Clothes line saves the day!

[Jim/ MacBeth SC]

Thanks Dahut,

I just double checked it. It's a 60 year old rabies tag. I'll keep an eye out for the other though.
Wish you weren't so far down the road. I'd love to hook up with someone for a day trip that I
could pester to show me how to work the discrimination and answer all my dumb questions.
It's rare that I can make a full sweep with the detector without it sounding off on iron or foil. Many
sweeps hit multiple targets. I need to get smart enough to make some of them shut up. LOL!
Warm regards, Jim

 

[dahut]

Thanks Dahut,

I just double checked it. It's a 60 year old rabies tag. I'll keep an eye out for the other though.
Wish you weren't so far down the road. I'd love to hook up with someone for a day trip that I
could pester to show me how to work the discrimination and answer all my dumb questions.
It's rare that I can make a full sweep with the detector without it sounding off on iron or foil. Many
sweeps hit multiple targets. I need to get smart enough to make some of them shut up. LOL!
Warm regards, Jim

The solution to such a congested search environment is not eliminating targets, but hearing them for what they are. The best way to do this is by 'gridding'. As the name implies, you block the area into sections and work each section thoroughly. I use stakes on 12 ft lengths of poly cord to do this.

Ideally, this is how one detects everywhere, but that is often impractical. Thanks to the fact that you are in your own backyard, you can take your time and do this. Considering your city and it's background and most importantly, the target suite recovered so far, it should be worth the trouble.

Since you are an 'oldschool returnee' to the hobby, lets emphasize that detectors like the Ace 250 have digital signal processing going on behind the scenes.
This means that with each coil sweep, the detector's electronics must react to, process and categorize all targets that pass beneath the coil.
Basically, you hold an industrial PLC or 'mini computer' in your hand each time you pick up that ACE.

As this processing occurs, there is a lag from signal to signal as the coil sweeps along. The faster you sweep, the more this has an effect. And just because you have a discrimination notch de-selected does NOT mean the detector is ignoring that block - it is only being silent as items are detected in that range.

All this has the effect of 'cross discrimination' between targets, which gives mixed signals... often without you knowing it. This is especially so when iron is around.
If a piece of iron and a coin are in proximity beneath the coil, for example, the two will come out looking like something else... and probably give erratic responses. The audio will "bing and bong," seem to cut in and out and the cursor will bounce around from iron to coin - or somewhere in between.
Meanwhile, you are left scratching your head. This could account for some of the 'dry holes' you mentioned earlier.

Gridding your search area will let you find the most targets, without overlooking anything. Yes, you will find more trash. But, you will be surprised how many good targets you find which were previously masked by that same trash.
In the end, you learn far more than you would by trying to outsmart those targets.

 

[cjw63]

You are a lucky rascal! You rascal Keep on swingin'!
Joe

 

[Jim/ MacBeth SC]

Hey Dahut,

Well, I read what you had to say and danged if it didn't seem to make sense. LOL!
There is no reason I can't try that on the clothes line area. I'm sure there are some
good targets still there and a lot of interference from iron (rusty nails) as well as some
foil. I'll try breaking the sections down and searching the area until I just flat run out
of signals. Your second from the last para is an apt description of my experiences
in the clothes line area. Thank you kindly for the explanation as well as the advice.
I'll let you know how it works out for me. Warm regards, Jim

p.s. Dahut, is there a preferred mode and sensitivity adjustment? All metal and the
factory setting of 6 on sensitivity, or start lighter and increase as targets are cleaned
out, or??? Thanks again kind sir! LOL!

 

[dahut]

Hey Dahut,

p.s. Dahut, is there a preferred mode and sensitivity adjustment? All metal and the
factory setting of 6 on sensitivity, or start lighter and increase as targets are cleaned
out, or??? Thanks again kind sir! LOL!

Yeah - go to all metal and sweep through the area before you do anything else. Some people will say I'm crazy but you want to get the feel of the iron load in the soil. Its a paradox that where there is iron, you should listen to it for a while. Don't be afraid of it - get to know it, where it is and how much is there.
This will really open your eyes to how iron affects the detectors response. Once you get this down, you will find yourself doing it away from home when you find the detector getting "squirrely" and erratic.

So for your space, I suggest you start out in all metal to "sample" your hunt area, but hunt in Jewelry mode at a sens of 5-6. Once you think you've gotten all the targets, go back to all metal and try it again.

