Thought provoking

[markg]

Here lately I've been digging some very iffy beeps.
Point to mention:
I was hunting in an old school yard recently, not finding very much.
I had been passing up many targets that broke up or seemed to be just chatter.
Time was quickly passing away so I decided to start digging some of those not smooth, not repeatable beeps that I had been passing up.
Oh by the way, before you ask, my GB was only slightly positive and the discrimination was set to the lower end of foil on my Tejon with the stock coil.
My first signal was not loud in any way. Didn't repeat well (broke up), but did have some tone to the beep. So I decided to dig. To my suprise it was a quarter at 2" deep. Well needless to say I immediately checked my GB, but nothing had changed. Checked the area in all metal but didn't find anything else. Brushed it off as strange and continued to hunt. Then another signal, not as loud as the first, didn't repeat at all. So I dug and there about 2" down was a silver ear ring. Now I can say I was really starting to wonder about the other signals I had detected earlier. As I looked at the empty hole where the ear ring was buried, the word masking came to mind. Was it possible that something was masking or robbing some of the signal my detector was emitting to the point that a quarter at 2" deep couldn't give a clear loud beep as usual.
By chance, a couple of days later I ran across this article which explains it very well.
Hope this helps.





http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/behindthemask.htm

 

[trueblue]

great post markg

 

[relics4plus]

Mark, here in my area we have a lot of what we call "Hot Rock" they are rocks of some kind with a metallic content. Coal will do the same thing. It will give you a false reading.When you switch positions over the area you are pinpointing the signal is not present or reads higher or lower on my meter.I have dug rocks that when I sweep them over my coil it gives a good signal.You might want to check this out in your area. If this is the case check your discriminate settings. I use a Whites 5900 and it has a setting to discriminate hot rock but it does not on all types.
HH

 

[twalton]

This really makes me think that I should definatly go back and cover those areas where I pulled old nails and iron out of the ground, mostly near porches and side walks. So glad I read this article........Thanks!

HH