Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
Here are the screen locations where I have dug some iffy signals. Note the bounce patterns as indicated by the arrows. Take special note of the classic rusty nail falsing bounce pattern in red.
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Screen locations of iffy signals
- Thread starter Charles (Upstate NY)
- Start date
James N.D.
New member
give beginners as well as seasoned detectorist's somewhat a visual response of those "Iffy Signals" that some people here on the Explorer Forum probably wouldn't know what it is and what it means. Actually, it is a valuable piece of Information and I bet there will be a few that will like this post since they now know what to look for in those "Iffy Signals". Just trying to help out the fellow detectorist I think. But I could be wrong and maybe he didn't finish his Post. Anyways, Still great piece of Information! 
Brian(upstateNY)
New member
n/t
I have found that signals will sometimes jump around and still be a good target much like Charles has illustrated. What I'm seeing here also indicates that he must also back up the iron discrimination all the way at the top of the screen to be able to record the crosshair hits that far to the left. Point being that if the discrimination is on you don't see the full movement of the target on the screen. I usually have mine set at the default and therefore miss this. I have heard that some of the thin silver dimes will hit on the upper top left and it would simply null if you have the iron discrimination on like I usually do. Food for thought.
Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
We have discussed many times what iffy signals sounds like, this is what they can look like. A coin can pop up virtually anywhere on the screen but most often I see them in these areas. Most tend to bounce at least a little between the arrows shown. On occasion some will ID way over in the iron zone and stay there.
Tone ID is typically 80-90% of what I rely on when deciding whether to dig or not. But for these very iron sounding iffy signals, tone ID is a coin flip at best. To avoid digging too much iron I watch how the targets behave on the screen, these bounce patterns can make all the difference. Coins are pretty darn stable on the conductive axis e.g. up/down. They may be bouncing all over the screen left and right but they tend to do so on a level path at the proper position for their conductivity. Its not often that they will bounce up and down.
Nickels can be an exception sometimes bouncing lower right but even still most bounces will be at the proper height for a nickel. Compare that to a rusty nail bounce pattern which bounces on an angle and 8 times out of 10 will locate half off the right side of the screen as shown when it bounces right.
Charles
Tone ID is typically 80-90% of what I rely on when deciding whether to dig or not. But for these very iron sounding iffy signals, tone ID is a coin flip at best. To avoid digging too much iron I watch how the targets behave on the screen, these bounce patterns can make all the difference. Coins are pretty darn stable on the conductive axis e.g. up/down. They may be bouncing all over the screen left and right but they tend to do so on a level path at the proper position for their conductivity. Its not often that they will bounce up and down.
Nickels can be an exception sometimes bouncing lower right but even still most bounces will be at the proper height for a nickel. Compare that to a rusty nail bounce pattern which bounces on an angle and 8 times out of 10 will locate half off the right side of the screen as shown when it bounces right.
Charles
Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
n/t
Big Boys Hobbies
Well-known member
n/t
Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
The Explorer is much more accurate at ID'ing the conductivity of a target versus the ferrous content, as evidenced by the cursor behavior when sweeping a target. On iffy signals the cursor is bouncing wildly left and right on the ferrous axis but is stable on the conductive axis e.g. it doesn't move much if at all up or down.
The result is that when running ferrous tones the tones vary wildly from low to high tones, low tone when it bounces left, high tone when it bounces right, and averaged together low/high tones. Ed and I have dug some really pitiful sounding signals that were probably 80-90% low tones, and from some angles 100% low tones.
But with 300 years worth of rusty nails infesting the sites running all metal in conductive tones is not an option, one would have to run some measure of iron mask discrimination and then you have more issues with iron masking good targets.
BUT...I have this nagging thought in my head that the Explorer goes deeper, perhaps significantly deeper using conductive tones versus ferrous tones. Since the Explorer seems to be able to accurately ID the conductivity of even the worst iffy targets it stands to reason that one would get a stronger signal on deeper targets based on the conductivity of a target versus the ferrous content.
