Why Did You Dig That Signal That Turned Out To Be A Gold Ring? (Or Some Other Good Find)

[Critterhunter]

Thought it would be interesting to hear your stories on exactly what made you decide to dig a particular signal that turned out to be a gold ring. Mainly interested in those stories but would also like to hear what possessed you to dig another non-coin signal that also turned out to be a good find. Was it the sound that just sounded different, was it a VDI # that you hadn't been really seeing in the area, was it the location such as at a horseshoe pit or some other spot where you thought a ring might get lost, was it deeper than even round pull tabs for the area and you just had to see what it was, and so on?

The last ring I dug was at a private yard. I hadn't seen any pull tab signals in the yard and then suddenly there was one. I decided to pass it by looking for my usual silver coin, but there was just something extra "smooth" and "warm" sounding about that signal that made me go back and scan it again a little later. Yep, still had a unique sound to it that was a bit more "mellow" than the typical pull tab that rang in on that VDI #. Dug it up and sure enough it was a ring. It was only plated but just the same my "spider sense" was tingling for some reason on that one.

So share your stories. Would also like to hear about say a gold coin that just told you to dig for some reason, or any other good find that read in the "junk" range but something just inspired you to dig that signal. Share your stories...

 

[Elton]

I can hear a faint difference in the hit after I have been detecting a site and hitting pull tabs.................and the Id flutters a little different.. so I investigate further.

I can't say I have ever actually known it was a Gold Ring I was digging.. "How's that for truth" ...........

 

[Critterhunter]

I don't think anybody actually does "know" for sure. If they did they'd be retired by now. But I do believe there are very subtle differences in things like the quality of the audio compared to trash with even the same ID #. Problem is the audio qualities are so hard to lay a finger on that you don't really know consciensely when you hear them, but after digging up a ring you'll think "I knew there was something about that signal". I know when I sweep over various rings I can just hear a smooth, soft, "round", warm, sound to them that you can just "tell" means gold, compared to at least many forms of trash that sound bangy, hollow, harsh, sick, warbly, and so on.

We scanned in over 100 random non-biased (non-biased meaning these rings weren't found by somebody digging certain zones or tones or only quality sounding signals or anything....they were all found by an Xcal user water hunting digging every single signal above iron). Anyway, the vast majority of these rings locked onto one or maybe two VDI #s no matter which way you swept over them. Only the real odd rings with webbing and fine holes in them bounced by 3 numbers or more for the most part and had a sick warbly sound to them. I always remember that when I'm in the mood to ring hunt. I don't dig the bouncy VDI numbers that won't stick with one or maybe two VDI #s depending on which way I sweep over them, and I don't dig the sick sounding stuff. Sure, if a ring is on edge it might do those sort of things, but like most coins I bet most rings are laying flat on their side.

 

[GunnarMN]

I heard a signal that sounded like can slaw kinda chopy with the GT and out came a gold cladda ring 14k it was heavy side down on edge this made it sound like a badd target gladd i dug it that ring paid for my sunspot sand scoop .

 

[earthmansurfer]

Well, I have a sort of virgin spot and had pulled around 25 silver rings in just a few months, but no gold rings. Why not? Cause I wasn't digging pull tab ID's - which is around 21 on the E-Trac.

So, I said I'd start to dig them pull tabs and I did, maybe only 100. Still no gold. Then I started to dig just the deeper ones that were a bit off the 21 VID and walla, a nice ingraved (1910 wedding band) gold ring. I do have to say, it had a flutter to it as Elton said (but with the sound, not VID). It was a measured 8" down there and maybe that is why it fluttered or E-Trac Fluted - still shocked at that depth on a 14k gold ring. I think at that depth pull tabs just hit better being that they are high conductors.

Anyway, when I get a chance to hunt this spot again I will start digging more of the pull tab signals as I know there is at least 5 or so gold rings there. The silver has died down so I have to adjust my hunting.

Critter - Are you saying that pull tabs VID's are jumpier? On the E-Trac the VID is a bit solid on everything to be honest. Only the Fe number seems to bounce much. But maybe I need to pay more attention there.

