Will gold produce a steady VDI or ???

[Roland58]

I've done some 'air' tests with some gold jewelery and the results were a pretty steady VDI, i.e. men's gold ring held steady around 33-34. Smaller gold dropped rapidly to the 24-26, but, once again, it did not bounce around. It this true in most cases in the field? Like nickels and tabs, if I get a steady 29-30 VDI from all angles, I can just about bet the farm on it being a nickel. But, if it jumps even a little bit up or down, invariably it will be a tab.

I know the ground mineralization, age in ground, wet/dry, depth, position all have a great influence on how it will read. I guess if you want it, you have to dig it all!!

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

As someone who was there seeing the very first TID's introduced to the market in 1983-ish to the present, let me put it to you this way:

The TID's on today's top-end machines, have not only simple up/down axis, but left right axis, graphs, tones, etc.... of any mix and match a person desires. Over the years, there have been many who have thought and tried to dicipher a pattern to the possible differences of where gold jewelry reads/sounds, verses where aluminum junk reads/sounds. It's tempting to think that there MUST be a pattern or consistency, because afterall, there's oodles of coordinates, sounds, consistencies of bounce, etc... that can occur for the myriad of targets sampled.

The end result, after over 25 yrs. of TID development, is that there is no magic formula, either by sounds, tones, TIDs, graphs, grids, etc... that can tell you the difference between gold and aluminum. This is because there is infinate sizes, shapes, weights, and karots of gold jewelry. And there is infinate possible sizes, weights, shapes, of aluminum shrapnel, bent tabs, foil wad thicknesses, etc.... And unfortunately, aluminum and gold share the same conductivity.

If anyone tells you differently (that gold has a certain "sound" or "tone" or "smoothness" or "repeatability", etc...), then do this: Quickly take that person out to the nearest blighted inner-city urban park, and turn them loose. See how much gold they dig up, while leaving most aluminum in the ground. I think you will see them abandon their theories

Yes, on an individual basis, you can see/hear the difference between a given gold ring, and a given foil wad. Granted. But so too is there a "difference" between each foil wad too. And so too is there a difference between each piece of gold jewelry too. And if you ever dig a gold ring, from amidst a sea of tabs and wads, you will undoubedly think "this one sounded different!", and set about trying to determine how this sounded "different". But all that is is mind tricks of selective memory. Every time we stop to dig, we subconsciously think "this one sounds different". But when we pull up a foil wad or tab, we think to ourselves "yeah, come to think of it, it did sound kind of junky" But when we finally find a gold item, we selectively remember our premonition and think "aha!! I knew it sounded different".

It's the same psychology of thinking our dreams come true. We dream hundreds of dreams a night, and promptly forget them all upon waking up. But if coincidentally a single one comes true (you hear that song on the radio you dreamed about), you remember just that one dream, and think "gee, I'm psychic!". Same trick going on.

 

[Silver Searcher]

I'm glad I don't have a readout screen on my detector why anyone would want to rely on one I don't know.I have dug 5 different Ancient Gold items, and I can honestly say that there was never a doubt in my mind that I was going dig, any of the signals.

They all sounded good, most were at a decent depth, and there was nothing iffy about any of the signals in the headphones, so why trust a screen what you dig or a number and as for air tests, they don't reflect, what the machine performs to in the field.

SS

 

[Roland58]

Tom, thank you for an excellent post. You said every word I figured was coming. I appreciate your time to respond. One of these days that foil, nickel or tab target will result in something gold. That is the fun and challenge of this great hobby......I truly love every second of it!

SS, thank you, as well. Being a newbie, I still look at the VDI on my F75 when I get a good target signal (even if it is weak), however, I know not to rely on it. Digging a quarter signal did result in a very pretty silver ring today (see Today's Finds). I'll continue to pursue the gold one!!!