Effect of Aluminum Bleachers

[HeartHooves]

I had just a few minutes today so I decided to stop by sports field that had a gravel parking area that was near my next pick up. This is in a very depressed town, but an old town. I thought I was far enough from the bleachers, but not sure. I got a really strong coin signal maybe 5' behind the bleachers. Thought I had pin pointed, but when I dug, it seemed to have moved. I only had my small trowel with me for digging, as this was supposed to be a quicky shallow search. Wondering if I was still too close to the bleachers as it seemed to be indicating a long target area. I do not have a pin pointer so didn't put a lot of time in the whole.
Just an FYI, I've been doing pretty good at locating clad in tot lots, with pin pointing using my QS. I felt confident that I was getting the hang of swinging and understanding what my machine was telling me. I'm second guessing myself on this one, though. I also got a couple of coin signals in the gravel, but didn't find anything. Just kicked the gravel to the side, didn't have time to do a real thorough search. Oh, and I put in new batteries the last time I used it.

 

[mudpuppy]

5' is pretty far enough away you should be picking the bleachers up. You can drop your sens really low and get right up tight and underneath them for a really great mess of coins. Just watch your noggin! I banged my head hunting under the bleachers one day, really scalped me bad, looked like somebody hit a golf ball off my head with a sand iron..but I sure got a lot of coins....
Mud

 

[HeartHooves]

So maybe it wasn't the bleachers then. Maybe I really was getting coin signals. I'll try again when I'm back in the area and have more time.
I did a different tot lot today. The equipment was more metal than the others I've searched at. Had to keep the coil further away from the supports. Also, could only dig down 2 or 3 inches because there was a matt under the wood chips. Still managed to find 4 quarters and one each nickel, dime, and penny.

 

[mudpuppy]

Same thing in the totlots around the poles...you drop the sens and get that coil up close to them...if something disrupts the overload signal, scrape your foot in there and pull out the chips and sweep them...that's a handy trick since most people will or cant get up tight to those big metal objects.
Mud

 

[HeartHooves]

Same thing in the totlots around the poles...you drop the sens and get that coil up close to them...if something disrupts the overload signal, scrape your foot in there and pull out the chips and sweep them...that's a handy trick since most people will or cant get up tight to those big metal objects.
Mud

Thanks for the tip. That particular tot lot was more trouble than the others I've hunted. It had low to the ground metal steps and low metal platforms. One of these days I'll be able to spend more than hour detecting and I'll have time to try out your tips more thoroughly.
I'm done for a few days because I busted the adapter to my ear buds. Couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting any signals walking back to the vehicle yesterday. I was thinking "wow, this park is really clean!" Till I got up to a sign with a pull tab on the surface and I heard nothing. Hope to replace it in a couple days. Up to when I busted it I got 2 dimes, 2 nickels, a fishing lure, a fishing lead weight, a bobber, and some fishing line. Didn't find a hook. Almost had my tackle box supplied.

 

[mudpuppy]

Glad you got out and found some stuff! I went totlottin this morning and was thinking about what I told you...yes, a real low sens, and use the side of the coil near the metal, the tip doesn't work as well for some reason...I pulled some coins and stuff right close to the iron. You know the spin around merry go rounds? I find lots of coins under them and I am sure its because most people are running too hot to get that close to the iron...anyway, its a good trick, you wont get a solid coin signal, just a disruption in the overload that tells you something is there...you can probably practice this a little by seeing how close you can put a target near a pole and what settings will make it reveal itself..hey, I run like this right up next to chain link fences and do real well too...side of the coil seems to do it. hope you get your gear fixed..this is good detecting season.
Mud

 

[Ed in SoDak]

We have woodchip totlots here, but the schoolyard playgrounds in the city use some sort of hot rock gravel. Our detectors were falsing everywhere. It was hard to pick out a coin, but we did snag a very few. That was ten or so years ago, not long after we got our Time Rangers. Maybe I could do better there now, but I kinda doubt it. I'd know to reduce the sens and/or raise the coil off the gravel by a few inches, high enough that it quit falsing and it might still read some shallow coins that way.

-Ed

 

[HeartHooves]

Glad you got out and found some stuff! I went totlottin this morning and was thinking about what I told you...yes, a real low sens, and use the side of the coil near the metal, the tip doesn't work as well for some reason...I pulled some coins and stuff right close to the iron. You know the spin around merry go rounds? I find lots of coins under them and I am sure its because most people are running too hot to get that close to the iron...anyway, its a good trick, you wont get a solid coin signal, just a disruption in the overload that tells you something is there...you can probably practice this a little by seeing how close you can put a target near a pole and what settings will make it reveal itself..hey, I run like this right up next to chain link fences and do real well too...side of the coil seems to do it. hope you get your gear fixed..this is good detecting season.
Mud

Now, I have a Quick Silver, there's no dials or anything. I have 4 settings to choose from. I usually discriminate iron and have been keeping it at it's shallowest depth setting. Mainly cause I'm still getting a feel for the machine. I'm getting better at it and have even switched to the next depth setting a couple times.
My son may have another piece I can use till I can get a new adapter. It's just a matter of getting to a store that sells them. It's supposed to rain the next few days here, so that gives me time to get one. I like the earbuds over headphones because I wear a straw hat when in the sun. (If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to be out for long.) Hopefully this weekend I can hit this one park I've been eyeing. It gets a LOT of foot traffic.