New detectorist wants to say hello!

[Danimal]

After my son and I have discussed how cool this hobby looked, he bought me my first MD for Xmas, a BH Fast Tracker. Since we've had such a mild winter so far (NE Ohio here) I took the BH about a half dozen times, finding a slew of coins, with nothing older than a 1931 wheaty...but what aggravated me was not having ANY indication of target depth without playing with sens and coil height to try and focus on shallower, easier pickins.
I then decided to buy an ACE250 and give the BH to my boy. I have used the ACE twice now (just last night in a local playground under the mercury lights I found$3 in clad) and the ACE seems to work great. I especially like the pinpoint feature, although I am having a bit of trouble determining the exact spot to dig. Does the pinpoint area change according to the height the coil is from the target? I know the field is kinda like an inverted cone shape, but does that hold true with an oval coil like the ACE? And on that topic, WHY is the coil oval? I see that Garrett seems to show the pinpoint spot is the front of the inner loop on the coil.
I guess I could do the tape-coins-to-cardboard thing and practice pinpointing that way. Other than that, I can't wait until spring. I have LOTS of spots I can think of that are quite old to detect.

 

[BOB in TX]

Plant a few coins and stick a golf tee over the coin ,then you will learn to pinpoint.

 

[Uncle Willy]

There is a slew of info on this forum about pinpointing. Check the archives. Shallow targets will be located under the center front tip of the inside oval on the coil. Deeper ones will be a little further back from that spot. Just scan side to side until you get the strongest signal. Then drag the coil straight back until the instant the signal stops.

Bill

 

[DavHut]

Welcome! You are among good company here. The experts here are beyond willing to share what they know and do so with consideration.
Glad you here.

David

 

[John-Edmonton]

That ACE 250 is really an incredible machine. It will find you thousands of targets quickly! May I suggest you also read the book "The New Successful Coin Hunting" by Charles Garrett. It is full of tricks, places to hunt and common sense information to really accelerate at detecting. You won't be disappointed. I still pick mine up occasionally to re-read some chapters.
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[DavHut]

n/t

 

[Anonymous]

Here are some tips for the new and old Ace 250 owner to get the best power out of it.

1. Tape the coil cable straight up the lower rod.
That way you can run sensitivity much higher without falsing.

2. Hunt in the Relic or All Metal Mode. If you start notching out more you will easily loose 2 inches of depth.

3. If you get a weak signal try to swing the coil faster over the target. That improves target ID and depth.

4. If the target just jumps in the coin range, it is a deep coin most of the time. If it jumps all over the ID range it is trash.

5. If you use the 4.5 sniper coil (just 60$) run sensitivity at max. You can still get coins 6 to 7 inches deep !
This small sniper coil is important for trashy sides (around old houses, around trees in parks). The standard coil sees to many targets at once and good targets will be masked by trash. Try it...it will open you eyes what target separation is.

6. Pinpointing:

If the pinpointing area seems to large go over the target release pinpoint switch and press it again OVER the target.
That is called detuning and the target will shrink and be in the center of the coil.

7. Have fun....

Andy

 

[Spanky]

Lots of tips and tricks here not to mention the very fine company !

Cheers!

 

[DavHut]

n/t

 

[lien]

hi does this message apply to the 1350 can it take the sniper coil and does the other info relate or is it just for the 250

 

[DavHut]

...here's what Andreas says about the 1350, straight from the DavHut archives:

Easy to use detector

Here are my tips:

1. Tape the coil cable straight up the lower rod.

2. Set the threshold to the point where you can barely here it.

3. After number 2, run sensitivity at max.
If the detector is not stable back down a notch, or until it becomes so.

4. Run it in jewelry mode for max depth.
If you run it in coin mode you loose some depth.

5. Get the 4.5 inch coil for it. That coil will give you great target separation and ID around old houses and in trash.

6.Make sure you always have spare battery holder.That is the only weakness of the Garrett.

7.If the ID jumps from iron to coin...it's junk.
If it jumps in the coin range it's a deep coin most of the time.

The Garrett GTP 1350 is the same model like the GTAx 1250 but the 1350 has profiling (sizing). I think that profiling isn't really necessary, because you can tell by the length of the tone what size the target is.

I don't like that you turn profiling on every time you press pinpoint; because you have to press it again to turn it of. It uses a different tone in profiling mode than in disc mode...why...it's not helpful. That profiling is just a help if you hunt a place where targets are not to close together (Beach).

This is the only place I disagree with Andreas, and its my personal feeling. He's right in his description of the function, but I LIKE the profiling feature. To be fair, I didnt at first. But once I decided to let it teach me how it should best be used, I got a new appreciation for it. Here's the sequence I follow:

A. Press PinPoint and, well, pinpoint!
B. Once pinpointed, Profiling auto-engages and you allow it work, letting the data sink in...
C. Turn off Profiling by pressing the button once.

Simple sequence, very logical - easy to get used to.

In trash you can't rely on it alone (Profiling) because the coil sees too many targets at once and the reading is off.

The GTP 1350 can profile size with ALL Garrett coils, unlike the GTIs.

Is the Garrett deep ??? Yes if you follow my tips.
It is as deep as every other top of the line detector out there.I compared it to the Whites MXT and can say the Garrett hits better on silver and copper, but the MXT is a little hotter on nickels.The Garrett runs more quiet.

The Garrett is well balanced and fun to use. You don't have to read the manual every time you use it, because it's that easy. There are no outside controls you could accidently bump or turn.

Target ID is right on if you use the right coil for the area you hunt in. Nickel can come in a little higher some time, so accept one more notch up.

I liked the 1250 better, because I don't fancy the profiling. Performance is the same.

HH,
Andy