Detecting a Grid

[TNBob]

Hi: I am somewhat new to detecting. I have been detecting a dried lake bed and have found alot of trash. How do you set up a grid and where would I find gold and silver jewelry and coins in a lake bed? Thanks Bob

 

[coinnut]

Hi, If the ground is still moist, then follow your footprints as a guide to where you have gone. If it is very trashy, I suggest you shorten your swings and concentrate on one patch of ground, say 20 x 20. The items you want could be anywhere, but generally they will be below the areas that were previously accessible to other treasure hunters, while the water was there. This includes people who could wade into the water. So try and go out chest high (or what was chest high when the water was there) and lower your discrimination (all metal if you can stomach it) and look for every signal, especially the whisper ones. Gold is HEAVY and will sink in that muck! Silver and coins can be very deep too. Remember to hit the patch from every direction. Sometimes you may only get a hit from one direction, especially on deep targets. It's all about going at a moderate pace, checking and focusing on every little hit until you are sure it is not a good signal. Remember, as a target gets deeper, the machine's target ID is less reliable. I have had Indian Head pennies read nickle / pulltab. But as I dug and got closer, they read true. Good luck and let us know how you made out.

 

[JoanInCreek]

Thanks for that info Coinnut. Even though I don't have any dried up water bodies, this is good info to keep. Imagining where the water would have been chest high is a great idea.

 

[coinnut]

These days you have to assume someone has been there before you. After chest high water should be good hunting unless they were scuba diving! Always go where others wouldn't and you may find some good spots.

 

[GRAY GHOST]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[TNBob]

Thanks I will give it a try when it quits raining and I have another day off. Hope to find some gold with my son. Trying to get him into metal detecting at age 11. Bob

 

[TNBob]

Went out today to try the grid technique. I did 4 grids of about 50 feet on one edge in a square. Found two coins, old pennies but they were unreadable. Found 7 pull tabs and alot of misc trash/fishing lurers using the Excal 2 on the dried lake bed. Dug some really deep targets. My sons found two metal fence posts and some other trash. Trying to locate a swimming area to see if I can find some gold. I think there is one by the lake Dam. Hunted for about 2 hours before the kids got bored and wanted to leave. My water scoop worked nice in the soft dirt. Cant wait to hit the beaches at the ocean this year to try it out. My past experience is all in gold nugget detecting which I had alot of luck at in Alaska and Arizona.
Tennessee Bob