big hole - no coin???

[Anonymous]

I keep getting a good signal high right, 27 or so, also has a good pin point, but no coin, I just dug a whole 7" wide and 18" deep and still have the same signal, what is going on???. this is about the 5th time it has happened in my 4 days of detecting with the XS, I was at a fair grounds today and dug three holes good sounds good cross hairs and would pin point nicely, and showed about 4 to 6 inches in depth. yet no coin and still had the signal and I dug about 12 inches and about 5 inches across, didn't want to dig a foxhole and get thrown out of the park, I would think I would get a coin. Why is the XS giving me such a false signal?? I did find some coins but in a quandry as to why I am getting such a good high sig and nothing in the hole, dug one last week down over two feet and still kept gettng a sig. only went that deep because I was frustrated. I thought maybe a coin was in the side of hole so I widened it to about 10 inches and finally gave up but still got a sig from center of hole. Help????? Ken

 

[Anonymous]

Ken, Sounds like you might of be digging an aluminum can on end. I dug one that was 2 foot deep. Sounded and read in the 27-28 range. If you can pick up the coil 6 inches off the ground and still get a good signal, it's usually a large item. I hope this helps. GARY

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Gary, any comments are welcome at this point. I was so frustrated today. I am in a large county fairgrounds built in the 40's and hunted very little, am getting really good signals and I talked to the park supt and he said go ahead and hunt, but I don't want to dig foxholes like i said. Could be really good hunting. I have to figure out what is going on to try to learn when to dig and when not to dig. but three out of 5 sigs and no coin are not good odds. thank for your help, your suggestion really has merit. Ken
t

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

what is that and how much, this XS sells for over $1200 making it about the highest on the market, what is it I need now??!!

 

[Anonymous]

It is a pinpointing probe that is like a small coil.It is unique in that it works through your detector.You hear it through your headphones and it uses whatever disc setup you have on your explorer.Like if you get an iffy signal that you think you should check,when you pop a plug and stick your probe down there,if it nulls out like nails then it is junk and you can put the plug back and move on.With a regular probe they are all metal and you do not know what it is till you find it.Most pinpointing probes only go 1 inch deep.The Sunray X-1 probe goes 3 inches deep on a coin sized object.It really speeds up your recovery time.
I used to dig bottomless pits like you are,and finally give up on them even though I knew something was there.Not anymore,I don't think I could go with out it.Alot of times I will dig a hole and stick the probe in and it will be in the side of the hole.The very first day out after I got my probe I went to a spot I have hunted before and got a good signal in a spot where I had previously dug a plug.I popped the plug back out,stuck the probe in and got a signal in the side of the hole.Out popped a nice indian head penny.
I don't even have an 8 inch coil yet,just the stock one.I don't have much money and really couldn't afford the probe when I got it.But I just knew how much happier it would make me with the Explorer and how much it would boost my confidence level in the Explorer.I would just get so frustrated digging a hole to china and not finding anything.Well I haven't regretted buying the probe for one second.It is so great,hard to really tell you how great it is till you try one.
I bought mine from Guvner,but you can buy them directly from Sunray.I posted a link to the findmall page giving you the info on them.
Let me also say when you get some more hours in on your explorer,it will all start to click better.And you don't HAVE to have the probe.But no matter what your experience level is the probe is a big asset,one that no other brand of detector has.It really does put the fun back into detecting.HH,Ric

 

[Anonymous]

I think gary is correct about the can,chromed auto parts will do it too.Raise up on a can you can see.Mine will false off my beach scoop unless its stuck in the back of my belt..xs will probably hit a volkswagon 8 ft deep...cs

 

[Anonymous]

thanks Ric that was really good info, I appreciate you giving so much time. I will look into it, but my budget is really low right now, as i also bought a GP and am going out to Nev to do some gold detecting or at least getting some experience and then will probably go on down to norther AZ later this winter, thanks again, Ken

 

[Anonymous]

guess that means the depth indicator might not always be that accurate, oh well, I guess I could use an old VW, thanks Ken

 

[Anonymous]

Buy yourself a good 10 inch brass probe. Under $10 and if its a deep can like object at the bottom of your hole you will soon know.If not then its either a coin on edge thats really giving you problems. Since I have had the xs and learned it quite well there has only been one time a coin really fooled me by alot. The key in the last statement was once I learned it well. Since it happens to you quite often it is obviously one of 2 things. 1, either your site which is loaded with deep large trash items, or 2, A little more practice and there will be know trouble. What is your method of pinpointing? If you try to pinpoint like a concentric coil your in big trouble. How high is your sense? You may want to drop it down a bit until you start to recover more targets. My biggest problem when I started was to go full blast , high everything and get all them 15 inch coins I missed. My buddy just bought an xs and I tought him in one day what it took me a month to learn.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks CC, I am learning and i pinpoint by making the X, sometime I go out of pp and then come back and repinpoint until I have a fix on a spot. But I think sometime there are two or three coins in the area an it really messes up the pp or the pp seams to move after I start digging. I don't get anything so I get up and detect the sounds to make sure and then re-pinpoint and the center has moved to the edge, I have had it move a couple of times, which I don't understand unless it has something to do with the halo effect. Sometime I get a nice high ring and a pinpoint and I start the dig, but I can't find anything, so when I re detect the high pitched sound is gone, but the pinpoint is still there, except I just can't find anything, so I usually just give up. thanks for your help. Ken

