Trying to overcome an obstacle... need help

[mreese1849]

Hey guys, I have mentioned my problem before, but I am wanting to know a little more info. What is the halo effect exactly and what are some of your techniques for finding the target? I get really good signals, dig a nice plug and then no signal in the plug or hole after and I know im not slinging the target out of the hole. I dont have a pinpointer yet, but hope to get one soon. Several people have mentioned that this problem is caused by the halo effect.

 

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[Ism]

If you are in disc mode, old iron will behave this way. After you remove enough dirt, the object will disc out.
It could be on the side or in the bottom of the hole, best to recheck in all-metal.
The ends of a small iron bar, nail, or wire will ring loud like a target but the center will be almost silent.
This makes it appear as if you have 2 targets near each other.

 

[GrizLeeBear]

Take an iron object, like a small nail. Let it sit in the ground for half a century, undisturbed. It rusts and deteriorates. Yet, it is still a unit, more or less, held together by the ground. When you disturb the soil, the object falls apart and is suddenly no longer there. This can happen with the famous Zincoln pennies.

 

[mreese1849]

thanks guys, its been aggravating. I was starting to wonder if my detector was the problem lol im sure getting a pinpointer will help out one day.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

thanks guys, its been aggravating. I was starting to wonder if my detector was the problem lol im sure getting a pinpointer will help out one day.

Based on what you are saying, I do not think anything to do with any "halo effect", is causing you to not find your targets (ie.: "dissapearing" signals, and so forth). The halo effect is very minor (and often dispersed and gone the minute you pull soil out, etc...). So ... no ... that is not your problem in your dilema.

 

[olfacere]

I have to agree with Tom (he got to you first). I've read a large number of people who suggest that the halo effect is the cause for this and that mysterious behaviour, primarily because it's the only effect they know. The halo effect is widely misunderstood, so I'll describe it briefly, though it is almost certainly not your problem.

The halo effect proper primarily effects metals like iron and zinc, which particalise and disperse into the nearby soil. I recently dug up a nail that looked like it had a large ball of iron attached to it. When I scratched away at the ball, it crumbled as highly ferrous soil (obvious silicates mixed in with it). That is the real halo effect. The iron actually leeched into the soil and became dense enough to organise against itself in a crystaline manner. In effect, the nail became greater in volume.

There is also the wet cell effect. It is commonly mistaken for the halo effect, but only applies in the presence of water. When the ground is wet, a conductive (metallic) object will be electrically exposed to the less conductive ground matter, creating an extremely weak wet cell battery. When the energy from your search coil hits this battery, it responds as an electrical system instead of just a conductive object. So, the signal you get is bigger than the signal from the object by itself. That's why everything hits harder when the ground is wet.

There is also the loose soil effect. This is the one that is responsible for the disappearing behaviour and makes newbies' test beds fail. Natural ground is filled with minerals that have been electrically organised by draining water (because the water molecule is dipolar). In some soils, this makes the soil an even better field conductor than the air. When the soil is disturbed, the minerals become disorganised, which causes a scattering effect on the field, and air pockets are introduced into the soil, which causes electromagnetic fields to try to worm their way through the paths the least resistance (the air pockets) instead of conducting through the soil. So, once the soil is disturbed, your potential detection depth can be cut by as much as half. That's why sometimes you can get a deep signal, start digging, it disappears, you keep digging, and it comes back.

As you can see, these soil effects are probably not your trouble. I would highly suggest getting a Garrett Pro Pinpointer whenever time and money permit. If you're pinpointing with a pinpoint feature built into your metal detector, try instead turning your sensitivity all the way down and using the old x-marks-the-spot technique (scan in short, tightly-spaced swings in one direction, then turn 90 degrees and scan in the other direction; keep your eyes on the ground, not the coil; mark the spot with your eyes when you're confident).

 

[mreese1849]

I have to agree with Tom (he got to you first). I've read a large number of people who suggest that the halo effect is the cause for this and that mysterious behaviour, primarily because it's the only effect they know. The halo effect is widely misunderstood, so I'll describe it briefly, though it is almost certainly not your problem.

