My first day with a metal detector

[stschott]

Yesterday I bought a BH Quick Draw II at my local sporting goods store; I was hoping to get a Garrett Ace 250 but the BH unit I brought home was literally the only MD they had left in the store. It works well enough.

Today after work I went to a local school/office building (I don't think the school is there anymore). I broke the handle off of my hand trowel within 30 minutes, so that slowed me down a bit. In about 75 minutes I found 5 quarters, 2 nickels, 3 pennies (all modern, the school isn't that old and up until a few years ago a little league used to play there). I hit a reading for a nickel that was really a nickel and a pull tab that was really a pull tab. Three of the quarters and one of the nickels were all neatly stacked (the ones in the middle still shiny) near the base of a tree about 3" down. Also found a 10oz. bottle of whiskey about 2" down, the beeps were all over the place and at different depths for that one. I was getting a lot of hits at 6-8", but with half a hand trowel I couldn't be arsed to dig most of them. There are certainly more targets than I have time to dig. It seems that coins average around 4" deep, is that common for modern coins in temperate areas? I don't think I had anything come back at 2" or 0" except what I had already pulled out of the ground. Also had a few holes end up larger than is desirable, and I had to give up and fill the holes back in before they got too big.

I stayed on all metals mode but had the sensitivity pretty low. I still had readings jumping all over the place and I dug some of those just to see what they were. Do rings and jewelry often have variable levels of conductivity? I know they show up in what is considered the junk range, but are there any tips to help me figure out what is what without having to dig everything for a while to learn?

 

[mwaynebennett]

Silver rings and jewelry do not sound anything like junk. They give a high "ping" sound. However, sometimes a rusted piece of iron will also give that tone, even with iron discriminated-out. Also, aluminum containers more than 5" deep will give a strong "ping."

It is my understanding that gold rings can sound like nickels, pull tabs, screw top or even zinc. That is the simple reality. If you ignore any of those signals, you most likely will not find much gold.

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[GoGoGopher]

There is NO way of telling if a pull tab is a pull tab or a medium sized gold ring until you dig it...like said above, if you skip these signals...Your not going to see the gold...

HH,

 

[edjcox]

Stop drinking that old whiskey and get a Lesche digging tool....

Welcoe to the club...

 

[bossman]

I have the ace 250 and the qd 2 I cant tell any difference in the two other than the preset programs on the ace .

 

[GoGoGopher]

Seriously though...DO get a lesche digger they are about $70.00 but well worth it...You should NEVER break a Lesche...I have pried on some pretty good sized rocks (not responsible for dirt in your eyes, mouth, or up your nose), and Never even phased the Lesche...Only thing I ever did to it, was put it to a grinding wheel to sharpen it a little...Never turn your DISC/Notch above the 9 o'clock position...your sure to miss Gold if you do...If you can hit on nickels, you can find gold items...

HH,

 

[stschott]

I might have to get a Lesche. I broke another brand new shovel in under an hour yesterday. This morning I bought one from Sears with a lifetime warranty, but I have a feeling I'll still break it.

Maybe I should stop going to the gym.

 

[Gene]

Best of luck with the QDII. Just learn to pinpoint and check for tips
all over this forum. Everyone here has been where you are once
upon a time. Don't worry about not getting an Ace 250. You've got
a detector that will get the job done with the QDII. Just take it one
step at a time and you will do fine. I think you did great the first time
out myself. Pretty brave to keep it in all metal too. Gold jewelry will
cover quite a wide range on the I.D. scale and usually in the junk range,
just like you said. To be a jewelry hunter you will get your share of junk.
Maybe more than your share. Try pine bark playgrounds or sand to get
your pinpointing down. Even using a coin on top of the ground and
raise the coil to simulate depth. As you raise the coil the signal gets
weaker and easier to pinpoint.. Try it and see. It will take practice but
I can tell by your first hunt that you have determination. That's a great
thing to have when you swing a detector. Just search old posts about
your QDII and see what you can find. You came to the right place.
There's a lot of good information here. Good hunting to you ! Gene

 

[stschott]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I broke the $20 Craftsman tool that I bought yesterday in about 2 hours. I'm frustrated because we just got a lot of rain and the ground is quite soft (muddy even in some places) and I still broke it. The $5 backup shovel didn't last 5 minutes. Both of them have a lifetime guarantee (heh), so I'll have them replaced on the way home from work Monday.

I'm getting better at nailing the targets with the detector. Twice today the target was right in the middle of the plug and I had to tear the plug apart to find it. I went to an elementary school that is just a block away from a major intersection that had been settled by 1900. Unfortunately, I think there was a lot of earth moving done when the school was built ~40 years ago because the only things I found were pull tabs, soda cans, metal construction materials, and a few modern coins.

Monday I will try a friend's house that was built in 1950. Hopefully I will find some silver. I managed to trick him into letting me keep all of the loot by telling him that I'll also be removing all of the metal trash from his yard. Of course, if he wants something I find he can have it (he is a friend after all), but I don't expect to find anything terrible interesting.

 

[diggindaddy]

I had just got back into MDing and went through about 10 different tools, I bought a tru-temper gardening tool, they have them at Lowes , Home Depot and Busy Beaver. If I recall correctly it cost somewhere in the 13-18 dollar range. It works great it is a one piece stainless steel tool with a comfortable handle that can take a ton of abuse. If you go to www.kellycodetectors.com, look under the digging tools and they have some very nice ones, but I haven't graduated to that one yet. Good Luck

 

[mwaynebennett]

diggindaddy:

I too have one of those garden tools and they are indeed GREAT. They are sharpen that hell and the serrated edge can be used to slice through roots like nothing. The blade is also 2" wide, which means it can be legally used in parks that have a restriction on the width of digging tools limited to 2" or less. Wider digging tools will earn the user a fine or a trip to Gitmo.

Mark

Elite 2200

 

[TG77]

I just stumbled on this post and the statement that you got the QD II because the Ace 250 wasn't in stock caught my eye. I have the Pioneer 202 which is the same as the QD II. I listened to all the hype about the Ace 250 and just had to get one to "upgrade" from the BH 202.

What I found out was that it was not an upgrade, more like a side-grade as the Ace 250 was no better than the BH 202 (QD II) that I already had. In fact, in my soil the BH 202 was a little deeper, more accurate on target ID's and did not false nearly as much. So to call it a side-grade is being nice to the Ace 250. It really was a slight step back instead of an upgrade.

I'm sure if Ace 250 owners read this they will not agree but I have both machines and the Ace 250 is no better than the BH 202 (QD II). If you have a QD II and get a Ace 250, it is not really an upgrade.