ID numbers?

[SteveB]

I've read a lot of posts on this and other forums, and seen a lot of different target ID numbers for a wide variety of items. Can anyone help me with the following?

I've had my 3030 for about 18 months now, and with about 100 hours on the machine, I have yet to find one silver coin/item.

I did and air test last night (and many other times) with a few targets. The screen was wide open, and my results were:

Clad quarter - 13-45,46
Clad dime - 12-42,43
Nickel - 12-14
Zincoln - 12-36
Sterling silver pin - 12-41,42
10k Gold ring - 12-25
1/10th oz. Maple Leaf - 12-41

Are these numbers typical for the CTX? I've used my machine in Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, so I don't think that the different soil compositions are making any difference.

Any suggestions or ideas for help?

Thanks,

SteveB

 

[GKMan]

All the TID information http://www.findmall.com/read.php?87,2019307

Your numbers sound about right, site conditions and separation types has something to do with what you will see in the field.

 

[SteveB]

GKMan,

Thank you. I know that most of the areas I search have produced silver before and had not been hunted out (by me at least).

I was just worried about the monotony of the ID numbers, when I've read others have had some quite different readings.

Thanks!

SteveB

 

[GKMan]

In the type of detecting I do I don't pay as much attention to the TIDs as perhaps a park or yard hunter may.
I believe ground coin may help separate out the silver better, but if one is trying to cherry pick, they will undoubtedly leave silver behind.
Hopefully some of the park and yard hunters will chime in with their truly vast knowledge regarding this. I know that there has been discussions in the past about why most coins ie silver and clad are so closely TIDed.

 

[Overvoltage]

I have found several silver coins (quarters and dimes) and silver rings with my CTX. I knew by the sound they were silver before I ever looked at the VID numbers. It just had a nice full high tone. My guess is you just have not passed over any silver with your coil yet. You will know when you do. Just keep at it, its there.

 

[Rick73]

I bought my first Minelab in 2011. It was an Etrac. Then the CTX in 2013. I had owned several other machines that were top of the line in the 35 years of detecting before the etrac. The first thing I had to teach myself was to slow down. The silvers back in the 70's and 80's were almost surface coins in places. Today there is another 30 years of trash and lots of it above those silvers. Trash will mix in with the good targets on TID numbers making it hard to see those deeper coins. I have seen silver dimes register as low as CO-40 for the high number but the majority of the time they are 44-46. One thing that is fairly consistent is the FE number will usually throw a 12-11-13-12-13 etc type number on silver. I don't think I've ever seen a 13 on clad. I run ferrous coin. If you run combined with the CO 43 or 44 and up numbers with a much higher tone also helps. I almost always run an open screen and listen for those highs. I think the most valuable feature is target trace. So many of those deep coins are sharing some trash in the TID readout. Target trace will show both targets. If you get a consistent circle in the upper section of the screen with the blue square at the bottom, DIG IT. I have a 6 inch coil on my CTX most of the time for trashy yards and parks. The 6 inch coil has only 30% of the surface area compared to the 11 inch coil and it still hits 7 inch coins. And as I said earlier, SLOW DOWN, and then slow down more.

 

[SteveB]

Thanks, everyone!

Rick73, if I go any slower, I may just fall asleep with only the shaft holding me up. Ha. I will start looking for the upper circle and the lower blue square, though.

Thanks again!

SteveB

 

[Agseeker]

Also keep in mind that if the silver coin is in close proximity to another coin (particularly a nickel or zinc cent) then the TIDs can be reduced quite a bit. I recently found a Barber quarter and a buffalo nickel in the same hole (one was right on top of the other) and the reading was a 12-40. Normally, I'd expect a silver quarter to read 12-46/47. Keep looking, the silver coins are out there and the 3030 can find them.

 

[McClod]

Your TID's look right to me, one thing I've noticed and learned about silver coins thanks to a video done by Dr. Tones about how to tell if it's silver, just as his video points out, a silver dime will will sometimes show q 12:43, but it always switches between 12 FE to 13:45/46. Silver quarters do the same but can hit 47, but clad quarters often (in my experience) will show the 13 FE number too. Here's a link to Dr. Tones video. Thanks again to Dr. Tones! This has always worked for me, there's ti.especially when something else pops out, but when it's a dime and it's hitting 13 it's always been silver! Good luck finding your first silver coin Steve! I've found 21 so far this year, which is not many com pared to others in my area in the Pacific NW, and nothing compared to the finds made in the East but I'm happy!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FfJAKN_MtDM

 

[hershey1]

I use combined audio and have the last box set at 1200 so when my coil goes across silver I know it. You may want to try this feature. I also use combined audio when relic hunting and have the bullet and button section set at 1200. You will not miss a good target. You can set the bins to whatever pitch you prefer. Try it you may like it. HH