I get the itch every once and awhile to see what I am missing when I am not digging it all. I usually only dig coin numbers and I am pretty tight on those numbers. So today I went to a ball field and dug pretty much all good and bad signals. Lots of trash and didn't move much from the area in back of a bleacher. Only got one done and still one to go. I had decided on digging all the 30-40 numbers. Than started to dig questionable never dig signals also. 23 coins and one ring that maybe should have stayed buried. The only real high light of the day was the IH. This is my first one. I can't tell you what the reading on it was because I didn't know I had an IH until I got home and looked at the coins. When I look at the trash dug and the good targets dug. I don't know? It is still up in the air for me... Thanks for looking and Happy Trails.....Z
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The jury is still out??? Dig all or not to dig all??? Good question..
- Thread starter zeekeys
- Start date
REVIER
Well-known member
I usually dig it all.
By this I mean solid full signals on my Tesoros that don't break up at the end of the signal or signals that sound full and solid and don't jump more than 2 numbers on my F2.
The reason I do all this digging is because I am mostly a jewelry hunter, gold especially, and out of the 23 pieces of gold I have dug in the last 3.5 years since I started in this hobby not one of those gold targets ever came in as a recognizable good target like a nickel,
Every one was solid, full repeatable, not iffy, but came in at numbers that usually would indicate trash like foil, tabs or can slaw.
Some were close to good signals like within a few numbers of a real nickel number or a zinc signal, but even these were actually numbers that are trash for me 99.9% of the time like lower zinc/can slaw signals or ones that came in at nickel but at numbers that are usually going to be a tab or small pieces of can slaw.
I never regret digging all the trash I dig...never!
I just think about all the gold I have found, (and a good amount of silver chains, too), and I am at peace.
By this I mean solid full signals on my Tesoros that don't break up at the end of the signal or signals that sound full and solid and don't jump more than 2 numbers on my F2.
The reason I do all this digging is because I am mostly a jewelry hunter, gold especially, and out of the 23 pieces of gold I have dug in the last 3.5 years since I started in this hobby not one of those gold targets ever came in as a recognizable good target like a nickel,
Every one was solid, full repeatable, not iffy, but came in at numbers that usually would indicate trash like foil, tabs or can slaw.
Some were close to good signals like within a few numbers of a real nickel number or a zinc signal, but even these were actually numbers that are trash for me 99.9% of the time like lower zinc/can slaw signals or ones that came in at nickel but at numbers that are usually going to be a tab or small pieces of can slaw.
I never regret digging all the trash I dig...never!
I just think about all the gold I have found, (and a good amount of silver chains, too), and I am at peace.
For me it depends on the area that I hunt, if I am at the beach or the places I think gold might be present I will dig almost everything I set the disc low on my F70 (around 16-1
and if the signal hits I am hoping for gold on every dig. I get alot of trash, pulltabs, can slaw, etc... On the flip side I can't dig everything in the parks or heavy trash areas, now I know I am possibly missing some things, but it's just too trashy for me to keep digging all day, I get discouraged after a while of just digging trash and usually not covering much ground due to high consentrations of signals. I know that makes my opinion about as clear as muddy water, guess I would say when I feel like swinging for the fences I dig it all, and when the trash is high an I can't possibly dig everything I disc it out so I can cover some ground and retrieve something for my time.
and if the signal hits I am hoping for gold on every dig. I get alot of trash, pulltabs, can slaw, etc... On the flip side I can't dig everything in the parks or heavy trash areas, now I know I am possibly missing some things, but it's just too trashy for me to keep digging all day, I get discouraged after a while of just digging trash and usually not covering much ground due to high consentrations of signals. I know that makes my opinion about as clear as muddy water, guess I would say when I feel like swinging for the fences I dig it all, and when the trash is high an I can't possibly dig everything I disc it out so I can cover some ground and retrieve something for my time.Thanks guys it sure was nice getting the Idian Head. Have been thinking for some time it would be nice to find one. And one shows up. I really don't go looking for anything but coins. If things besides coins shows up that is fine. Except for trash. Not one of my favorite digs.
I like to have a nice silent search. Not too interested in digging everything. But every once and awhile I start an experiment thinking I am going to dig everything. With 20 or more targets trash and only one good I put the disc back up and forget about digging everything. I just wonder if digging about one hundred trash targets and going home with about 20 good (not excellent targets) is worth it? So you can see where I am coming from.
I enjoy detecting and would rather do that than just about anything else. I get the biggest kick out of coming home with 50 coins or more. It feels like I have accomplished a super feat, one to be proud of. Feel almost like a super hero. Even tho the wife says you have 46 pennies out of the 50 coins. I guess it is a wife thing? She says it is a man thing? But she is glad because I am gone for a few hours.
