If Mlab air tests poorly but does well 'cause of soil matrix/halo, won't an Excal have lousy depth in a rocky creek bed where there is no matrix?

[dcalvin5]

n/t

 

[Art (NWOH)]

There is still a matrix....the rocky creek bed. There is still mineral response. Only question is, how closely the rocks match the overall mineral and each other.
Around here it gets strange.....most of the rocks in many places are glacier rocks from up north. Many are hot, so the "ground" is not consistent through a sweep. The detector is always trying to come up with an average value. This can be difficult.

HH

 

[dcalvin5]

So, basically, we are really "airtesting" through the creek without a "halo" around the coin (with worse results because the machine is fighting minerals). Couple that with the fact that a rock may keep our detector high enough that we would miss a coin in crack of the creek bottom.

Wouldn't a good "airtest" machine do better in an area where there is no soil? I ask because I own an xs2a, Whites ID, and cz-3d and am contemplating a new water machine. Thanks for reply!

 

[Art (NWOH)]

It's not an air test. The detector sees whatever is under the coil. the problem is that what it's looking at is inconsistant.
Imagine dirt that is VERY rough and inconsistent in mineral content. A very long way from perfectly flat dirt with perfectly consistent moisture and mineral content.
A rocky creek bed is going to be difficult. Very slow is the best way you can go. You could never ground balance any detector right under these conditions because it's too variable. And yes, the rocks will prevent you from getting right down to the mud or gravel to find things.

Don't expect to get too deep because you have to go above the rocks, and that what the detector sees is going to be through very inconsistent mineral values.

HH

 

[Rick(ND)]

The way I understand it the Sovereign hates air as there is nothing to compare a signal too. Now if the ground is freshly turned so there is air present too so it will be better than a air test, but still not as good as ground that hasn't been disturbed for years. Now with creek beds you do have something to compare the targets too so it is not really a air test from what I understand plus if you are in water I think it will even go deeper. I think this is why the Excalibur's are highly recommended for water hunting as they are the deepest other than a pulse unit with no disc.

 

[dcalvin5]

I see. I never considered this in terms of creeks, though understand it in the case of undisturbed vs disturbed ground. BTW, I found an isolated place by a creek where somebody once had a diving board like 5 feet up on a rock. 4 lugs are sticking out and in a concrete slab is finger drawn the date 1953. With the drought and all here in TN the water is low. But somehitng tells me I am going to have to dive it.

 

[DukeOBass]

I've just recently been detecting in a rock creek bed in knee deep water and pulled 1800+ coins with my Excal. No issues for me.

 

[mattockman]

How many stink-n-lincolns is that?

 

[DukeOBass]

$18 worth. My total bank deposit was just $24.

 

[mattockman]

rots detecting in america huh.....look at the other countrys pulling in hundreds of dollars in coins.....

 

[DukeOBass]

I keep hoping. Maybe the quarters didn't carry as far down stream.