Need Help with Ace 250

[Bigcypresshunter]

I bought an Ace 250 but am having trouble with all the false dings. At least I think they are false. I will get a signal but when I sweep back it will be silent. It happens constantly and is very frustrating. Any suggestions?

 

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[drver]

I just tried out another tip I had seen someplace and it seemed to work.??.
I ran the cable from the coil straight up the shaft about six or seven inches and used a plastic zip strip to secure it, than started wrapping.
I don’t know if it really worked or if it was just a fluke but I had virtually no false signals.

 

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[Monty]

Sounds like it is operating perfectly normal to me. I get that same kind of one way signal with several different detectors. It invariably indicates a junk target. There are just a few targets that technology hasn't discovered ways of eliminating among those being those darn pull tabs and some bottle caps. Mine expecially goes astray over lids from wine bottles for instance. Monty

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

OK I will keep it for now. I am getting used to it. I just assumed it could tune out all ferrous.

 

[jernigan00]

I've taken mine out a couple times the last few days and have had a little more success. I reset it to factory specs as suggested and it seemed to give me cleaner hits on the display. Pennys were penneys. Dimes were dimes, Quarters ranged from 25c to 50c, and nickles were nickles and small aluminum junk. Of course all these hits were modern clad within 2 to 3 inches but atleast there was considerably less bouncing around the spectrum with each alert.

Is it my imagination, or does resetting it actually do something within the electronics such as elliminate any "bugs" in the system? I also turned it on with the coil in the air. That may have helped too.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Is it my imagination, or does resetting it actually do something within the electronics such as elliminate any "bugs" in the system? I also turned it on with the coil in the air. That may have helped too.

The instructions only say it returns to factory specs. but I will now reset every time, coil in the air, coil wire tied straight for a foot, and reduced sensitivity. I believe it has something to do with ground balancing. On disc. a bottle cap will be silent every time on a bench test, but will not tune out on the ground. Also a site with a lot of foil or aluminum pieces will be a problem. Do you have a pinpointer? It is a big help. Also I need more practice..

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I just tried out another tip I had seen someplace and it seemed to work.??.
I ran the cable from the coil straight up the shaft about six or seven inches and used a plastic zip strip to secure it, than started wrapping.
I don’t know if it really worked or if it was just a fluke but I had virtually no false signals.

I read on a Garrett site that the coil will actually pick up the metal in the cable if too loose.

 

[jernigan00]

I have heard a lot of good things about pinpointers and definately see where the advantage to its use is. The pinpoint function on the MD is ok at best but am looking to add the PP to my "trickey bag" of MD equipment (as us southern border guys call it).

Thanks for the info

 

[hollowpointred]

I have heard a lot of good things about pinpointers and definately see where the advantage to its use is. The pinpoint function on the MD is ok at best but am looking to add the PP to my "trickey bag" of MD equipment (as us southern border guys call it).

Thanks for the info

give it a while to get used to this machine. believe it or not, pinpointing on the ace 250 is actually quite good. i think your problems may have more to do with technique than a design flaw in the detector.

Is it my imagination, or does resetting it actually do something within the electronics such as elliminate any "bugs" in the system? I also turned it on with the coil in the air. That may have helped too.

The instructions only say it returns to factory specs. but I will now reset every time, coil in the air, coil wire tied straight for a foot, and reduced sensitivity. I believe it has something to do with ground balancing. On disc. a bottle cap will be silent every time on a bench test, but will not tune out on the ground. Also a site with a lot of foil or aluminum pieces will be a problem. Do you have a pinpointer? It is a big help. Also I need more practice..

i believe the 250 has a "set" ground balance that was pre set at the factory, so restarting the machine shouldnt effect ground balance at all. your results may have more to do with the sensativity setting instead of GB.

 

[jernigan00]

your problems may have more to do with technique than a design flaw in the detector

I have no doubt your right. The more anybody uses their machine, the more they learn, even its a
turn on-n-go machine like the ACE.

Thanks for the advice and info

 

[hollowpointred]

hey jernigan, check out this thread. it may be helpful.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,32816.0.html

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

i believe the 250 has a "set" ground balance that was pre set at the factory, so restarting the machine shouldnt effect ground balance at all. your results may have more to do with the sensativity setting instead of GB.

Do you have any idea why my Ace will properly discriminate steel bottle caps on a bench test (silent) but not always on clean ground in the same mode?

 

[hollowpointred]

i believe the 250 has a "set" ground balance that was pre set at the factory, so restarting the machine shouldnt effect ground balance at all. your results may have more to do with the sensativity setting instead of GB.