 

[Anonymous]

Ken,
Give something a try and see what you think on pinpointing. I do this both in disc and in pinpoint.
When I get the signal I will move the loop back while going side to side untill the signal is gone, then go back forward untill it comes back and I will see than that the target is on the tip of the loop. Now turn while looking at that spot where it pinpointed and come at the target again and it should be in that same spot or close to it. If it isnt try turning again 90 degrees and see where it shows up as it should show up in the same area or close to it. Now if there is junk close to it you may get that while turning , but 2 of the ways it should cross and be in the same spot. Like I say I do this in disc too to see if it is a good signal too as iron will give a good response one way and after you turn and come at it at a 90 degree angle it may not or any other way. I will even go one step futher if it was a iffy signal and after pinpointing I will hold the loop still and switch to disc and wiggle it a little and if it nulls out it probably rusty iron.
I can pinpoint real nice this way and have saved some digging time by checking out the signal more before i dig.
Good Luck
Rick

 

[Anonymous]

I had same thing happen couldn't find coin with my pinpointer, I made hole bigger on back side and silver quarter fell out on edge

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again Rick, these pointers really help, I have a fairgrounds within a couple of blocks of where I live so I can go over there and practice. Found 2 rings, (but they were kids,thougt I had something for a minute) and 2 quarters, 4 pennies and 2 dimes but all were 1983 or better, but I am sure there is older stuff as I learn to identify it. It sure is a nice practice area where i can take your suggestions and practice. I am getting a lot of signals but some I am reluctant to dig. I get a clear high sig but the cross hairs will bounce or I get three or four sounds in one little area, nice and high and mostly on right but maybe one of them close to black on right. But when I go to pinpoint it is really difficult or I get kind of a close double sig and kind of weak. They also show deep, i.e. 8" or more but even the depth indicator jumps around. These are the one that I was getting the big hole and no coin, so coin might be deeper. ALSO how come I get a good pin point and I dig out a bit and the sig at the hole is gone, there is nothing in the dirt but the sig has moved to the edge, I dig that and same thing and the sig has moved to edge again, there is nothing in the dirt and I am chasing a phantom signal????. But I am getting a lot better, when I hit the quarter the sound was so clear and nice I knew I had a quarter. Question, are the newer phoney coins what you call "clad"?? I would at least like to dig the older stuff at least 73 or earlier. AGAIN, THANKS A MILLION FOR YOUR HELP. KEN.

 

[Anonymous]

I have had that too, am learning but the XS sure has a large learning curve.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll try to explain it best I can. Its really pretty easy. Once I get a signal i move the coil aside and go into pinpoint mode. I then procede to go left to right (3 or 4 swings) and stop where the tone hits. At this point you know where the (for lack of a better term) the crosswise axis is. Next , from this point I move the coil forwards and backwards until I hit the signal and it pinpoints each time. During the front and back swing you will be moving the coil slightly side to side to get the signal lined up. Once its hitting front to back I recheck my side to side. Now I figure I'm almost exactly right on the spot and do a tight series of swings side to side and front to back. This was a very long explanation for something that is so easy to do. If you try it I'll bet in half an hour you will have it down. I might also mention that the pinpoint works great front to back but scanning the hole isn't so good with that method. I can relate to what you said about pinpointing where there is alot of targets. Its very tough with the stock coil. Sometimes pinpoint will be totally useless in this situation and a guess in disc will be your only choice. Perhaps raising your coils to narrow the signal might help too. Also, how deep are the targets at this site? If you cranked your sense way down you might not get so much intereference from other targets.

 

[Anonymous]

Ken,
This is why I like to check the signal in disc and pinpoint from differnt angles to make sure it is a good signal and I have pinpointed in the right spot. Some of the signal you are hearing may be falses from iron and this is why it moves and you cant find it.
On the newer coins you are finding I bet you notice a better sound to them and they will stay in the same area.
I have notice the newer coins or the ones that are not that deep lock right on and I know they are coins, but the deeper coins will not lock on like this I have found and you have to listen more and go slower.
Yes the newer coins we call clads.
Good luck
Rick

 

[Anonymous]

I know, I am finding the coins closer to the surface are nice and clear and pinpoint nice, the iffy signals (iffy to me) are difficult to pinpoint and when I do dig, I never find anything, maybe I am not going deep enough or I am not getting my PP precise enough. I am not sure what I have, but didn't want to dig the foxholes on the fair grounds, I am getting a lot better and your help is really appreciated. Thanks, I have to get some good advice as as what the deeper older coins sound like and how to really recognize them. and especially pinpoint. Think there is probably some trash around and I don't get a very good PP, most of the time the PP signals are mixed and are several in the area and I cannot get a very precise reading. I will get it figured out. I know I am backing off a lot of good digs in the park, Yesterday I dug 5 quarters 8 dimes about a dozen pennies ( i finally recognized the pennies and stopped digging them although I did get three wheats) AND I did get two good dimes a 1942 and a 1943 (and these were in almost perfect condition) but the rest was all new stuff, so I am sure I am passing over the good stuff, but I will get there, thanks again for all your help, Ken