Nice topic and helpful - your on a roll Critterhunter ;-) ,
Albert

Got a bit of it on video, not the signal though - was sort of funny (forward to 8:4

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2pm4VyHuvE[/video]

 

[mudpuppy]

I like and agree with the spidey sense regarding signals, I dont know if its a subject of situational awareness of "why is this signal in this location" or not...I stab targets with a screwdriver, and can tell a ring from a pulltab, foil or nickle once its touched underground...If I'm stabbing a tight target, of the nickle or pulltab variety, and dont hit it on the first few attempts, I slow way down and gently probe to locate the ring. Totlottin and beach hunting I just grab away at any signal and dont waste time diagnosing tones or vids.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Critter, one thing your topic question over-looks, is the psychology factor of "selective memory". It works like this:

Each time we stop to dig something, we all think "this one sounds different" (bold, or locks on, or narrow, or broad, or .... whatever our micro-second analysis is of it). But the moment we pull up a pulltab or foil wad or nail false, we think to ourselves: "Yeah, come to think of it, it *did* sound kind of junky." And we forget our premonitions. But the minute we find a gold ring (or whatever), only THEN do we remember our "sounds different" premonitions, and think "AHA! I KNEW it!"

Just like how we think our dreams at night come true the next day. Truth is, we all dream hundreds of dreams each night, none of which comes true. So we promptly forget them 30 seconds after we wake up. But the ONE time you wake up, and the radio alarm wake-up feature is playing the song you just dreamed about, you think "Aha! I'm psychic!". But it's all just selective memory.

Truth be told, all the times we think that gold ring sounded different than the 100 tabs or foil wads, it's just selective memory. But the human mind wants SO hard to believe there is a learnable difference, so we hang on to the notions.

 

[Thound]

Well that explains it........I think. HH

 

[Critterhunter]

Well, I have a sort of virgin spot and had pulled around 25 silver rings in just a few months, but no gold rings. Why not? Cause I wasn't digging pull tab ID's - which is around 21 on the E-Trac.

Critter - Are you saying that pull tabs VID's are jumpier? On the E-Trac the VID is a bit solid on everything to be honest. Only the Fe number seems to bounce much. But maybe I need to pay more attention there.

Nice topic and helpful - your on a roll Critterhunter ;-) ,

If you dug that many silver rings out of a "sort of virgin" spot then I'd for sure dig all the foil to coin signals out of there as well, as there's a good reason why all those silver rings were lost there so there should also be a slew of gold rings laying around too. After all, aren't gold rings more common for people to wear than silver ones anyway? I at least always thought that, and if that's true then based on the activities there that lost those silver rings you might have a gold mine on your hands!

No, VDI for tabs on my machine usually lock on one VDI #. On the GT they range from about 148 to 169. Nickles are usually 144 to 146, maybe 142 to 146, but they tend to lock onto one or maybe two #s depending on the sweep, so 3 or more and I usually pass it as junk. I'm just saying that if it's 3 digits or more or has a sick sound to it every time I dig something like that it's usually an oddly shaped piece of junk.

Thanks, I thought it was an interesting topic. Maybe we can gleam a few things off each other in a thread like this.

Critter, one thing your topic question over-looks, is the psychology factor of "selective memory".

Sure Tom, selective memory is a factor...But I can tell you that there was a good reason I went back to that tab signal in the yard which turned out to be a ring. It had just too good of a soft, mellow, "round", warm, smooth sound to it. That's what made me go back and dig it later. Not so much that it was the only tab signal in the yard, because I passed a few other "junk" signals in the lower range that were a bit lower than tabs on my VDI but didn't have a very good sound to them. They were harsh and "bangy" sounded so I let those go.

I'm not saying the difference in audio is in any way something you can easily nail down and be conscience of when hunting, but the odd thing is when I swept over 100+ rings we scanned for VDI information with many of them you could just "tell" they had a hard to perceive different sound to them. Almost a "quality" sound to them. Again, I'm not saying it's something I can lay my finger on because then obviously, well...It's been a while for a gold ring for me, but I haven't been doing much than old coin hunting lately anyway. Of course too it depends on your machine if you can even suspect there is a tiny/slight difference in the "quality" of the audio, because some machines have more drawn out, detailed, less santatized audio, while other's don't. Also not saying a bunch of trash still won't sound the same way, just that you can avoid a bunch of trash that doesn't sound like a ring "should". The scratchy, bangy, hollow, warbly, harsh stuff usually is going to be some kind of trash I think. That at least eliminates *some* trash.

