Signals keep jumping around

[OBXmetalDet]

Last weekend, I went detecting in a wooded area in Northern Virginia. I figured the best detect mode to use would be Field 2. My sensitivity was around 15.


I kept having issues where it seemed like the target/signal kept jumping around. I would dig a signal, then then signal wouldn't be there.


When I scanned the dirt that I threw aside from the hole I dug (dirt pile 1), sometimes there would be a signal in dirt pile 1. Then when I would sift through it, I wouldn't find anything. I would scan dirt pile 1 again and no signal. As I went through dirt pile 1, I would throw aside some dirt (dirt pile 2).


After dirt pile 1 yielded nothing, I would scan dirt pile 2 and sometimes get a signal only to find nothing as I went through it.


This cycle kept going on and on. I would find nothing in the original hole I dug. I would also find nothing in the dirt piles I threw aside.


What is happening here?

 

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[ticndig]

Hot rock signals are common in Va.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Hot rock signals are common in Va.

I've never heard of that. What is that?

 

[Tony in SC]

I've never heard of that. What is that?

Some areas have hot rocks, rocks that a detector will pick up, because of the mineral arrangement. Another thing is ion migration, iron will leach into the ground and form a halo that some detectors will pick up even after the iron is gone.

 

[ticndig]

I've never heard of that. What is that?

when you dig down in Va and you're in orange clay the ground is often hot and will false signal. sounds good until you dig then it's gone.

 

[pepperj]

If you try the area again in the future maybe turn the sensitivity down.
As stated hot rocks will produce a signal.
It depends on the detector, and what settings are being used.
I have had some detectors detect every hot rock. Same spot different detector only a few, and the same ID for them.

What detector were you using?

 

[ticndig]

I had an old whites detector that beeped on horse manure , minerals in the horse feed I assume

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Some areas have hot rocks, rocks that a detector will pick up, because of the mineral arrangement. Another thing is ion migration, iron will leach into the ground and form a halo that some detectors will pick up even after the iron is gone.

This is interesting. I have never heard of this before, but then again I'm a novice. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

I'll try reducing the sensitivity next time.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

when you dig down in Va and you're in orange clay the ground is often hot and will false signal. sounds good until you dig then it's gone.

This really sucks.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

If you try the area again in the future maybe turn the sensitivity down.
As stated hot rocks will produce a signal.
It depends on the detector, and what settings are being used.
I have had some detectors detect every hot rock. Same spot different detector only a few, and the same ID for them.

What detector were you using?

Aside from turning down the sensitivity, if I were to discriminate out certain metals that should work right? If so, which metals/target IDs should exclude?

I'm using a Minelab Equinox 800.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

I had an old whites detector that beeped on horse manure , minerals in the horse feed I assume

That would suck. Getting faked out by horse shit.

 

[pepperj]

I had an old whites detector that beeped on horse manure , minerals in the horse feed I assume

My Deus 1 with the High Frequency coil.
Cow patties were a lovely tone.

After flopping, flipping, the floppers a few times, I caught on that it was falsing on the floppers.

 

[mjb Mike]

Just a thought.Last week I went out detecting using the same machine ive used for 6 years kept getting all kinds of weird signals.very erratic would get a hit dig some signal would move or go away.After about an hour of this thought my detector was the problem.after fighting it for a while started to eliminate things one by one. well it turned out to be my new water proof rubber boots i just got.no steel toe but I think they were made with some type of wire in the sides to make the sides stiffer.

 

[mjb Mike]

now when i buy boots i bring my detector and run it over them out side first.the bigger stores wont let you do it but most of the smaller places will.