I quess I should seek some magazine archives for tech articles on this. Is there a simple explanation for Operating frequencies? I mean is that like a computer, faster processing time, more tasking so to speak? Is a higher number better? Or does that depend on the overall type of machine it is? Which goes deeper? Ive heard of VLF, and how deep they go; is that the same "Frequency" I am talking about here? Probably more complicated than this, is there a simple rule of thumb. (higher frequency deeper, or lower frequency deeper?) Any input would be appreciated as I intend to put the info toward my research for purchasing a higher level machine. Thanks , Osgood
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Operating Frequencies?
- Thread starter osgood
- Start date
TC-NM
Active member
Osgood,
Generally nowadays and historically operating freq. range from as low as 3 Khz. to as high as 100 Khz. and this is in Very Low Freq., (VLF). I don't think that the more tasks the processors can handle in a certain amount of time (for detectors that is) have anything to do with the operating freq. I could be wrong though. To gain maximum depth all depends on two things: The diameter and physics of the search coil and the electronic circuitry of the machine itself. In theory, it shouldn't matter who is running the machine. The old saying goes like this, "The bigger the lure, the bigger the fish". Same goes with MD'ng, the bigger the coil, the greater the depth and quite possibly the bigger the target.
There are EIGHT things that I follow when I detect and they are:
1) Use Headphones - To hear those weak signal or some people call them "whispers" . Generally older coins are found between 4 to 10 inches down. With a cheap pair of Walkman type headphones you may miss those "whispers". Get a good pair of Headphones w/separate volume controls.
2) Slow Down - If you're a beginner, you become impatient and swing to fast, in doing so, you will miss good targets and fly right by them. Remember, those coins have been in the ground for quite awhile, there not going anywhere.
3) Keep the coil low to the Ground and Flat - if you swing the coil an inch or two above the ground, you're costing your self an inch or two in depth.
4) Keep your swinging distance short - I have to remind myself everytime I go detecting to shorten my swing of the detector. Longer swing distances will give you instability and then you tend to arc your swing at the end of each pass. Refer to #3.
5) Use minimum Discrimination - When you increase disc. you lose depth which is a known fact. Try All-Metal setting and alternate between disc. to see the differences. Another known fact, is if you don't like those pesky pulltabs and you disc. them out you will definitely disc. out gold rings too. Most but not all detectorist sometimes hunt in all metal mode and seem to have the majority of gold rings and jewelery. But I can tell you that in their pouch is full of pulltabs too.
6) Overlap your swings - Concentric coils generate a transmit and receive (Tx/Rx) signal in a "cone shaped" pattern. Say your detection depth from your favorite detector is 8 inches. At the bottom of your maximum depth (8 inches ) will maybe be an inch or so wide whereas at surface of your coil will be say 9 inches wide (diameter of coil). To say it another way, you have a greater chance of missing a deeper coin because your signal area shrinks as the signal goes deeper.
7) Go hunting when the ground is wet - You will gain more depth because water is a much better conductor of electricity than air. Kinda like getting a shock when standing in water than not. Another bonus to this is, it is easier to dig when the soil is wet than busting your back in hard dry soil. So go out detecting after a rain storm.
Practice, practice and practice. . . All of the above. Lastly, people that get into this hobby get impatient & frustrated and give up when all they find is a little bit of coins and all trash. The detector ends up at the back of the closet.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the lower the freq. such as 3 Khz will be sensitive in detecting copper and silver targets. Higher freq. such as 15 to 60 Khz will be sensitive to gold targets. That's why most gold detectors sold have a freq. starting at 15 Khz and higher. The detectors sold with general hunting in mind have operating freq. starting from between 5 to 10 Khz. This offers a beginner a good starting point if they're getting into the hobby.
I hope I answered some of your questions, maybe others will chime into this topic.
TC-NM
Generally nowadays and historically operating freq. range from as low as 3 Khz. to as high as 100 Khz. and this is in Very Low Freq., (VLF). I don't think that the more tasks the processors can handle in a certain amount of time (for detectors that is) have anything to do with the operating freq. I could be wrong though. To gain maximum depth all depends on two things: The diameter and physics of the search coil and the electronic circuitry of the machine itself. In theory, it shouldn't matter who is running the machine. The old saying goes like this, "The bigger the lure, the bigger the fish". Same goes with MD'ng, the bigger the coil, the greater the depth and quite possibly the bigger the target.