Thanks for the replies and for looking in. I'll leave the window open and the light on. Happy Trails....Z
I like to have a nice silent search. Not too interested in digging everything. But every once and awhile I start an experiment thinking I am going to dig everything. With 20 or more targets trash and only one good I put the disc back up and forget about digging everything. I just wonder if digging about one hundred trash targets and going home with about 20 good (not excellent targets) is worth it? So you can see where I am coming from.
I enjoy detecting and would rather do that than just about anything else. I get the biggest kick out of coming home with 50 coins or more. It feels like I have accomplished a super feat, one to be proud of. Feel almost like a super hero. Even tho the wife says you have 46 pennies out of the 50 coins. I guess it is a wife thing? She says it is a man thing? But she is glad because I am gone for a few hours.
Thanks for the replies and for looking in. I'll leave the window open and the light on. Happy Trails....Z
Rob in (Ca)
Active member
Hunting active soccer Fields & tot Lots I dig all good repeatable sounding targets above iron..... just like the beach hunters do......If you don't, your going miss out on the jewelry.
Silverbackbob
Active member
IMHO, I think it depends on conditons, and where you are detecting. Pristine yard=probably not. Farm field=yes. Dry rock hard dirt=probably not, moist, easy to dig ground=maybe.
I was granted permission to hunt an old house yard that was being scalped and having the sidewalks torn out and replaced. The guy had already torn out the sidewalks and back filled those areas with dirt from the yard. It's been hot and dry here since early July, and this ground is HARD. Even using a full size tile spade, some spots were like trying to take a bite out of some blacktop. Needless to say, I DID NOT dig all signals. But I did dig enough that my hands and back are tired and know they've been working. Must be getting old. Over 3 sessions, about 6 hours, I dug about 100 keepers(coins,token, ring, clock key etc...) and probably 3-400 good sounding crap targets. Old crimped style bottle caps that sound like and have a tid around a dime in the ground were the worst offenders.
So, getting back to your original question I will probably never dig all targets. Too old, too lazy, too something. Nice idea, on paper, but other than at the beach, probably not feasible in the real world where I hunt.
Good luck and HH. Bob.
I was granted permission to hunt an old house yard that was being scalped and having the sidewalks torn out and replaced. The guy had already torn out the sidewalks and back filled those areas with dirt from the yard. It's been hot and dry here since early July, and this ground is HARD. Even using a full size tile spade, some spots were like trying to take a bite out of some blacktop. Needless to say, I DID NOT dig all signals. But I did dig enough that my hands and back are tired and know they've been working. Must be getting old. Over 3 sessions, about 6 hours, I dug about 100 keepers(coins,token, ring, clock key etc...) and probably 3-400 good sounding crap targets. Old crimped style bottle caps that sound like and have a tid around a dime in the ground were the worst offenders.
So, getting back to your original question I will probably never dig all targets. Too old, too lazy, too something. Nice idea, on paper, but other than at the beach, probably not feasible in the real world where I hunt.
Good luck and HH. Bob.
whitewill_1
Member
I find old indian heads to give a bouncy zinc to dime ID. I always dig hits like that.
Congrats on the IH Z , those and Buffalo nicks are very elusive for me and by god I dig a lot of crap signals in search of that rare yellow metal . Yet still I have only one buffalo nickel to my credit which is the same number I have for war nickels and "V" nickels lol. And still haven't found an IH in my ventures.
As for the Dig It All ? I do sometimes , Like California Rob said , Soccer fields , football fields, in the volleyball sand and on fresh water beaches. Some other location I will treat like that though it is usually more because there isn't a lot of signals.
Old nail infested homestead sites? Hahahahahahaha uhhhhhh Yeaaahhh. That would have to be one hell of a mood for me to be up to digging every signal there, but every signal above I can handle that and it still takes its toll.
I guess I'm a 50/50 dig it all guy, this hobby has helped me refine my patience, there are just too many places out there that will never be completely clean out , well least not by me
Lakota
. Yet still I have only one buffalo nickel to my credit which is the same number I have for war nickels and "V" nickels lol. And still haven't found an IH in my ventures.As for the Dig It All ? I do sometimes , Like California Rob said , Soccer fields , football fields, in the volleyball sand and on fresh water beaches. Some other location I will treat like that though it is usually more because there isn't a lot of signals.
Old nail infested homestead sites? Hahahahahahaha uhhhhhh Yeaaahhh. That would have to be one hell of a mood for me to be up to digging every signal there, but every signal above I can handle that and it still takes its toll.
I guess I'm a 50/50 dig it all guy, this hobby has helped me refine my patience, there are just too many places out there that will never be completely clean out , well least not by me
Lakota
triplehooked
Member
The Indian head pennies are one of my favorite coins to dig, love that green patina... 
