new quattro user

[hunter3020]

I am new to metal detecting, so please excuse my ignorance. This year a purchased a quattro detector and have used it for 20 plus hours with moderate success. By that I mean that I went to a swimming area at a state park, with permission, and found several recent coins. So, I felt that I was ready for the big time.

Today I went to an old ghost town where no one has ever detected with permission. The owner pointed out several locations of where houses used to be, etc. This was a field which has been plowed many times, but I figured that there would still be things near the surface. But after enough hours to give me a backache, I still found nothing but cans and rusty nails.

It was acting funny even with repeated noise cancelling. After reading a few posts here, it sounds like I should have changed the sensitivity from auto to 10-13. I did see a few 37 or 38 readings for a moment, but I could never pinpoint them. Could it be that with all of the trash in the ground that it was masking them with the auto setting?

By the way, the land was beside a creek so the soil was pretty sandy in places. Please advise before my fantasy of finding cool old coins evaporates!

 

[buster12]

If you dont already have Mastering the Quattro by Andy Sabisch buy it it will be a big help. Good hunting to ya

 

[Mirage]

I have struggled with the Quattro in Iorn infested sites. I sometimes take a coin along so that when I start "questioning" my detector I can get a sanity check - just drop the coin down and sweep. Then you can reassure yourself that the detector is working and what a good coin should sound like.

A recommendation is to put it in all metal mode and a manual sensitivity setting. Yes a 10-13 is a safe setting. Then just start digging signals in the positive range. This will give you an idea of what you are dealing with. Those old rusty nails that are deep tend to give a spurratic 37, 38 at times. Bottom line is you have to get a repeatable signal.

 

[hunter3020]

I finally threw down one of my own coins after a while. I even changed the batteries just in case. I will experiment with the all metal setting with lower sensitivity. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Angela (Australia)]

Hello Hunter, firstly welcome to the forum. I agree with Mirage in that if you're in really trashy, iron infested ground, you need to bring your sensitivity down. I get good results with anything from +10 to +14. Just experiment, and make sure your machine is running stable. Try the all metal mode, and move your coil slowly, or you'll carry signals from one target to another. The computer needs time to reset itself. If you're unsure about a signal, try pinpointing it, then lift the coil for a sec, and bring it down on where you believe the target to be,and move your coil real SLOW OVER it. If it's a repeatable signal, dig it! Also in all metal mode, bare in mind that some relics will read a negative number in the ground. By digging everything to begin with, you'll soon get the idea of what may be a feasible target. Just a few tips! Hope it helps.
HH Angela

 

[rotty23]

1st off welcome to the forum...its good to see a new Quattro user out there....I had some trouble with the Quattro when I 1st got mine a few months ago too....Practice is the key...Its not really a plug and play machine for a new user...There are allot of tones and pops and such but when you hit a good signal it will scream at you...I have found that quarters and dimes will fall about 37 and 38 and nickles and pop tops are a solid 14 (newer poptops)...I have yet to find any silver yet so I cant help you there...I also have a habit of swinging to fast so I get alto of mixed signals....The threshold is a bit aggravating in junky sites so run it in all metal
mode...you will get allot of noise but it will pay off in the long run...Plant yourself a garden in your yard and go over it frequently...put nails and poptops and coins and a ring if you have one you can bury...I used a old wedding ring from a previous marriage....lol...I also suggest if you have money available buy Andy's
book...It was invaluable to me when I 1st got my Quattro...Just remember Low and Slow and have fun