safari and pinpointing

[cobb741]

I have a safari and am new to metal detecting and am having trouble pinpointing. Is it from the center of the coil or the front or what ? Also I saw a lot of people on those youtube videos that use a sunray and that looks pretty cool but it isn't cheap! All I have is that freebe pinpointer that was part of the deal from kellyco (automax v4) and unless you are right over the coin and practically touching it it does no good at all. I'll look for your comments thanks vince.

 

[marxionu]

Coil dead centre.

 

[cobb741]

marxionu: Thanks for the reply. I noticed that when I pinpoint that it locks on a number, is that the metal that it is actually locating? Thanks Vince

 

[TomH]

I had a bit of trouble getting used to the Safari pinpointing until I read Andy Sabitch's book. I was used to a concentric circle style coil and was not aware that the pinpointer on a DD coil reads the target whenever it is anywhere under the center "overlap" line of the coil. Andy suggests moving the coil until it reads the loudest and the pinpoint graph is completely filled in, then rotate the coil 90 degerees. If the tone remains the same and the graph doesn't change then the target is dead center in the coil. If not, move left or right until the tone is the loudest and the graph is filled again and repeat until you can rotate with no change in signal.

Since I started using that method I have stopped looking at seperate handheld pinpointers and have consistently found the target dead center in my dug plug. The only exception is an excessively rusted nail or small piece of iron, which will read very erratically and can seem to move all over the place.

Hope this helps,
TomH

 

[cobb741]

Thanks Tom !! That helps a lot, because I was really getting frustrated not being able to find the target in the original hole, and I didn't really want to spend the money for a hand held pinpointer.

 

[The Fog]

I don't use the pinpoint option on the safari, the center of the coil is the hot spot. When you locate a target back off and slowly swing the coil back and forth as you approach it, you will get a tone as the very front of the coil nears the target. Keep waving back and move forward until the tone stops. Now back up and you will first hear a tone again as the back of the coil nears the target. The target should be in between these two points and you will notice the tone will be loud and clear with a good repeating signal. The DD coil will pick up the target before the coil is directly over it, and this confused me at first as well, my holes were manhole cover sized. After a while you will be able to pinpoint quickly using this method. The ID #'s will also become a bit erratic as the front or back of the coil is near the target, and you will also notice the depth meter will show the target as getting deeper as you move away from the center of the target. If you are still unsure, raise the coil off the ground and swing it back and forth, the signal will only sound when you are directly over it. This all may seem confusing but try it and see if it works for you.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

When you want to home in on a signal, pay close attention to your depth meter. As both the outer coil and the centre line will give off a signal, you know when the target is passing under the middle of the coil because it will give the shallowest depth reading. You can either wiggle the coil back and forth an inch or 2 as you slide it back towards yourself, in which case the audio will break off as the coil comes off the target (making the location just under the toe off the coil) or when you have the target centred, look closely to where the mid line of the coil is on the ground, then turn 90 degrees and pass over the same spot. The intersection of where you hear the sound, will be the exact spot of your target. Being in pinpoint mode should only give off a signal along the centre line of the coil, which, will make this easier to do. Practice on a target that you can see, so that it will be easy to learn.
Good luck.
Mick Evans.

 

[zeekeys]

Vince as you can see when dealing with the Safari there is always a different way to do something. You use the way it works for you. I use the wiggle method and bring the coil back towards my foot. The target is just right in front of the coil when it's signal stops. But remember Ol dead eye here uses a 5"-6" sand scoop and digging in sand so I don't have to be that close to hit it. Just have fun and let it all fall in place other wise it does get a little frustrating. I almost sold the Safari once already. But it is a deep versatile machine.....Z

 

[cobb741]

Thanks you guys for all your help !!! It really is great to be able to have someone close by via the Internet. I'm going to try all these options to see what works best for me. I guess I got lucky at first because I found (2)barber dimes and (2) rosies and was feeling pretty good but then I started having a real hard time pinpointing and I had read how good the safari is on pinpointing that I had to find out just what I was doing wrong. I wish you great success weather it be sand or sod. Vince

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Good luck Vince. Yeah, I found learning to pinpoint one of the harder things to master. got pretty frustrated with it till I figured it out. Having the forum sure does make life a lot easier though.
Mick Evans.

 

[cobb741]

thanks Mic and happy hunting !!!

 

[cobb741]

Mick , I tried your method and it did help , so i'm getting a little better. thanks Vince

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Your welcome.
It'll take some time to master, but I'm sure that you'll get there in the end. I find that every time I buy a new detector, it takes some time to adjust to it's pinpointing nuances. It gets easier with each successive detector.
Mick Evans.