Some Basic Questions

[TheBullShark]

Well Im not sure if I can remember all the questions,but I had trouble a few times today understanding what was happening.

Along the parks I was at today I didnt seem to have any problems finding the objects I was looking for..However one of the first things I ran into trouble with was Ground Balance.Now I understand how to GB and can do it,my problem is at almost every single spot I go to there is metal l of some sort in the ground everywhere,and Im serious when I switch to "ALL Metal" I cant even find a foot area with no metal,seriously...At the house this afternoon there is absolutely no way to find clear ground,then everytime I though I found it Id realize "nope!"..So how do I combat this just find a general setting to use when this happens?

So this brings up another question as people say in the beginning you should not discriminate and dig everything...well in some places here it would probably be better to just get a a screen mesh and shovel 2 ft deep of a 10 x 10 section through it..so other than buying a small coil,I dont know what to do,mainly there are so many bits and pieces,nails from everybodys roofs during the hurricanes,construction etc ..I want to dig everything but that would limit me to about 10 feet a day ..We have other areas that arent going to be so bad,but still want to hit these heavy...So maybe it will come with time and learning what the machine is telling me?

Ok next up and spare yall the rest for another day ,so my next big thing is...I played around with discrim a bit(mainly due to metal madness),so Id start over and set to max discrim,find a target that seemed located to a small area(just learned how to pinpoint tonight I think),Id start to dig a hole,testing the clumps I was pulling out,dirt I was shoveling etc..It seemed like Id dig,dig ,dig still get the same signal *grabs shovel*,widen the hole,dig deeper eventually to the point where the entire coil would fit in it,and then even wider and deeper etc....Next thing you know there wouldnt be anything,sometimes Id scan the dirt I removed,it would give me a loud signal(or was there something under the dirt I just threw there,hmmmm with all this metal where do I put this dirt..).Then grab a handful can it in my hand and get a hit then Id lay the handful on top of a large plastic trash can,scan the dirt get a signal but could not find anything in it...Is it just metal that has rusted or broken up?Or was that really an alien abduction and theyve microchipped my hand with a silver implant?

While laying some objects on the porch tonight we noticed while pinpointing we should be hearing the threshold,move the coil towards the object it gets louder and louder then stops as soon as the center passes over the object...Is this correct? All day I didnt really understand the pinpoint,so if this is right then it will probably help me tommorow and with a few of the questions above,because I think I was moving the coil to fast with the pinpoint ,not allowing it to get the threshold "humm" before I stated using it,and it was just stopping,cutting out at random while I was trying to use it so basically I was without it all day.And then pinpoint = allmetal presenting the problem of all the metal in the ground I couldnt move it over the hole with out it cutting out,sounding off on another piece etc..

Thanks

[DiggerJohnPA]

Wow...!
I might let some of the more advanced users try to address some of these problems, but first... a couple questions:
What type of detector are you using?
What kind of results do you get when you do an air test?

[Otto]

Along the parks I was at today I didnt seem to have any problems finding the objects I was looking for..However one of the first things I ran into trouble with was Ground Balance.Now I understand how to GB and can do it,my problem is at almost every single spot I go to there is metal l of some sort in the ground everywhere,and Im serious when I switch to "ALL Metal" I cant even find a foot area with no metal,seriously...At the house this afternoon there is absolutely no way to find clear ground,then everytime I though I found it Id realize "nope!"..So how do I combat this just find a general setting to use when this happens?

I've hunted some mighty trashy places myself, but there is usually a spot that I'm able to find a clear spot to ground balance. What did you have your sensitivity/gain set at? It sounds like it might be set too high.

So this brings up another question as people say in the beginning you should not discriminate and dig everything...well in some places here it would probably be better to just get a a screen mesh and shovel 2 ft deep of a 10 x 10 section through it..so other than buying a small coil,I dont know what to do,mainly there are so many bits and pieces,nails from everybodys roofs during the hurricanes,construction etc ..I want to dig everything but that would limit me to about 10 feet a day ..We have other areas that arent going to be so bad,but still want to hit these heavy...So maybe it will come with time and learning what the machine is telling me?

Without any background information such as, how long you have detected, what detector you're using, and for how long, etc., it sounds as if, again, you have the sensitivity set too high. Although it's a great idea to start off digging everything to learn your detector, sometimes it's just not practical due to time constraints, or the site you're hunting. I might suggest that you back off on the sensitivity, and crank up the discrimination to at least just below nickle. You will loose any targets below that setting, but it might give you a chance to start finding things to help increase your satisfaction level. After you've had some time, and success, with this method, then start trying a higher sensitivity setting (while maintaining a steady operation from your detector), and decreasing the discrimination to the level of your trash tolerance.

