better choice of detectors and coils for the operator's choice of tasks to be achieved. You're not alone, either, as I have encountered this many times through the years. All too often I meet people or have calls or e-mails, with questions about how to accomplish a certain 'mission,' but the problem often relates to them having a more modern detector with some of the popular features, such as Target ID or VDI numeric read-out. It's also often a lack of understanding of just what their detector is capable of doing as well as it's limitations. Modern features don't necessarily relate to all-purpose performance
Bunited2 said:
1st, I've had issues as far as detecting gold, everything rings up correct (silver $1's, 1/2's,1/4's, dimes, etc.).
When I tested a wedding ring set, it came up in foil but was not consistent, it could be in the 1st box, then
only sometimes the 2nd. I am aware it could be because of the configuration (a ring) could be the problem.
Most typically-found US coins are round in shape and are made up of pretty much the same alloy contents for their denomination or age. Generally we locate these round-shaped targets in mellow mineralized environments and laying flat-to-the-coil, so the consistent size, shape, alloy content and position to the coil is rather uniform and this can produce pretty consistent TID and VDI read-outs.
If the coin targets are positioned too deep for a strong signal to be processed, or are in an awkward angle to the coil, or are close to other metal targets or in challenging higher mineralized ground, the TID and VDI responses will be less accurate. By "less accurate" I mean they might read higher-than-normal, lower-than-normal, or be erratic and jumpy or inconsistent.
Rings can be a very different story, depending upon their size, shape, alloy content and position to the coil. A ring that is just a uniform round shape and laying flat-to-the-coil will often provide a tighter and more accurate VDI response. If it is canted on an angle to the coil, the response might or might not be consistent on repeat sweeps based upon the particular angle and how it is positioned relative to the search coil's sweep.
Also, if the ring is not a uniform shape, such as one that flares out and is wider at the top such as a wedding ring or other that has a setting for a stone, or maybe something like a school class ring or military ring, etc., then you have a mixed shape and possibly a mixed alloy content, depending upon what the ring, or ring parts, are made of. To add to the problem of finding gold jewelry, we have to keep in mind that the alloy content of the jewelry item can vary significantly. A 10K gold ring might have 10K gold, but that doesn't reflect on what percentage of the item is actually gold and what percentage is made up of other metals, or what they are.
Then to add to the confusion, we have to remember that not all 10K jewelry will read the same, or any other gold content percentages, because it will vary based upon the size and shape of the item. You could even take a dozen 14K gold rings, all round and uniform shaped w/o flares or stones or anything, and lay them all flat-on-the-ground, and still get a dozen different VDI or TID responses, simply based on the target's size. You could have a 14K baby's wing, a full-circle toe ring, a small child's ring, a larger child's ring, a small women's ring and a larger women's ring, and fit in the mix an average men's ring and larger men's ring, all round and 14K.
They can be as different as a 90% silver coin. All round, but different thicknesses and diameters to make a Seated Liberty Half-Dime, Dime, Twenty Cent Piece, Quarter, Half and Dollar. All round, flat, and of the same alloy content, but they 'read' differently due to their physical size [size=small](diameter and thickness)[/size].
Then, to make it even tougher for your Pioneer 505 to be accurate in it's identity, you don't have a VDI numeric read-out. That can give a tighter target conductivity response. Instead, you have a segmented Target ID with 9 segments. That means to 'fit' in a category a target must produce a discrimination 'signature' of conductivity that fits the designed-in 'range' to respond in that category. If a metal target's response is not centered in that segmented 'range' of conductivities, it can be jumpy as it is on the fringe of that Discrimination ID segment and an adjacent one.
So, combining the small portion of a jewelry items content as being gold, factor in all the other metal alloy mixes that can be used, plus any irregular shape of the targets and it's position to the coil's presentation and the depth [size=small](distance from the coil to target)[/size] and many detectors will not produce a tight, consistent TID or VDI read-out.
I have found small 14K child's rings in a woodchip playground that produced a response in the upper Iron to Low Foil range. Most typical women's and men's gold rings fall anywhere from Foil up through the older-style Pull Tab range [size=small](above a US 5¢ coin)[/size]. I have found two 24K gold rings, different sizes but both pure gold, that gave a 1¢ Cu
/10¢ TID reading. That's just gold rings. I have found a LOT of gold jewelry other than rigs, too, such as pendants and chains, earrings and broaches, and a beautiful gold cufflink in my favorite ghost town. Gold can, and will, read all over the place and sure to all the variables, it won't always respond with a nice and tight visual display.
Bunited2 said:
I got a 14 grain nugget and would never even see it.
Which search mode were you using, and what settings? Which search coil? I have two little 'pickers' in a small glass vile that I use for shows and seminars and instruction, and you would be surprised how many detectors, supposedly designed to
"find gold", either do not respond at all, or the little pickers have to be waved almost toughing the search coil or no more than maybe ¼" to ½" away from the coil.
Bunited2 said:
The area (I'm going back to in a few weeks) has nuggets.
