A couple of questions

[julieburger]

A couple of questions. When hunting in the all metal mode and it reads in the iron range (like on the xterra it is negative numbers -2 thru-8)? Also when hunting for old coins everyone says faint but repeatable my machine gets some of these but it never locks on and I can not pinpoint so I have not been digging. Is this the right kind of signala nd should I be digging?

[julieburger]

Does anyone dig the iron signals and if so do find anything other than nails?

[DougsGraphics]

Depends on where I am and what I'm looking for. When searching for relics or such, by all means, dig the iron. When searching somewhere I don't expect to find iron relics, I ignore them all.

[julieburger]

I found my 1st hatchet/hammer head the other day I was so excited. , but it seemed to jump all over the place not just iron, of course there may have been something else near it.

[John's Detectors]

Hi Julie, it sounds like your learning and congrats on the hatchet head! I tend to dig most of the targets I encounter even if I suspect it is trash. But I listen real close for those weak but mellow and somewhat repeatable signals. Today I was using the Minelab Musketeer and it only has audio and is analog. I found a small coin about 4" deep in a school yard. It is a 1945 half cent from the Netherlands I think. It is much smaller than our dime and is copper. But it had that mellow sweet sound and I jumped on this one for sure! Ok Julie you are doing fine and take some time to analyze a signal from time to time. Listen to the audio real good. then look at the number. Ground minerals seem to affect the digital readout more than the audio because there is still a little lag time for the readout. But the Xterra 70 has a great recovery speed. Ok Julie happy hunting and you have a great instrument there that can really make a lot of finds for you. God Bless.

John Tomlinson,CET P=VI
John's Detectors
Blackwell,Tx.
Best Little Detector Shop in Texas!

[mallardman68]

Originally Posted by julieburger

Does anyone dig the iron signals and if so do find anything other than nails?

Hey Julie,

I was about to post the same question as you have....I keep getting deep signals that show up as tacks/nails in PP mode, in normal mode they come in as coins....anyhow the few I have dug have been nails/tacks and so I pass alot of that now........I wonder if I am missing older coins by not digging

[LaRoper]

I would not trust anything an ID meter says with the target deeper than 6 to 7 inches. Trust the sound more. I you get a soft repeatable signal down deep and your discrimination is set around foil, I would dig! Yes you will get some nails, but sometimes you will find a big surprise.
Good luck
LR

[anne]

We have a saying:

IF IN DOUBT

DIG IT OUT

[Barbarian57]

I'm pretty new at it (and totally new with my new detector), so I will dig for any sound. I probably would anyway. I think I have that "but what if this is the one gene" and would always wonder if I had passed something good up! I may change my tune after the 500th piece of junk, but probably not!

Barbara

[Joe(TX)]

Basicly you need to get to know your machine so good that you know what it is saying! If not sure, dig the target!! Of couse, this know-how comes with many, many hours of using and experimenting with your detector. Don't just dig your targets, analyze them first in your mind on what you think it is, also notice the signal is it long, wide, shallow, deep and does it have a mellow coin type signal!....................And then dig........Was it what you thought it would be? If yes, then continue.......If not................Then you may want to ignore that type of signal or adjust your machine to ignore it! If you get an unusal signal for your machine, you really need to investigate it, it may be a valualble coin or ring next to a trash target! The reason that most parks and school yards still give up keepers is that many detectorists only dig the 100% positive signals and do not dig any of the iffy or questionable signals. I know some newbies's who do better than some of the veteran diggers mainly because they do not know beter and they dig all of the signals even the iffy ones! Remember that the detectors does not signal on ghost objects, it reacts to what is down there, and the amount of good targets mixed up with the trash targets will effect the detectors response and type of signal that it wil emit! Hope that I have helped, I have 1000's of hours of experience, if any one needs help please PM me! Still investigating all those signals after 36 years of Happy Hunting...................................Joe