First time out with the Apex

[K Wood]

Well first time out ever really, I did find a regular head screw and a nickel in my yard in about 5 minutes this morning. I just have one of those what would you have done questions.

This afternoon I went out to my nieces place to really give it a try. She has 40 acre some of which are wooded and about have of is field which many years ago was part of from what I understand was part of a very large farm that was parceled off and sold. Anyway I was about 20 yards in swinging the Apex a I got a strong steady hit which ID’ed a 86 and at max depth. The tone sounded like coin so I pinpointed and started digging, and digging, and digging. Anyway I ended up about a carrot and a half down and found nothing. I would check both the dirt pile and hole after each dig and would still get that same steady signal (86 to 90) directly in the center of the hole. The carrot picks up nothing in the walls of the hole or at the bottom. I actually had the exact same scenario with a second hole. I did not think the Apex would hit further than the 16 to 18 inches I had dug. I did try at the end nearly every mode, sensitivity level, and frequency all with the same steady 86 to 90 ID. I did get permission to leave both holes open till I got some advise. Please advise, should I keep going deeper? Try something I hadn’t tried for a different result? Thanks for any advise.

I did find 8 clad coins in the same field closer to the house. Also I should mention I did ground balance several time always ended at 92 or 93. Should also mention this is in northwest Michigan.
Thanks again
Kevin

 

[DIG5050]

What mode are you hunting in, coins, zero, custom, etc.? MF mode or single frequency mode? Iron audio on?

 

[JCR TX]

It could very well be deep big iron. Where your 2 holes anywhere close to each other? If so, any signal between them?

 

[K Wood]

Dig5050 as mention in my post near the end of my day I did try nearly every mode, all frequencies (but MS), and sensitivity levels. All with the same result

 

[K Wood]

JCR TX yes I did about a two for circle around each hole with no other hits and the holes lay I would guess about 15 to twenty feet apart. My great nephew got a detector for Christmas which got me perked up about it again and he’s been getting large metal pieces like mufflers and tail pipes, there is a lot of iron out there but I chose not to dig anything in that ID range.

 

[K Wood]

JCR TX thinking about it there probable were iron ID hits but as I said I wasn’t paying attention to ID’s 1 to 30 and certainly were not any in the 86 to 90 range.

 

[Orion42]

Make up a long probe rod. Sound like big deep rusty iron, but you never know until you dig.

I'm in the northern middle of the mitten.

 

[K Wood]

Good thought, this is in Kalkaska County, I am from one county west of there, planning a beach hunt next week when we hit 60 degrees.

 

[DIG5050]

I agree with Orion42 re: big iron; definite possibility. A probe would help.

Whenever I have found targets like these with the Apex, it's usually some large iron object, like a plow point or sickle bar mower blade or even an (old) wagon hub ring.

You are in MI, I'm in OH. Sometimes, on some sites with lots of ground moisture and minerals sometimes I need to detect in MS mode. It does help. Try MS mode to see if the target sounds persist.

Also try:

1. While sweeping over the target, slowly raise the coil to see if the beeping continues, up to 6" or so above the hole. If it does continue, it's probably deep, big iron.

3. Try turning on the iron audio and sweep over the target. If you get iron grunt sounds, it's probably deep iron.

Sounds like a good site. Good Luck!

 

[Picketwire]

Large iron does not read in the 1 to 30 zone, it wraps around to high VID numbers, especially in 90 plus ground balance areas. Not all coin numbers are coins and no VLF detector I know of will hit coins at 16 to 18 inches.

 

[K Wood]

Thanks everyone, I will defer to those who know more about this hobby than I do. My nephew called after my initial post and said he had heard rumors about engines being buried some where out there. Much appreciated , thank you.

 

[Orion42]

Roscommon county for me. Hunting camp sites are some of my favorite places up here.

 

[TRIPLE-SSS]

Could be some buried treasure!

 

[GA1dad]

Welcome to the forum! Like everyone else has mentioned, it is probably a plow tip or some other iron. That said,,, who knows really. Could be a car alternator, a jar full of coins or possibly even a cannonball. I've been there before. You hate to walk away from a signal when there is potential for something good. I committed to a dig one time with a cannonball in mind and wound up past my elbow for a perfectly flattened beer can. Being new to the hobby, you can always commit to the dig in the name of learning. If you start seeing rust in the soil, you'll know it's old iron.

If you decide to go for it, let us know what it was.

And again,,, welcome to the forum and the hobby. I suspect the Apex is gonna find you a lot of history!

 

[MuddyMo]

Could be many things, isn’t there large copper pieces in Michigan? You never know until you dig it up.

Metal Detecting for #Michigan #copper | Michigan Rocks & Minerals | Michigan Rocks & Minerals · Original audio

Metal Detecting for #Michigan #copper. Michigan Rocks & Minerals · Original audio

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[Rick(ND)]

When I run into this case where it sounds good and loud sounding I lift my coil up to around 8-10 inch and it dont make a difference it is either big iron or something big and walk away. I also have switch to all metal and get a idea of how big it really is.
II am mostly a coin and jewelry hunter and no if by lifting the coil higher up and sometimes over 12 inch and dont make a difference in the volume I know it is nothing I want.
there is 2 cases that come to mind for me 1 was a area in the front of a house that was older and it was full of alum beer cans, so lot of signals so I did this and on each one I raised my coil up a bit and knew they were trash and walk on. then I got one when I raise the coil up it sounded weaker when the coil was raised, so I dug it and was a bigger eagle that said Cole Car on it as it was off a Cole car that was in business in the early 1900s that was a big car company that went out of business in the 1927 I believe I read about it. The first Presidential car was a cole car driven by Howard Taft. Number 2 was a old ballfield that also had a lot of old beer that were alum and other metal that came though my disc like a coin, so I did the same thing and lifted my coil on each signal and the ones that sounded weaker when I lifted my coil I dug as I knew they were smaller. Dug some trash and a few newer coins, but also 2 half dollars that were silver plus some wheaties and a few new coins too.
This area was hit hard over the years and figured they been gone over, but being everything was loud signals there were passed over, but if the coils were lifted and the sound was weaker and dug those they may not been there for me.

Rick

 

[oldkoot]

JCR TX yes I did about a two for circle around each hole with no other hits and the holes lay I would guess about 15 to twenty feet apart. My great nephew got a detector for Christmas which got me perked up about it again and he’s been getting large metal pieces like mufflers and tail pipes, there is a lot of iron out there but I chose not to dig anything in that ID range.

Try swinging over the two holes and while swing over them raise your coil as you are sweeping over the two holes and see if you keep getting a tone as you keep raising your coil if you are still getting a tone and you are swinging 2 feet or even a foot and a half above the ground then it is most likely a big piece of iron sheet of tin, car door LOL something big that is buried deep

 

[Justme]

no VLF detector I know of will hit coins at 16 to 18 inches.

My superviser, he says he has a md and he can hit coins at 3'. He also describes places he is at and being in the area 24 years, i know dang well he is not being accurate in his statements. He was instructing another associate on crane configurations and saying a 30* offset is stronger than no offset and got mad when i told him you just turned a crane over, then i showed him in the chart. Anyway he won't bring this super detector in so i can see it

 

[MuddyMo]

He must think a foot is 1 inch and probably claims he has a 2 foot…