What I have done recently is to dig most decent sounding (4way) hits to get a good base as to what I'm finding in the area. Meaning what kind of pull tabs, scrap iron, etc. From there I'll start disc. out the trashy numbers. I do this now only after hundreds of targets dug to boost my confidence in the F75's disc. abilities. One of the tricks I have found with nickel hits is to listen to the pinpoint tones, if it is higher and still showing 4" down, more than likely slaw or siding pieces. Same thing with twist tops, if they have higher tones and still deep, probably junk. The flying eagle cent I found a month ago was giving me numbers similar to twist tops (in the low to mid 50's), but had that tight, appropriate sounding pinpoint, so I dug it. Glad I did!! The vdi numbers didn't move much either, maybe one to two digits like Revier said. As we know, trashy targets tend to bounce a bit. But if it's bouncing from penny to dime like whitewill said, I always dig. Same with a larger zinc hit that is deep. I always dig those at home sites, because they are mason jar lids, someday I'll find a jar under one......
What I have done recently is to dig most decent sounding (4way) hits to get a good base as to what I'm finding in the area. Meaning what kind of pull tabs, scrap iron, etc. From there I'll start disc. out the trashy numbers. I do this now only after hundreds of targets dug to boost my confidence in the F75's disc. abilities. One of the tricks I have found with nickel hits is to listen to the pinpoint tones, if it is higher and still showing 4" down, more than likely slaw or siding pieces. Same thing with twist tops, if they have higher tones and still deep, probably junk. The flying eagle cent I found a month ago was giving me numbers similar to twist tops (in the low to mid 50's), but had that tight, appropriate sounding pinpoint, so I dug it. Glad I did!! The vdi numbers didn't move much either, maybe one to two digits like Revier said. As we know, trashy targets tend to bounce a bit. But if it's bouncing from penny to dime like whitewill said, I always dig. Same with a larger zinc hit that is deep. I always dig those at home sites, because they are mason jar lids, someday I'll find a jar under one......
I've been experimenting with gold chains..
I've got a 15gr 10 k figaro that gives a crappy wide and weak iron/foil signal that is nearly impossible to pp or even hear 18-22 on the TID...I toss it down on the grass every once in a while to try to commit this signal to memory...If it was down in the grass roots, I doubt a guy could successfully stab it, and thats probably where a good hand held PP would shine..I also got that huge 75gr 20k that gives a 49ish signal on the F70...again, sounds like some sort of foil, piece of stainless steel wire or strapping, or stainless steel hose clamp type of thing...not at all solid or a signal of any note as far as triggering your brain as being a "good one"...It would be very hard to find a gold chain in the dirt...on the beach or in a totter I can understand,...Wonder how many gold chains get missed on soccerfields? Plenty I bet...
Mud
I've got a 15gr 10 k figaro that gives a crappy wide and weak iron/foil signal that is nearly impossible to pp or even hear 18-22 on the TID...I toss it down on the grass every once in a while to try to commit this signal to memory...If it was down in the grass roots, I doubt a guy could successfully stab it, and thats probably where a good hand held PP would shine..I also got that huge 75gr 20k that gives a 49ish signal on the F70...again, sounds like some sort of foil, piece of stainless steel wire or strapping, or stainless steel hose clamp type of thing...not at all solid or a signal of any note as far as triggering your brain as being a "good one"...It would be very hard to find a gold chain in the dirt...on the beach or in a totter I can understand,...Wonder how many gold chains get missed on soccerfields? Plenty I bet...
Mud
triplehooked
Member
You are right about that, mud. Those gold chains are hard to get solid hits on any detector. I've only dug one gold chain, and that was while water hunting (Grand Haven beach) with the CZ20. I could probably attribute that to the fact that I dug all mid-tones when water hunting, regardless of signal. I recently dug a small gold ring (F75), that again, hit well with very little numerical variance, and with the proper pinpoint tone for the depth, which was about 4".
An area that can still give me trouble are pull tabs, but only in certain scenarios. For example; I have found that once pull tabs reach a certain depth, say beyond 6", the pinpoint tone tactic I use doesn't work as well as the tab is far enough away to "trick" the detector into thinking it is a better target than it actually is.ie.. lower pinpoint tones.. (if that makes any sense ). When that is the case, I rely more on the VDI numbers to help disc. out the tabs (as I mentioned in my first post ). In that scenario I realize that I do stand the chance of passing up a deep gold ring, but in tab infested ground I'll take that chance. I have also found one particular pull tab (of the solid square variety) will ring up as a Indian Head. In those cases, I'll dig anyways, as they aren't too common, and I love Indian Head pennies....
