Road Verge & Sidewalk Construction

Bucket Lister

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2023
1,237
2,276
Detector(s) used
XP Dēus II
XP MI-6
XP WSA II-XL
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Weather was gorgeous yesterday, so I stole a couple of hours and detected the verge strip in front of my permission.
(That may be one of the strangest sentences I've ever typed... 🤨)

Anyhow, my question is about sidewalk construction. There's some kind of (extremely LOUD) non-ferrous strip running along the edge of the sidewalk that sets off the D2 when the outside of the coil gets within 4"-6". I'm thinking it may be some kind of concrete form they left in-place when casting the sidewalk, or possibly the electrical line for street lights(?)

Is this common? Has anyone else run into it? Is there anything else it could be that I'm missing?

My suspicion (from the sounds I'm getting) is that whatever it is is blocking/hiding other targets, so now I have to figure out notching on the fly... :metaldetector: Is that right?
 

Upvote 1
'non-ferrous' pretty much leaves copper wire for man made. Phone or something? Have diggers hotline mark the site. Save yourself a big repair bill :D
Phone, cable, & (non-streetlight) electric are all overhead here.

IDT they could locate it any closer than I can, but IDK. I know it's there, so if I notch & find something, I know the direction to approach from, and only with a hand trowel.
 

Rebar is iron, as I would think any sidewalk concrete form would be. The signal I'm getting is strongly non-ferrous; no jumping or flickering. I'm stumped.
 

What # on the D2?
Go to the X/Y screen to check if it's iron.
 

What # on the D2?
Go to the X/Y screen to check if it's iron.
I didn't write it down. Good point though; that's something I should add to my field notes.

Is there something wrong with the ferrous/non-ferrous displays?

I love this machine; I hate the interface. 😕
 

Weather was gorgeous yesterday, so I stole a couple of hours and detected the verge strip in front of my permission.
(That may be one of the strangest sentences I've ever typed... 🤨)

Anyhow, my question is about sidewalk construction. There's some kind of (extremely LOUD) non-ferrous strip running along the edge of the sidewalk that sets off the D2 when the outside of the coil gets within 4"-6". I'm thinking it may be some kind of concrete form they left in-place when casting the sidewalk, or possibly the electrical line for street lights(?)

Is this common? Has anyone else run into it? Is there anything else it could be that I'm missing?

My suspicion (from the sounds I'm getting) is that whatever it is is blocking/hiding other targets, so now I have to figure out notching on the fly... :metaldetector: Is that right?
The corrugated galvanized drainage pipe that runs under my driveway makes a loud high tone if I get near it with the machine.

Could be something like that.
 

The corrugated galvanized drainage pipe that runs under my driveway makes a loud high tone if I get near it with the machine.

Could be something like that.
I've got one of those too. PITA. No, this is in the village proper; storm drains in the street, sanitaries below basement floor level.
 

I didn't write it down. Good point though; that's something I should add to my field notes.

Is there something wrong with the ferrous/non-ferrous displays?

I love this machine; I hate the interface. 😕
This is just what I have experienced so far with the Deus ll.
Loud high tone, solid number 79, 82, 84. (Just examples)
Sound great, dig and they're iron.
They won't even have the iron sound on the edge of the high tone.

You can have another program beside the program you are running that shows the X/Y screen.
So it's an easy one push of the -or+ pad to switch back a forth.

The X/Y will show iron very clearly. Anything besides a clear diagonal line is basically a pass.

The horse shoe will show on the right even though it's iron.

Sidewalks can have a wire mesh screen running along in the concrete.
Even the pinpointer should pick that up.

Detector will sound off while getting close to the concrete.
 

This is just what I have experienced so far with the Deus ll.
Loud high tone, solid number 79, 82, 84. (Just examples)
Sound great, dig and they're iron.

They won't even have the iron sound on the edge of the high tone.
I get those numbers quite often, but when they're iron, it has said they're iron, even if the audible doesn't match. However, when it sounds iron... it's iron (or rust); I don't bother looking at the screen anymore when I hear that low tone.

Whenever I've dug non-ferrous, it's been just that; Zincoln penny, nickel, clad coin, lead, can slaw, other aluminium...

I'll start paying more attention though! 🤓

You can have another program beside the program you are running that shows the X/Y screen.
So it's an easy one push of the -or+ pad to switch back a forth.
[Chris Griffin:] WHAAAAAT? :icon_scratch:

I'm going to have to figure that one out.

The X/Y will show iron very clearly. Anything besides a clear diagonal line is basically a pass.

The horse shoe will show on the right even though it's iron.

Sidewalks can have a wire mesh screen running along in the concrete.
Even the pinpointer should pick that up.

Detector will sound off while getting close to the concrete.
That makes sense.
 

This is just what I have experienced so far with the Deus ll.
Loud high tone, solid number 79, 82, 84. (Just examples)
Sound great, dig and they're iron.
That has been my experience as well. Usually cast iron, or an odd shape -- bent square nail, for example. Though I must admit I have not been checking the X/Y. I figure I gotta be sure so I dig it anyway.
 

I get those numbers quite often, but when they're iron, it has said they're iron, even if the audible doesn't match. However, when it sounds iron... it's iron (or rust); I don't bother looking at the screen anymore when I hear that low tone.

Whenever I've dug non-ferrous, it's been just that; Zincoln penny, nickel, clad coin, lead, can slaw, other aluminium...

I'll start paying more attention though! 🤓


[Chris Griffin:] WHAAAAAT? :icon_scratch:

I'm going to have to figure that one out.


That makes sense.
The +or- on either side of the pinpointer.
It's to change the program.
If you put the x/y on a program on either side of the one you're using then it's easy to switch, check, switch back to the one your using.
 

The +or- on either side of the pinpointer.
It's to change the program.
If you put the x/y on a program on either side of the one you're using then it's easy to switch, check, switch back to the one your using.
Thanks, I hadn't thought of that, but I imagine it could be handy/useful for a lot of things.

 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top