No flaming please!

[Marna]

Hi, all,

Now I've been out a few times with my Bounty Hunter, a really basic MD (no smart-a** remarks, please)

I've figured out how to discriminate out nails; good thing too since I dug a lot of them at first! And I've also learned how the tone changes with a pop top and stays the same with coins when I up the discrimination so I'm not digging nearly as many pop tops as I was.

Now, here's my question: when the tones change when I change the discrimination on pop tops, what's chances I'm missing good stuff?

M.

[Gregory]

Hi,

There's always that chance of missing the good targets when using discrimination. If you can set your discrim right below the nickel range you should pull most of the good stuff.

We would never discriminate against anyone using a bounty Hunter or any other detector so you'll get no flaming here I think all detectors are good and they are only as good as the person using them


Greg

[Marna]

I guess I'm going to have to put some nickels under the carpet and figure out where that is. We're talking a really basic MD here. And if it's only as good as the person using it, I'm in BIG trouble!

[Gregory]

Do plenty of air testing Marna, to get it set just right


Good luck,

Greg

[leslie(nova scotia)]

From the land of the Bluenose...true words written above...knowing your machine is the key factor as one is just as good as the other with all machines having their strengths and weaknesses.

Once you feel comfortable with the factory settings on your machine try gradually easing back on the discrimination and rely on your display or sounds. Run max depth and no discrimination here and feel comfortable even in trashy areas. If you are working trashy areas and a smaller coil is available for your machine try that. A common mistake too is in the actual swinging of the coil...shouldbe about a half inch off the ground and always parralell (mispelt that word...lol) to the ground. never swing in a "U" shape fashion.

Swing slow, swing low and dig deep.

[Marna]

Don't you just hate neophytes? Air testing????

[swizzle]

Here's a good way to learn. Take various items you would normally dig. Pulltab, penny, dime, silver dime, foil, nail, paper clip, ring(s) gold or silver or both and a nickle. Put everything in small baggies. Clear an area of your lawn. Make sure there is nothing in the ground to throw off your testing. Get a large piece of cardboard, (the bigger the better) and have someone tape on different items to the cardboard. Tell them to mix it up and put a few of them close together. Now don't look! Remember you want to try to identify the items with your detector not your eyes. Have that person put the cardboard treasure side down on your pre-cleared area. Now go over the carboard with your detector. Once you pinpointed an item poke a hole through the cardboard with a nail and write on the cardboard what you think each item is. When you've marked all your targets, check to see how close you are. You maybe suprized at how often you label a ring as a pulltab. Keep a log of your accuracy and see if you get any better after a few test. This should help with your pinpointing and target ID. Now for your field test. Get 10 to 20 different markers, Golf Tees, flags, anything that can be seperated into at least 2 different colors. Paint the top of the golf tees 2 or 3 different colors. One color for each, trash, coin, jewelry or just trash and treasure. Now go over any patch of ground and when you come to a target, mark it as trash or treasure and continue on for a dozen signals or so. Now go back and dig everything up and see how accurate you are. One 2 seperate occasions I've come very close to passing a signal by and went back to check it again. After scratching my head for a bit I decided to dig up both signals. One was a fine silver ring. The other was a nice gold ring. As far as the detector I would have to agree with Greg. The detector is only as good as the person swinging it. Anyone who's been lucky enough to find rings and old coins fairly consistently has put their time in. They've taken the time to learn what their detector is telling them. Only a small part of treasure hunting is luck, The biggest part is experience and research. If your willing to put the time in it will pay off. Hope this helps. I gotta go get this cramp outta my typing finger now. Swiz Oh yeah by the way my first and only diamond ring so far was found with a used $100 bounty hunter.

[hoser]

Hi Marna, Swizzle said it quite well, and has given you a good project to work on your skills with. I too would never flame anyone for what machine they have and are using. Heck, my first machine that really got me started was a $39 used el-cheapo that I can't even remember the name.(wasn't one of the common companies). I found quite a bit with that machine, and it is what really fired me up to get a better (new) machine. I struggled a lot at first with it, and after time I was able to figure out what it was telling me. Dang I wish there would have been the internet back then, would have saved me a ton of head scratchin. Just stay with it, and you will be rewarded with the gold.

[Gregory]

Good luck Marna and be sure to show us your finds

[marine03116092]

Marna,
I am also a bounty hunter user and everyone here is great!!! they will not give you a hard time at all. in fact just the opposite! they will help you out the best they can and if they don't know the ansewer they try to help you find it! so welcome to the forum and enjoy!!!!