What Makes You Decide To Dig It?

[mark j brelsford]

I was just wondering, since we have lots of experience here, what makes you decide to dig a target?

Is it just by the target ID number, a repeatable audio?

I am curious how folks here decide to dig a given target. What methods some of you all use.

I hope lots of the more experienced Safari folks let everyone know what methods they use!

Thanks in advance...

M

 

[KinTN]

Definitely audio. If I don't immediately recognize the audio response, I'll check the # and I always check the depth on the screen, especially at the beach. I then weigh the depth bar with signal strength and how the pinpointing responds to make a decision. If things are slow (not many targets), I'll often dig the iffy ones until I get frustrated with all the trash.
fwiw, the audio I hate the most is the 'warbling' or variable high tones (and corresponding number shifting) that means can slaw to me.

I do want to say that when I start a hunt, even in an area that I have hunted repeatedly previously, I will dig everything that I haven't discriminated out. I dig the trash to see how my Safari is reading that particular soil on that particular day. It kind of gives me a mental 'ground balancing'. I hunt homes, parks and beaches (I literally dig every signal at the beach all the time) and never purposely relic hunt if that matters to anyone. My fav things to find are (in order):
precious metals/jewelry;
tokens;
oddball stuff; and
coins.

 

[kscowgirl]

Mark I love you question, I am having troubles knowing what to dig also. I can find the heck out of penny's, but I dig a crap load of crushed cans thinking its a coin due to the high sound or rusty nails. I'm hoping for a good gold, silver ring to help pay for this 1,000.00 investment & with some of the smaller rings maybe showing 6-8 on the ID from what I've read, I've ended up digging up a bucket load of foil. So good question ! What I would love is to have someone offer a clinic here in Kansas on how to use the Safari, I'm a slow learner when on my own since I've yet to have enough good finds to know what they sound like. Does that make since to anyone else? Love the hunt though so will continue on.

 

[mark j brelsford]

Having my Safari for just a few months I hear what your saying. I am not new to MDing but new to the Minelab scene. I have used them the past, but not to the extent of what I am doing with the Safari.

I also am a sound guy. I mostly dig only repeatable solid hits (Good numbers and repeat sound from maybe two angles, over the target) Sound first then the number.

I'll dig if its a high pitch in Ferrous mode, but I go for the repeats mostly.

 

[jerseyjim]

That would all depend on what site I was hunting,what I hunting and how much time I had to do it . On the beach I dig everything. I have been hunting this old one room school house for a few weeks, At first I was only digging things in the high conductive mode, 33 to 35 coin mode. Then I was digging iron hits, I found an old horse shoe. I also found a small piece of gold that seemed to be attached to a piece of jewelry, never found the rest of it. That came up as a 16. That # could change also if it rains, point is you can never have a cut and dry situation.If you have the time dig more, you never know.
Jim



/Users/jamesmclaughlin/Desktop/IMG_0897.JPG

 

[Simpsonslammer]

This is my 1st full season with the Safari. I've made some pretty decent finds with it, but I'm getting hung up in the 14 15 signals. I found some decent nickels and even a 14kt class ring in this range, but I'm digging a lot of bottle caps too. Maybe I'm just not hearing the tone difference

 

[KinTN]

Keep after it SS, just like everything else, 1 day nickels will CLICK and you'll laugh at the mere mortals that cant find them because they screen out poptops!
What happened to me was that 1 day I got into a hunted over area that someone(s) had screened out all nickels and I heard that "~flat~" tone enough for it to finally sear itself into my brain. Try the coin garden thing, or a large piece of cardboard over a bunch that are scattered randomly under it. When you hear them enough, youll get it.

btw, it is a rarerarerare thing for a 15 to be a nickel on my Safari. I typically leave 15 open but never dig it. (unless at the beach where I dig every signal)
On the other hand, a gold ring makes up for a LOT of bottlecaps and pulltabs!

 

[Simpsonslammer]

Thanks for the advice KinTN, I think I'm getting better at tones. Did some park hunting last night , dug 4 nickels and all locked on 15. I've dug some older oxidized Jeffersons and buffs that read 14 and 13.

 

[KinTN]

I've read that each individual machine can read slightly different. That's another reason to key on the sounds.
SS, do your tabs still come it at 15 also?

 

[mudpuppy]

Tone and Location..

A pulltab tone all by itself out in center field is not the same as a bunch of pulltab tones around a picnic table...In certain locations, forget the tids, and listen harder. Then its really a matter of applying yourself on every outing to try to gain a data base of tones and locations of success in your own CPU between your ears as it more tightly interfaces with your detector....An old guy I first met while out detecting told me to "dig 1000 pultabs and dig 1000 pennys" It was good advice, not only does a fellow learn speedy retrieval methods, it is a challenge to do them both and gives a person some ideas of the habits of Man...I dont dig everything anymore, but some of those signals are so strange, a person has to check them out...after a while a fellow can sort of "read" a location and got right to the primary drop zones. Of course this really applies to jewelry/coin hunting, but once you get it, you will find some silver along the way that was masked and missed...Good Luck, we have all been there at one point, no telling what kind of treasures have been passed over as "junk"...
Mud

 

[Simpsonslammer]

No the newer style tabs come in 16-17. I'm hunting in the upper Midwest, pretty dark soil, not to mineralized. I'm sure how the machine trys to counter balance different mineralization has an effect on readings too

 

[KinTN]

Interesting. Seems as if your nickels and tabs read slightly higher on your machine/soil than mine. Something to keep in mind (and apply to other targets?) as I try new areas. Thx.

 

[mark j brelsford]

Super info All...

Please keep it coming...

Thanks All