Getting upset because I cant locate target

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brians2000

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I bought a Garrett's Ace 250 Saturday from a guy who has been detecting for over twenty years. I told him I would spend anywhere from 500.00 and under since I am a beginner and didn't want to have to figure out a hard detector. He had a Prism 3 and the Ace 150, and 250 plus a few over 1200.00. The prism 3 cost 100.00 dollars more than I paid for the Ace 250 but the guy said it is no better and he wouldn't waste the money. I figured he must have been honest because he could have made an extra 100.00. Sunday morning I found a few things every time I dug but yesterday afternoon thru today I have not been able to locate my target after I dug the hole. I also bought a Whites Bullseye pinpointer to help but still no luck. I figure it may be something I'm doing and not the detector. I get a signal dig my hole and find nothing. I then swipe my detector over the hole and it still goes off so I dig some more. I am almost to the point of throwing the detector away and spending an extra 600.00 on a Fisher ID excel or CZ-3D. What am I doing wrong or is there something else I should try. My brother has a Fisher CZ-3D and he loves it but he liked mine also and said he has heard nothing but good things about that model. If anyone has something I should do please write. Thanks, Brian
 

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Are you paying attention to the depth indicator when you pinpoint? Watch it closely and when it shows the shallowest reading with all the top row of dots covered, you are on the target. If you are digging a target shown to be at 2", dig down 3 and don'tfind it, you have missed it. The detector still shows a hit because you are off to one side of it. Press the pinpoint button and move the coil very slowly back and forth until you get the shallowest reading and you have it. It may initially show an object at 4" but if you can move the coil until it shows that same object at 2" you have it! Hard to explain but if you watch your lcd screen you will see what I mean.JIM
 

Brian, also your pinpoint area may be off. You have an open loop with a large "0" and small "0". From my understanding, the center of the pinpoint spot is just inside the very top of the small "0", not at the center of the coil.
Put a coin on the ground in an area that is clear of metal, push in the pinpoint button and see where the strongest meter reading is. That will be your pinpoint center, however it also depends on just how flat your target is. If at an angle, it may throw you off a bit till you get familiar with the machine.
Don't give up on it yet, patience and persiverance is the main key.

Also what Jim said as he runs the 250.
 

I use the 250 also and my observation and comment about pinpointing with it is as follows . . .

The inside coil is about 3" across and maybe about 5" front to back (approx, I don't have it with me at this moment. Whether the target pinpoints at the inside top or inside center is a difference of approx 1.5" X 2.5". I must admit my digger is 2" across and therefore my hole is usually about 3" in size. Once I pretty much have the target pinpointed inside my inside coil whether the true pinpoint location is the inside top or inside center is a wash for me. I mark the center of the coil and dig my 3" hole around it and find my target.

If the target reads at a depth of 1-2" I use my pinpointer tool and a screwdriver and more often than not can retrieve my target that way, without digging a hole.

We all have our own thoughts on pinpointing and methods to use . . . these are just mine.

Good hunting . . . looking forward to reading your posts . . .

Hobo
 

BTW . . . . if you do decide to "just toss the ACE 250 away . . .", drop me a line so I can retrieve it. :D I've been known to take in stray dogs and discarded MDers . . . it's a fault I have but I'm working on it. I can put it next to about 6-8 computers that I have that others have tossed. lol ;)

Hobo
 

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but you might be running you're sensitivity too high.
Which can cause something called falsing. It will sound off like a targets there, but you'll find nothing. To fix, just back off on your sens. setting a little at a time until it stabilizes( stops sounding off) Where you need to set your sens. at will vary from site to site. HH
 

Possibilities,

the 250 is an extremely sensitive machine, it will pick up on tiny (and I mean tiny) bits of alum. iron. etc. that you may pinpoint but never find/see because they are so small and blend in with the soil/etc.

Sometimes, if your sensitivity is too high, you may get "ghost signals" (the ones you can't pinpoint/find)

OR

the machine did pick up a target but after the 1st sweep, it now sees it as an unwanted object because you're machine is set to reject that type of metal (example-- it hits an iron nail on 1st sweep but you've got the machine in coin mode so on the 2nd or 3rd, etc. sweep/s, it doesn't pick the target up because nails/etc. are not accepted in coin mode).

Trash can seem to move (or be in a different spot than 1st pinpointed).

You'll get used to the machine as time goes on,

my suggestion is to run it in relic mode with 75% sensitivity in areas where there is little to mod. trash,? (less if you start getting false signals),

in areas with higher trash, you may want to run it in coin/jewelry or even in coin mode/s only but,

the "sensitivity setting" is the "key" to the 250, and you'll find yourself adjusting it to the soil conditions in different areas, and when interference from power lines/etc. is present to keep it from falsing.

Good luck,

hope this helps,

HH

Lonewolfe
 

Thanks for responding everyone. You guys taught me alot tonight. I will practice some more tomorrow. One thing I did learn from a day of MD is how out of shape Im in. I think every muscle in my back and legs are sore.
 

Hi Brian, before trusting the pinpoint feature too much, try "X" ing the target. I found that I too was digging off a bit using pinpoint. After Xing target and then pinpointing it all made sense, and empty holes were no more. Also as other have said, this machine will pick up on tiny specks of metal or foil that blend in with the soil. So don't give up, keep diggin'
HH
Greg
 

Another thing I have noticed with my ACE 250 is that if you cannot get the target to pinpoint it usually is laying on top of the ground or just barely covered by a leaf or grass. In that case I just carefully push back any loose surface debris with my digging tool and usually can see the target item. JIM
 

Brian,

I am just starting out in MDing and if I have learned anything yet it is that I need lots of practice. I went out with an experienced guy Sunday morning and he found 4 to 5 times as many coins as me. I figure I just need to keep getting out there and detecting until I get better. From everything I read the Ace 250 is a great machine. Best of luck!
 

You have to learn your detector. Everyone does. It will take a while. Make an X when locating. Dig, if you miss locate again or keep enlarging the hole. When you find it try to remember where it was located under the coil, this is the center for you. Most likely it was further out or closer to you not off sideways. Keep at it when you get good you will think your are the best at locating.

Ed
 

Brian, I got an Ace 250 about three weeks ago and I have had the empty hole syndrome myself. There are some great suggestions here, but I would also say to trust your machine. Unlike other MDs I have owned the 250 is the most sensitive or hot machine I have ever used. I have been trying to carefully sift the soil from the holes I dig and more often than not I find tiny pieces of sheet metal or miniscle piece of foil. or just some rust. The main problem with the 250 in my opinion is that all detect tones are equal in noise decibel regarless of the size of the target, or depth. It is just going to take some practice. Dig everything for awhile and than start to ignore those target sounds that are hard to get the detector to repeat. They are almost always trash.

Colin
 

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