Ok next up and spare yall the rest for another day ,so my next big thing is...I played around with discrim a bit(mainly due to metal madness),so Id start over and set to max discrim,find a target that seemed located to a small area(just learned how to pinpoint tonight I think),Id start to dig a hole,testing the clumps I was pulling out,dirt I was shoveling etc..It seemed like Id dig,dig ,dig still get the same signal *grabs shovel*,widen the hole,dig deeper eventually to the point where the entire coil would fit in it,and then even wider and deeper etc....Next thing you know there wouldnt be anything,sometimes Id scan the dirt I removed,it would give me a loud signal(or was there something under the dirt I just threw there,hmmmm with all this metal where do I put this dirt..).Then grab a handful can it in my hand and get a hit then Id lay the handful on top of a large plastic trash can,scan the dirt get a signal but could not find anything in it...Is it just metal that has rusted or broken up?Or was that really an alien abduction and theyve microchipped my hand with a silver implant?

Again, sounds like your sensitivity is set too high, and/or your ground balance is off. If I may suggest, try a spot of ground at home where you aren't getting any signal in all-metal. Carefully follow your detector's instruction manual on ground balance to get a good balance. Then bury a dime about 2" deep. Practice your sweep over this target to get a good, repeatable, solid responce. Practice the pinpointing method as described in your operator's manual. Continue doing this until you are certain of what that target sounds like, and you can pinpoint it accurately with a small screwdriver/probe. Don't dig it up, but just probe it so you can "feel" it under the surface. This should help in knowing what a good target sounds like, and in your ability to accurately pinpoint the target. I don't know what kind of site you are digging coil sized holes in, but if it's not a farmer's field, or the beach, you might want to stop until you learn the above.

While laying some objects on the porch tonight we noticed while pinpointing we should be hearing the threshold,move the coil towards the object it gets louder and louder then stops as soon as the center passes over the object...Is this correct? All day I didnt really understand the pinpoint,so if this is right then it will probably help me tommorow and with a few of the questions above,because I think I was moving the coil to fast with the pinpoint ,not allowing it to get the threshold "humm" before I stated using it,and it was just stopping,cutting out at random while I was trying to use it so basically I was without it all day.And then pinpoint = allmetal presenting the problem of all the metal in the ground I couldnt move it over the hole with out it cutting out,sounding off on another piece etc..

Now that you've been out hunting with your detector, I might suggest going back and reading the manual cover to cover. Many things that don't always make sense the first time you read it, will become clearer after having used the unit. I will generally read my manual several times before taking the unit in the field for the first time. Then, after using it awhile, I will read it again, with a better understanding of the finer points. When in doubt, read the manual, and then ask questions on this forum for those things you're still not quite sure about. I'm sure there are many experienced users of your particular model that can help.

Thanks[/quote]

You're welcome. I just hope this has been helpful. Remember, turn down the sensitivity so you have a smooth operating machine that isn't giving you false signals. Keep your coil on the ground without lifting it at the ends of your sweep. Sweep smoothly, and consistantly. Check your signal from different directions to help "ID" it correctly. Take your time, this isn't a race. Most of all, have fun.

Good hunting,
Otto...

[TheBullShark]

Ok guys sorry,Im using a Tesoro Vaquero...The machine came in Wednesday night and it is my first detector that Ive ever held,never used one before.So I am brand new to the hobby,I did have my detector on 9-10 sensitivity as the manual suggest this to ground balance,but then doesnt say whether or not to lower it...Confused on Gain/Sensitivity as I suspected this as the problem,and stopped to re-read the section on it..I guess I was under the impression the higher the better,deeper etc..But I dont fully understand it YET.I also just kept changing the settings basically trying all of them.

Though while GB , is in the "AllMetal" mode the sensitivity shouldnt matter should it?

But Im dead serious,we both walked(a friend also new w/vaquero and MD'ing) around for 5-10 minutes trying to find a "non metal" area to GB.I guess I need more hands on time to understand all the different frequencies.Even on "full discrim" we both walk around pinging targets every few feet.



And dont get me wrong I am enjoying this alot,I guess I was 85% on finding what I detected.
Im sure it will take time to get used to

[Otto]

I might suggest you contact your dealer for some instructions. Tesoro dealers are required to provide training to their customers. It is just too much to try to do on a forum like this, and really requires more specialized attention that is just easier to do one on one.

Good luck, and let us know how that goes with the dealer,
Otto...

[TheBullShark]

Originally Posted by Otto

I might suggest you contact your dealer for some instructions. Tesoro dealers are required to provide training to their customers. It is just too much to try to do on a forum like this, and really requires more specialized attention that is just easier to do one on one.

Good luck, and let us know how that goes with the dealer,
Otto...

Otto thanks for your help,we are going to see him today...And agree its just to much to type...

[TheBullShark]

Ok I just practiced in my yard some more, where it is not as trashy and Im able to GB easily,as theres clear area with no metal.I realized several things and was 100%,finding some clad,and a vienna sausage can and best of all a very small piece of copper wire.The reason the wire was important is because I got out a plug ,scanned it in hand spread it out on some clear sand and couldnt find anything(visually),scanned it again and had multiple little "tick/beeps and a solid beep" well I looked again and sure enough find the small piece of copper wire about 1/4 inch x 1/8th scanned it and that was my target,checked the dirt again finding 2 TINY swirls of copper...So I was able to test the sensitivity and then was able to discrim(using the sensitivity) against the small ones yet still read the bigger piece.

So I think just learning the machine and techniques of MD'ing,proper tools and I will be all set.