Falsing when to be concerned....

[PappyInSC]

I've taken my excal out about 10 times (mostly relic hunting)..... 3 times to the beach. The first two trips the detector ran fine. Sunday it ran fine until I hit a certain area on the beach (an area I haven't previously detected). I had to keep turning the sens down way low to keep the detector stable. THEN I decided to move and went up the beach where it was stable. Excal was fine but THEN when I went wading in small pools, about every minute it would go off. Turned it on and off. Pulled the battery pack and let it sit. Turned the sens ALL the way down. Nothing worked....

Finally I went back to the dry sand and it worked fine. Any ideas? Bad coil maybe? I would think maybe I had a hole in the coil, but this happened before I hit the water. And plus the detector has only 30+ hours on it.

thanks for all of your help....
Pappy

 

[Art (NWOH)]

Since your problems do not seem to be consistent, I would consider that you may have been getting interference from 2 way radios. some of them punch a lot of power and don't need to be real close to get into a detector. A clue to this would be that the chatter will abruptly come and go.

Go out and try it a few more times to see if it is happening in just certain areas, and to see if there seems to be a common denominator working here.

HH
..

 

[bbqbull]

Would a cell phone on your belt cause a problem like that as well.

 

[Art (NWOH)]

It's doubtful that a cell phone in recieve mode would radiate enough RF to bother anything.

Tell you what....I will turn on my GT and my cell phone to see if it bothers while in recieve or when making a call.

Doubt that this will be a problem, but will see.

It's those high power rigs that you have to worry about. Will get back with the answer.
HH

 

[Art (NWOH)]

Nope.........no interference in recieve only or when making a call either one.

HH

 

[bbqbull]

Thanks for doing the expierement.

 

[Sand Scoop]

My GT does this every so often.It will be operating fine and then go goofy. I called Minelab and they ask if I was around an air force base. I told them there was one about a mile away which is in the Myrtle Beach area. I guess there can be radio interference from the base. Thing is I've been hunting the same beach for 2 years without any problems. I'm still not sure if its interference or there is a problem with the detector. I have an Excal II that I use in the same area without any problem.

 

[PappyInSC]

Thanks Art... I took it out this afternoon and it did the same thing in a new area. I've got one place I've been relic hunting at and it worked fine there. Going to go over to that spot tomorrow and I guess that will tell me whether or not something is wrong.

Thanks Again...
Pappy

 

[Art (NWOH)]

Just out of curiosity.......
This isn't the low battery alert is it ? A periodic loud squawk?
Or is it more a constant blipping of changing tones??
Also, you are aware that the sensitivity control works backwards?

HH

 

[PappyInSC]

I was down at myrtle beach and garden city. It worked fine both places. Then I went to Folly Beach and it started acting goofy. Trying a place where it was stable before. I guess that will tell me something.

later....
Pappy

 

[PappyInSC]

I switched battery packs thinking that was it. But I put in the newly charged pack and it still didn't help. Its like you get a good signal, go back over the spot and nothing. I put the coil up in the air and moved it around to see if anything happened. Didn't false at all. Went back to the ground another false "good" signal. KNOW I can tell if somethings down there. It will lock on. But all of that racket while hunting is annoying. Tried a little experiment this afternoon and took out my hh wader to where the excal was acting up. Wader acted fine, and I found some coins finally. And about the sens knob. Looking down at the detector, clockwise turns DOWN the sens correct? IOW turning it away from the Auto setting. Turning it towards (counter clockwise) the auto setting turns up the sens.

thanks for you help....
Pappy

 

[Waterdog]

Do you have a coil cover on your coil, and maybe black sand in between the coil and the cover? I had my coil cover sealed and it still found it's way in there.

 

[Art (NWOH)]

Give that a shot to see if it works in a place where it worked before.
As Waterdog says, check to see if you got dirt under the coil cover. It can drive them nuts.
If it's still acting up, then send it to minelab. Make sure to tell them everything you can about how it's acting under what conditions.

Too often someone will be too skimpy on information, and minelab could overlook the problem rather than getting it fixed. If they can find out what's wrong they will fix it for you.

HH

 

[PappyInSC]

going to make it out tomorow.... been tied up this week. I do not have a coil cover so thats not it. I did rinse my coil down good the other night and will try again tomorrow.

thanks..
Pappy

 

[cap10joe2000]

Pappy did you get your problem resolved? I bought a GT (MY FIRST DETECTOR) and I have been having some doubts to. I am determined to figure out all the bells and whistles as well as detecting in general before I decide to change up. I have not been on the actual beach yet just some inland stuff.

Joey

 

[PappyInSC]

where I've had NO falsing at all. On a scale of 1-10 10 being the best, I would give the excal a 9 today. Didn't false like it did the last couple of times out but it did do it a few times. STILL its able to lock on to a good target. Its just aggravating when you get a good signal, go back over the spot, no signal, put it in all metal and no signal. I guess thats what I call falsing.

I'm taking it back to the beach on Thursday and I guess that will be the final test on whether or not I need to send it back in.

HH
Pappy