First off, I am not looking to start any flame wars between brands and I know that ID accuracy is never 100% (especially on deep targets) but for anyone who has had the chance to use the different brands - what is the most accurate visual I.D. detector that you have used. From what I have read on the various forums, some of the ID models are a little flaky to put it mildly when it comes to accurate ID of a coin sized target and where does the accuracy really drop off on the brand that you are commenting on.
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Question re Visual I.D. accuracy on today's detectors
- Thread starter DonM
- Start date
Critterhunter
New member
Some top machines from unnamed companies (don't want to start a war) have what seems at first glance to have a very impressive way to ID targets, and expanded resolution on things like certain coin types above copper pennies. Problem is there is such a thing as too much resolution, in which case deep coins or ones in trash can get very jumpy in VDI and make them appear to be trash. I've owned one such machine, and have used another from that same company that is the latest in model in their line up. Even on coins that aren't very deep and aren't in trash the VDI is much too unstable for my tastes. I often rely on the stability of the VDI (when what the audio is telling me sounds fine and not junky) to tell me if the target looks good or is jumping up and down in VDI indicating junk. Another useful feature of a good stable VDI is that if I'm ring hunting I look for "junk" targets in the foil or pulltab range that lock onto one or MAYBE two VDI numbers when sweeping over them. If they change digits by say 3 or more than I'll bet money it's going to be an oddly shaped piece of trash, because it's ununiform shape causes it to roam around in VDI numbers. I've tested well over 100 gold rings and the vast majority of them will lock onto one VDI number, two at the most. That's because they are round like a coin and thus mostly present a good solid target in terms of VDI stability.
There's also some machines that offer additional VDI information on the target, but ask any seasoned user of one of those machines and they'll say that for the most part they don't rely on the additional information the VDI gives in the extra respect that other machines don't have because it can vairy wildy, so in effect you are still hunting with the same information to use that most other detectors have.
The machine I currently have lumps all coins above copper pennies into one VDI number. Which is fine, because if the coin is deep or even shallow but in trash I don't really care what kind of coin it is because I'm digging it. I've dug plenty of silver dimes on machines I've owned over the years that read like pennies due to minerals, masking, orientation in the ground, or being worn somewhat. In a sense a bigger net catches more fish. It's easier for something to read "COIN" here and there and watch for that than for a machine to split hairs and try to decide exactly which zone or VDI number it belongs to to specifically ID the coin type.
On the other hand, my machine has a greatly expanded VDI range from foil up to copper penny compared to other machines. I like this fine detail in terms of gold ring hunting hunting as I can ignore a few very specific tab VDI numbers and dig everything else that is close by in VDI numbers. Amazing how you can avoid tabs by watching this, and still only be avoiding a very specific number that chances are a gold ring won't read when you have such high resolution in numbers close to it that it could read as. High resolution in this range is also useful for nickle hunting. If I get a specific 2 or 3 numbers on my VDI and a good tone I'll bet it's a nickle, as tabs read much higher and most foil or other junk reads lower with the high resolution the machine has.
On many detectors there isn't very good resolution in the low and mid range, which means you dig a lot of junk or tabs trying to dig nickles. Many old timers will tell you the old rule is to dig the nickle zone for gold rings. Not really, my tests don't show any more gold rings in that area of numbers than there are in the foil or tab range up to about zince pennies. They are pretty evenly spread across everything from foil up to about zinc penny, with a few reading as even higher than copper pennies but that's rare. I think the old myth about digging the nickle zone was many machines don't have very good resolution in that range, and a lot of foil on up to tabs are lumped into that same VDI range. As a result most rings fall in what their machine calls the "nickle range" or zone.
There's also some machines that offer additional VDI information on the target, but ask any seasoned user of one of those machines and they'll say that for the most part they don't rely on the additional information the VDI gives in the extra respect that other machines don't have because it can vairy wildy, so in effect you are still hunting with the same information to use that most other detectors have.
