Backyard Finds - Amazing How Much Junk Is Out There

[DeepThought]

I decided to stick to my backyard until I began to know what my detector was "telling" me. I pretty much flip between modes...beginning with all-metal then flipping to tone...and ultimately digging it up anyway. What I can tell is it isn't as simple as material/tone. Depth, orientation, interference, soil condition, etc. all factor into what sounds the detector makes/performs. At least it appears that way to this novice...

Well I found no Rolex, silver, gold or Indiana Jones relics in profuse quantities. What I did find so far is 7 pennies (2 wheats) and lots of junk. I guess the belt buckle can might count as a relic but without any history or lineage to it, it is just another rusted piece of trash to me. What is curious to me is why just the pennies? It seems logical if currency were dropped in 6 different locations, at least one of them would contain more than the same one denomination.

 

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[Ace350]

Youre on the right track by starting in your yard.
First, reread your owners manual and understand everything in it.
Find an area in your yard that has been cleaned of all metals. Take out various coins and drop them seperately on the ground and note the sound it makes and what the meter on the screen is pointing at. (you can even use a piece of tape and mark what the pointer is pointing at on the screen or take notes on a piece of paper.)

All metal mode is what it says, it will detect all metals. Disc. or discriminate mode will block out or notch out certain undesired metals depending on the setting. Once again use test coins to see where the discriminate knob blocks out certain objects. Starting at zero on the discrim knob it usually goes iron, then foil,then nickel, then pulltabs, then copper, then quaters & dimes, then $1 & $1/2 dollars. Unfortunately gold is found anywhere between foil to quaters & dimes. Silver can show up anywhere between copper and the max discrim. setting. Use all the above objects and test them with your detector and see what position on the disc. knob they are no longer detected. A lot of people just discriminate iron out, then either dig everything else or use the tones and meter to figure out if the item is worth a dig or not. Those that dig everything above iron usually find more and better things but it is at the cost of alot of digging. That's up to you.

Start by digging everything. Listen carefully to the tones and then check where the meter on the screen is pointing at. Try to guess what is in the ground before you dig. That will get you familar as to how your detector reacts to different metals.
The iron objects can mask other non ferrous metals if they are bigger or in close proximity in the ground to a coin. So after you have cleared the yard of most of the junk in the ground go over the yard again slowly in a search pattern doing small sections at a time. Listen carefully as it might only be a faint signal if it is deep. Also you can get a little more depth out of your machine if you go out after a rain and the soil is damp. I'll bet there are more coins burried in your yard.

 

[TerryC]

First, DT, welcome to the hobby. Next, don't apologize for having a Bounty Hunter. If it is working and getting the job done, keep with it. Only pennies? Since it's your yard and you have all the time you need, pull out the junk and you will start finding the other coins the junk was masking. Take care. TTC

 

[hotrod]

nice

 

[DeepThought]

why does the dirt set off my detector sometimes? I can look and find nothing there but it will make a noise (sometimes of varying strength) as I move it ... like chasing ghosts? Also why does concrete sometimes set it off (Alabama red clay...ugh)

 

[DaveandBlitz]

DT concrete often has iron rebar or a wire mat imbeded in it. Sometimes the nails from building the forms are in there too.

 

[mfitzs70]

I'd look into getting a pinpointer (Cheep or expensive). Where you dont find your target without you may just be missing it.

 

[NW Digger]

I'd look into getting a pinpointer (Cheep or expensive). Where you dont find your target without you may just be missing it.

I agree, a pinpointer helps so so much, sometimes things hide in the sidewalls of your hole and u dig right past them not knowing (nails are a good example of this)
The pinpointer helps in time, and finding those "lost" targets. I couldn't live without one!

Good Luck and HH

 

[bill from lachine]

DT,

Sometimes if the sensitivity is set to high on your machine.....it'll cause falsing or as you call them ghost signals....try backing down the sensitivity somewhat or use ties on your coil wire to keep it from flopping around....that's another cause of detector falsing....and yeah the rebar or mess in cement will set your machine off also.

Regards + HH

Bill

why does the dirt set off my detector sometimes? I can look and find nothing there but it will make a noise (sometimes of varying strength) as I move it ... like chasing ghosts? Also why does concrete sometimes set it off (Alabama red clay...ugh)

 

[DeepThought]

All - I really appreciate your patience and response to my Qs. I always wanted to try this out; increasing stress at work had accelerated the decision. I 've come to a theory...someone at one time was a. planting pennies in the back yard and b. using all the excess nails and iron, etc as ground filler <g>. I can find only those two (just found some more pennies) with nothing in between except the odd piece of aluminum. ........getting stressed <lol>

 

[AnnieF]

Agreed! A pinpointer is ESSENTIAL. I have the same machine you do (also a beginner!) and didn't find anything worth a damn for two months and then BOOM. First day I got my Garrett I was pulling clad like mad!

 

[iCandy]

why does the dirt set off my detector sometimes? I can look and find nothing there but it will make a noise (sometimes of varying strength) as I move it ... like chasing ghosts? Also why does concrete sometimes set it off (Alabama red clay...ugh)

Lmao....hmm...perhaps it is ghosts..!?!?!!!!!!