed for decades!

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

I was wondering if it was possible to run the Etrac in open screen in conductive. Certainly can't with the older models because of iron. So it is a matter of conductive with some discrimination vs Ferrous with none or very little. In heavy iron that means almost continuous null in conductive versus all sorts of low grunts in ferrous. This is pretty much how many of us have run the older explorers for years. There is very little that hits on the left side of the screen except for iron, although a coin next to iron will often ID on the smart screen at the top-conductive axis on here, but way towards the left-ferrous axis but will generally have a higher sound. Basically anything that sounds higher than an iron grunt is worth a few sweeps over the target while watching the screen. And once again, with not having all the ferrous values mapped to 12 you can tell a nickel hit from a copper silver hit by sound. Still don't understand that change on the Etrac; I believe there is much information lost because of that. You Etracers are pretty much forced to use two-tone because of this.

Randy, I do agree that in certain areas wide open ferrous is at a disadvantage if there is a lot of modern trash that hits higher in ferrous. Generally there I will disc out the lower conductivity targets which eliminates most pull tabs, at the cost of nickels. Probably only do this at 1% or less of the sites I hunt.

Thanks to you and Goes4ever for explaining this.

Chris

 

[Digger]

Chris, thanks for the comments. The Quick Mask feature of the E-TRAC is basically an all metal mode. That is why nulling is not an issue in either ferrous or conductive audio. And in Quick mask, being able to fully adjust both the conductivity levels and the ferrous levels "on the fly" make switching from a discrimination pattern to all metal as easy as pressing one keypad. If I am in an area with tons of trash that register in the ferrous 30's, I can easily pop a few horizontal lines into the screen, and reject those high ferrous targets. Or I can add a few vertical lines to reject out some annoying low conductive targets. Like you, I seldom do. When I am isolating targets I prefer repeated low tones as opposed to target blanking.

I agree that categorizing coins by their ferrous sound was easier with the Explorers. Having cut my "multiple tone teeth" on the Explorer, that might be part of the reason I am partial to multiple conductive tones on the E-TRAC??? Regardless, for this crippled old body, the trade off of having coin targets mapped to a ferrous 12, in exchange for the improved ergonomics and the expanded screen segments, has been worth it. To appreciate the differences between the Explorer and the E-TRAC, I first had to accept that the E-TRAC is not an Explorer. There are enough similarities to get you thinking they operate the same. But there are enough differences to realize they are two totally different tools. By expanding the E-TRAC's ferrous scale from 32 to 35 and the conductive scale from 32 to 50, there are many more TID combinations possible, resulting in a more precise identification of the target. Making the ferrous line flat allowed for the Iron Mask circuit of the Explorer to evolve into the Quick Mask "all metal capable" circuit on the E-TRAC. With the expanded conductive scale on the E-TRAC, I can have a different tone (and a different conductive TID number) for each US coin value. No more wheat cents reading or sounding like clad quarters or silver dimes as on my Explorer. Granted, most coins will generally provide a 12 for the ferrous reading on my E-TRAC. (other than the big silver). But that is what lead to my appreciation for the E-TRAC's conductive tones and expanded scale. Each coin value reads different. And now each coin value sounds different. Although the Explorer provided better ferrous audio target ID, due to providing different ferrous values for many US coins, it can be done with the E-TRAC. But as you pointed out, if you coin hunt with the E-TRAC using ferrous tones, 2 is all you'll need.

Thanks again. HH Randy

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

The expanded scales sound good, but in the ground do targets ID that accurately or do they tend vary on the conductive scale?

Chris