Well, I wish you he best of success. Raw gold isn't the easiest target to find, and most of the time it is associated with higher mineralized ground, and varied ground make-up, too. Most of the time, but certainly not all of the time, I do my gold nugget hunting in an All Metal search mode with proper Ground Balance. There are times when I have had better success using the right detector in the motion-based Discriminate mode with even better success.
I do it with a model that features a true Zero Disc. setting to accept ALL metal targets, and in some uneven and problem ground it can be a little noisy in a Threshold-based All Metal mode, but I have opted for the Discriminate mode and that helped smooth out some of the 'noise' and I have done well. Still, electronic prospecting can be tough and calls for time and effort, patience, understanding the ground make-up and using a detector that is capable of proper ground mineral adjustment and All Metal search. Using a good search coil is also helpful, and my personal preference is for something in the 6" to 7": diameter size, and my best success has been with a round Concentric search coil.
I know, I know .... all the stuff we hear about using a Double-D coil and what they are supposed to do and that they are supposed to handle "bad ground" better might have you question this, but I use what works for me. I've only been detecting for 49 years, 5-and-a-half months, but I have done it avidly and I put in the time to learn all the detectors, and coils, I can. I was with a prospecting and metal detecting group back in '88 down in California and during the day, most of the club members headed off into the draws and hillsides and worked up out of camp in search of gold. Several of us hung around the camp and relaxed and talked about detectors and detecting.
One fellow asked about a new model I was working with and introducing, and specifically asked how it would do on finding nickels. Well, I grabbed the detector and had a nickel in my pocket to demonstrate, but I wanted to find a clean spot of ground. So, there in the middle of the campsite I walked away from a camp fire pit and searched for a clean spot of ground. Just about the time I thought I had a clean spot, I got a hit and the TID had a close-to nickel reading. He watched as I dug down to unearth a possible nickel. It wasn't.
He watched as I plucked a 5 dwt gold nugget at about 4", and a short distance from it I had an 8 dwt nugget. All of this was with a "Coin Hunting" detector with a preset Ground Balance using an 8" Concentric search coil. I did better than all the other club members combined, and I never had to hike up in the hills and draws in the heat! Those turned out to be some of the better gold nuggets I have ever detected, but most of the rest of them, pickers on up, were found using a Concentric coil at least 98% of the time.
Bunited2 said:
I have the stock 10" coil, I was thinking about getting a Magnum and/or a small coil, but I'm just concerned
about the units calibration. The place I'm going to is 3 hrs away and I just want to make sure all my guns
are loaded, as it were.
I thought the Pioneer 505 came with an 8" Concentric coil as the 'stock' coil?
If you hunt in trashier or brushier places, a smaller coil would be good. Make sure it is the
proper search coil for the model you have, not just any of the push-on connector coils will work well.
What do you mean by
"the units calibration?"
Bunited2 said:
Thanks too, I am actually looking for artifacts, along with nuggets.
I am searching sites that were surfaced mined, in the 1800's.
I just don't want to miss anything.
If you don't want to miss anything, then grid an area and work it clean. Use a detector with a Threshold-based All Metal mode and Ground Balance, then recover everything. EVERYTHING! You can also use a model that has a TRUE Zero Disc. setting to accept all metals in any ground mineral environment and use no rejection [size=small](Discrimination)[/size] and just recover it all.
Bunited2 said:
The area I'm going to is very remote in the Sierras, as far as trash goes it would be an
old artifact, no camping stuff, etc..
If people were there, it will have trash. A lot of equipment was transported to sites in crates, and that means you'll likely have iron nails. You can also have other ferrous and non-ferrous trash if people were there. Remember, too, that ARTIFACTS can be made of any type of metal, ferrous or non-ferrous.
Bunited2 said:
Any recommendations? I was thinking about sending it to 1st Texas for calibration.
If it is working properly, it might not require "calibration." Some models might not work properly if the search coil is "out-of-spec" and needs to be repaired or replaced, and it is possible to have to have some "calibration" to make sure some settings are correct for the processing used in the Discrimination mode for display purposes.
Most of the time, "calibration" we hear talked about pertains to detector models that have a factory preset Ground Balance and the detector is not "calibrated" well [size=small](preset GB is not functional)[/size] for the search coil supplied with the detector. Usually, to "calibrate" such a detector, they have to have ALL of the search coils that will be used on it so that they can tweak the GB trimmer internally so that all coils might be 'functional' even though some might just barely be set right and others have a GB that is just a bit off, but is workable, just not for peak performance.
That's why I personally prefer to have detectors in my own carry battery that have an automated GB or manual GB, or both, so that I can make sure I have a peak performance GB setting for the search coil I have mounted.
You have a Pioneer 505. A somewhat budget priced or entry level model that is best suited for casual Coin Hunting, especially in a more urban environment. If you are comfortable with it in and around down for chasing change, great! But if you want to get serious and do some real gold nugget hunting or come close to being an 'avid' detectorist and engaged in Relic [size=small](Artifact)[/size] Hunting, I would suggest getting an additional detector to complement the 505.
Monte
