What does Roundness Sound Like

[Bryannagirl]

With BBS you hear people say it sounds Round - can anyone tell me what roundness sounds like. Also if something does not sound round what does it sound like.

Thanks

Bryanna

 

[Ism]

For me its a uniform sound as I work the target from different directions. Smooth and repeatable and if you have a meter, it will lock onto one or two numbers.
If its a non uniform shape the sound will change as you work it from different directions. In addition the meter numbers will be jumpy.
Others will likely have a better explaination than mine.

 

[Bryannagirl]

I was hoping someone would not see it as a stupid question. What you said helped. Thanks

 

[johnmusk]

If you look at the tab part of an old pull tab (ring plus tab) you will see how the width varies along its length. This creates a slight warbling sound when you pass the coil over it. Coins will never do this..they are uniform in shape.

 

[matthias]

Hey Bryannagirl I am now in my third season with my GT and still learning. I think you are asking good questions and I look forward to reading the answers and learning more. Good luck and HH. Matt

 

[matthias]

I'll try to answer your question. IMHO roundness is the fullest, sweetest, strongest and most recognizable tone in the GT. I often get caught up in pursuing lame signals that eventually disappear. I have to remind myself...the GT will SING when it hits hard. HH. Matt

 

[dewcon4414]

Many targets give you a distored halo affect where as a round sound is smooth and almost never breakes up...... its like turning on PP and sizing the target.

Dew

 

[Critterhunter]

Ism...Good tip you said...that a round target (ring, coin, button, etc) will usually stay with one VDI # or perhaps two no matter which way you sweep over it from different angles. Sure, there are exceptions. For instance, just the other day I dug a buffalo that changed by 3 digits, but as a general rule of thumb 2 digits or less from any direction = round. Also, as you said, the audio won't "warble" on you, where as some odd shaped trash (such as screw caps on edge, exposing the rim and "cup" of them) will often make a "warbly" sound from at least one direction.

But, beyond all this stuff, there is still a certain "quality" of a round target's audio that can't really be put into words. It will sound smooth, soft, warm, and just plain "round". It's something hard to put into words to people. Like trying to explain what the color red looks like to a blind person. Just hard to put into words. So, the best teacher is time and experience. You can speed up the learning process by practicing over rings, coins, buttons, and other round objects to hear that "roundness" thing. And, it's independent of the conductivity (pitch) of the target. As I said in another thread, a year or so ago I wasn't digging foil but I came across a foil signal that just sounded "round" and all that other good stuff I just talked about in terms of it's audio. Dug it and it turned out to be some kind of foreign coin I think made of some junk aluminum and other metal.

 

[Electro]

With BBS you hear people say it sounds Round - can anyone tell me what roundness sounds like. Also if something does not sound round what does it sound like.

Thanks

Bryanna

Typically a "round" signal has a nice balanced ATTACK...SUSTAIN....RELEASE Thus a round sound would be the name "Bob" Whereas a broken, variable sustain signal would sound something like the name "Bartholemew". Look at the wave forms below and it will give you some insight into what round sounds look like (and conversely what they sound like) The Yellow wave form is a dog barking. A relatively round sound although you can see a strong attack and rapidly declining sustain (Not perfectly round but a good example.) The blue wave form is a seagull calling. As you can see it is much more variable,(not round) and broken in nature.

Best Regards

Tony
www.myspace.com/betfe

 

[Rick(ND)]

Good to see you are still learning the GT as this is what I always say too that you learn something new almost every time out with it and what you learn is from Experience.
I find too a round tone is very hard to explain, but once you get to know your Sovereign it is easy to tell the difference from experience with it.