The machine I currently have lumps all coins above copper pennies into one VDI number. Which is fine, because if the coin is deep or even shallow but in trash I don't really care what kind of coin it is because I'm digging it. I've dug plenty of silver dimes on machines I've owned over the years that read like pennies due to minerals, masking, orientation in the ground, or being worn somewhat. In a sense a bigger net catches more fish. It's easier for something to read "COIN" here and there and watch for that than for a machine to split hairs and try to decide exactly which zone or VDI number it belongs to to specifically ID the coin type.
On the other hand, my machine has a greatly expanded VDI range from foil up to copper penny compared to other machines. I like this fine detail in terms of gold ring hunting hunting as I can ignore a few very specific tab VDI numbers and dig everything else that is close by in VDI numbers. Amazing how you can avoid tabs by watching this, and still only be avoiding a very specific number that chances are a gold ring won't read when you have such high resolution in numbers close to it that it could read as. High resolution in this range is also useful for nickle hunting. If I get a specific 2 or 3 numbers on my VDI and a good tone I'll bet it's a nickle, as tabs read much higher and most foil or other junk reads lower with the high resolution the machine has.
On many detectors there isn't very good resolution in the low and mid range, which means you dig a lot of junk or tabs trying to dig nickles. Many old timers will tell you the old rule is to dig the nickle zone for gold rings. Not really, my tests don't show any more gold rings in that area of numbers than there are in the foil or tab range up to about zince pennies. They are pretty evenly spread across everything from foil up to about zinc penny, with a few reading as even higher than copper pennies but that's rare. I think the old myth about digging the nickle zone was many machines don't have very good resolution in that range, and a lot of foil on up to tabs are lumped into that same VDI range. As a result most rings fall in what their machine calls the "nickle range" or zone.
Rick N. MI
Member
Sovereign with 180 meter is the most accurate I've used. Fisher CZ's weren't bad either.
Rick
Rick
Critterhunter
New member
Some people prefer high coin resolution and it can be very useful for say hunting clad quarters while avoiding clad dimes. Really the only ability I want (and have) for clad hunting is the ability to avoid zinc pennies when doing that. I want to dig the dimes and quarters. But for old coin hunting, which means deep ones or ones shallow but in trash, I really don't care what kind of coin the machine thinks it is because I'm digging it and don't trust these kinds of coin distinctions in that case...As I've dug plenty of silver that read like a penny on machines in the past due to a number of factors. Still, some do still prefer high coin resolution even when old coin hunting. Different tastes for different folks. For me the ID on high coin resolution for old coin hunting has too much float or drift and makes me question if the target is trash. That's just me though. Others I'm sure feel very different.
High,
If I had to pick the most accurate reading meter from my little arsenal, I would chose the analog meter on the 6000 di pro sl.
It usually is right on target and it sure is a shame, that Whites discontinued using them and switched to LCD meters.
The icons on the XLT I always have in the off-mode - most of the time they are wrong anyways.
Just my opinion on the subject
HH
skookum
If I had to pick the most accurate reading meter from my little arsenal, I would chose the analog meter on the 6000 di pro sl.
It usually is right on target and it sure is a shame, that Whites discontinued using them and switched to LCD meters.
The icons on the XLT I always have in the off-mode - most of the time they are wrong anyways.
Just my opinion on the subject
HH
skookum
My favorite, the Minelab Sovereign and Explorer,which will ID targets very deep. HH Ron
TerraDigger
New member
My Omega has pretty good ID capabilities, but the bottom line for dig/no dig, is always the tones/audio signal.
MarkCZ
Well-known member
The old Teknetics 8500 and 9000 were the best at ID'in coins. (they just weren't very deep searching detectors, but they would ID as deep as they would hunt)
The Whites 5900 did really good down to say 7" or so, but then it would just start reading them a little high but that still made them keeper targets.
Both of the above were my best at calling nickles.
