How do *you* make the decision to dig a "ring"?

[hodr]

I know this has been covered before. The last time I read anything about it was more than a year ago and I am hoping more people and more experience may lend to some better answers.

So I have been a V3 owner since near the beginning, but despite going on pull tab rampages I have still dug very few non-silver or copper rings. I just don't seem to be able to find the gold. I know that the VDIs can literally be all over the map given the size, but there must be a process that helps you cut down at least somewhat on the trash to ring ratio.

My process seems to be if it's a small, tight signal, and the bars don't spread too far on the graph, then I dig. But invariably it ends up being a small piece of aluminum foil or a beaver tail or something similar.

Can any of you ring experts walk me through your scenario from start to dig?

What VDIs get make you pause?

Does it have to be the same VDI from multiple angles?

How do you size up your target?

Do you use the camel humps or the plots to help you decide to dig?

I know there is no magic bullet for finding the gold, but I am hoping that some of you who have experience pulling the rings might have a trick or two to share. Something about a "trash" signal that makes you want to dig it because there's just a slightly better than normal chance that it is a ring.

 

[magic]

Just about any VDI number can be a ring. It's the ones that you pass up as trash that's probably a ring. I know that most of the small woman's rings I dig hit at 14 to 16. I also had a huge gold ring hit at 38.
I have had them hit good and solid and also hit scattered. There isn't any magic way to tell. Anyone that says there is a way to tell is full of it. The best way is just dig them all if your in a spot that rings have a good chance of being lost. In detecting,...there are no guarantees.

 

[Monte]

*select a site* that has a better potential of producing a gold rings and jewelry, and is maybe less likely to be harboring as much trash as the common urban sites do.

I know this has been covered before.

Ignoring pull tabs and trash and finding gold jewelry probably comes second to the often asked topic of "depth," or "how deep will it go?"

So I have been a V3 owner since near the beginning, but despite going on pull tab rampages I have still dug very few non-silver or copper rings. I just don't seem to be able to find the gold.

You didn't mention where you are or the types of sites you hunt, which would be a help to others. The most important ingredient to add to your gold jewelry plan is *site selection*. Not Discrimination levels, which need to be low, and not visual Target ID or any particular set of VDI numbers, either. Just figure out the best *sites* that might afford the better percentage of gold loss, or you're not likely to find it.

I know that the VDIs can literally be all over the map given the size, but there must be a process that helps you cut down at least somewhat on the trash to ring ratio.

The only 'secret' regarding the trash-to-ring ratio is ...... hunt where there's less trash. How do you do that? *Site Selection!*

My process seems to be if it's a small, tight signal, and the bars don't spread too far on the graph, then I dig.

That's not a bad idea, but if you are referring to your visual graphs or VDI number patterns, then ... in my opinion ... you might be trying too hard to be too selective in sites that are plagued with an overabundance of trash. Certainly you're going to ignore some mysterious readings and walk away from some decent gold or silver jewelry with that method, too.

Most newer hobbyists, lets say in the past twenty years to thirty years, have gravitated to Target ID models, As the years have progressed they went from simple analog needle indicators to LCD designs, and then also started to use any VDI number reference they can, and also tinker around more with multiple notch designs by some people who use an XLT or DFX or Vision/Spectra model. There are good times to make use of visual TID info, but there are times not to, also.

But invariably it ends up being a small piece of aluminum foil or a beaver tail or something similar.

That's because those targets produce similar audio and visual responses to gold jewelry objects ... AND ... you are hunting sites that seem to abound with those types of trash targets.

Can any of you ring experts walk me through your scenario from start to dig?

Heck, I'm not an 'expert,' but I have enough experience to suggest this. A 'scenario' for finding gold jewelry, from thin gold chains to pendants to rings:

#1.. Use the lowest Discrimination (rejection) you can tolerate.

#2.. Do NOT use Notch Disc. methods.

#3.. Use the best search coil for the types of sites you'll hunt. For example, if it is a moderate to heavily littered area, go for a smaller coil like the excellent 6

 

[hodr]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Once you lay it out like that, site selection does indeed sound like the most important step. In my case, sites are limited to parks and schools. There are a couple of beaches nearby, but they are tiny and sometimes I swear there are more detectorists that visit them than everyone else combined.

Most of the tot-lots out here make use of the artificial surface that looks like a rubber woodchip-jello concoction, but there are a couple old sand filled ones. Most of the parks I visit have several open fields and a few basketball courts. There is an incredible amount of garbage around the courts and the edges of the fields, and in the middle of the fields the can-slaw is the bane of my existence.

I once tried an experiment, I decided to go around the outskirts of two basketball courts and dig every single repeatable signal i came across. My thinking was that guys often empty their pockets and take off their jewelry before playing and place it around the court. It took me 3-4 hours, and when I was done I had a mountain of trash, a few coins, and no jewelry whatsoever.

 

[rustydigger]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I once tried an experiment, I decided to go around the outskirts of two basketball courts and dig every single repeatable signal i came across. My thinking was that guys often empty their pockets and take off their jewelry before playing and place it around the court. It took me 3-4 hours, and when I was done I had a mountain of trash, a few coins, and no jewelry whatsoever.

