Metal Detecting discussions and finds

A lot of times your machine is doing the best it can to determine the type of metal. It also sommmmmetimes depends on the orientation of the target in question as well.

Foil will typically fall right around the "gold" range. Btw, gold and nickel are pretty damn "close to each other", if you get my meaning. So if your hitting a solid nickel type signal, it's a good thing. Now this is from a Garrett ACE250 perspective, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be about the same type of signal detection type for just about any machine out there.

Be careful not to discriminate out too much because sometimes you'd be surprised at what you will find. Just my humble suggestion.

But yeah, cool finds for sure and you'll get used to what your machine is telling you.

At some point, you will come up on "ghost signals", but that is for another discussion someday. Just know that your detector will sometimes swear to you that it "sees something", but when you go to retrieve it, it is not even there??? You go back to sweeping that same area and NOTHING???!!!

HH \_

 

Nickels ping around 12-15 on my equinox...just saying... you will find lots of junk like i have but keep swinging and digging just dont dig a mine shaft under your house..

 

I've already experienced that lol. I've learned to wait to dig until I get a solid signal. Not just digging all the "chatter". I'm also working on pinpointing exactly where to dig. I've dug a few holes and my calculations were off by a couple of inches.

 

A trip to the goldfields sounds good- but I am like JaCado on expenses right now so it will have to be somewhere more local for the both of us. There are a couple I can think of. But if we want to go to where the really good stuff is, I guess we could bring barrels to top off with cheaper gas in AZ and sell it back in Cali to pay for the trip!

You are right about ghost signals. For a while there I was getting a lot of them. I would dig with my pick and then kept losing my targets. I would grovel around for a while trying to find them, then I finally remembered to look at the magnet on my pick and they magically reappeared!

A pin pointer is good, but magnets have saved me lots of time. Especially when hunting for gold nuggets as it’s best to not have discrimination turned on.

 

I'm not talking about any type of "chatter" though. It will definitely seem as if something really is there. I don't know how you sweep your targets, but once "I" hit a suspected target, I start to "walk around in a circle" around said target seeing if I get a fairly solid consistent reading. Then go to retrieve it and realizing I'm well past the estimated depth.

Anyways, if you were to go on metal detecting forums, there has been quite the discussion on this topic. One theory is is that it is a small corroded piece of metal to where it "dispersed" and that part of the soil/environment has whatever properties the metal object was made of. That is the best way I can describe it from how I've read about the subject. But in either case, it is fairly rare, but it does happen from time to time.

Regarding about the pinpointing, I suffer from time to time on that as well. Definitely not that much, but it still happens to me as well. When I mark my virtual "X" on the ground that is where I will jab my Lesche and I go out about 3in or so to either side and start my cut from there. That is my method at least. I'd say about 95% centered target most of the time.

But anyways, those are my experiences and ways of hunting. I've found my particular precious targets that way so I really wouldn't change anything about how I hunt in particular as it has satisfied me already. Quick story, I was, more or less, invited to do a hunt with a group on the beach (dry sand... some did surf). Anyways, one of the guys had noticed how I hunted a particular way and kind of didn't like how "I" was hunting and had asked why I do what I do? I simply told him, that is how I hunt and I'm fine with how I do things. It works for me. I saw how he was hunting and I've done his style of hunting as well, but it just wasn't "my style". The reason I do what I do and just stick with it. It's not like I've never done things how he did things, but yeah, I hunt a certain way and that is how it typically plays out. I leave others alone with what they do.

 

Oh yes, I'm with both of you about expenses.

Local is fine with me as well. I just need to learn how to do "open fields". What to look for, know how to look, etc etc etc. For example, I know when it comes to flowing streams, you want to concentrate on the opposite side of the rock for example. Or in other words, you want to concentrate on the side of the rock where the water is NOT hitting it. Regardless of that though, I still wouldn't really know what/how to look for things as I don't have any of that experience or knowledge.

For parks and beaches, you go to where the people are, HAHAHAHAHA, Although regarding trees in parks, I can't say I've had very much success searching around trees. I will find the occasional change here and there, but beyond that? Another example, high school grounds, it's no real big secret that you want to hunt along the areas of where the sidelines are. NEVER EVER hunt in the playing field areas as that is not a very responsible and/or logical thing to do!!! But the sidelines, you will definitely find good items there as long as there are large enough holes in their pockets or a ring falls off while sweating.

 

I JUST KNOW THAT DAMN THING IS THERE???!!! My detector said so!!!

 

Hahaha! Or searching and searching and searching only to find a tiny piece of metal that who knows what it is.

I do the X thing where I sweep one way, then another way to pinpoint my dig.