I know a guy who has a certain machine and all he does is land hunt for rings. I'm not saying it's true or not, but he swears up and down that he can hear the difference between a tab and a gold ring with the exact same VDI #. I don't argue with him about that, because he always seems to be coming home with a gold ring every time I hear about what he's been up to. Sure, even if that is "somewhat" true in what he says, I'm sure he still digs his huge share of trash that fooled him when he's trying in someway to selectively dig by any (real or not) ability he thinks he has to notice a small difference in audio.

With one machine I used to own and a small 6" coil, I could hear the double "chirp" of the two holes in a square pull tab if it was laying flat in the ground. It only worked at very shallow depths, though. Anything deeper and it didn't double chirp like that.

 

[Woodchuck]

You get this feeling.....

 

[TerraDigger]

Well Critter, my biggest gold ring...about 18gm's... rang as a penny....was gonna pass it by.....read only 2"....but something said dig it....yeah..yeah...I know....don't pass up signals...but I was tired of penny digs that day.

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Was detecting an old swimming hole a friend had brought me to when I got a zinc penny signal that was strong enough that I thought I would see it on top of the ground when I looked down. Did'nt see it so I scooped my finger into the grass roots and came out with a black hills gold and silver diamond ring ! Appraised at around $400 .. so I have a real hard time passing up pennies nowadays.

 

[jackintexas]

I have found over 100 gold rings. Mostley in the last seven or eight years.. That is when I decided to specialize in trying to find gold rings.The trick I believe is location-location-location. I hunt where I think gold rings may have been lost. Freshwater swimming areas are number one. Volleyball courts-tot lots, anywhere where there may have been action. Soccer sidelines are very good. When hunting for gold rings I do not dig coins or silver rings. I want everything I dig to be a potential gold ring. I have never gotten a signal that I said to myself I think that may be a gold ring. I dig a lot of trash in a certain location hoping to find a gold ring. My best gold ring appraisded for $2000.00. I have sold rings twice. I only hav e 28 gold rings left.. Most of the gold rings lost are women's. After all who wears the most gold rings. I believe about 60% of gold rings lost are in the foil and nickel range. If a site is loaded with tabs I get selective in what I dig. I may only dig foil and nickel readings that sound strong. The smallest gold ring will sound like a coin..Just my 2 cents.....Jack

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[TerraDigger]

Jack, thanks for your experience tips.

 

[jackintexas]

I forgot to mention -all platnum rings and I will stick my neck out and say all white gold rings also fall in the foil range of the detector. I have found very large men's 14K white gold rings that read like beaver tails.....Jack

 

[BH_Landstar_]

I don't leave out silver rings, I dig them as they can at times be a combo ring like the one below.

 

[earthmansurfer]

Great info in this thread. Thanks guys for sharing.

I'm going back to that virgin spot, well, I think I pulled the obvious silver rings but there must be a lot more gold rings there as Critter said.
I'm not attached to holding on to rings (like coins), so I don't have a problem selling them to pay for the detector. Kind of nice to say the detector is actually paid for.

I don't doubt that some of the older machines, in particular, had more nuances with low conductors. I imagine the higher frequency analog units would be a great way to go.

Next step for me will be going in the water some...

Albert

 

[Bum Luck]

Sheer luck, I suppose, being honest about it.

I've left many signals in the ground in the nickle - pop tab range although I like nickles when the mood is on me.

I do dig signals higher than that, but have never found gold up there.

People do lose rings all over though, and I've had some folks ask me to find them - in a yard, in a hay field, on a sand bar, and along a side walk (awesome 2 carat diamond). Always look down I suppose.

 

[BarberBill]

Two little stories. Several years back I read on one of the forums that small gold often IDs or discs with zinc pennies - which I had been passing on as so many are junk. After reading about the gold, the second zinc indication I retrieved turned out to be a small, black hills gold ring. On another hunt I was swinging over the worn path under a park swing and got a signal that just didn't quite fit. Wasn't really a strong, gotta be something tone, nor a 99% certain trash. I walked on a few feet thinking about it, turned back and retrieved it. Turned out to be small .975 silver scotty dog charm from a bracelet. Just goes to show that the only sure thing is to dig the target.
BB