Do you have any idea why my Ace will properly discriminate steel bottle caps on a bench test (silent) but not always on clean ground in the same mode?

i wish i could answer that one cy, but i dont have a clue. you would think that if anything, it would be the other way around ( discriminating better in the ground than in air). my ace 250 doesnt always discrim every junk target out either. come to think of it, my GTI 2500 doesnt either. i guess the only answer i can come up with is that notch discrim technology still has a ways to go still to be 100% accurate. on both of my garrett machines, the discrim is good 90% of the time, but it cant always be trusted.

 

[drver]

[/quote]I read on a Garrett site that the coil will actually pick up the metal in the cable if too loose.
[/quote]

Yea it will, even if the loose part is half way up the shaft that’s why the zip strips.

Went to the beach twice this weekend and dug some clad, pull tabs, steel twist caps and fishing weights...all sounded strong repeatable coin bell tones. Oh well I’m getting better at pinpointing.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Maybe I should not complain about finding old bottlecaps, some are worth money! 8)
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...blue&start=18&ndsp=18&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&sa=N

 

[dahut]

Your Ace 250 is a $200 detector. It does a lot for that price, but it isnt more than that. I have one and find its tendency to false notable. One of the problems is it is quite sensitive. I turn it down a bit, but it does like to announce things, sometimes if they are iffy. One remedy for this is to ensure it is a good signal by scanning it from various directions for repeatablity. Junk signals will be jumpy and inconsistent. Like all Garretts, it takes some getting used to. Once you have though, youll find it capable.

As for bottle caps, well, I dont know too many detectors that dont take a liking to some or another of them. Steel washers, too. Especially if you hunt in the lowered DISC modes. Large iron items will cause falsing, too, but it is usually noted by the fact that the cursor is jumping around, normally into the iron range and then back again. Also, the audio will blast and chop, but wont smoothly signal.

Try running in ZERO DISC for awhile and you'll see what a problem iron masking/overload REALLY is. The stuff is everywhere.

You tried the reset and you have strapped the cable to the shaft. Both good things.
The cable strapping is, oddly enough, very important. It does make a difference as you noted and I do it now to every detector. However, ensure it isnt so tight that you remove any strain relief. If you do THAT, you will soon have other problems with your coil.

The GB is preset and as such is made to function in average soil mineralization. If you live out west or in some of the cinder zones in the NE, etc., you may experience some trouble. There are those intrepid folks now who are adding external GB pots to their ACE, but I wouldnt call that a science yet, and Garrett schematics are notably scarce.

I personally wouldnt buy from Kellyco, but lots of folks do. I know of some who got defect models as new and had to go through the wringer to get it right. Whats done is done in your case. Mary Penson at Garrett can help a lot and is a sweetie. She's due to retire soon enough, so make sure you dont delay too long if you need help!

Bottom line: modern discrimination is both a blessing and a curse. It solves some problems and creates others in trying to to 'do it all'. I suggest you hunt in your old "fashioned ways", ie, in Jewelry and Relic modes for 30 hours or so - and in ZERO as much as you can tolerate. Avoid the Coins mode for the most part. In the end, youll learn more and it'll pay off in the long run..

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I am learning my unit and do not need to return it. I am now happy with it. It is so sensitive that it picks up those dimes and gold chains along with tiny pieces of aluminum. I am happy considering the price and have been successful of late. I will be posting some old silver finds found in a beach ditch as soon as I take pics.

 

[hollowpointred]

I am learning my unit and do not need to return it. I am now happy with it. It is so sensitive that it picks up those dimes and gold chains along with tiny pieces of aluminum. I am happy considering the price and have been successful of late. I will be posting some old silver finds found in a beach ditch as soon as I take pics.

glad to hear things are going a little better. i had a feeling you would start to like the ace a bit more once you got used to it. it is a fun machine!

 

[diggummup]

I am learning my unit and do not need to return it. I am now happy with it. It is so sensitive that it picks up those dimes and gold chains along with tiny pieces of aluminum. I am happy considering the price and have been successful of late. I will be posting some old silver finds found in a beach ditch as soon as I take pics.

Glad to hear the Ace is starting to work out for you.Also glad to hear about the silver on the beach in the trench last night when you called.Looking forward to seeing your finds.

 

[drver]

bigcypresshunter

I’m real glad you’re getting along with the Ace. Seems like you’re hitting well with it, and getting used to the qwarks.

Just one more suggestion, be careful what you decide not to dig!!! Last Sunday I was hunting a deep dry section of sand and got a hit on foil that would bounce to iron. I thought it was just a snack bag and almost didn’t dig, but something told me to dig it so I did. I pulled a cool looking dolphin pendant. I guess it’s not worth much but it looks good.

 

[dahut]

There is also some chatter on some of the Garrett forums that the 250 has been modified to be smoother and allow you to run the SENS close to wide open without all the "jitters." I dont know more about this. But it may be a reason to upgrade if true.