The halo effect proper primarily effects metals like iron and zinc, which particalise and disperse into the nearby soil. I recently dug up a nail that looked like it had a large ball of iron attached to it. When I scratched away at the ball, it crumbled as highly ferrous soil (obvious silicates mixed in with it). That is the real halo effect. The iron actually leeched into the soil and became dense enough to organise against itself in a crystaline manner. In effect, the nail became greater in volume.

There is also the wet cell effect. It is commonly mistaken for the halo effect, but only applies in the presence of water. When the ground is wet, a conductive (metallic) object will be electrically exposed to the less conductive ground matter, creating an extremely weak wet cell battery. When the energy from your search coil hits this battery, it responds as an electrical system instead of just a conductive object. So, the signal you get is bigger than the signal from the object by itself. That's why everything hits harder when the ground is wet.

There is also the loose soil effect. This is the one that is responsible for the disappearing behaviour and makes newbies' test beds fail. Natural ground is filled with minerals that have been electrically organised by draining water (because the water molecule is dipolar). In some soils, this makes the soil an even better field conductor than the air. When the soil is disturbed, the minerals become disorganised, which causes a scattering effect on the field, and air pockets are introduced into the soil, which causes electromagnetic fields to try to worm their way through the paths the least resistance (the air pockets) instead of conducting through the soil. So, once the soil is disturbed, your potential detection depth can be cut by as much as half. That's why sometimes you can get a deep signal, start digging, it disappears, you keep digging, and it comes back.

As you can see, these soil effects are probably not your trouble. I would highly suggest getting a Garrett Pro Pinpointer whenever time and money permit. If you're pinpointing with a pinpoint feature built into your metal detector, try instead turning your sensitivity all the way down and using the old x-marks-the-spot technique (scan in short, tightly-spaced swings in one direction, then turn 90 degrees and scan in the other direction; keep your eyes on the ground, not the coil; mark the spot with your eyes when you're confident).

Wow, you guys have some really great info. I really need to get a pinpointer but I just dropped so much money on the explorer lol. I mean it really just stumped me two times in a row about 15 feet apart. I would have a really strong and consistent signal and as soon as I dig down so far it would literally disappear and I made sure that I kept the plug and all the dirt together and ran it all over the coil.

 

[heathgeo]

Yep pinpointers are a must at times...
You can get a cheap one that does work...
When I started I bought a centech pinpointer off eBay for like $15..
It works ok... not as great as a Garrett but it gets the job done... it will find a coin in a pile of dirt or in a hole within a 1 1/2"- 2" radius of the probe...
Later when you have the money you can order a Garrett...

 

[mreese1849]

Yep pinpointers are a must at times...
You can get a cheap one that does work...
When I started I bought a centech pinpointer off eBay for like $15..
It works ok... not as great as a Garrett but it gets the job done... it will find a coin in a pile of dirt or in a hole within a 1 1/2"- 2" radius of the probe...
Later when you have the money you can order a Garrett...

yeah thats funny you mention that. I almost went to harbor freight and bought one for 17 bucks lol I wasnt sure if it would be worth it or not.

 

[heathgeo]

yeah thats funny you mention that. I almost went to harbor freight and bought one for 17 bucks lol I wasnt sure if it would be worth it or not.

Yeah they work OK....
Its not a Garrett but it gets the job done lol
And it will tie you over until you can afford a better one...
In fact my 14yr old uses the centech when he goes out with me...

 

[olfacere]

There are a lot of pinpointers that can do about or almost as good of a job as the Garrett Pro Pointer for less money, but they all seem "delicate." The Garrett PP is durable, has a good feel in the hand, and I'm not afraid to shove it into a pile of dirt recklessly (at least I don't worry about damaging the pinpointer). I started with the PP because I wanted to buy only one pinpointer and never think about upgrading (maybe get another of the same, but not have to upgrade). So far, mission accomplished.

 

[mreese1849]

There are a lot of pinpointers that can do about or almost as good of a job as the Garrett Pro Pointer for less money, but they all seem "delicate." The Garrett PP is durable, has a good feel in the hand, and I'm not afraid to shove it into a pile of dirt recklessly (at least I don't worry about damaging the pinpointer). I started with the PP because I wanted to buy only one pinpointer and never think about upgrading (maybe get another of the same, but not have to upgrade). So far, mission accomplished.

Yeah that will definitely be my next metal detecting purchase.