I use that theory alot and it pays sometimes 100:1 garbage to gold ratio, and that's really with any small location you will get a lot of trash and sometimes nothing else. I recently found a 20yd x 20yd park/boat landing that I have begun to grid and work meticulously its taken 3days to clear a 5yd area at an hour a day buy I have gotten a lot of clad a small gold pin some tokens and 5lbs of garbage by digging every signal. I did the research and determined it will be worth hunting it. I go there when I can and the buried stuff is not going anywhere. Dedication is the key.

 

[Larry (IL)]

The technique is simple, dig, and the other main factor is location, location, location. You are more likely to find rings at places where people are most likely to lose them. Swimming holes are probably the best place to hunt and in water hunting usually yields more rings then on land. A close second would have to be the tot lots.

 

[firstring]

I live in northern California where the ground is moderately mineralized. The program I use the most is a mixed mode version of Magic's. Accordingly, some adjustments have been made for my hunting style and ground conditions. Like you, I hunt mostly at schools, parks, and the occasional tot lot. I have both gold and silver jewelry (chains, bracelets, rings, charms, earrings) at all those sites. Do I retrieve trash? You bet. The ladies 14kt rings for me VDI'd 14 to 17. I retrieved at a park, a 14kt ladies band last weekend at 5" with a 17 VDI. It was a whooper. (1.8 grams) The weekend before I hit a 14 VDI, and retreived a 14kt ladies bracelet, not engraved, weighed 13.8 grams. I analalyze using sizing. Watch the green hump on lower VDI numbers, if it doesn't have a little spike to it and looks a little "flat", chances are it's foil. Blue hump and red hump together, chances are you got a pulltab. Men's rings being larger are a different critter altogether. They vdi, for me up to the zincoln range. Figure in your site choices. Most detectorists do not like to search an area that is loaded with trash, they will search "open ground." If I find no trash, I will search until I start finding it. Where there's trash, there were people. The lay out of the site tells a story. Where would you be on sunny day? The shade is different during the Hot days of summer. You do have an advantage. The neat thing about the V3, is adjustments can be made for individual conditions. Tone that baby down somewhat, experiment with smaller coils, practice your navigation techniques through trashy areas. My daddy use to say, "Compete, don't compare." I don't compare my methods and results with anybody else. I compete with myself. The V3i for me has been incredible. Still got a lot to learn. It's been said the best machine is the one you use most frequently. The one you know it's signals and quirks. You know it, it knows you. Treasure is where you find it. I think you are on the right track. Do not give up. You will find your first one. The feeling you will get will last forever. May you have many happy dances. Happy hunting

 

[lukeaa]

I find the most expensive jewelry in the parks in the most expensive parts of town. Follow the money!

 

[Rob in (Ca)]

I hunt only for jewelry so To make the odds on my side, I hunt only on (active) sports Fields. The odds of finding lost jewelry are (extremely high) compared to just normal park hunting. yes I'm going to dig the aluminum junk

yes there's days I do not find any jewelry. whats nice is once I do find a Ring on a field, I go back in 2-3 months and find another Ring in almost the same spot, it just keeps being replenished

What makes the V31 so special for jewelry hunting is that it hits (super) hard on the low conductors like small jewelry & chains

no other VLF detector can do this unless you go to a VLF gold machine. When I came from the DFX to the V3 my neckless / chains finds went up like 300% the first year.

even with the V3i's analyzing, you still got to dig the jewelry size aluminum junk to find the jewelry nothing you can do

Good luck & HH

 

[triple nickel]

I agree with you Rob about the time you don't dig it could have been gold...

 

[af647]

1 ANGLE IS THE LARGER RINGS AND 10K GOLD SHOULD.GIVE BETTER READING AS 1OK OFTEN HAS MORE COPPER IN IT

 

[bula]

My MXT hits gold rings at vdi of 20 32 42 & of course 14-16 I find most of my rings read a constant vdi in all directions so with these readings I will dig every time.

 

[Thound]

You can read read till your eyeballs fall out but the only cure is experience, experience, and more experience and then you still dig trash. Maybe not every time but at least the rings start coming up.HH

 

[hodr]

I probably shouldn't listen to them, but a couple of the old timers in my club say that they can tell 80% or more of the time if they are about to dig up a gold ring with their water machines (Fisher CZ20s I think).

 

[Thound]

They might be right cause anything is possible. But me, I don't trust my brain so I just dig. That's not to say I'm not trying to find subtle differences cause I do every time out of the chute.At any rate it will take many years.if ever. HH

 

[cypearl]

I wonder when they are going to make a detector that is showing the target below as it is i mean its image so we know if we dig. no matter the depth.

 

[firstring]

Someone else said this and I agree:
The worst thing that could ever happen to the hobby would be if someone invented a machine that had 100% accurate target identification. You think the beaches are crowded with detectorists now? Hopefully that will never come out!

 

[cypearl]

Me at the most of the times I can say it is a pull-tab but when I just decide to live it behind and at the end I dig it, appears to be something more valuable.