Got the Ace 250 today, and....

[TrpnBils]

It's looking promising. I put it together in the car and stopped at a 100 year old park, that's probably been hunted to death, on the way home. I wasn't expecting to find much, given that it is a public park, but within 20 minutes or so, I got a 1936 wheatie (only my 3rd one ever, so I was still happy with it). I also found a few modern clads, and I'm going to try my old college campus tonight to see what I can find there.

I got this mostly with the intention of finding coins, so I've mostly been using it in coin mode and there are a few things I've noticed so far. When it's junk under the coil, the screen kinda jumps back and forth between two coins (mostly penny/nickel), and when it's actually a coin, it's a very solid hit even at a couple of inches down. Is that pretty much right?

 

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[surfrat96]

Sounds like you like the Ace like everyone else that owns one! I'm sure you'll be finding a lot more! Keep us posted, and good luck!

HH 8) surfrat

 

[gregl01]

Yep, you're well on your way. My ACE loves coins, which is why I purchased it. I hope you'll enjoy it!!!
HH
Greg

 

[TrpnBils]

I went back out tonight and kept finding a lot of big crap around an old house. I don't have a yard to put a coin garden in, so I stuck one of the pennies I found earlier in the bottom of a 4" hole I dug and buried it just to see what kind of readings I got. Well, to my surprise, even with sensitivity on 5, I would only get a 1-way hit and that was only once every two or three swings. If I hadn't known it was there, I wouldn't have even thought that it was something other than junk...what gives?

 

[miester]

I'm diggin less junk now, when the cursor bounces around lower the sensitvity and see if it stabilizes, then pinpoint on notch 1, if you get a real concentrated signal chances are good that it's a coin, if the signal covers a larger area when pinpointing on 1 chances are it a soda can or nail. Bobby pins give me problems tho.

 

[dudes2112]

Bils,

I'm having a similar issue. I was digging so much junk I decided to dig only the solid hits like you mentioned. It was about about 95% accurate with the solid hits but there could still be the chance of a bottle top or some foil compressed into a ball. Anyway, I would get the signals that would only respond in one direction and pass them up thinking they were leaning towards the junk side of things. Another signal I started to pass up were the ones where it would jump around, even if it stayed in the coin section.

Long story short, I buried a quarter and a dime in my yard at 6 inches and guess what? The ID bounces around on the display but stays in the coin area. Guess what I've started to dig again? The bummer is, I still haven't found a coin at anything over the 4 inch mark, every crazy signal I've dug deeper than 4 inches has turned out to be trash. More practice.... I'll get it eventually!

Dudes

 

[dudes2112]

After the thousands of junk targets I had dug, I thought it was a safe bet to make certain assumptions based on the results. Now I'll have more places to hunt since I can hunt them all again and dig all those deeper jumpy signals.

I'll try the Indian Head trick and see what that comes up as at a greater depth. Thanks Free!

Another weird thing that seems to happen... When I get a strong signal at say 6", when I go into pinpoint mode, there are times that I get no repsonse at all. When I switch back to searching I get the usual ping sound. Anyone ever had that happen?

 

[rusty nails]

Dont always dis regard the jumpy coin thing (thats a good name for it) i recently found some clad in my yard - that was 6" down - i hunted this same area - when i first got my 250 - as i dug deeper for the coin it was more solid - one coin was sideways and the other was 2 in the same hole - (all pennies) oldest was only 73 but regardless a good example LBP

 

[dudes2112]

Lefty,
I have had that happen where I get the jumpy thing but I can see the depth change when it jumps, when that happens I always think it's two targets. Let's just say I'll be digging all of the jumpies from now on!!!

My favorite is when you get a dollar reading and dig about 4" of dirt off of the 6" deep target and it then decides to start reading as iron.

