Question for experienced Sov users

[Ism]

When hunting a nail infested area, I get some repeatable signals that creep up to 178-179 even 180. Many times this will be a nail in the earth and I'm catching the end of it. To avoid digging nails, I place the Sov in PP All-metal and check to see if there is a target underneath.
I had a soft target that worked up to 180. I switched to all-metal and there was no target detectable under the coil. There was a shallow target about 10 inches away that I figured gave a false reading like iron does sometimes. Well something told me to dig and right in the center of the plug was a coin. The target was masked by the nearby larger target in all-metal No matter which direction I swung the detector.

Is this a common occurrence? If it is, I will know to ignore the nearby larger shallow target and dig to verify.
I don't think this had anything to do with recovery speed, the large target was too far away for that.....or was it?

 

[Critterhunter]

The large target could have soaked iron into the ground for a good distance around it, causing a larger signal that masked the coin. Some Sovereign users who only get a one way signal and want to know if it's iron will switch to PP and see if it moves. If it does move then chances are it's iron. Also, some check the target from a different direction in discriminate and see if it still gives a coin signal. If not, it probably is iron.

I don't use either of the above tricks to decide to dig or not. I've dug too many one way coin signals that turned out to be coins, and ones the move in PP due to nearby iron or other trash. Instead, I go by how good the coin signal is from one direction and how quickly it gets up to 180. If it's just about perfect as a coin signal, even from one way only, then I dig. You can just "tell" that it's just too good of a coin signal to be iron. Also, you can notice a pattern of real coin signals versus iron coin spikes. The real coin signals will tend to steadily climb to 180 or make it there right away, while the false iron hit will have a more random pattern to it as it goes to 180. It will more randomly jump around in numbers as it climbs.

Of course none of these methods are full proof, but I've dug many coins with the method I use.

Another trait to notice is coins on edge. Often they will slowly climb with work to 180, fall in numbers like a house of cards, and then climb to 180 steadily again, and do this over and over. Dug a few silvers by noticing that. Also, one word of warning about coins on edge. You know how screw caps will give you a good coin signal from one direction but a warbly sound from the other? I've seen coins on edge do that, so I dig those signals in areas that aren't loaded with screw caps. Found a standing liberty quarter at a well hunted spot that way.

 

[Critterhunter]

Also, I've found that some deep coins will only give a coin ID from one direction. Whether that's due to them being on edge or just the way the ground matrix is I don't know, but I like to dig those deep one way coin signals for sure. After all, at many sites those are the only signals left worth digging.

 

[Rick(ND)]

This is where experience comes in play as you will see many like this and in most cases easy to tell the difference. On the GT it sometimes a little harder to tell as it is more sensitive and will false off of iron more. Some of this for me being I have used a Sovereign since 1996 is I learned the Sovereign running the higher sensitivity and going slow, so it does false a little more. When I get one of these signals and can get it up to 180 or close to that number I will move the coil back to me and try to see where the signals will drop off so i can see where it shows the target to be at. Now I start going around that target and see if it still stay in the same area and read like a coin does, if it is iron it will either move quite a bit or null out from iron. I will then switch to all metal as I have it set for pinpoint to double check and will see that it is iron that is a little ways away. Now there is cases where it just sounds too good to be iron in disc and seems like as you are going around the target it will repeat or move slightly from different angles, but also nulls from other angles which is a coin and a nail in the same spot and you will have to pinpoint in disc with the tip of the coil, but these are rare signals and if you have any questions if it is good or bad you just got to dig especially if it is deeper. A good signal is in most cases repeatable and does not move, may take a little wiggle of the coil, but are repeatable if trying to just go over the target only.

Good luck

Rick

 

[deepdiger60]

I call that the invisable target what once was a solid iron bolt or a broken plow blade turns into red iron dust over a very long time and mixes with soil you can hunt forever with your coil or probe and go crazy you hear it but nothig there , on beach sand at least you can see red dust mixed in the white sand. Red dust can also mask a close good target . Jim

 

[Critterhunter]

I've got one beach that has a lightly rust colored tint to the sand and I don't get very good depth there, or at least not as good as other beaches. There was I think steel/iron processing nearby (think I heard that somewhere) and that's probably why that particular beach has the rust tint to the sand.

 

[Ism]

Thanks for the help. I have been digging to verify those 180's that turn out to be iron. The especially troubling ones are the vertical nail. But I have been noticing the differences in the target signal.
Good Advice Critter on differentiating signals. Rick, I do exactly what you described about going around the target and see if I can keep it. Glad I have gleaned some good habits from the advice on the forum.

I dig a lot of iffy signals, many times ID'd before they are out of the ground. Whats really cool is the ability to ID screw caps. Always a 179 on mine but the flat ones give me an iffy 180. I do hear the warble you described Critter, but I still have to dig.\
Trust but verify

 

[Tin Fin]

Hey all,

Good read hear. I still new to the GT, and am learning a lot. Today after work, I started doing what Rick described, though probably not exactly in that order or for the same reasons - I was working around signals, switching to PP AM, then back to Discr/PP. I found some clad, and an almost real ring today by doing these things today. I'm pretty good about telling bottle caps without problems - but the iron/coin combination I'm just starting to learn. And I did run into at least two situations today that fit the description of what you are talking about - sounding like a coin, figuring out there is something else close by, and trying to learn to determine which one is what.

It had some frustrating moments associated with it, but nothing too terrible. One really good 177 signal, rock solid, didn't vary, sounded close to the surface, no warble, etc., turned out to be a galvanized 3" washer at about 6 or 7 inches deep - no rust or decay; I figure the galvanization gave it the solid number. It rang real well too. I did lose at least one target today, and I have a pin pointer, but that didn't help me find it. Could have been a real small scrap of something, but since the sun was sinking, I figured I will find it another day.

Found a pretty good, large, well attended, park close to work to hunt at when I get off in the afternoons. I will be hunting there a lot more this summer. I didn't dig everything, but for the first time using the GT, I found more treasure than trash - and that's a good direction to be moving it.

Thanks for your posts.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I am glad to hear you are starting to get used to the Sovereign and you will get better telling the iron from the good target from using it. You will learn more each and every time out with this detector and soon you will be digging those deep targets and some not so deep that is close to iron others walk away from or go so fast the Sovereign don't have time to see it and report it to you.
This is where I push for in the field doing actual hunting to learn the Sovereign and it is different than doing air test and test gardens, but is OK if you want to learn how some target sound before you go out to actually use it and learn it.

Good luck and be sure to let us know how you are doing with the Soveriegn as I plus I am sure others would like to see more finds on this forum and the story behind it and what you have learned about the Sovereign from experience with this great detector.


Rick