I'm most interested in the deepest silver and large cent targets. Not always but many times silver and large cent targets simply grow fainter as depth increases until at some point you can't hear them anymore. Indian heads on the other hand tend to start moving left on the screen towards iron as depth increases until the finally sound like iron then vanish. If the tones are based on the ferrous content of the target and that is the weaker signal, it stands to reason that if one were using conductive tones instead, you might be able to detect the coin at even deeper depths.
Something else I'd like to field test is sensitivity, can one run the sensitivity higher using conductive tones versus ferrous tones?
See just when I thought I had the machine figured out!
Charles
The result is that when running ferrous tones the tones vary wildly from low to high tones, low tone when it bounces left, high tone when it bounces right, and averaged together low/high tones. Ed and I have dug some really pitiful sounding signals that were probably 80-90% low tones, and from some angles 100% low tones.
But with 300 years worth of rusty nails infesting the sites running all metal in conductive tones is not an option, one would have to run some measure of iron mask discrimination and then you have more issues with iron masking good targets.
BUT...I have this nagging thought in my head that the Explorer goes deeper, perhaps significantly deeper using conductive tones versus ferrous tones. Since the Explorer seems to be able to accurately ID the conductivity of even the worst iffy targets it stands to reason that one would get a stronger signal on deeper targets based on the conductivity of a target versus the ferrous content.
I'm most interested in the deepest silver and large cent targets. Not always but many times silver and large cent targets simply grow fainter as depth increases until at some point you can't hear them anymore. Indian heads on the other hand tend to start moving left on the screen towards iron as depth increases until the finally sound like iron then vanish. If the tones are based on the ferrous content of the target and that is the weaker signal, it stands to reason that if one were using conductive tones instead, you might be able to detect the coin at even deeper depths.
Something else I'd like to field test is sensitivity, can one run the sensitivity higher using conductive tones versus ferrous tones?
See just when I thought I had the machine figured out!
Charles
Charles (Upstate NY)
Well-known member
n/t
RandyNorthridgeca
New member
Now you've done it . I've been using ferrous for over 3 years but I need to try something different on these pounded parks we have here in Southern California. Most of the easy silver has been found and I have to really work and area for those deep or iffy hits to find any old silver. I'll be giving conductive a try. Thanks for the post.
HH Randy
. I've been using ferrous for over 3 years but I need to try something different on these pounded parks we have here in Southern California. Most of the easy silver has been found and I have to really work and area for those deep or iffy hits to find any old silver. I'll be giving conductive a try. Thanks for the post.HH Randy
Chris(SoCenWI)
Well-known member
One of the good reasons to run open screen is to see how the cursor bounces.
I often see nickels climb higher on the left side of the screen, think this is generally what happens when they are co-located with iron trash.
chris
I often see nickels climb higher on the left side of the screen, think this is generally what happens when they are co-located with iron trash.
chris
Chris(SoCenWI)
Well-known member
n/t
Captain Kirk
New member
Charles,
As I recall, you are mostly a FERROUS mode hunter as am I. One should note that the conductive component varies only slightly while the ferrous component varies greatly. When using FERROUS mode you will hear the very distinct variations in tones as they relate to the position on the screen. In the conductive mode you will not hear much tone variation. The variation in the tone will catch my attention and cause me to investigate further.
Glenn
As I recall, you are mostly a FERROUS mode hunter as am I. One should note that the conductive component varies only slightly while the ferrous component varies greatly. When using FERROUS mode you will hear the very distinct variations in tones as they relate to the position on the screen. In the conductive mode you will not hear much tone variation. The variation in the tone will catch my attention and cause me to investigate further.
Glenn
Arturo de Zorro
New member
went from ferrous to conduct mode three years ago and my silver count doubled my fisrt three years. It is very hard and not recommend for beginers. My friend that has had an explorer over 6 years like me sticks with ferrous, conduct is to confuseing for him.