TTF is loaded, but what now?

[OregonMike]

Hi, and thanks for looking at this:

E-Trac user for about a year, after 9 years of other fairly high-end detectors.

I loaded TTF onto my detector and played around with it a little, but never needed it very much until now.

I got permission Sunday to hunt a lot right on Main Street where an old house once burned down. Google Earth goes back to 1994 and the house is already gone by then.

I entered the property, and could not get a threshold. About half the lot is this way. Skipped it and went on to the rest of the lot. Finds were skimpy, just a couple of wheats and some clad.

After that, I went back to the trashy side and turned on TTF, but I'm not really sure what to look (or listen) for. I realize that higher tones could be better, but I just kept finding nails so I gave up for the time being.

My questions:

1. Let's say that for me using the e-Trac in conductive mode, a silver dime hits at 12-45. What should that same coin read on the screen when using TTF? How else can I tell the nails and trash from the treasures?

2. What are some "dig/don't dig" guidelines to know when using TTF?

3. Any other tips for detecting in a sea of what looks to be the remnants of a machine shop/fire site? Honestly, metal everywhere, no threshold on conductive for several feet in any direction.

Oh, one other thing to know. I have a 5 inch coil that I'm guessing is the right one for this job. That's going to take a lot of swinging, but fortunately the permission is for unlimited visits, so I can take it slow. Between not having used the 5 inch coil much, and not having used TTF much, I feel pretty inexperienced, (as I should, I guess!)

Thanks again for reading this. I will definitely appreciate any help.

Mike

 

[ironsight]

The problem with nulling in an iron junk field is you are likely discriminating out iron in your pattern.....you'll get iron nulling instead of an iron grunt tone. This defeats the purpose of TTF. If you use TTF, do not discriminate the iron area out if you want to hear iron grunts instead of iron nulling.

1. A 12-45 is a 12-45 whether in ferrous or conductive modes. The big difference is how those modes process target tones.

2. First off the iron 'grunt'. Secondly look at the ID, if its near or at ferrous 35 most or all the time, its probably a nail especially if swept in both directions. In TTF once in a while the iron grunt can mis-ID an iffy coin. TTF grunts iron at any target that rings in at ferrous 17 to 35. Many iffy keepers could be in the ferrous 17 to about hi 20s.
This is why i'm no big fan of TTF, i generally use 4TF in dense iron areas which allows hunting more by tone.

3. Small coil is the ticket in dense iron junk just don't expect to dig up foot deep coins. And sweep slow.

 

[OregonMike]

Thanks, this is helpful.

I need more practice for sure.

Mike

 

[jcurtz1]

One thing I found out in someone elses post and as stated here is the no discrimination. The relic pattern works really good for this. Try it out with a nail and coin at home before you go out. I just started going back to places that I have walked away from in the past and have been surprised by the solid hits and things that I walked right over with a null.