noob f4 question

[dlassy]

After looking at my manual for my new f4 i have a question. In discrimination mode the depth will read in a numerical number in the middle of the screen? and in pinpoint it will show in bars next to the one or two digit target readout in the middle of the screen ? please help

 

[Mark in NC]

I don't have my F4 in front of me, but I think that is reversed. Bars for "on-the-fly" depth reading in normal hunting mode (disc). Inches numeric for pinpoint.

 

[Boston Metal]

Hi Diassy,

You have it backwards. In Discrimination mode the large numbers are the target ID and the bars on the left are the approximate depth. When you are in pinpoint mode the numbers are the expected depth and the number that shows in pinpoint once you are directly over the target is deadly accurate (except when its deep aluminum trash).

Frank

 

[dlassy]

thank you for clearing that up i cant wait to get the hang of this MDing i think i may have a a great spot to search. quick history of where i am looking my mom just purchased a home here in ky on 60 acres and on a walk thru a found several coins in barns on the shelves and floors 1889 indians 1901, 1907 dimes 1875 coins and so on and so on i have about 70 coins in all .sorry i dont know all the names of the coins but i think i may have a hell of a spot to search

 

[jim tn]

Wow, does sound like you have a heck of a spot. 60 acres is quite a bit, if you need any help, let e know. LOL HH jim tn

 

[Roland58]

If the barn has a dirt floor, have you run the detector around inside yet? Surely, some of the coins must have fallen off the shelves!

 

[dlassy]

ive been trying the floor has so much iron in it its a joke i am going nuts trying to get good readings

 

[bthom]

Have you tried discriminating out your iron numbers...give that a try and work slow and listen for high tones that repeat when you swing from all angles around the signal.. then dig it up.

 

[tvr]

ive been trying the floor has so much iron in it its a joke i am going nuts trying to get good readings

There is a 4 inch coil available for the F4 (and the price is not very high either) that should help isolating anything good from the loads of iron trash. A 4 inch coil may feel like painting the barn with toothpick, but it will sure help work around the trash.

May want to work the more open areas while you get more comfortable with the detector and go back to the barn later with a 4 inch coil.

tvr

 

[dlassy]

Have you tried discriminating out your iron numbers...give that a try and work slow and listen for high tones that repeat when you swing from all angles around the signal.. then dig it up.

nothing is even coming in under iron i keep getting high tones high numbers all my readings are 65+ i will head back out next weekend and see what i find thanks for the info

 

[Roland58]

Have you tried discriminating out your iron numbers...give that a try and work slow and listen for high tones that repeat when you swing from all angles around the signal.. then dig it up.

nothing is even coming in under iron i keep getting high tones high numbers all my readings are 65+ i will head back out next weekend and see what i find thanks for the info

65+ and you are not digging? On second thought, does this barn have flourescent lighting or supplied with heavy duty power? You may be experiencing EMI. or you could have a floor full of silver!!!

 

[dlassy]

no no power at all and i dig everything and i dont see any silver enless they are silver rail road ties and silver mower blades i will get pic up soon of what i have found. i am told there is gold on the property from early 1900's but

 

[tvr]

With the F series I have, big iron can show mid to high range numbers. If just sweeping the edge of a large piece mid range 50 to 60 and then up to 99 when sweeping over the middle of it. I get similar results with other brands of detector, so I don't think it is unusual behavior ... some detectors have tell tale sounds in the beep that give away it's iron, some are not so clear. The F75 I have is not as clear in the beep as some other I have, but if I pinpoint and trace the target and it is large, sweeping across the center of large iron usually gives a variation or bouncing in ID numbers and frequently maxing at 99.

If you are trying to get that gold around the iron, I still think you will end up getting the 4 inch coil to be able to separate the targets better.

Over all, sounds like you are doing well in trashy conditions. It does take practice and patience. Frequently there is a lot of trash to dig and very few good targets. Sometimes you need to dig the trash just to get it out of the way to allow you to uncover good targets.
Cheers,
tvr

 

[Roland58]

TVR, I know I am a 'noob' at this MD'ing thing, but, on my F75, using AM motion, sens high, disc low, it will show a low reading (most of the time) over a large piece of iron and when centered over the object it will often 'overload' the GB and give the siren alarm. When I do get the higher readings, it is when the target is deep. Would this be because of the process I am using? Why would our same models (if you have the standard and not the LTD) indicate differently?

 

[JeffNS]

If you want to find the good stuff amongst the iron you'll have to clean the area up by digging up the iron first. Even iron flakes in the soil can/will mask out good non-ferrous targets. If you want to be really methodical about the process, excavate 4 x 4 areas to a depth of 2" at a time...place the excavated soil on a larger sheet and spread it out...drag a magnet through the soil to collect any iron objects/flakes then run your coil over the remaining soil to recover any remaining non-ferrous targets. Time consuming but if you're in a good area it's probably worth the effort.

 

[tvr]

on my F75, using AM motion, sens high, disc low, it will show a low reading (most of the time) over a large piece of iron and when centered over the object it will often 'overload' the GB and give the siren alarm. When I do get the higher readings, it is when the target is deep. Would this be because of the process I am using? Why would our same models (if you have the standard and not the LTD) indicate differently?

Sorry for not being more specific ... F75 LTD, BP mode, in discriminate mode, with discrimination anywhere from 0 to 17, 20 max, where iron should go away, but large iron doesn't always go away. Swinging across the target not dwelling with short motion sweeps over the center. I have not spent much time at all in modes other than BP, so can't really say about other modes.

If the iron is really shallow, a large piece gives overload. I don't run into much big iron that is surface to 2 inches or so down that hits overload. I get more aluminum cans that hit overload. Can't help but think about a running board that I pulled out of a local park that was about 6 inches down at one end and about 3 inches down at the other. It gave IDs right around 30 in a few spots when I swept the coil parallel to it but not directly over it, and bounce around in the 70's to 90's when sweeping across it; never overloaded the detector. Did not peg at 99 like many big pieces of iron seem to do, but it was very thin and well rusted. Unfortunately, did not turn up anything under it like I was hoping for. Hauled it off the the car and it went to recycling.

I've recently been spending more time in all metal and finding it very useful in some of the conditions I normally hunt in discriminate mode.

Thanks for the all-metal observations!
tvr

 

[Roland58]

Thank you for the explanation, tvr! I hope this isn't too far off topic, but, I have noticed, when close to a large iron object or even an aluminum can or ??, I will see high readings. It is easy to tell from the audio signal that it is picking up something that is just close. That being said, if you can get the high reading to 'break' before hitting the larger object, it is a good indicator that there may be something good close to the large object, i.e. silver coin (or clad) close to a whole aluminum can.

 

[tvr]

I have found a couple of coins (clad) next to iron that I picked up by listening to tones change or and when all high tone, I though it was a smooth edged sound that then got uneven, I'll walk around the target and swing a narrow sweep trying to find a swing orientation that will isolate a more repeatable tone and ID. For me, ID'ing aluminum cans is not hard, but trying to figure out if they have a good target next to them is not so good for me. I think I'm doing better with targets near iron than near aluminum cans. I tend to dig the cans and re-check the area. Cans add up in the recycling money too.
tvr