Rick

 

[gear box]

Bryanna,everything above are all good tips. But when Critter told you about the Buffalo that was off a couple numbers makes me want to remind everybody not to reliy solely on the numbers on the meter. I always use my ears first, then glance at the meter to see if the numbers are trying to climb (along with the tone). I would bet that his buff. had a nice round sound to it but the numbers didn't jive. And sometimes vica-versa. I had a Barber dime that didn't sing siver a few weeks ago and the numbers didn't hit 180, but it wanted to. The tone itself made me dig that signal, even though it wasn't as high as a classic silver tone, it still increased in pitch enough to interest me.
Good luck Gary

 

[Rick(ND)]

Many of this I think is that round tone a person gets when you go over a nickle. My nickles read 144-145 90% of the time, but some war nickles will read 143-151, but have that nice round tone to them plus the nickle tone you will learn from Experience. The lowest I think I have got nickles at is 138,, but had the nickle tone to it and was a V nickle a bit deeper than most would be. Once you know the Sovereign and its tones it seems like nickles are easy to tell the difference in.

 

[Critterhunter]

Bryanna,everything above are all good tips. But when Critter told you about the Buffalo that was off a couple numbers makes me want to remind everybody not to reliy solely on the numbers on the meter. I always use my ears first, then glance at the meter to see if the numbers are trying to climb (along with the tone). I would bet that his buff. had a nice round sound to it but the numbers didn't jive. And sometimes vica-versa. I had a Barber dime that didn't sing siver a few weeks ago and the numbers didn't hit 180, but it wanted to. The tone itself made me dig that signal, even though it wasn't as high as a classic silver tone, it still increased in pitch enough to interest me.
Good luck Gary

Yes, sound should always be the first and last deciding factor. But, if I'm hunting a trashy old park then I rely on the meter "2 digit rule" to avoid a lot of trash. If for instance it reads in the nickle range of 144 or so but changes by 3 digits or more I'll pass on it if the area is loaded with trash, but yea...if the audio says "ROUND" then I'll still dig when I get that "feeling" from the sound that it's something round. But, as said, if it's real trashy in the area and I'm mainly old coin hunting then I tend to rely on the meter and look for 2 digits or less in VDI. That is, if I've dug enough trash for one day and want to be particular. Almost always a 2 digit or less and good "round" audio is going to be a nickle.

I look at the meter as just another tool. Especially for telling me things my ear can't sometimes on a target. For instance, a lot of odd shaped trash I have trouble hearing the difference on...Say like can shards that are tear drop shaped or such. They might sound decent enough but the VDI will give them away by changed by 3 digits or more depending on which angle you change to over them. Don't do a slugish long sweep. You need to short sweep or wiggle constantly over it and watch the VDI. If it doesn't lock onto one or at the most 2 numbers then it's probably odd shaped junk. If it does lock on one or 2 numbers then switch angles 90 degrees on it and do the constant wiggle or short sweeping again. Same two numbers, or at least is it staying on one of the two? Then dig. If, however, it's now changing by 3 digits or more, OR if it's now giving you 2 other numbers that are different than the first two from the first angle, then it's probably odd shaped trash. What you want to see is one or two numbers one way, then one or both of those same two numbers the other way. If you get 3 or more, or if you get 2 different numbers the other way than you did the first, then I'll put money on it being trash.

That said, a lot of odd shaped trash WILL tip you off by either the 3 digit or more rule or by the audio getting scratchy or fuzzy or warbly as you pass over the odd edges of rippled surface of the target. Foil, for instance, has a pretty unique sound when it's crumbled and odd shaped. Take a gold ring that reads in the foil range (most do) and see how it sounds "round", warm, soft, "solid", and so on, while a lot of foil will sound fuzzy, harsh, bangy, hollow, grumpy, sick, or so on.

Now, not saying something like a nickle can't change by say 3 digits or maybe even 4 or so, but I am saying that's the exception and not the rule. BUT, as he said, if the audio just reaches out to you and says "ROUND ROUND ROUND" then LISTEN to what your brain is telling you and dig that sucker and don't worry about the VDI. Even a nickle on edge or something MIGHT change by 3 digits or more.

By the way, it's important to keep wiggling or short sweeping while trying to see the number stability and judge if it's wandering by 3 digits or more. if you drunkenly or slugishly just do general here and there sweeps over the target you won't usually get stability in the ID. You have to wiggle or short sweep and get it to work up it's best ID presentation for you. That's when you can then judge the stability of the ID.

