How deep to dig?

[mdNashland]

If something registers at 4in. do you automatically dig a plug 4 in. deep or do you dig inch by inch? So confused b/c I would dig the depth the meter said and still found nothing only to have to keep digging or give up.

 

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[leatherneck]

I take it your machine is auto ground balance? You still need to bob the coil up and down a couple of times to help the detector set itself. Now, when the detector says 4", dig a plug 5" and look, you don't want to take the chance of scratching a good target by digging right at it. If your target is not in the plug but you are still getting a signal from your detector in the hole you just dug, then keep digging. Sometimes the depth reading is off.. As long as you are getting a signal keep digging. If you have a pin pointer look on the sides of the hole to make sure you didn't go right by the target. Do you have pin point on the detector? Are you using a double D (DD) coil or the stock concentric coil? The other problem you might be having is that you might not be digging under the right spot on the coil.. If you're using the stock concentric coil your target should be under the center of the coil. If you are using a DD coil the target would be under the very front tip or rear tip of the coil. Read the manual for that detector. If you don't have it go to the website for that manufacturer and get it. Hope this helps a little.

 

[mdNashland]

Thanks so much! I have a White's Prism III and the coil is pretty big if that helps. I don't know much about it. I usually try and pinpoint with the little button on the detector and then dig a hole as big as the coil. I try and center it, but sometimes I dig the depth it says and nothing is there, then I dig farther and still nothing. One time I dug up a termite nest LOL but nothing metallic. I didn't know about bobbing the coil to get a better reading so thank you for telling me! I think my big problem is hunting in the city around my house but maybe once I get out into the county I'd have less interference. Thank you again for the reply! I will have to go and download the manual!

 

[Smudge]

TID screens are only accurate about 40%-50% of the time as to what target you have found.

They are even less accurate when it comes to depth. To me, most of the depth meters on TID detectors are nearly worthless. Too many conditons will cause a false reading.

If you don't have a pinpointer, you'll just need to keep checking your hole until you find the target.

 

[mdNashland]

TID screens are only accurate about 40%-50% of the time as to what target you have found.

They are even less accurate when it comes to depth. To me, most of the depth meters on TID detectors are nearly worthless. Too many conditons will cause a false reading.

If you don't have a pinpointer, you'll just need to keep checking your hole until you find the target.

Thanks! That's pretty much what I've been doing... sometimes I find the target sometimes not. But it is a rush even when you pull out a 2006 penny

Also, what is cherry picking?

And how do you know just to scratch around the surface instead of automatically digging?

Thanks again!

 

[treasurehound]

The meter screens give you an approximate id and depth. If you rely on the screen only whether to dig or not you will be missing a lot of good targets. That is cherry picking. Another example would be if you are only digging the high tone coin sounds and not the low tone pull tab sounds then you will be missing rings and other targets. You are picking what to dig. Also if your screen says target is 4" deep and you don't find anything the target could be big (deeper) or your pin pointing is off. Best advise would be to dig every target and learn the sounds.

 

[Swartzie]

Smaller items will be more shallow than what your tid says and larger items will be deeper than what your tid says. A BB size object that is an inch deep may show up as 5 inches deep on your machine. Just as a pop can that is 5 inches deep may show up as 1 inch deep on your machine. Not sure how your machine setup is, but my Tejon has no screen at all. But, just by listening to the signal when pinpointing (in vco mode) I can get a good idea of how deep and large the object is. Small and shallow has a bit different sound than larger and deep. It's all in the ears.

-Swartzie