Am I just learning something you veterans already know?

[Ism]

I was playing with the Sov and searching my yard with the new SEF coil yesterday to see how it worked before the rain came pouring down.
I went to pinpoint in all-metal but unknown to me, I had my all-metal switch in FIX. Imediatly I noticed the difference in target response and decided to do some testing.

I found that most good targets make an ooh-wee-ooh sound while foil, tabs, and slaw (thin objects), make a wee-ooh-wee sound.
I have been checking it in the field and its been really accurate for average depth targets.

My point is I can now dig VDI numbers that are solid objects like rings while ignoring the tabs. Screw caps are the spoiler.

Its not an exact science but it allows me to check the target and dig those that I would have ignored before.
ie. it improves my chances of digging a gold ring

 

[John(Tx)]

an old song, "My friend the Witch Doctor" by David Seville back in the 60's...Just had to say that but thanks for the tip, you might have something there....HH

 

[Ism]

LOL, yeah and "Walk like an Egyptian". I guess I should have made the point that the tone rises over a dense target and drops over a low density like foil.

 

[GunnarMN]

yes , coins laying flat will make the high in the middle in fixed all metal , and tabs low, but gold rings will also make the low, but a nail stiking up will make the high like a coin and a coin on edge will make the low BUT the fixed all metal is the master of minearalized ground make sure you keep the sens lower for better depth and clarity of respons bcause to much sens blurs the signal if you want deep the pinpont is very deep dig the round sounds iron will make a more drawn out response or dubble beep also keep the sense from 2/00 ocklock back to 3 for best depth if you carank it to 1;00 it may lose depth the SOV makes fun of mineralized rock i put it over a hot rock that made the gold bug chirp and the GT was silent night , but get a silver in that nasty stuff and it will shine thru like the morning sun may you make some great finds Gunnar

 

[bootyhoundpa]

interesting observation,i rarely hunt inall metal so i will have too check that out....i believe the meter only works in disc mode,yet another accessary i rarely use....thanx for sharing...

 

[Ism]

I have been switching from disc to all-metal to pinpoint. I did some more thorough testing at home. I am finding is more of a high conductor/low conductor similar to the discriminating Pulse induction detectors.

I have a small gold plated ring for testing and it comes in low, so do nickles and lead so there are good targets that could be missed. But it seems to be a good way to eliminate digging some trash that VDI's in the upper range.

Sorry, In my excitement of this accidental discovery, I jumped the gun when I thought it was based on mass.
Funny thing I dug an iffy signal and it was a nickle on edge but I used the FIX to determine if I should dig.
Now as I study it, a nickle on edge simulates a high conductor but when laying flat it is low conductor.

 

[deepdiger60]

n/t

 

[deepdiger60]

I found a video that has just about all the sounds the GT makes , this on is on a beach listen to the large differance the GT makes when it is over a silver dime comparded to clad coins and other targets . Good video Jim
http://youtu.be/Wpk2zPaEBWE

 

[Tin Fin]

Deepdiger - Nice video - thanks for that.

Ism - thanks for bringing this subject up. It's these kinds of things that make this forum so good. It gives me more to think about, if not now, then later.

 

[Critterhunter]

I remember somebody who hunted in all metal alot (not PP I don't think, but all metal) saying that there was a cutoff point at nickles, and that targets below it in conductivity will sound one way while those above it will sound another. Can't remember the difference, but I think it was a high/low versus a low/high as you passed the target, or vise versa.

 

[Ism]

I feel like an idiot for leaping before studying. I thought Hi/Lo conductor was unique to PI units and was rather blown away that the GT had this function (I never use all metal with VLF except pinpointing).
Hi/Lo conductor can be very helpful for specialized hunting and knowing that the GT has this ability just made it an even better detector. The fact that it behaved like my Whites TDI should have been an indicator of it's abilities.

 

[Critterhunter]

Did you read the how-to link somebody posted on hunting in all metal with a Sovereign in relatively clean areas with deep target potential? They would then switch to discriminate and wiggle over that deep spot to see if they got any kind of response but a null...And then dig if they did. I've tested fringe coin signals. Mostly the GT will ID a coin just about all the way to it's very fringe edge of detection depth (by wiggling over the target), but there is say that last little 1/4 to a half an inch or so of further depth that will only produce lower tones and mid range VDI numbers that don't lock onto anything (if they did lock on to one number then that's an indicator that it's trash within detection range).

I've thought about starting to dig these very fringe/deep signals that can only muster changing low VDI numbers and lower tones (they do have some high coin tones mixed in with them here and there I think from memory that might be a clue to it being a coin). At clean sites with deep targets it might be interesting to see what pops up.

The key is that they should first have the above traits...And that they don't sound loud enough to where they should be well within detection range and so shouldn't be giving you these problems. If it sounds loud enough to be within range yet the VDI is moving around down there in no where land then it's probably trash that is ununiform in shape and so that's why the VDI keeps floating around. But, if they sound like a whisper at the outter fringes of detection depth and are not locking into a VDI number and staying low (from memory I think in my tests they'd range in like the 115 to 150 range of VDI numbers or so and never stay long an any number), then it might be interesting to start digging these signals and see what gives.

Try it yourself...Put a coin on the ground and start wiggling at it from far away. You don't want to come close and get the VDI to lock because it will tend to stay locked on the right number. That's where these air tests aren't very accurate for one thing. You need to come at it from far away and stop when it just starts to muster a response and wiggle there. Notice the number ranges it floats around in and the audio traits. Remember those and use it for digging that stuff in a clean site that might have real deep coins in it.