Dig everything with a good tone...

[Boston Metal]

It seems this is the advice everyone gives, dig everything with a good tone or else you will miss some "goodies". So lets discuss what constitutes a "good tone". Based on my brief experience and what I've read a "good tone" means a repeatable tone. A tone that doesn't change when you circle around it. Clearly a "good tone" has little to do with the associated VDI #'s. With my F4 VDI numbers are a guideline only. Even in just the few months I've been digging I've seen clad pennies at various VDI's and the VDI's jump a bit. Same for wheaties, they have quite a range. Dimes and quarters on the other hand do seem pretty stable at any reasonable depth.

SO lets start a list of attributes of a good tone, please help me add to it:

1) Repeatable as you circle them
2) Tone may jump here and there, but is stable in at least one direction.
3) Pinpointing doesn't make the object appear too large.
4) It just "sounds right"

What else???

Regarding "just sounds right" its like my Mom teaching me to make pie dough, "add a little water, keep dusting it with flour and knead it until it feels right......

 

[rick in mi]

I like to lift my coil up from the target and see if the tone changes, I have found [in most cases]that if the tone stays the same and doesnt bounce around very much,the target will be what the detector is telling me it is. Also I will make various adjustments to try and confirm my target,such as go to allmetals or try diff. disc.settings.

 

[zeekeys]

Boston Metal welcome to world of metal detecting. You could say these are just points, like on a map to keep you on the trail or path. Your not at the destination. You won't be at your destination until you experience these points. In your own way. These are sign posts to look for and experience. It is a skill not a science. It could be a science (points, sign posts) leading to a skill? It is a skill. You can't get to the town of Skill without experiencing the path, trail, sign posts, points. I feel like a hypocrite giving you advice when I have never been to the town of Skill. Have fun and enjoy the learning experience because it doesn't stop. HH. Happy Trails....Z

 

[jmaryt]

town of skill?..(kool!)..unique approach!

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[Roland58]

Great analogy, Z. I started out in Dontno and have been through Clumsy and Stumbleon. I'm pretty close to Learnin, still on the path to Experience and will try to go through Lucky on the way, but, it is still a long way to Skill for me!

 

[shooter]

Way to go Roland I love love scenario and a heck of alot easier to understand. Waiting for LTD, delivering it today, should be here in the the hour, send my 1270 1265X back to Fisher for some repairs. how's the F75 working out, any finds yet?

 

[twoscoots]

I let my shovel be my discriminator! Its not picky' and its rarely wrong. Dig a hundred pop caps for 1 Barber? (Oh yea) 500 pull tabs for 1 standing liberty? (Who would'nt) these # are low, ask how much 'junk' a good md'er will dig in a year just to get a chance to get that one piece that has alluded them. Diggin is part of the game. Spoke to a good md'er who told me his finds dropped in the late 90s when he got a machine with VDI. He stopped listening and started watchin the # and it bit him in the arse'.dig dig dig

 

[Roland58]

Way to go Roland I love love scenario and a heck of alot easier to understand. Waiting for LTD, delivering it today, should be here in the the hour, send my 1270 1265X back to Fisher for some repairs. how's the F75 working out, any finds yet?

Shooter, I posted some pics of my meager findings. However, I am rather proud of them, especially, for my first few hours of using the F75! See this thread: http://www.findmall.com/read.php?37,1283316 I thought I had your email addy, but, can't find it. Here is mine:
roland58 at suddenlink dot net
I would really like to hear about your new machine!!

 

[chuck ky]

i would say maybe dig all good tones. once when hunting without headphones the guy i was with said aren't you going to dig that. i said no its a pulltab. he said it sounds too good to be a pulltab. i started digging the ones he said sounded good and they all turned out to be pulltabs. you just have to learn what your detector is telling you and maybe dig some trash if you're in a really old area.

 

[Nap]

Agree with most of that - except - my experience is that if you get a good two-way tone in one direction and you don't get it at another angle it could be a coin 'on edge', standing up, at depth, so I always dig a two-way signal, even if it disappears at a different angle.