 

[Critterhunter]

One more tidbit. I usually go by the 2 digit or less rule and see and judge that from two angles 90 degrees from each other. If they stay the same 2 or less I dig. If it stays at 2 digits or less but is a different number now from the new angle then I usually pass.

Usually when old coin hunting I'm particular about nickles in that way. Now, if it's a suspected deep coin or one perhaps masked then the 2 digit or less thing goes out the window. I mainly go by hearing any hint of high tone in trash or deep and that's enough for me to dig if it's about say 40 to 60% "there" in terms of a junky coin signal. I need to lower that standard though because I've been popping some badly masked coins like that lately. Unfortantely just clads and a few wheats, though, but the quality was MUCH worse than I normally will take a chance on. At many sites those are the only signals left anyways so might as well dig the ones everybody else is passing on as too junky of a coin signal. I have to keep telling myself to stop searching for lone deep coin signals at sites where I no coins can't sink too deep there beyond the range of other machines. Waste of time to look for deep coin signals at those types of sites while passing up all the junky coin hits that sound bad or null from other directions. Those are what I'm going to seak for now on at my burned out sites, because most guys won't dig those, and when they do they usually want it like 90% "there" in terms of quality. That's way too high of standards for masked or on edge or super deep coins.

By the way, I wish you would have called this thread something else. That "roundness" phrase reminds me of those two clowns on that Digger show (not American Digger, but that show is just as bad) where those guys had slang for "roundness" and other dorky phrases that I've NEVER heard other guys who detect use. They made it sound like we had some kind of ghetto slang in our hobby or something. Just painted a real bad picture for the hobby IMHO. Always worried about the value of targets and such too.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

round has a sound and its usually sweet and pleasant and smooth....there are many sounds that come close like can slaw and whatnot.....if you have ever found a coin that has been waffled by a lawnmower set it next to a coin of the same denomination and listen to the difference .....or take a perfectly round ring and compare it to a mangled piece of aluminum can ,,the difference should be obvious....

 

[Bryannagirl]

Wow! Great posts, I really appreciate all the information really makes me want to get out and start swinging my GT. I am working nights the next four nights and by the time I get some sleep it is mid day and hotter then Hades. I really like this park I hunt. It is old not much trash compared to normal parks and lots of potential for old coins and it is huge and not well used except the part by the lake. Every time I go I find something new and I am walking over the same ground so I am not too worried about it getting hunted out - anyway I think I am the only Sovereign hunter in town. Oh boy is this hobby addictive. Again thanks so much for the great posts I will be putting all those tips into practice in a couple of days.

One thing I like to do is make an educated guess about what I am about to dig, when first learning I dig a lot of stuff I think is trash - helps me learn what trash sounds like and helps build confidence in myself and what the machine is telling me. I remember with my Safari that I had never found a nickel. One day I am swing a get a nice clean mid tone, I checked my numbers and they read solid in the nickel range. Less then an inch a way in all directions I was picking up trash. I went back to my good nickel signal and again it sounded good. With confidence I declared I had me a nickel. When I dug and found my nickel I wanted to shout with joy.

Bryanna

 

[Ism]

I go out early morning just before dawn, its cool and very few people around to contend with. You might try it if you can stay awake for a few extra hours.

Wow! Great posts, I really appreciate all the information really makes me want to get out and start swinging my GT. I am working nights the next four nights and by the time I get some sleep it is mid day and hotter then Hades. I really like this park I hunt. It is old not much trash compared to normal parks and lots of potential for old coins and it is huge and not well used except the part by the lake. Bryanna

 

[jyt2017]

If it blips at all...pretty much dont dig it.

 

[tailofdog]

I know that, a Silver Coin has a soft sound and, a drink bottle foil a harsh sound.

 

[OldBeechnut]

More information can be found about the shape of a target in AM, like Dew said.