Newbe Observations and Info Req.

[Stingraymb]

I purchased an Ace 250 last week after reading various reviews and forums. From my experience so far, I think I made the right decision. The following are some of my observations which I'm requesting feedback on:

- For coins in pinpointing mode - The coins detect signal is very "crisp," i.e. if I'm on a coin the signal goes from max. to nothing. If I'm on trash, etc., the signal drop off seems to be more gradual. I realize that some of the targets that the sig. drops off gradually on could be other valuables and pending on how big the area is (if small), I usually dig.

- I've had serveral instances of strong sig., dig, nothing there, nothing in the spoil pile - from earlier posts, must be rust?

- I searched around some old houses. There was an amazing amount of metal in the ground. I turned the sensitivity down, etc. Sounds like I may need a sniper coil if I'm serious about finding something there?

- From my initial experiences, a hand held pinpointer may be nice, expecially in muddy spots. Do these work only after you dig or can you use them for pinpointing (ex. w/a dime at 3" deep).

- I haven't made the big find yet, but am working on it. Maybe when I hit it. I'll buy the above. So far - .25 cal bullet, some clad $, gob of metal- maybe zinc? near an old house, etc.
Mike

 

[John-Edmonton]

Good observations too. Different makes of pin pointers go to various depths. Also, the battery condition also affects depth. A sniper is a great tool for heavily laden junk locations.

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/probes.html
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[Neil in West Jersey]

I use a White's (can I use that word in this forum?)Bullseye pinpointer. It's range is up to an inch, So if my target reads "0" or "0+" inches deep I use it without digging. Anything deeper and I dig the hole slightly shallower than the reading, scan the hole (& if necesarry pinpoint the hole) with my coil to see if the target is still in the hole, then if it is still in the hole I scan with the pinpointer to find the target. If it is no longer in the hole, I pinpoint the pile of dirt with my coil to get the approximate location of the target, and then use my pinpointer. Dont forget to check the hole/pile for additional coins. Many times you will find multiple coins in the same hole.

 

[Farnum]

Stingraymb,

I am a newbie to detecting. I bought a garrett GTP1350 and then bought a Vibraprobe which is good for about an inch away and does help me find items in the loose dirt/soil or grass/leaves. I wanted a little more depth as I found a deal on a SUNRAY in-line probe which is good for about 3 inches. I like both of them and have found I use them both. Recently I have been trying to just use the SUNRAY to see if I need the Vibraprobe 560. What I have found is the vibraprobe points right at the metal in front of the tip. The SUNRAY detects in front and on the sides as well. This has taken me a little while to learn. So sometimes I need to raise the SUNRAY up then pass it over the target area to see if the coin may be in the side wall of the hole and not just in the bottom. I am getting better at this and using the Vibraprobe less. With that said I still need to use the Vibraprobe to find small metal Items again this may be because I am new to this.

Farnum

 

[Uncle Willy]

Hand held pinpointers aren't known for much depth, 1-2 inches.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

A trick with the Sunray - if you whip the probe over the target area you will gain 1-2 more inches in depth.

Bill

 

[NM5K]

Sounds like you are getting the hang of it.
Yep, large objects usually seem more gradual a
dropoff when pinpointing. One way to tell if it's
really big, or just a coin is to raise the coil up
a few inches when pinpointing. If it drops off fast,
probably worth digging. But if you still read it
with the coil pretty high, it's likely a can or
other large metal.
Yep, I think "ghost" holes are probably pockets of
rust most the time, unless it's a bit of "hot" ground
from some other reason. Sometimes, it's pulling the
target, and losing it in the dirt... But a
pinpointer helps with that. I always pinpoint my
dirt pile if I can't find anything. I use both the
handheld pinpointer, and also the 250.
Yep, in a busy or trashy site, a sniper coil is the
way to go. I really like mine.
I use a automax V2 pinpointer. Spoiled on it already...
I use it only when digging in the hole, but have found
a couple of coins by accident that were super shallow.
I often use the 250's pinpointer if I lose a target, and
want to make sure I didn't move it or something.
Often, I just need to keep digging deeper... The sniper
coil is good for hole pinpointing. You can narrow it
down pretty close which side of the hole it's on.
Then I dig a bit deeper, and use the V2 again in the
hole til I find it. The V2 is good for an inch, maybe
a tiny bit more. But thats plenty for a hole prober...
If you had too much depth on the handheld, it will
actually hurt you, as it sounds off while you are still
pretty far away, and can make it harder to zero in the
location. Even with the V2, I sometimes lower the sens
to let it be a bit more exact.
MK