 

[Jim/ MacBeth SC]

Hi Dahut,

We've got rain today and more forecast for tomorrow. I will however pick up some
line tomorrow to run the grids. I'm still trying to learn more about the property
we live on. I don't know much yet but I do know the property was settled prior to the
civil war. It's a 30 acre plot. Some time well after the civil war, a lot of silver was
found by my friends grandparants when they tore down the old chicken coop. It was
burried underneath it. They turned a lot of it over to the musem for display and
it's still there two generations later. Very little is known about the earlier location of
things other than I have located the foundation of the big house that burned about
60 years back. There was also a caretakers cottage that would have been well over
a hundred years old now. I know the general location of where that was. The property
is surrounded on three sides by National Forest. I've found what may have been the
early access road coming through the forest. The railroad adjoins the property and
I'm told there was a "Whistle Stop" at the corner of the property where folks from the
area would wave down the steam engines and get a ride into Charleston. The property is
about 400 yards from Lake Moultrie. There are foundations in the lake that I can see from
the dike. At low water I can search those. There is also two beaches within 2 miles
that I can search. There is an old school located back in the woods about 1/4 mile from
the house. No access road still exists. Just back in the woods. I've only heard about it and not
yet seen it. I have coming a cd with the early county maps on it. Hopefully can glean some info
from that.

My first thought is to access the county's most recent overhead mapping by air and draw a chart
of the property and adjoining properties. Then add all of the known info, locations, names and
dates. And then plot and mark the locations searched and the items found. Also, we have a 100
plus year old oaktree adjacent to our house that appears it would have been a great climbing tree
to young folks. Gotta work that real good as well as a few other notable trees on the property.

Lastly, I hope to trace the county records back to when the property came into my friends family
and any info that can be gleaned from county records. All that should keep me busy for a while. LOL!

Oh year, to the best of anyones knowledge, this is the first detector to touch the property. LOL!
Warm regards, Jim

 

[dahut]

Hi Dahut,

We've got rain today and more forecast for tomorrow. I will however pick up some
line tomorrow to run the grids. I'm still trying to learn more about the property
we live on. I don't know much yet but I do know the property was settled prior to the
civil war. It's a 30 acre plot. Some time well after the civil war, a lot of silver was
found by my friends grandparants when they tore down the old chicken coop. It was
burried underneath it. They turned a lot of it over to the musem for display and
it's still there two generations later. Very little is known about the earlier location of
things other than I have located the foundation of the big house that burned about
60 years back. There was also a caretakers cottage that would have been well over
a hundred years old now. I know the general location of where that was. The property
is surrounded on three sides by National Forest. I've found what may have been the
early access road coming through the forest. The railroad adjoins the property and
I'm told there was a "Whistle Stop" at the corner of the property where folks from the
area would wave down the steam engines and get a ride into Charleston. The property is
about 400 yards from Lake Moultrie. There are foundations in the lake that I can see from
the dike. At low water I can search those. There is also two beaches within 2 miles
that I can search. There is an old school located back in the woods about 1/4 mile from
the house. No access road still exists. Just back in the woods. I've only heard about it and not
yet seen it. I have coming a cd with the early county maps on it. Hopefully can glean some info
from that.

My first thought is to access the county's most recent overhead mapping by air and draw a chart
of the property and adjoining properties. Then add all of the known info, locations, names and
dates. And then plot and mark the locations searched and the items found. Also, we have a 100
plus year old oaktree adjacent to our house that appears it would have been a great climbing tree
to young folks. Gotta work that real good as well as a few other notable trees on the property.

Lastly, I hope to trace the county records back to when the property came into my friends family
and any info that can be gleaned from county records. All that should keep me busy for a while. LOL!

Oh year, to the best of anyones knowledge, this is the first detector to touch the property. LOL!
Warm regards, Jim

Well I know you must be excited at all those prospects. I gotta say it makes me more than a little jealous - I scramble for a good day of clad change.
But I think you may never leave your own backyard. Sounds great!

 

[Jim/ MacBeth SC]

Hey Dahut,

I just sat down with my friend who has spent his 55 years living on the property, and his folks and
grandfolks before him. The property has been inhabited since 1853 that we know of. He is getting
me the overheads shot in 1935 to use for my map. He has nearly 30 years with the county.

If you find yourself itching to try some new dirt, you want have any trouble wrangling an invite. LOL!
I don't know how far Aiken is, but it's in the state anyway. Regards, Jim

 

[dahut]

Hey Dahut,

I just sat down with my friend who has spent his 55 years living on the property, and his folks and
grandfolks before him. The property has been inhabited since 1853 that we know of. He is getting
me the overheads shot in 1935 to use for my map. He has nearly 30 years with the county.

If you find yourself itching to try some new dirt, you want have any trouble wrangling an invite. LOL!
I don't know how far Aiken is, but it's in the state anyway. Regards, Jim

You are truly blessed with your home and property. Many detectorists would die for such as that, at their doorstep.
I looked up MacBeth. Interesting little place.

 

[Jim/ MacBeth SC]

Thanks Dahut,

Yes, we like it a lot out here. We are about 5 miles out of Moncks Corner in the country proper.
I don't know what you read about MacBeth, but it musta been the wrong one. LOL! The State
doesn't even know how to spell it. The signs they put up use two different spellings. Now there
are about 15 or so houses on the road and nothing else. The road dead ends in our yard. We
have been here for about 10 years now. Hope to be here a lot longer.! LOL! Anyway, like
I said, keep us in mind if you want to try some new dirt. By the way, I did hit a few spots before
dark in All Metal mode. Danged, it's pretty intense. Overlapping signals abound. Warm
regards, Jim