Silver readings (difference/Moutray charts)

[BlackX]

A PM from someone to my Pro/Slimline post, along with having looked at Mike's charts again in response to a newbie post, got me thinking and finally posting on this question.

On my SE, no matter what coil I use, I don't get a clear difference showing between silver and copper/clad. For instance, I don't get those "silver closer to the edge of the screen" hits on Mike's old XS(?) charts. (Although both clad and silver quarters and halves will lock in like that on the right side.) In fact, I'm lucky to be able to tell the difference between a dime and a copper memorial or wheat. There's may be some slight percentage increase that a dime will hit further left than a copper cent--often hits 5 or 7 instead of 3 on the ferrous scale--but for as often as I'm right that it's a dime when it does that, I seem to be surprised as often the other direction too. And most times when the conductive reading is a hair higher (29 or 30 instead of 28 ) on the conductive scale, I start thinking silver but, unless it's a deeper reading, most times it's just another copper cent or clad dime. The most reliable indicator for silver for me is the depth meter as that usually correlates with age. I think I MAY hear something a little different for silver in the audio but it's not something I can put my finger on.

Thoughts?

 

[NH Bob]

Some of your problem may be soil conditions.
Some of it is normal.
I don't know what your variability is set at, but if you set it at least 9, you will clearly hear the difference between Wheats, Memes and Dimes.
Certainly you must hear the difference between those and large coppers and silver.
Most times clad Dimes will come in right side 3 or 4. Barbers and Seated usually come in to the left of those. Sometimes as much as 1/3 of the screen left of Clad Dimes. The key to determining when to dig should be Tone (pitch of tone) that is why variability is important.
Again, soil conditions will also effect the position of the cross hairs but tone will still tell the story.

 

[BlackX]

Thanks for the tip on soil conditions affecting the display, Bob. I didn't know that.

My variability is at 10. I do go primarily by tone but I also use the display in combination with the sound to some degree to help me decide to dig or not. Sometimes I'm pretty darn sure they're nails and, when I dig those good sounding nails that I think are nails, they've still been nails. I can't, that I'm aware of yet, distinguish between mems, wheats, and dimes. I'm not sure if it's my damaged hearing, a setting or two, yet more practice, or something else. Those three sound pretty much the same to me. Zincs and Indians sound different. Quarters sound different. LCs sound different.

I was getting a bounce over about a 1/3 of the screen about dime height on that seated but with the Indian in the same hole but over to the side a hair, it was bouncing all over. But all the tones I was hearing sounded good with only a little iron sound. (Which I often get some element of on deep coins.) I thought I might find a deep coin with an iron object in the same hole. (There was iron all around that spot.)

 

[NH Bob]

You're doing great with the tones. There's always cut nail that will fool the best Detecorist.

 

[Erik in NJ]

I've had the Explorer for 8 years and still don't feel comfortable (as some here seem to be) saying I knew I had silver under the coil. The problem is that some silver (deep and/or worn silver dimes - I don't have enough experience remembering where the various silver quarters have hit) can hit just like a wheat cent. I normally hunt by sound - if I get any hit in the cent/dime/quarter area with a nice tone I dig. Typical silver dimes seem to have a sweeter timbre than clad and cents - that's the only way I can explain it - more like a flute sound or a pure sine wave as opposed to a little more scratchy for the others. Like you I also peek at the screen. Dimes normally hit a little to the right from cents and quarters are almost always up in the corner. The problem is that the Explorer's microprocessor (even with the new SE that is supposed to be faster) is too slow in updating he cursor on the screen so I only use it as a clue - sound is my main signal. All bets are off on deep coins as silver dimes can hit just like a wheat cent. I'll alwys dig a repeatable signal if it's more than 4" - 5" as it'll generally be old. The problem that I personally have is with the shallow coins that I have largely been ignoring - I have seen recently seen some nice silver pulled by a friend of mine in the first two inches - the problem is that in many parks by me there are sooo many memorial cents (copper and zinc) in this area too. My friend was using a Whites and was having an easy time pulling the dimes ad quarters from the shallow junky areas, but it was not that easy for me with the Explorer in those areas. I have never used digital, but I'm toying with the idea of using digital in the very shallow areas. Too bad they don't have the option of displaying a digital number superimposed over the smart screen. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think you can ever really trust the cursor location and the sound can also be somewhat ambiguous depending on the state of the coin...

 

[BlackX]

Thanks for the comments, Erik.

I'll alwys dig a repeatable signal if it's more than 4" - 5" as it'll generally be old.

Nails too?

How do you deal with iron sounds in general in relation to good signals? I often seem to get a bit of iron sound/screen bounce mixed in with deep targets, even if I don't find any iron in or around the hole and i don't get any iron indications after I've removed the target. As I've mentioned elsewhere, if I think it's a nail, I can't remember it ever not being a nail but if I think it might be something else deep it's often a nail (but not always).

I keep trying semi-auto on and off like Bryce and JamesND do but I keep feeling like I'm losing depth/signals when I do that. I'm trying to remember to check it both ways before I dig a deep signal but haven't done it consistently enough to tell. (Should probably write it down each time as my memory is often crap by this age.) I wonder if that works better in conductive than ferrous (which I use 95% of the time).

 

[Erik in NJ]

Hi Rich,

I run in IM with a fairly low IM setting. I have dug some deep rusty bent nails in the past and continue to do so from time to time. If I get a repeatable signal that's a little iffy - change in pitch or crackle I will physically move myself to 90 degrees of where I was and try it again. If I don't hear anything there and there was some nulling when in the original position I usually assume that it's iron falsing on a nail or some other iron junk (I may also try at a couple other angles like 45 and 135). If I continue to get a repeatable signal at 90 degrees, even if it's not a perfect tone I will dig to see what it is. Of course I will pinpoint to see if it's a coin sized item or something like a copper pipe which will give an elongated pinpoint in one direction. Anyway that's my basic rule of thumb for what it's worth.....I'm sure someone here will poke holes in it and tell me what kinds of goodies I may be missing (I'm always willing to be educated)......Best, Erik