There are EIGHT things that I follow when I detect and they are:
1) Use Headphones - To hear those weak signal or some people call them "whispers" . Generally older coins are found between 4 to 10 inches down. With a cheap pair of Walkman type headphones you may miss those "whispers". Get a good pair of Headphones w/separate volume controls.
2) Slow Down - If you're a beginner, you become impatient and swing to fast, in doing so, you will miss good targets and fly right by them. Remember, those coins have been in the ground for quite awhile, there not going anywhere.
3) Keep the coil low to the Ground and Flat - if you swing the coil an inch or two above the ground, you're costing your self an inch or two in depth.
4) Keep your swinging distance short - I have to remind myself everytime I go detecting to shorten my swing of the detector. Longer swing distances will give you instability and then you tend to arc your swing at the end of each pass. Refer to #3.
5) Use minimum Discrimination - When you increase disc. you lose depth which is a known fact. Try All-Metal setting and alternate between disc. to see the differences. Another known fact, is if you don't like those pesky pulltabs and you disc. them out you will definitely disc. out gold rings too. Most but not all detectorist sometimes hunt in all metal mode and seem to have the majority of gold rings and jewelery. But I can tell you that in their pouch is full of pulltabs too.
6) Overlap your swings - Concentric coils generate a transmit and receive (Tx/Rx) signal in a "cone shaped" pattern. Say your detection depth from your favorite detector is 8 inches. At the bottom of your maximum depth (8 inches ) will maybe be an inch or so wide whereas at surface of your coil will be say 9 inches wide (diameter of coil). To say it another way, you have a greater chance of missing a deeper coin because your signal area shrinks as the signal goes deeper.
7) Go hunting when the ground is wet - You will gain more depth because water is a much better conductor of electricity than air. Kinda like getting a shock when standing in water than not. Another bonus to this is, it is easier to dig when the soil is wet than busting your back in hard dry soil. So go out detecting after a rain storm.
Practice, practice and practice. . . All of the above. Lastly, people that get into this hobby get impatient & frustrated and give up when all they find is a little bit of coins and all trash. The detector ends up at the back of the closet. Another thing to keep in mind is that the lower the freq. such as 3 Khz will be sensitive in detecting copper and silver targets. Higher freq. such as 15 to 60 Khz will be sensitive to gold targets. That's why most gold detectors sold have a freq. starting at 15 Khz and higher. The detectors sold with general hunting in mind have operating freq. starting from between 5 to 10 Khz. This offers a beginner a good starting point if they're getting into the hobby.
I hope I answered some of your questions, maybe others will chime into this topic.
TC-NM
TC- MN, Thanks for all your advice. The frequency talk at the end helped a lot. It really did answer my main question.Ive known about the moisture thing for years, its like a copper laying there will leach out chemically I suppose ions, etc that the detector will sense further than with the dry soil. That, with less bugs and weeds is why I really prefer very early spring. I am using good phones (adjustable volume Whites) and an Ace 250 with which I have found 4 large cents and a Civil War token and other silver coins, up here in NY State. I am also trying out a Fisher F4, with all metal mode. Do you think the all metal mode of the 250 is like an all metal mode where you ground balance it yourself first? Or does that still in that mode probably have a pre set ground balance sacraficing some of the sensitivity to depth you gain in doing that yourself? The F4 all metal modes sounds and reminds me much of my early Compass Relic Magnum Six (VLF). Do you know what shape the 11 inch "double D" transmits? Thanks again for your input. Osgood
Uncle Willy
New member
Different metals respond better to different frequencies which is why all gold detectors run at 15 khz and up. If you have a machine with multiple, adjustable frequencies, you can hunt for anything anywhere in the world. The new White detector has such a feature. Several PI machines have multiple frequencies ( the Garrett Infinium has 96 ) but you can't adjust them and set it to operate at any given frequency
Bill
Bill
ViennaMike
New member
Hallo, my name is mike,i am a new member of your forum. You say the Garrett Infinium has 96 multiple frequencies, does that mean it is scanning the ground with all this frequencies at once? i am planning to buy one. I was using a Whites Prizm6 mainly in Vienna, but with limited success, to much ground mineralization and to much iron trash.(yes the Romans really left lots of their trash in Vienna!) .Right now i do most of my searching in NJ, beaches and relic hunting. i dig all signals, so i would prefer a MD which gives me the most possible bandwidth of signals to dig. I really think i should go with the Infinium and not with a VLF machine. can you tell me of your Infinium pros & cons please? Thanks