Know its there but I know my machine cant "see" it- help!!

[BioProfessor]

Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

I need some help here. I am not a cache hunter and have never found one so I am as much of a newbie as you can be. I'm sort of lost.

A person in the area has asked me to help him locate a cache of silver coins - about 500-1000 - that were in a bag and placed in a can about 150% the size of a 1lb coffee can. He buried the can about a 12-15" deep close to 20 years ago. Now he can't remember where he buried it. So it is "somewhere out there."

I spent about 10-12 hours searching the area he says is the most likely place for the can. Nothing.

So today I take a can about the size of a 1lb coffee can, fill it with rolls of pennies, and bury it in the yard at about the same depth the can with the silver coins is supposed to be. Now I have a reference. Sort of.

I take my DFX with a 6x9DD coil to see what it tells me. It won't ground balance. Soil is by the estuary and has a pretty good salt load. So I have to use the DFX in the preset mode. I sweep over my buried can and get no signal. Go through all the programs, up the preamp, and adjust all I can to make it "see" the can of pennies. Nothing. So in these soil conditions, the DFX won't go deep enough to see it.

I take my Etrac and put on the WOT coil. Use all modes. Nothing. Try changing the adjustments. No difference. I put on the factory coil. Running the Minelab Relic factory program, I get a good solid tone when I sweep the target but there is not enough information coming back to the machine for it to give me a reading or a plot. If I use the PinPoint mode, I am able to tell it is a large target and the depth indicator will give me a guess at depth. The problem is that the area has quite a bit of trash and since I don't get any information from the signal - Fe/CO numbers or a plot on the graph - there are LOTS of signals that sound like this one and "look" like this one. I can use the PinPoint mode to give me a guess at the size of the object but many of the objects there are pretty large so that won't distinguish a the can of coins from other relatively large trash targets. So I'm stuck.

I am thinking about getting a 2-box machine to do the search. I have no experience with them or even know anybody that has used one.

So my question is - If you were asked to recover a can of a 1000 or so silver coins buried in soil wet with sea water, what machine and technique would you use.

Thanks for any and all advice.

Daryl

 

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[Kentucky Kache]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

I thought of a two box, but that won't give you any discrimination either. You might try using the biggest coil you can find and use as little sensitivity as possible, as well as all the discrimination you can afford. That might allow you to skip over the smallest stuff. But honestly, you might end up having to dig a lot of trash in order to find the can.

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

From what I understand about the 2-box, it won't "see" anything smaller than a beer can. I can use that as my discrimination as most of the junk there is not that big but the can is. Will that be enough??

Thanks,

Daryl

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

From what I understand about the 2-box, it won't "see" anything smaller than a beer can. I can use that as my discrimination as most of the junk there is not that big but the can is. Will that be enough??

Thanks,

Daryl

I guess it would, as long as the trash is small.

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Neither of my machines can tell the target from other stuff very well. Since it is in his yard by his house, I doubt that someone would have been there looking for something nobody but him knows is there and been able to find it.

All the trash/junk seems to be small. So I can probe anything that is large and I can tell if it is a can for sure.

So what 2-box would be the best to try?? And since they don't give a signal over the target but the same distance from the target as it is deep, what would be the best technique?

Thanks,

Daryl

 

[chipveres]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

I have had good success with the Garrett Master Hunter and its Treasure Hound two-coil adapter. It does "pinpoint" somewhat under its front receiving coil. Since it is an older model, very favorable prices are available on the Net. It's cheaper than other two-boxes, and you get the one-coil Master Hunter as a "bonus".

Chip V.

 

[CWnut]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

If the coins were buried in a can a target id detector will "see" the can, not the silver coins. Has the can rusted away over the years? Most likely as you said there was a lot of salt in the soil. This should create a halo effect and would mess up any id readings even more. Whichever detector you decide to use I see digging unwanted items in your future. A probe will help determine the depth of a target. I have a homemade T shape probe about 4 feet long that i find useful at times. You can use a small amount of water in the hole that you start with your probe to allow you to get further down into the ground. I have put ground rods 8 feet long into the ground by keeping water in the hole and working it deeper.

Good luck and keep us posted....

one other thought, Time has a way of alter peoples' perceptions about where thing were located

 

[XT18000]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Any detector with a 10" or larger DD coil should be able to find that
if it is indeed where it is supose to be and the person use the detector
knows how to use it.

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

You would think that it would but the high salt content of the soil may be interfering too much. I buried a can filled with 22 rolls of pennies at about 14-16" and I can hear it with my etrac but the signal is not strong enough to give me numbers or plot on the graph. a 15"DD Wot coil doesn't help. It's not the machine - I dug the insides of a pocket watch today at over 10". It's not me. I've used the detector for long enough to know it.

Aaaarrrgghhh!!!

Daryl

 

[BamaBill]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Do you know how to use pinpoint to size your targets? I bet I could find that target inside of an hour or establish that its simply not there. You need to dig any targets soda can size or larger, once you've sized it with pinpoint.

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Yep. Been there done that. The e-trac does get enough information on my planted target to size it. It sizes it actually a little larger than actual. So that is not a problem. I dug five targets that the e-trac indicated were large enough to be a can. Found part of a car running board, two pairs of pliers, and some junk. So it's not a clean area by any means. Just driving me nuts.

I went into this with the same attitude. A big can of coins. NO PROBLEM. Boy was I wrong.

Daryl

 

[Swartzie]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Maybe get a bottle probe and just start probing the area?
-Swartzie

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

Been there, done that. I have a 3' probe and I probe every decent signal. Deep enough I get that wet sand sucking sound when I pull the probe out.

Still aarrrgghhh.

Daryl

 

[cloviscliff]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

If you can't use a 2-box, you might just dig a few signals every now and then so you don't get burned out on it and eventualy you will find it. But it probably will not be where he thinks it is. Cliff

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

My 2-box gets here Thursday. Wish me luck.

And you are right. I WILL NOT be where he thinks it is.

Daryl

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

As long as it is not at the beaches edge, I would use my Tesoro, with the setting on alkalai, and also have a probe (one about 3 feet is very good - I like my long handled bbq fork (one broken tine). Has wood on the handle, and is almost 3 feet long.

I hope someone did not see him bury it, and just go and snatch it away a long time ago!

Good luck - and, uh..........................we all need pics!

B

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

My 2-box gets here Thursday. Wish me luck.

And you are right. I WILL NOT be where he thinks it is.

Daryl

Congrats on the 2-box. If the coins are still there, you'll probably find them. We're rooting for you.

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

It is on the edge of the estuary. Wouldn't you know. It's gonna be fun. The 3' probe I got. Did I say there were 5 cans?

Daryl

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

I don't think so...................

Remember too, that a 1 pound can was really a 1 pound can 20 years ago -

Good luck!

B

 

[BioProfessor]

Re: Know it's there but I know my machine can't "see" it- help!!

You noticed that too. 5# of sugar is now 4#. Half gallon of ice cream it's not. Coffee is 12oz.

So how much silver will a 2# can hold. That's what they are supposed to be.

What do I do if I can't find them. It'll drive me crazy.

Daryl