Garrett GTI 1500 Erratic Signals

[weeunc]

Hi Everyone
New To Forum. I have a question about signals I'm getting with my GTI 1500. Since I have had the detector I have had luck finding some coins but I can't figure out why sometimes the detector acts strange. What is happening is the detector will start going off but when I go over the target I lose the signal. I go over and over the area many times and finally I will get the signal back. I can understand this happening sometimes but it is hap penning almost every swing. But now what is happening is the detector is constantly beeping at 4 to 4.5. I tried turning the sensitivity down but it still happens. Ever once in a while the signal will move but it seems quite constant at the 4 range. I turn is to zero discrimination and iron targets are still registering at 4 to 4.5. I had the same problem a week ago with the scorcher coil. I put in new batteries and it seemed to work fine. But now it is happening with my 12.5 coil with new batteries.

I moved up from a bounty hunter to the Garrett but I never experienced false signals with my bounty hunter. When it found a target it found a target. It was just horrible at pinpointing and the Garrett seems to have this part down pat.

Another problem I'm finding when the machine seems to be working properly are most bell tone signals are producing rusty iron or square nails. When I first got the machine I was finding coins galore but now it is just luck to find them as most signals are erratic and I just dig anything that I think might have potential.

Has anyone else experienced this with their detector. I'm trying hard not to send it in because we only have a month or so of good hunting left here before winter sets in.

Appreciate any feedback you might have.

Thanks

 

[oldranger]

Hi Wee
welcome to the forum Ive been using
my GTI for about 1 1/2 yrs so Im sitll
learing it ..but i do know that at least
with mine coins will be a solid belltone
and the cursor will be steady maybe 1 coin
up or down the scale ...it wont bounce much if
at all I do get belltones that are nails but i dont
know why .. one other tip i got here .... tape
the cable the 1st foot or so it helps lot

HH
Looking forward to seeing your finds

Ron

Rangers Lead The Way

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

It could have been a combination of low batteries and mineralisation issues with the ground. When the GTI only register 4 to 4.5 then it's telling you that the ground is too mineralised for the imaging coils to work. The 12in coil would behave worse than the 9 inch coil. With the 5x10 Scorcher coil on, the detector should operate normally. While it may not have the imaging feature, you'll come to notice that coins and smaller targets will give proportionally less than full tones while targets the size of screw caps and bigger will give a full tone. You may need to turn the bell tone off to hear it though.
As for the iron that are giving you a bell tone. Notch out notch 12 and watch the display when going over high numbers. look for the targets that only give a high number and ignore iron hits. What you described, is called signal wrap around. All detectors suffer from it. Knocking out the top number usually cures it.
Mick Evans.
P.S. If your erratic signal situation continues, contact your dealer. If you keep trying to put up with it, you'll only get frustrated with the detector and stop using it.

 

[outdoors]

if you are useing a coil cover take it off and clean it.... then reset your machine back to factory settings this has worked for me in the past hope this helps solves your problem

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah coil covers collect moisture and debris and generate falseing.

Bill

 

[SteveP(NH)]

If so then the signal at 4 and 4.5 is the salt water in the sand being conductive and returning a signal back to the detector. This is a problem that all single frequency VLF machine have which makes them more difficult to get good results at a salt water beach. If this is the case do not use the salt water search option as that will cut out your ability to find gold rings. Back off of the sensitivity (set it to say 3.5 or 4). If you can find a good price for a 10x14 DD coil that will help some but it won't solve the problem you might be able to crank the sensitivity up a notch or two. One thing you only want to do as a last resort is to notch out the 4 and 4.5 notches (this is what the salt water search aid does) as there is where a lot of gold rings fall into.

One thing about knocking down the sensitivity like that, is that the lower you set the sensitivity the more difficult it will be to pick up smaller targets like rings. Your machine probably can't pick up find gold chains no matter how you set it as the 6.5 Khz frequency it runs at just lacks the resolution to pick up something that thin made out of a low conductive metal like gold. So try and keep the sensitivity as high as you can without the machine falsing or chattering.

BTW that 10x14 DD coil is very heavy and throws the detector way out of balance so if you are an older detectorist such as myself you might want to save your money on the DD coil as the weight will make your shoulder and back sore.

 

[weeunc]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all of the advice. I wished I checked back sooner as I was out again tonight with the same results. Worked fine for about 2 minutes and then back to registering everything in the 4 to 4.5 range.

I have yet to take it to a salt water area. I wish that I could be so lucky to search the ocean sands. That will be something reserved for the Holidays this Feb and March as I live in Ontario.

I'm going to notch out the 12 and see if this solves my problem as well as tape the first ft. of the cord. I have the scorcher and when the batteries were showing 3 bars it did the same. Once I changed them it seemed to work well but I did not use it to much. i will try it again to see if it is acting up as well.

Did I make a mistake picking the lower frequency detector or is there a benefit to have the lower over a higher frequency. I do want to find rings if I can. I'm going to for the 10x 14 coil before I head down south this winter. I'm only 45 years old and I do find the detector heavy. I've noticed my tennis elbow has flared up since using it so I trying to switch arms. Take a little getting used to it.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Before the detector started to act up I was finding coins galore (mostly newer which is a challenge because Canadian Coins are crappy metal) I have found I 1864 Indian Head on my property a Hammond Turner and Sons Sport button that is from around the 1850 area. Also I have found an 1888 and 1897 Canadian Penny. I live in a small village that was a bustling stop over for tourists back in the early 1800's. Once the railway was put in around 1860 the tourists bi passed the town and most of the businesses went out of business. I have a lot of areas that I want to search but until I get the detector to work properly I will hold off.

Again thanks guys

 

[weeunc]

Couldn't wait so Tried it out with the 12 notched out but again with the same results. The funny thing about it is that when it starts acting up the iron signals all read 4.5. We have a lot of scrap in our yard as it used to be the barn area for the 1850's farmhouse next door. When it is working properly in the zero discrimination setting it will be going off every ft. or so but as soon as the signals go to 4.5 the detector shows everything including iron at this range. I drop pennies on the ground and they read 4.5.

Maybe the soil has to much mineralisation but my older bounty hunter had no problems. It just was horrible at pinpointing and depth.

I'm going to take it to the dealer tom morrow if I can to have him check it out.

Thanks again