Went digging in my yard again today. Found 12¢ in modern coins and of course more nails and junk. I did find part of a child's toy saw. I was also really getting some great signals very near the surface. I forgot they there was a no longer used septic tank there! And I guess I was getting the rebar in the concrete lid. So I moved away from it and starting getting a really really strong 33 signal. So I dug and dug and found a big flat metal bar! It was either newer or aluminium as it had no rust. I thought maybe it's part of that septic tank for some reason and covered it back up and moved on. There was nothing here except woods until the 1950s when this neighborhood was built for Dupont plant workers. So I'm only going to find junk and modern coins. But it's definitely a good learning experience.

 

Red Mountain trail- to go or not to go prospecting there, that is the question…


Nope!

 

Along with getting a telescope for my nights up on the job site, I am looking at getting a metal detector. I am considering the Garrett AT Pro. While a bit more than I was wanting to spend on a starter, I like the waterproof (10ft) idea as I know I will end up near water.
Any thoughts against this one or suggestions for another? Other than the ones I used in the army for mine detection training, this will be my first detector.

 

I’d say that would be a good starter detector, and you might’ve posted this just in time, check this one out:https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/18317-atpro-for-sale-used/

That’s a great website to be member on by the way, you should join up. If you need help contacting the guy for a PM, let me know.

 

I had the AT Pro traded it for the AT Max, I liked the tones on the Pro better.

 

@OnHartung'sRoad, thanks for the lead. I'm looking at buying new, mainly for warranty.
I've read a couple places that people liked the tones of the Pro more. Lack of backlight seems to be something that people don't like. But I guess that's what they make flashlights for (will need one anyway if detecting and digging in the dark).
@Roadmaster, besides the lack of backlighting, did you have any issues or find any quirks?

 

The Garrett AT Pro series is about the only one I can think of off the top of my head other than the Nokta Kruzer.

From there, you basically start getting into PI machines for water hunting. I don't know very much about all of the water hunting machines that are out there? There aren't very many VLF water machines that I know of other than these two really (i.e. the Garrett AT and the Nokta). Or put a different way, most, if not all coils are waterproof. It's the "housing" that you need to think about. Again, the Garrett AT and Nokta Kruzer, their housing's are waterproof.

 

Another one to consider is a multi-frequency and waterproof unit for a range of different types of detecting (gold prospecting, beach, water and coin/relict detecting) like the Minelab Equinox 600 or the 800. But they are expensive new.

 

Thanks for the additional info. I don't intend to take it diving. I just know I'll be probably be near a stream or two (maybe a beach every now and then) and I already have issues walking on dry ground and want waterproof incase my leg doesn't do what I tell it to and I end up getting wet.

 

The Garrett AT Pro is averaging around $580 compared to a Minelab EQuinox 600 at around $700 or so.

For a "starter machine", as far as price, the Garrett AT Pro is the cheaper option. It all depends on how much someone is willing to pay a little more?

The one other thing is that some people get into the hobby thinking they're going to be getting rich. Not saying that is the case here, but when people see pictures taken of gold nuggets and the like, little do most realize that it is and/or can be definitely a bit harder.

Anyways, yeah, good pointing that out and I think some of you guys are actually running the Minelab Equinox 600? On a metal detecting forum I used to frequent quite often I knew of someone that ran the Garrett AT Pro and was having great success with it. This was pretty much when it first came out... so that was quite a few years ago now. But from what I've seen, they're definitely a good detector and I would imagine they still are.

So yeah, it comes down to how much a person is willing to spend being the main thing, but at the same time need to realize that the return $$$ is not a 1 to 1 ratio and could take a few weeks to months, to maybe even a couple years to just gain back even of what was spent to buy the gear.

 

I would go with the Garrett AT Pro then... just saying. You have the waterproof housing, as far as I know it is a fairly rugged unit, and the price to start out with doesn't cost all that much. You're saving roughly $150 or thereabouts compared to the next step up in price.

I don't know how the Garrett AT Pro does with regarding mineralized soil conditions though... especially soils/water such as salt water, black sand, etc etc etc.

I knew of a guy on a different site that had an AT Pro and he was doing very well with his unit. As far as I know, he was hunting "fresh water streams" and such.

 

I was reading that it benefits from making adjustments for those conditions.
I see it as less of an investment and more of something that will help me pass the time up here in the hills and something to keep me moving around when I take a break from my job next yr and travel around with my camper. Returns as far as $ aren't really all that important in my decision.

 

I would go with that unit then as I would think it would be the best bang for your buck with what you're looking for then. Plus, getting a Sniper Coil would be a good thing as well... not only for heavy trash areas, but small places that a larger coil won't fit very well in.

Anyways, getting extra coils can "increase capability" of your machine depending on what/where you are hunting. The type/size of your coil will sometimes dictate your hunting locations. For example, a wide open field, you would want the largest coil so as to cover the most amount of ground compared to a Sniper Coil sized coil and you're painting a building with a needle sized brush.