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Descriminating question
Topic Started: Aug 20 2010, 03:54 PM (426 Views)
Azendai
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The Local Noob
[ *  *  * ]
Ok So being the noob I am I did what I imagine all the vets prefer us noobs to do "read the fine print" So I was reading about the disrcriminating / tone and sensitivity dials and that coupled with a lot of what I have read in the forums leaves me with some questions.

Ive read some people use the settings, others seem to keep her on all metals and still others who use the settings seem to be finding out that good items are ending up in the range other materials should be in.

Im being left with the impression it is best to detect all metals and dig everything I can for best results. Your thoughts?
Fisher ID Edge

2010 Finds

Change: $5.04
Silver rings: 1
Key: 4
No value jewelry: 3
NoValue Tokens: 2
Wheat pennies: 1



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Tom in Salinas
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GMOAP
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Sure, if by "best results", you mean ....... not missing anything, then yeah, go to all-metal mode, and dig everything that beeps. You'll get the maximum depth, and be gauranteed "not to miss anything". Kiss masking problems goodbye (because you'll simply dig everything out of every hole anyhow), and kiss the potential to miss gold rings (that might have sounded like foil) goodbye. You can't ask for a better gaurantee than that, right? :bigsmile:

Even passing iron, can mask things. So if you wanted to be "totally safe" for the "best results", you would technically need to dig the iron too (ie.: TRUE all metal, not just low disc.).

Here's the problem though: you might be able to get away with that on the wide open beach (where digging is easy, and perhaps jewelry is your goal to begin with, and holes are no problem, nails aren't that bad, and targets are spread out, etc...). But to even begin to do this on most land sites, and you will end up in an insane asylum. Oh sure, there are some relicky sites where you'd dig all conductive targets (leaving only iron), but I doubt you'd find many land sites (barring some CW type relicky sites, where they want the iron too) that you can go in true all-metal mode.

Does digging-all give "best results"? Sure! But is it practical? Not in most land sites. You would at least knock out iron in most land sites. And in others, elect to pass foil, and (gasp) tabs, etc..... Yes, this causes shivers to some (afterall you *might* miss a gold ring!!). But if you took those purists out to the average inner city blighted park, and turned them loose to look for gold rings, I think most of them would change their tune after awhile. Either they'd "leave for greener grounds", or start being .... uh ....... a little more selective. There are blighted turf zones where the ratio of tabs, foil wads, etc... to each gold ring can easily be 100 to 1, if not worse. So obviously, simply not worth the time (you'd be kicked out of the park for too many scars/divots anyways!). But those same old-town urban parks, might have deep keeper silver coins, that ......... can be valuable at times, and not nearly as difficult to retrieve from the mess (because they are distinctly different from surface foil and tabs).



Edited by Tom in Salinas, Aug 21 2010, 01:20 AM.
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Azendai
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The Local Noob
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*nods* I totally understand. Some of the posts Ive read mentions gold rings that came out of the ground but sounded like a really strong pull tab tone. at this juncture I am so new I dont really understand how to understand the difference between tones and my user guide is so vague it old sort of touches on the subject.

I suppose it will come down to a time vs reward that will eventually have me learning the sounds. for the time being I suppose digging all targets would be good for the learning curve?
Fisher ID Edge

2010 Finds

Change: $5.04
Silver rings: 1
Key: 4
No value jewelry: 3
NoValue Tokens: 2
Wheat pennies: 1



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Tom in Salinas
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GMOAP
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take lots of sample targets, prop your machine up on a table (clear of all metal) and air test them. Listen to the different tones (assuming you have a tone ID machine). Targets would be: all the various US coins, various tab sizes, various foil wad sizes, gum wrappers, nails, screws, bolts, pliars, gold rings, cans, screw caps, car keys, etc.....

When you go out into the field, I would suggest ..... a way to learn rather than digging everything at first, is to do this: set your machine to the highest disc. possible. Like, you'll only be digging copper pennies/dimes/quarters, etc.... Go out to a typical urban park, and dig several dozen signals that hit in this range. Then the next day, go out and do the same thing, except lower your disc. down a notch, to include zinc, for instance. Dig dozens of targets in the park. Then go back the next day, and lower the disc. another few notches, so this time, you allow in square tabs and mid-conductors. Dig dozens of targets this way. And keep doing this, day after day ....... each day lowering your disc. one more click. Then, by the time you're down to even allowing foil in, your mind will be trained for the ascending/descending tones! :)
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Azendai
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The Local Noob
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*nods* thank you Tom thats a pretty good idea. My unit is tone descerning its by sharper image but its a famous trails device its just being big 5 marketed by sharper image....eventually Im going to get something a little more common
Fisher ID Edge

2010 Finds

Change: $5.04
Silver rings: 1
Key: 4
No value jewelry: 3
NoValue Tokens: 2
Wheat pennies: 1



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thevacantface
Advanced Member
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Yeah, I'd highly recommend not trying to dig everything. You probably shouldn't start out in all metal mode either, its a little more advanced for those who can tell what things are just by the sound, some people on here are that good, I am not. Just start with the presets and then once you are comfortable start opening it up a bit and eventually you will know every click and squelch your machine makes in every given situation and you will know what things probably are with a single pass of the coil, and with a few different direction on a target will know exactly what it is. Good luck, keep it up, you'll figure it out.
2011:
Clad - $115.84
Silver Jewelry - 6
Silver coins - 3
War nickel - 1
Wheats - 15

2010:
Gold Jewelry - 8
Silver Jewelry - 14
Silver Coins - 8
Buffalo Nickel - 1
War Nickel - 1
Wheats - 6
Clad - $125.81

2009:
Gold Jewelry - 6
Silver Jewelry - 8
Silver Coins - 6
Wheats - 12
War Nickel - 1
Clad - $129.10
Bullets - 5
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