Next is my Coinstrike, it doesn't do good on nickles but the rest seems pretty good. It seems to maybe have some love for deep Indian Head pennies??
I think the Coinstrike may be a little better than the Fisher CZ-7a pro I had.
The verdict is still out on my Fisher ID Edge, I've only had it out in my test garden so far????
Mark
The Whites 5900 did really good down to say 7" or so, but then it would just start reading them a little high but that still made them keeper targets.
Both of the above were my best at calling nickles.
Next is my Coinstrike, it doesn't do good on nickles but the rest seems pretty good. It seems to maybe have some love for deep Indian Head pennies??
I think the Coinstrike may be a little better than the Fisher CZ-7a pro I had.
The verdict is still out on my Fisher ID Edge, I've only had it out in my test garden so far????
Mark
nick hunter
New member
Hi
Accurate TID...at depth...that's what I've been seeking for years...and found it recently.
I will name models, as they give me satisfaction in that aspect of metal detecting.
First, the Minelab Quattro and other FBS models. Stunning ! In fact, I have experienced the Quattro and Safari to be even more accurate than the Explorers as these have a precise, but more "jumpy" TID.
Then, and this was a real surprise to me, the Fisher Goldbug PRO is an outstanding TID unit. Max depth wit 11"DD coil is 10" on EU coins, but the TID is awesome.
For shallow hunting, I was recently very pleased with TID from my Bounty Hunter Time Ranger (V4), found three gold ring recently, and only because the TID was very different that these for pull tabs. Nice little unit.
My two (euro)cents.
HH
Nick
Accurate TID...at depth...that's what I've been seeking for years...and found it recently.
I will name models, as they give me satisfaction in that aspect of metal detecting.
First, the Minelab Quattro and other FBS models. Stunning ! In fact, I have experienced the Quattro and Safari to be even more accurate than the Explorers as these have a precise, but more "jumpy" TID.
Then, and this was a real surprise to me, the Fisher Goldbug PRO is an outstanding TID unit. Max depth wit 11"DD coil is 10" on EU coins, but the TID is awesome.
For shallow hunting, I was recently very pleased with TID from my Bounty Hunter Time Ranger (V4), found three gold ring recently, and only because the TID was very different that these for pull tabs. Nice little unit.
My two (euro)cents.
HH
Nick
gilfordberry
New member
I don't have experience in a great number of detectors, but of the eight or ten I have used the most id'ing information has come from the V3i. Sometimes it's almost more than you want to know (you can spend a lot of time analyzing a target when it's sometimes just as easy to dig it and do the analysis after it's in your pouch. 
. On the other hand, the Whites' IDX Pro only gives a VDI "zone" (a bar representing a range of VDI numbers) but it's still VERY good at picking up "good" targets while ignoring trash. The Fisher Gold Bug Pro, even with its very high transmit frequency, is quite accurate and will penetrate deeper than one might expect with such a high frequency if using the 11" coil. I never had much success with the Minelab as far as target ID was concerned, but since I used it mostly at the beach, where the rule is "beep-dig" I didn't really miss IDing that much -- and that WOT coil pulled out some nice jewelry for me.
