Gamma 6000 and EMI interference from a communications tower?

[CoilToTheSoil]

Got a chance to hunt a nice property over the weekend. pulled up, got out of the car, strapped up, and powered up. signals everywhere. I couldnt even seem to ground grab. there seemed to be metal everywhere! all metal mode was sporadic with disappearing and reappearing signals everywhere.
I walked about 400 total yards through fields and woods figuring maybe I was ontop of an old trash heap. the spot seemed a bust. abrupt short choppy signals bouncing all over the range. sensitivity adjustments seemed to do little to help. full battery life. I had just completed a hunt half a mile up the road that morning with almost no trouble.

I thought for sure my detector had broken like the land star I had just returned.

I went back to the place up the road and tossed a new battery in despite the full battery icon. the detector seemed to quiet down a bit.
worked well in the afternoon in another spot with some chatter which was due to confirmed iron trash everywhere.

then I got to thinking... theres a large communications tower 1/4 mile from the place I had troubles. direct line of sight.
im guessing this as causing the unbearable chatter?

what are your experiences with teknetics greek models and EMI?

maybe ill have to try the spot with the backup pioneer?

 

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[daemon1971]

I've only had issues with the gamma having problems in one location .... The subdivision I live in. I have to turn the sensitivity really low to get it to calm down . I've had the gamma for about a year and a half.
Good luck and HH

 

[SouthFLdigger]

My Gamma 6000, latest version is pretty EMI resistant compared to my other detectors. Only the G2 is the most quiet, however there are places where EMI will drive my Gamma crazy and my G2 sputter. Underground powerlines, UHF, VHF transmitters nearby , EMF fields from overhead power-lines, nearby Amateur radio SW transmitters, list goes on... Try lowering your sensitivity, even at a sens of 60-70 it will go down 8-9" .If that does not work changing your location by a hundred feet often makes a big difference.

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Most all detectors will experience EMI issues in one location or another, and there seems (sometimes) no rhyme or reason to it. I've seen three guys with three different detectors one of them had trouble in one spot, and another in another spot, and I had had the same thing in yet another spot.

It my well have been the tower, and "I think" the bottom line is there will be a location or two where detector "X" will just not work well.

I've got to ask was the ground still frozen at the place that was giving you the trouble ? Reason I ask is because I also know that frozen ground can "sometimes" have a similar effect.

And I'll add that I've only experienced one place where my Teknetics really worked poorly, OK two but that was within 50 yards or so of a high tension line. Oh yeah those electric dog fences are extreamly problematic for an AT Pro as well.

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Thanks for the reply all. the ground is thawed here. im guessing it was emi. im also wondering if my cell phone in my pocket could periodically contribute to emi interference. I know that it will produce emi interference with the radio I have on my desk at work if it is sending or receiving data and within 2.5 ft of the radio at that time (odd I know).
im going to try switching to airplane mode and see if that helps next time im getting emi static..

 

[Phantasman]

I've never known communications towers to cause EMI at that distance. They operate in the "mega" hertz range far above detectors. Electro induction operates in the khz range (kilowatts electric power) and is sloppy causing intrusion into many parts of the spectrum. It's why lightning comes across lower AM radio than higher FM signals.

 

[SouthFLdigger]

I've never known communications towers to cause EMI at that distance. They operate in the "mega" hertz range far above detectors. Electro induction operates in the khz range (kilowatts electric power) and is sloppy causing intrusion into many parts of the spectrum. It's why lightning comes across lower AM radio than higher FM signals.

Yes but remember UHF, VHF and transmitting towers emit fundamental harmonics, intermod,mixing products, which can and will come down to the lower KHZ ranges. Especially with faulty sloppy and aging transmitters or standing waves. These can travel for some distance especially the lower frequency stuff, even UHF high transmitters 2.4 GHZ-5.8GHZ typically found on wireless gateways/routers produce multiple harmonics that wreak havoc on our detectors, my DFX loves the stuff.

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

yea its definitely EMI. the site has a small power line running through a part of it, unfortunately right to the home site where I was hunting. under the line was annoying to hunt on. in the yard I was able to adjust the sensitivity to 70 and while it still chattered it was bearable.
went half a mile away with mildly rolling hills obscuring half of the tower from direct line of site and wad able to run 90 without much chatter.
My first experience with emi..... ugh.... pita.....