Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: Depth of target
jgowans wrote:
I have a simple Radio Shack detector that is a step above on and off. It has a sensitivity setting and a discriminator.
My question is how do I determine the depth of the target without digging too deep? I usually carry a screw driver with me to pop shallow items out.
I figure I could test on objects and lift the coil to see when it stops but I think the ground will vary the results on real targets.
Thanks
John G.
Hey John,
I would say the best way is to carry a handheld pinpointer around with you. That, and a dirt towel to place your dug dirt on. That way you can dig down, place the dirt and grass on the towel and try to figure out if the target is on the towel or still in the hole. It definitely helps out in the recovery process, especially with a detector that doesn't have a pinpointing or depth feature.
All you can really do on coin type targets is a simple air test. First get a quarter. Find a spot in your yard that is free of any signals on your machine. Lay the quarter on the ground at this spot and start stacking phone books, newspapers, magazines, or such, on top of the coin. Keep scanning over the stacked items, until you no longer get a "good signal". Now with a tape measure, measure the height of the stack. This will be a very rough approximation of your maximun depth on a coin type target. Now when out detecting, when you think you have a "coin signal", raise the coil up and keep scanning until you get the same borderline signal you had with the stacked books. You will have to sort of eyeball the distance your coil is from the ground. Let's say the stack of books was 9" high. And when you get a coin signal while hunting, you raise the coil up about 6" and the signal goes away, then the target should be about 3" down. Of course this would only apply to coin type targets, and will take some patience and practice., and of course there are numerous variables in the ground that will affect the results, but at least it is a crude way to guess the depth of a likely coin type target. If you are able to raise the coil more than the height of the stack of books, and still get a good signal, it most likely will be a bigger target than a coin. With a few little tricks like this, you might be surprised how much performance you can get from your machine. Also, listen carefully to the "quality " of the tone. A coin tone will be more "mellow" and a little longer than most trash items. You really can train your ears to hear the difference between coins and most trash. Also use headphones if possible. It makes hearing those subtle differences in the tones much easier. I hope some of this helps.
Or, you could just cut every plug you dig about 4 inches then scan the plug and the hole, if the target is in the plug, slow cut away the excess dirt from the plug, letting it fall back into the hole, until the target is recovered. if the target is still in the hole, dig an addition 2 inches out onto a ground cloth and repeat until the target is ends up on the cloth for recovery.
A hand held pinpointer, like the tiny tec is well worth the money. Check with mbartel (mike) here on the forum, he had a new Tiny Tec for sale recently (check the classified section) at a great price.
Thanks guys. I am just getting to know this unit and although it was cheap it still finds things. I never considered a dirt cloth. I usually try and save the plug but always end up losing dirt in the grass.
It's good to hear that someone's got an old TR type detector. Back in the 70's you would have to reduce your discrimination until you don't here your target, then increase discrimination a little until you just start hearing the signal. Then raise you coil off the ground until you don't hear the signal again. the distance between the coil and the ground will be your a proximate depth. There are other ways as well, but they are more time consuming.
OR: just do what others have said; get yourself a pinpointer, that is really the best way today, and the use of a ground cloth. Now don't think the old TR detectors is a bad machine, it's not by a long shot; the TR detector are geat in areas where not much trash would be found, like in wooded areas, where you would be looking for Relics and the such. This machine would most likely out do the newer machines. _________________ Metal detecting/Treasure Hunting
A Hobby for those with an Adventurous Heart and a Inquisitive Mind[/i]
The middle video on the main page of our website shows a very attractive man showing the proper way to dig a target and use a drop cloth. Using a drop cloth is a required for our club hunts.
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