I didn't even realize that I was doing this until I had occasion to think about it. When I get a weak or brief signal that does not repeat very well, I flip to the VCO pinpoint, find the center of the target and THEN switch back and swing over it and see what kind of signal I get when I am over the center. My experience has been that when it's something "good" that the signal improves, as I am not directly over the object, it just may be very deep or narrow (as if on edge). When the signal moves significantly or does not get noticeably better typically the target is bad.
This is especially useful if running high manual sensitivity, which will give you more falsing. Using the VCO is a quick way to eliminate signals that may be caused by falsing.
Is this 100% foolproof? Nope, but it works consistently enough that I find myself doing it without even thinking. As always, if you suspect the signal may be good... dig it. The best discriminator is a shovel.
This is especially useful if running high manual sensitivity, which will give you more falsing. Using the VCO is a quick way to eliminate signals that may be caused by falsing.
Is this 100% foolproof? Nope, but it works consistently enough that I find myself doing it without even thinking. As always, if you suspect the signal may be good... dig it. The best discriminator is a shovel.