a coil question

[hiyall]

so, i have a garrett ace 150. a novice entry level detector but it works for me. i dont need all the fancy features because im not hard core activist.. yet. when the time comes i may upgrade in the future.

for my question, when i am detecting in trashy areas, all i pick up is iron and this iron is prioritized over everything. so i cannot find anything that may be laying next to iron. this is frustrating and is turning me off to metal detecting.
i saw a video of someone replacing their stock ace 150 coil with a DD coil that is also much bigger and they did a test with 3 iron nails and a coin right by. the detector didnt detect the iron (i assume this is called recovery? im still learning) and detected the coin dead on.

so, do i just need to ditch my garrett ace stock coil and get a better one? what would you recommend?

i want to say i do have a garrett pro pinpointer 2 as well if that would help influence your ideas of coil recommendations.

thanks

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Less targets/trash = larger coil, more targets/trash = smaller coil. Large coils have a better chance of having more targets under the coil and smaller coils will have less. Large coils cover more ground per sweep and give more depth whereas a small coil does not go as deep and gives better target separation.

 

[hiyall]

Less targets/trash = larger coil, more targets/trash = smaller coil. Large coils have a better chance of having more targets under the coil and smaller coils will have less. Large coils cover more ground per sweep and give more depth whereas a small coil does not go as deep and gives better target separation.

should i just stick to my stock coil until i upgrade my detector sometime in the future?

 

[xr7ator]

Yes! the Garrett AT Pro's are a steal at around $300 used. It comes with a DD coil.
With the Ace, go SLOW and you should be able to snag some coins outta the nails. If you get a solid hit and find a nail with the pinpointer, odds are the coin is still there and you should re scan and find that lil turkey.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Stay with your stock coil. From your manual:

• Jewelry Mode—This mode is designed to findjewelry such as rings, bracelets, watches andnecklaces and ignore most trash items such asbottle caps and nails.• Coins Mode—This mode is designed tofind all types of coins and eliminate trash itemssuch as iron, bottle caps, most pulltabs and otherobjects normally encountered while coinhunting. Some bent pulltabs and pieces oftabs may not be eliminated from detection.Some digging of junk targets is to be expected,such as soft drink cans.

When you get a repeatable target, lower your sensitivity to about 50%, then switch back and forth between the two modes, and LISTEN! Learn your machine's language. It takes time on the headphones. Big Gold Brother!

 

[hiyall]

Stay with your stock coil. From your manual:

• Jewelry Mode—This mode is designed to findjewelry such as rings, bracelets, watches andnecklaces and ignore most trash items such asbottle caps and nails.• Coins Mode—This mode is designed tofind all types of coins and eliminate trash itemssuch as iron, bottle caps, most pulltabs and otherobjects normally encountered while coinhunting. Some bent pulltabs and pieces oftabs may not be eliminated from detection.Some digging of junk targets is to be expected,such as soft drink cans.

When you get a repeatable target, lower your sensitivity to about 50%, then switch back and forth between the two modes, and LISTEN! Learn your machine's language. It takes time on the headphones. Big Gold Brother!

i use jewelry mode most of the time but when i hit iron, it shows up on the LCD screen that iron is present. i just dont get a beep. if there were another metal on top of it or below it, my detector will not get a hit on it because the iron comes out on top as the dominate detected metal regardless of my settings when i have iron discriminated. i dont know if this is how it is with detectors in general. i can sweep the spot multiple times and get a faint signal here and there but i wont know if there was something else there to begin with if iron comes out being dominate with the first sweep. so i will end up missing a hit

 

[johnwon2]

i use jewelry mode most of the time but when i hit iron, it shows up on the LCD screen that iron is present. i just dont get a beep. if there were another metal on top of it or below it, my detector will not get a hit on it because the iron comes out on top as the dominate detected metal regardless of my settings when i have iron discriminated. i dont know if this is how it is with detectors in general. i can sweep the spot multiple times and get a faint signal here and there but i wont know if there was something else there to begin with if iron comes out being dominate with the first sweep. so i will end up missing a hit

I wish I had as much patience as you do with thinking about trying a different coil. If it were me, I would have already replaced the machine with one that is better at filtering out the iron. If you enjoy the hobby, this may be the sign that you've outgrown the starter machine and are ready to move to a mid-level machine. I did this quite a few years ago for various reasons and it made the hobby much less frustrating at the time.

 

[Loco-Digger]

I personally would not buy a coil for an Ace 150. I'd get a better machine where you can build a coil selection. I have 4 sizes for mine. From 12" x 15" coil down to a 5" coil.

 

[hiyall]

If you can find an AT pro for around $300, let me know