Changing strategy to hunt that yellow metal :detecting::thumbup:

[Ytcoinshooter]

A few freshwater finds and not a single coin! Obviously this swimming area had been recently well hunted. Not to go home totally skunked yesterday I decided to try something learned from testing. I turned iron audio on and set about looking for small elusive gold chains. Some water units will hardly peep if anything on small gold chains like this 4 dwt (6.3 gram) bracelet I found. I know small chains can bounce between an upper iron range grunt and a weak mid tone on this ATPro and other sensitive VLF's. Some really small chains wont even blip a mid tone. The lobster claw & jump ring is marked .750 and passed the acid test, the rest of the bracelet is positive for 14K via acid test. I've found chains before that had gold clasps and bogus (non-gold) links. I think the small earring is .925 but haven't checked. Because this was large swimming area I opted for the stock 11" coil for coverage. I found mounted on the straight shaft that it was easier to sweep it underwater. There's no doubting its sensitivity and because freshwater vegetation was absent from my search area it was a good choice.
I would like know if many others chase those targets that present as iron with an occasional mid tone beep in the foil range? It may not be practical to do on turf. I also brought the iron disc down to 30 to get my attention with more mid tone bouncing to investigate. Lastly, I'm considering those grey ghost U/W headphones. Fortunately I don't have the need to pack anything between the piezoelectric and my ear...I'm a bit thick headed!

The photo with the shadows seems to show the markings better.

The quarter is just for scale.
Gotta love this sport for all its surprises and rewards.
HH-Bruce

 

[mudpuppy]

Great find! And Great strategy, people would do well to pay heed of your post...I leave the house thinking "gold chains" and focus on those signals you mentioned. scratchy gum wrapper, tiny signals, gone when you liift the coil ever so slightly...those are the ones...most of the time its foil of course, very small foil too I might add. Its a good strategy, most people can and will hit a ring using just about any old detector, with that big solid signal and all...but I would guess most would not hit a chain, and if they did, they would not dig it on account of such a crappy signal, which means theres some out there that have been overlooked quite a few times ..good to know the 'Pro will hit them..I'll try dropping disc to 30 as well...even though I usually get started in the dark, and just count to "10" when holding the disc button which puts me at 40.
Mud

 

[Ytcoinshooter]

Great find! And Great strategy, people would do well to pay heed of your post...I leave the house thinking "gold chains" and focus on those signals you mentioned. scratchy gum wrapper, tiny signals, gone when you liift the coil ever so slightly...those are the ones...most of the time its foil of course, very small foil too I might add. Its a good strategy, most people can and will hit a ring using just about any old detector, with that big solid signal and all...but I would guess most would not hit a chain, and if they did, they would not dig it on account of such a crappy signal, which means theres some out there that have been overlooked quite a few times ..good to know the 'Pro will hit them..I'll try dropping disc to 30 as well...even though I usually get started in the dark, and just count to "10" when holding the disc button which puts me at 40.
Mud

Yes Mud you nailed it. Why pack, drive and gear up just find the coins an rings are not there? So I tried to take advantage of what the Pro is saying and other detectorists passing on these signals. I'm going to try a couple of hours today at another lake. You know I tested that chain on the Excalibur and the Pro has the advantage (in freshwater) due to the expanded iron resolution. Hunting in Pinpoint the Excalibur will whimper on it enough to know something might be there and I'd disc so slight if I'm right on it in fresh water or a place with no false signals. Ill play around with the CZ another time to compare the 3. Time to bolt out, have scoop will travel.
Great figaro chain Mud!!!
Thanks & HH
Bruce

 

[William-NM]

Way to turn a slow day into a gold day, Bruce! Thanks for the tips, lots of good info there.

 

[mudpuppy]

You are right about not going after that signal much in the dirt...unless its at the edge of a BB court, totlot or something out of place..just too much trash, but in the water or sand, heck yeah! I just got back from being out since 5am, worked about 10 miles of sand...maybe I'll have to head back out..should be a great weekend to hunt, Good Luck Bruce!
Mud

 

[fongu]

Nice finds and great chain, YTCS.
I've never had any gold hit over 67 and the silver rings are mid to high tone. Most of the loud targets are bottle caps, pull tabs and pop tops with a little iron thrown in. When I get that intermittent sound, it's usually a chain. Not always, sometimes it's just a pile of junk targets with different conductivity. Some of the deeper gold rings I've found didn't even show up on the digital display, just that little pip or tone that lets you know something is deep and it's worth digging. I have had a range of the high 30's to mid 80's when different targets are within the same area and dig a gold ring. I go by the pip or the tone more than anything and I'm seldom disappointed. I do have more success with the 8.5 X 11 than the 5 X 8, tho. One number I never ignore is 53 on my DVI. It might be a nickel, pull tab or gold ring.

 

[BigCatDaddy]

You got the right idea!! You gotta go after everything in the water, even if it's a rough scratchy signal. I get excited when I get those high 30's low 40's cuz I know they can be gold!!

 

[M_d_in_guy]

what a great thread with so much experience in it, I love your idea Yt, very nice hit on the chain, congrats.

With this being the last weekend of the summer there may be more bounty out there lol.

Cheers and HH all

Jon

 

[fongu]

I'm hoping there is a large crowd at the river this Labor Day weekend and they leave me some great finds. Two other detectors are hitting this place and it's pretty cleaned out up to chest deep or so it seems. We haven't met yet, but the people at the park tell me about them. All of the jewelry I've found so far has been pretty deep except for one ring I found by eye when the water was down last year. HH.