Question on Pinpointing....!

[Knipper]

The good news is, I finally scored a Barber quarter (7in deep) after a very long dry spell for silver. We have WAY too many good hunters in this neck of the woods, and even deep coins are hard to come by.

The 1892 quarter was found in a trashy area of an old park, and though I did my best to center the signal under the coil, I was about 4 inches high...in other words, on a 5" diameter hole, the coin was in the wall of the hole closest to me, and the center of the hole was about 4 inches 'high' or away from me. I know junk must have played a role in this, but I used to be able to center a coin with the old VLF's and push a probe down and touch the coin first try. Even using the "pinpoint" feature of the SE finds me off about 3 to 4 inches on most finds down to about 7". I happened to be using the pro coil, this time, but I usually hunt with the 10X12 SEF.

So, my question is, even though a coin will respond along the length of the coil with the DD types, it should still be slightly louder in the center, right? I usually look right at the point where the stem meets the coil, which appears to be dead center in the middle of the coil. I try to keep my recovery holes no more than 5 in in diameter, and not enlarge them to 'compensate' for a broad pinpointed area.

Any tips on this would be welcome!

Knipper

 

[James N.D.]

pinpointing from different angles Knipper. This would then tell you if the Coin or Item is either laying flat (signal stays in the same spot) or sitting at an angle (target will pinpoint at different locations). Sounds like your pinpointing is right on the money and you should always dig where the signal pinpoints at the beginning of the signal where it is loudest. It's tough to do when there is multiple targets but with a little practice, it gets easier. Hope this helps and Good Luck and HH on your next hunt.

 

[dewcon4414]

Like James said, its tuff to do the deeper it gets. Why, because much like the concentric the target WILL move farther from the top of the coil toward the center if you tip pinpoint. At 7" or deeper my SEF tends to locate to the right lower part of the coil. So i do what James does and try to move around the coil. Also kind of watch your depth meter and the sound should be loudest on deep coins toward the center of the coil. I know of the concentric coils what i used to do is air test a target... holding it out 3 or 4" for the coil i moved it toward the coil left then right to find the loudest sound... then marked the top of the coil. 9 times out of ten the target was always on that mark. I think what makes the DD so hard to pinpoint is the footprint of the coil. Unlike the concentric the DD keeps most of that long footprint in the ground and picks up trash at both ends... the concentric with its cone shaped footprint narrows to such a point at depth that there isnt as much trash to deal with. You might try what DOC recommended in Andy's book as well. Using the tip, tip the coil forward so only the tip is receiving a signal. Pinpointing in trash is always a bear... at least you have VCO now days. That 5" hole is a good thing, but there are pros and cons. Pro is its little and if made deep enough MAY not kill the grass. The pro to a larger hole is easier recovery and if done properly wont kill the grass OR be pulled up by those zero turn mowers.

Dew

 

[Shambler]

The pro to a larger hole is easier recovery and if done properly wont kill the grass OR be pulled up by those zero turn mowers.

I believe this is most important. Most uncovered holes in a park were small/shallow plugs yanked out by mower suction.

Any chance you just pinpointed over some trash near the good signal? It's easy to do.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Often it is easy to do a mental + over the target, the signal should be in the middle.

 

[Knipper]

Well, I don't cut shallow plugs for that very reason, but I do try to keep the diameter reasonably small. Try explaining a 'coil sized' plug to a grounds keeper or 'concerned citizen' some time, should they walk up behind you! I cut a deep, three sided "trap door, and pry it up opposite the 'hinge'. I designed and make a digger that can cut a plug 6" deep or more. On occasion, I dig a deep semi-circular cut. Its been my experience that the large plugs are the ones that die and/or are easily displaced by mowers. If the target is shallow, I pop the coins out with a screw driver (rounded and polished tip).

Knipper

 

[Nick A]

Might have been on edge, that throws off your pinpointing. I had a silver quarter do that to me a few days ago. I use the VCO pinpoint and the X method - 90 degrees from original sweep. If I don't like one, I'll do the other. With the DD coil, the X method should be dead on most of the time. You can also have junk and iron throwing off your pinpoint as well.

Pinpointing is one of those practice makes perfect kinda things, I take it for granted now what it took me years to learn. The Sunray inline probe is also a huge help. My suggestion would be to use the VCO pinpoint as you have been but then also take a second to use the X method and see if that helps you.

 

[dewcon4414]

Raising your coil a little higher will aid in pinpointing as well... but the most important is to locate the targer and CENTER it on. That makes a BIG difference in TID and location.

Dew