Deep silver sounds.

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

I read a lot of posts where fellows have talked about those deep silver sounds. Some call them iffy and others call them a warble sound. We all know that you cannot put into words what "sounds" sound like on deep silver and I thought it would be neat if someone could take the time and do some detecting and somehow record what these sounds sound like and possibly post them on the forum. Maybe someone has already done this and if so, has something like this ever been posted before? We all know that Bryce can find those deep silver targets and since he is one of the best at this then maybe we can get him to take the time to do this. I know, you can't always find deep stuff on every hunt and it would probably be like rolling the dice to find and record these deep silver sounds, but it sure would put this question to rest if we all knew what those sounds sounded like. What do you think Bryce or would someone else like to take on this challenge? I would, but I'm not that good at those deep silver target sounds. HH.

Eddie

 

[MNCoinhunter]

I can say for sure that coins in themselves have their own sound. But I don't get that special silver sound....it's either going to be clad or silver and I never know until I dig it up ..

Maybe I should cover the screen and just go by sounds for a day....that would be interesting ..

 

[jcooking]

There are some great videos on youtube where folks have recorded the sounds and pretty much knew they were digging silver, check it out.

 

[sgoss66]

Hey McDave --

I get tricked many times, don't get me wrong; sometimes deeper copper pennies (not wheaties as much, but often like 1960s memorials) fool me and sound alot like silver (to me); sometimes a clad dime will, too. Clad quarters do NOT sound like silver dimes; I have only found one silver quarter, so I can't say if silver quarters sound different than clad quarters. Need to find more silver quarters! Anyway, I listen for a "tinkly" or "warbly" high tone, that varies very slightly up and down in pitch, but it does so very rapidly -- it's hard to describe; BUT -- shallower clad quarters do NOT do this "tinkling" or "warbling." They have a nice high tone, but it's sort of "flat" in amplitude, or "steady" -- no "warble" in the tone. The tone does not have that rapid "tinkle" sound -- just a flat, constant high tone with no variation in pitch. But on that one particular Merc I found the other day, it was very distinct -- the most distinct silver sound I've ever heard. I had my gain set at 9 -- which allows very DEEP, very SMALL targets to sound just a TAD quieter. I think what I was hearing was a very clear, great-sounding silver tinkle, but IN ADDITION, when I'd run off the edge of the coin, there was a soft, subtle "drop" in VOLUME, not pitch, but volume, due to the depth of the dime. The dime itself was loud, but the edges just a touch quieter. So, the sound was a combination of that great silver "tinkle" combined with that "soft" sound around the edges of the coin -- and that might be, I think, why it was so "distinctive." It's the deepest silver dime I've hit, by a couple of inches, so I'm thinking that the 9 gain allowed it to sound just a little bit "quieter" or "softer" as the coil beam ran off the edge of the coin on each sweep, and that that's maybe why it sounded even BETTER than the other silvers I've found. One question, Dave, do you have your variability at "10" and your "max limits" at "10"? I don't know about the max limits being important (I haven't totally figured out what the "limits" thing does), but I think FOR SURE you have to at least have variability set very high, in order to hear ther "warble" or "tinkle." You might check that, as a thought...make sure you are maxed at 10 on variability. Here's one other way I just thought of to describe, maybe, the silver sound (especially on dimes) -- think of a very small glass or ceramic bell. Now, think of ringing it by shaking it back and forth very quickly. That rapid "tinkling" you'd hear, is sort of like the "silver tinkle." Now, take the same bell, and just tap it once with a knife, and then quickly touch the bell to mute the sound. You hear the same type of "pitch," but not that rapid "tinkle." The "shake it quickly" is the silver dime, the "tap it with the knife and then silence the sound" is the clad quarter. Make sense?

Anyway, Eddie -- it's a great idea you have. I'd love to record that silver warble tinkle sound. I love that sound so much I would use it as my cell phone's ring tone!

jcooking -- you don't have a link to one of those videos which have the "Explorer silver sound" on them, do you?!

Steve

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Steve,

I have been using Bryce's settings pretty much since the beginning. Max Limits is simply the detector's volume control, which Andy's Book suggests you "set and forget" at 10 .. Mine is set at 7 and I have volume control on my headphones anyways. Everything else is set at 10. It may be that I don't pay close attention to the "tinkling" sound.....if the target sounds diggable, I dig it ..period. If I spent all of my detecting time analyzing what is under my coil, I would come home empty-handed. So maybe I will try setting max limits at 10 to see if it makes a difference. I was planning on dropping my gain a notch or two to pick out deep targets, but I have been deaf in my left ear since infancy so I think that may put me at a disadvantage. Either way I think I am doing pretty well with the way I have it set now. I use both digital and smartfind to determine if I should dig, but I was thinking I should try covering the screen and going by sound only to see how I do. Should make for an interesting hunt ..