. On the other hand, the Whites' IDX Pro only gives a VDI "zone" (a bar representing a range of VDI numbers) but it's still VERY good at picking up "good" targets while ignoring trash. The Fisher Gold Bug Pro, even with its very high transmit frequency, is quite accurate and will penetrate deeper than one might expect with such a high frequency if using the 11" coil. I never had much success with the Minelab as far as target ID was concerned, but since I used it mostly at the beach, where the rule is "beep-dig" I didn't really miss IDing that much -- and that WOT coil pulled out some nice jewelry for me.Critterhunter
New member
Since we are naming machines then yes...For me out of all the machines I've owned the Sovereign GT gives me the most accurate and stabile ID, even at the outter fringes of depth thanks to it's BBS technology...Where other machines tend to get less accurate with depth. Although it has very high resolution in the low to mid target range, I find even that to be very stable and to lock onto a VDI number solid. It's useful for splitting hairs on gold rings with that high of resolution (highest I know of in that range on any machine), as you can easily note and avoid specific tab numbers while digging everything else at a site. But for old coin hunting I don't care for or want high coin resolution. Just makes the targets too jumpy when the old coins that are left are either very deep or in trash where the jumpy or floating ID becomes a big issue for me on other machines that had high resolution in this area. All I want the machine to tell me is that it's a coin and I'll dig it. Dug too many silvers that read as other coins on other machines. Now, for clad hunting I want to avoid zincs and dig everything else...And it does have that ability. It's just that everything above a copper penny is lumped into one number...But as said that's the way I want it because a bigger net catches more fish when old coin hunting. I don't want a floating ID to talk me about of what is a perfectly fine target.
Critterhunter
New member
Another perk about the Sovereign ID accuracy is that there is an adjustment on the VDI meter to calibrate it to a dime or quarter that you can do when changing coils, as different coils can throw off the ID on a detector somewhat. This is one of the reasons why this machine gives me such a true ID even at depth, along with the BBS technology. Not aware of any other detector that has this ability?
Another factor in your topic questions about VDI reliability has to do with just how much processing separates the audio and the VDI systems on a detector. I've owned a few detectors that have a lot of software running through them that cause the VDI to lag behind the audio, or represent a very different VDI number than what the audio is telling you due to the different software both systems are run through. The VDI on the Sovereign is tied very closely to the audio output, so that what you hear you also instantly see represented as a VDI number with no lag at all.
Beyond all that, BBS technology with it's multifrequencies means you get a very accurate ID even at depth in minerals...Where as all other conventional VLF detectors tend to degrade the target ID the deeper they are due to minerals being present. The multifrequencies also help with ID accuracy as they have both high and low frequencies to hit harder on and better analyze a target's traits.
I have never dug so many nickles with any machine I've owned. The high resolution in the low to mid range gives it the ability to distinctly ID a nickle as usually 144 to 146 on the meter. If it locks on to one of these three numbers and has a good tone I'll bet it's a nickle. If it floats around by say 3 digits depending on how I sweep over it then I'll bet money it's an oddly shaped piece of trash. I've dug a lot of nickles and very little trash in that respect. Most machines don't have this ability, as shown by all the nickles I'm popping at pounded out sites. Vs, Buffalos, War nickles, Jeffersons that have been there a while because they are 4 or 5" deep. Still waiting for my first shield nickle, though.
Another factor in your topic questions about VDI reliability has to do with just how much processing separates the audio and the VDI systems on a detector. I've owned a few detectors that have a lot of software running through them that cause the VDI to lag behind the audio, or represent a very different VDI number than what the audio is telling you due to the different software both systems are run through. The VDI on the Sovereign is tied very closely to the audio output, so that what you hear you also instantly see represented as a VDI number with no lag at all.
Beyond all that, BBS technology with it's multifrequencies means you get a very accurate ID even at depth in minerals...Where as all other conventional VLF detectors tend to degrade the target ID the deeper they are due to minerals being present. The multifrequencies also help with ID accuracy as they have both high and low frequencies to hit harder on and better analyze a target's traits.
I have never dug so many nickles with any machine I've owned. The high resolution in the low to mid range gives it the ability to distinctly ID a nickle as usually 144 to 146 on the meter. If it locks on to one of these three numbers and has a good tone I'll bet it's a nickle. If it floats around by say 3 digits depending on how I sweep over it then I'll bet money it's an oddly shaped piece of trash. I've dug a lot of nickles and very little trash in that respect. Most machines don't have this ability, as shown by all the nickles I'm popping at pounded out sites. Vs, Buffalos, War nickles, Jeffersons that have been there a while because they are 4 or 5" deep. Still waiting for my first shield nickle, though.