Wet vs Dry Ground

[Marc in Va]

Ive been swinging my trusty old Explorer XS for nearly 8 years now. I estimate that I have over 5000 hours on the XS. In fact I have 3 of them just in case they start breaking down. I will have spare parts if need be. One thing I have found with all these machines is that the old theory of digging more targets when the ground is wet just doesn't hold true. I seem to do better in dry ground. I can hammer a small area when the ground is wet and then hit it again when it is dry and pick out targets I didn't hear before. I dont know why or if anyone else has noticed this. I have used all the other brands since the early 80s and I used to agree with the wet vs dry ground theory. I dont agree when using my Explorer. I welcome your thoughts.

Marc

 

[DirtFlipper]

One theory has been that drier ground reduces the effect of iron masking (the implication being that wetter ground makes iron act more conductive). So in ground that has more iron trash, a hunt during drier conditions may yield better results. But in ground that has less iron masking, wetter ground may help find the good targets that also benefit from the conductivity boost. So kind of a balancing act to see which type of targets win in the conditions. My own experience has favored wetter conditions for getting more depth, but the drier conditions helping masked shallowerer targets. Of course hunting with different ground conditions, coils, search direction, settings, etc. generally helps coax more out on return visits...

 

[flylaps]

I hunt with the XS and agree with the the previous posts, probably true for the other explorers as wel. When the ground is wet I definately have
greater depth, but dig more rusty nails. When the ground is real dry here I can hunt in the super trashy areas and have better seperation,
but really hard digging. I still prefer wet ground.

Matt

 

[Bell]

I definitely prefer wet ground, but I dont disagree with whats been said. I think the wet ground makes deep targets show up, and all targets sing out and give a more pronounced signal. With a lot of iron in the ground that could be confusing. I also think that with dry ground the targets have "smaller" signals so more shallow targets should be better seperated and easier to pick out. However I think it is very dependant on the soil types. This is all just my conjecture though.

 

[TokenDigger]

With my Explorer, I seem to find more and deeper targets in wet ground. However, sometimes dry ground surprises me. This past week I went to a park that we have pounded for years with just about every machine and I got a war nickel, silver Roosie and a 1943 quarter that was with a Buffalo nickel. None of these were over 6 in. deep and the ground was so dry it was hard to keep a plug together. Yet I know we must have been over this area many times. Go figure...

 

[utahshovelhead]

I tend to agree on the wet side of things. But for me it depends on the dirt and type of site. On lawns I want them wet for more than just target ID but for digging ease and being able to clean up well. On sand a little wet for me goes a long way. But if its dry dirt and still easy to dig in then I do just as well on construction sites and the like. I'm pretty certain that would be site specific to what type of dirt and trash are you hunting in, but I am still interested to see what ya'll think.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Well one aspect is not debateable as digging sure is easy especially for deepies in wet ground..

Two schools of thought but my feeling is if wet ground increases the signal of a deep coin surely must increase the signal of junk that surrounds it so using this theory should go deeper in wet gtound and be subject to more masking and vice versa as always give and take aways...

 

[drkp88]

I would agree that with all things considered, wet ground has the advantage. I've hit a park a few times in the past couple weeks - it's been very dry in Ct
and the digging in this park has been TOUGH especially in bare spots. My finds have been great though. Well, it rained fairly well last night and I'm going to
give the park a try today with damper conditions.
Bruce in Ct

 

[Doctorcoinz]

Wet ground does give better depth for sure. Only a slight bit better depth but better depth yes.

 

[Big Fang Coin Biter]

Hey Marc,
I have noticed the same thing with my Explorer II. I hunted a local park in very dry conditions and dug the deepest goodies I've found there. I have tried it in wet conditions too, but have never found such deep targets as that dry hunt. It could be the "better separation" effect or the "narrowing of targets". That dry day, I dug the deepest stuff out of that park. Maybe I happened upon all the deep ones that day?? I do like digging damp ground much better. It is hard to beat the Explorer's depth in any condition.
HH - BF

 

[Jim C (Mich)]

n/t