 

[SAGITTARIUS]

I have also been using Bryce's setting with my Explorer II. And I like McDave, don't spend a lot of time analyzing the "tinkling" or "warbly" high tone to try and tell the difference between deep silver and copper coins. I also use both digital and smartfind to determine if I should dig. Silver is the highest conductor of all metals and has only 7% higher conductivity than copper which is the second highest. The more recent silver coins are 89% silver and 11% copper. Also a copper penny(95% copper, and 5% tin and zinc) is slightly larger than a dime. So if there is a difference in the sounds of these two coins in my opinion it would be extremely slight

 

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

I have to agree with Steve. I also get fooled by those pesky copper wheaties and the deep clad dimes and Dave, I also have a bad hearing loss and use the Sun-Ray Pro Gold headphones where I can crank up my settings on my SE and then adjust the volume on my headphones to suit my hearing. I also try and stick with the smart screen, but do check on digital at times. I guess it boils down to just learning what the sounds are and maybe one day those iffy and warble sounds will click for all of us. Like my buddy Lee always says, "if it beeps dig it." HH.


Eddie

 

[sgoss66]

McDave --

You are ABSOLUTELY doing "pretty well" as you say, hunting the way you are hunting. I'd say you are doing TERRIFIC and didn't mean to imply that you aren't (if that's what you thought). Anyway, I use the digital (and occasionally the smartfind screen) as well, but sometimes when I only have a little while to hunt, and want to "cherry pick," knowing how silver "sounds" is something that I find helpful. It's not "foolproof" (I still can be "tricked" by some of those coppers, deep dimes, and sometimes even rusty bolts with washers seem to have a good "tinkle"), but that's OK. I can definitely "up the odds" when I'm "cherry-picking," by using the sounds to help.

SAGGITARIUS -- there really is not a whole lot of difference, in my ears, between some deeper copper pennies and the average silver dime. So I agree with you. Many sound very similar to me, and I guess it's not surprising. The difference is HUGE, though, in my ears, between a deeper silver dime, and a shallower clad quarter -- even if both are giving a very similar digital/smartfind readout.

Anyway, usually, I dig anyway, on a good, repeatable, coin-type target, "silver warble" or not. I usually only use the "sound" to "guess" what I have in the ground -- makes it more fun, IMO, to call your target before you dig it, and see how often you are right (and see if you get better at it, over time).

Steve

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Steve,

I did'nt get that impression at all. No worries ..

Anyways, I may have to try running my detector in "Jedi mode" one of these days. Cover the screen and go entirely by sounds.

 

[teleman2525]

covering the screen is good idea as ive had many good tones sounding high left on smart screen and still dig a coin also good sounds in many other unlikly spots on smart screen out pops a coin so as said by others sound wins many things nearby in the ground and depth can cause the curser to drift all over good tone is worth a dig go jedi could be fun

 

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

n/t

 

[amc rulz]

Not since I swapped out my stock coil for 12" SEF. Now it's deep wheats, dimes, and quarters at 10-12". That flutey squeak is unmistakable.

 

[toprightcorner]

Great question Eddie.

From my experience there is a very easy test for you to do to allow you to hear what you desire.

I have noticed that the flutey or warble sound many talk about here is absolutely the result of the distance the target is from the coil opposed to whether it is silver versus clad.
A silver or clad dime/quarter sounds identical in the 1-4 inch range. If someone tries to tell you they can hear a difference between silver and clad at 4 inches on an Explorer they are yanking your chains or unaware.

As coins (targets) get further from the coil, the sound breaks apart. Obviously a dime/quarter at 6+ inches most more than likely is older than
one at 3 inches(in most cases). So, the warble (broken sound) is generated on deeper/older coins. I dug an 8" dime at a park recently that I thought for sure was going to be silver, based on the broken sound... and an old one. After pulling up a 75 Roosevelt from that depth, I quickly realized the area I wandered across was obviously an area with fill dirt. Based on the tree roots and topographical differences.

Here's the test I mentioned earlier...
Air test a dime/quarter (silver or clad) starting close to your coil. Slowly move the swing distance of the coin further from your coil on each pass. Notice when the distance starts to create a break up in the constant tone. There is your warble. Look for this sound in the field and you will be happy.
Move the coin further away, past the constant warble, on your air test and burn that sound into your brain. Dig all of those similar sounds when you come across them on a hunt and you will be doing many happy dances.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[MNCoinhunter]

That is absolutely correct. Because the silver quarter I dug last week was less than 6 inches deep. And although it had a nice, clear tone I just assumed it was a clad quarter.

Going to try "Jedi" mode today ... should be fun .