Well, I'm a different hunter, now.....:sadwalk:

[slingshot]

Made a new friend named Chad at a local park tot lot and watched him use his SS umax and got to talk later. So today I decided no more discrimination over min. disc. for a while. Then, about 4 things confirmed my decision. Dug about 20 pulltabs and in the process found a tiny gold-looking pin-not real- with diamond-looking stones in it. Kinda excited me. Then I dug a couple of trash targets and found COINS hidden beneath them. THEN, I got a "trash" signal that was nothing more than a quick blip that wouldn't go away. Now any other day I woulda let it go. IT WAS A COIN ! Puzzled, I rescanned and NOTHING! Toggling to a/m mode I got a large iron signal! The 5.75" coil had found a coin right next to iron. Another signal turned out to be a dime and a nickel together-probably missed by notch hunters. The thing that impressed me the most was that the Tesoro pinpoints so easy with the smaller coil that it doesn't take but a sec to pop it out. I guess no Golden umax for me, or any other ID machine. I actually have to admit that I liked it-beep! dig!- that is. Then I got to thinking-you have to dig some of those tabs that register as nickel even with notch detectors-class rings are in the square tab area-rings in the tab area AND foil area. When you think about it, it only makes sense.

 

[LittleJohn]

Thats pretty cool that you are starting to find the jewelry. I have a golden umax and I am guilty sometimes of setting the disc at just above pulltab and hunting that way a lot actually. Last night I set the notch to where I could pick up a nickel but still crackle on a pulltab. I did dig some foil seals and a couple pulltabs as well....but didn't have any luck with any jewelry or nickels yet.

 

[Dertnc]

Guys turn your disc down and learn what the tones are telling you and you will find more Gold ! After I learned the tones I started learning how to use the notch and I found out that notch is a very useful tool in discriminated out some of the pull tabs without losing nickels and gold jewelry . But learn those tones first !!

 

[digitaltim]

That's how I hunt now every where too. I'm amazed at what turns up in the foil range, for every 4th piece of foil I seem to find something worth the extra effort

In easy digging spots I won't discriminate at all

 

[slingshot]

It got even stranger today. Went to pick up my wife's meds and stopped at a park I have detected for 30 YEARS under a swing set that I have gone over and over (not much chance of overlooking that) and found not one, not two, but THREE jefferson nickels that were so encrusted they could hardly be recognized at 3-4" each. They were in heavily mineralized iron-rock stuff and gave a signal similar to a piece of foil, although the signal sorta smoothed out a little when I slowed the sweep speed down. Two others were the pulltabs at about 4-5". In the past I probably was thinking it was trash. A shocker was a small wad of foil at a measured 8" with the 5.75" coil. I was about to come back when I had a shovel when I finally found it.

 

[BarberBill]

As several have mentioned "your eyes, the only certain form of discrimination". I've dug enough good targets that either IDed oddly or sounded "strangely off" to convince me that one should dig nearly everything and hunt with minimal discrimination. I will admit to cherry picking from time to time, but only after I've either worn out on trash or only have a short time to hunt.
HH
BB

 

[slingshot]

Found five more nickels today. The newer nickels give a loud signal, but the older nickels that have had a chance to stay in the ground for a while apparently are mixed enough with patina to give a softer sound. This has been a learning time.

 

[Dertnc]

Where are you hunting that it changes the nickels that much ? I know the newer nickels have a little different sound but its not much different .

 

[slingshot]

Where are you hunting that it changes the nickels that much ? I know the newer nickels have a little different sound but its not much different .

It's at a local elementary school that I've hunted for 25 years. It's not a "blat"! like most nickels -it's like the nickel was deeper than it actually is. I think the ground is highly mineralized and has small iron particles in it. At other schools that have better soil, they give a louder sound. The point I guess I'm trying to make is that minimum discrimination is helping me overcome some of the problems of target masking. The coin I found about an inch away from the large iron signal kinda woke me up. Probably a detector with an adjustable g/b would help in these areas. I will try a/m mode in the same area the next trip to this school.