IB... give that pinpointing trick a try and see what you find. Bury a nickel and a similar sized piece of siding the same depth and you should be able to hear a difference in tones while pinpointing. I hope it helps! I still dig multiple targets to help verify my findings as I'm relatively new to the F75, but I am pretty confident in knowing if it's trash or treasure before I dig.
Good Hunting, T
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An area that can still give me trouble are pull tabs, but only in certain scenarios. For example; I have found that once pull tabs reach a certain depth, say beyond 6", the pinpoint tone tactic I use doesn't work as well as the tab is far enough away to "trick" the detector into thinking it is a better target than it actually is.ie.. lower pinpoint tones.. (if that makes any sense ). When that is the case, I rely more on the VDI numbers to help disc. out the tabs (as I mentioned in my first post ). In that scenario I realize that I do stand the chance of passing up a deep gold ring, but in tab infested ground I'll take that chance. I have also found one particular pull tab (of the solid square variety) will ring up as a Indian Head. In those cases, I'll dig anyways, as they aren't too common, and I love Indian Head pennies....
IB... give that pinpointing trick a try and see what you find. Bury a nickel and a similar sized piece of siding the same depth and you should be able to hear a difference in tones while pinpointing. I hope it helps! I still dig multiple targets to help verify my findings as I'm relatively new to the F75, but I am pretty confident in knowing if it's trash or treasure before I dig.
Good Hunting, T
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Oh yes TH, I know exactly what your talking about. I was thinking to myself the other day just how similar they all were to each other and noticed how loud and smooth the twist tie sounded compared to the tabs or foil.This park I hunt has that stuff is all over . I didn't think of using that comparison as a tool in itself.
If I am not on a quick hunt for fresh drops, as Mud calls them, another trick that I use quite often is to radiate the target longer than necessary. I at one time ran more sensitivity than necessary for this reason. This helped me to determine target identity. I look at the signal the detector sends out as being a source of radiant energy that accumulates in the target and then is read by the detector. With stay tabs, pull tabs, and even corroded zinc Lincolns, the longer you put a signal on them, the jumpier and higher on the TID they get. If you radiate a badly corroded stinkin Zincoln long enough you can get them to flicker sometimes up to an 82 almost quarter like. They will still continue to jump back to their original lower # but also include the higher. I pinpoint the target early to make sure I am exactly over it and then check the TID again. Good targets fluctuate very little except an all copper penny will sometimes flicker up to a dime at 75. Some trash won't even have the same number they started with. Since Mud and I discovered the coil pattern variation associated with different power applications, I have my mode 1 set up in Autotune at a sensitivity of 90 and a threshold of 0. That is where I have always have done my ground balancing right after turning the machine on as per manual instructions. This mode is very annoying to use for general hunting but with these settings it will have a very accurate TID on targets on the depth fringe of the light settings and will also super radiate the target for what I call a glowing effect where the junk starts to take on those radical jumpy signal. It is so easy to jump back to mode 2 where all settings are retained from before. Autotune will also expose iron signals that can show up as false high tones. When you hit a deep quarter or dime especially a silver dime, the TID will be dead nuts on.
These personal ideas we all come up with hold secrets to fine tuning our ability. It is interesting to use ideas from others to help get a better understanding of our hobby and I thank you for sharing- HH--IB
If I am not on a quick hunt for fresh drops, as Mud calls them, another trick that I use quite often is to radiate the target longer than necessary. I at one time ran more sensitivity than necessary for this reason. This helped me to determine target identity. I look at the signal the detector sends out as being a source of radiant energy that accumulates in the target and then is read by the detector. With stay tabs, pull tabs, and even corroded zinc Lincolns, the longer you put a signal on them, the jumpier and higher on the TID they get. If you radiate a badly corroded stinkin Zincoln long enough you can get them to flicker sometimes up to an 82 almost quarter like. They will still continue to jump back to their original lower # but also include the higher. I pinpoint the target early to make sure I am exactly over it and then check the TID again. Good targets fluctuate very little except an all copper penny will sometimes flicker up to a dime at 75. Some trash won't even have the same number they started with. Since Mud and I discovered the coil pattern variation associated with different power applications, I have my mode 1 set up in Autotune at a sensitivity of 90 and a threshold of 0. That is where I have always have done my ground balancing right after turning the machine on as per manual instructions. This mode is very annoying to use for general hunting but with these settings it will have a very accurate TID on targets on the depth fringe of the light settings and will also super radiate the target for what I call a glowing effect where the junk starts to take on those radical jumpy signal. It is so easy to jump back to mode 2 where all settings are retained from before. Autotune will also expose iron signals that can show up as false high tones. When you hit a deep quarter or dime especially a silver dime, the TID will be dead nuts on.
These personal ideas we all come up with hold secrets to fine tuning our ability. It is interesting to use ideas from others to help get a better understanding of our hobby and I thank you for sharing- HH--IB