Dudes

 

[rusty nails]

yah - if u notice when u target that dollar (pinpoint it w/your ace) the icon will almost always go to iron after the pinpoint is on target maxed out - if its (the detector is theoretically detecting iron)
i have cut some digging time down by watching this - but the pinball effect gets me digging every time - last week pinballing got me an ace bandage tie , a part of an atv sprocket , a 22 shell (that was fun) 2 buttons and 3 pennies - on target got me 2 RR KEYS (IDENTIFIED BY USERS ON THIS FORUM) and the rest of the regulars on the ring plus the rusted ring - so use at your own discretion -
AND GOOD LUCK - HAVE FUN W/YOUR little yellow buddy - NO ITS NOT A WEEDWACKER -
lbp

 

[miester]

I've lost the signal often also when I go to pinpoint have to push the button a few times. A while back I had a strong signal in my woods, dug a hole, recheck, dig more, recheck, ended up with a hole big enough to bury a t.v. in and was still getting strong signal from bottom of hole. I gave up digging and never found what it was, the hole was at least 12 in. deep, maybe theres an engine block or something down there.

 

[rusty nails]

it could be something long - like a pc of fence wire - i have encountered that out in the woods -
or it could be something small like a 22 shell - like i had the other day i kept digging it and bouncing it back and forth and had no idea that the target was sitting on the side of the hole - several times - alum. cans r notorious for giving bizarre signals at different angles - a steel can dings like crazy -
IT NEVER ENDS - i love my ace - but like i said "its a quirky detector - and all those targets no matter how categorized by coins , cans , keys whatever are all different in someway in the category - LBP

 

[da Hobo]

Miester, when you are using your Ace 250 and you get a good target signal as you sweep back and forth across it but go to pinpoint and seem to lose that signal . . . Lift your coil up and away from the target point THEN press the pinpoint switch and lower your coil back down to the target point and pinpoint it.

For some reason I have found that my 250 will go quite if I go right to pinpoint when I am near or over the target. ?I can't explain the reason but this method seems to work for me.

 

[rusty nails]

YES - that is very true

 

[hollowpointred]

sometimes iron objects will rust completely and leech into the ground causing your detector to ping but when you dig, the iron infused soil is disturbed and the signal dissapears.(i think this has something to do with "the halo effect"). if its really bugging you bring a little magnet with you and run it around in the hole a bit. if there are iron fragments in the soil they will attach themselves to the magnet. ......at least you will know you didnt leave something in the hole.

 

[Mona Lisa]

A lot of times, when I get a great reading, and I can't find it in the hole. I check the sides of the hole. I usually will find a nail or a similar iron object pointing towards the hole. It's strange but the point of the nail will always be pointed toward the hole I've dug.

 

[dudes2112]

Good call hollow, I actually have super strong magnet (from a hard drive) epoxied to my shovel to collect all of the various iron. After a while of digging it's amazing how much will collect around the edges of it.

As for the lost target thing...

I will get a repeatable target somewhere in the coin range but deeper than 6", I've hit the pinpoint button many times but still don't get any reading at all most of the time. I have had to hit the pinpoint button a couple times on shallow targets or move the coil away and press it again before it would work, so I know what you mean about that. It's a weird little quirk that I've gotten somewhat used to. I haven't tried hitting pinpoint above the target and then lowering down to it, that may very well be the answer.

Thanks for the help.

Dudes

 

[rusty nails]

haupin said the same thing about the side of the hole - i think it has a very strong pickup for a 200 dollar detector - i have even tried knocking down the sens. and it will still ding for stuff on the side of the hole ~ LBP ~

 

[Monty]

When my ACE jumps around and stays in the coin range but won't stabilize it's because the coin is right on the surface or less than an inch deep. I get down on my knees and just flick the soil or grass and leaves a bit with the tip of my digging tool and usually find a coin. JIM

 

[dudes2112]

I guess I could try raising the coil and swinging it a few times over a jumpy target while still in regular search mode.

Thanks for all the tips.

Dudes