Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Why I prefer all metal mode
- Thread starter Hobbyist
- Start date
Badger in NH
New member
-----------------------------------
What is he using as a target?
----------------o------------------
What is he using as a target?
----------------o------------------
FYI that is also mineralized soil from Arizona.
Video describing the test box:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTs3wytVNck
From the video description:
"I built this metal detector test bed to compare the depth of metal detector coils relative to each other. This is not a maximum detection depth test as the dimes are not buried and will not develop a halo that would positively affect detection depth. The soil used is mineralized soil from Arizona. All metal object were removed from the soil prior to being added to the box. This video explains the measurement system."
Video describing the test box:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTs3wytVNck
From the video description:
"I built this metal detector test bed to compare the depth of metal detector coils relative to each other. This is not a maximum detection depth test as the dimes are not buried and will not develop a halo that would positively affect detection depth. The soil used is mineralized soil from Arizona. All metal object were removed from the soil prior to being added to the box. This video explains the measurement system."
Badger in NH
New member
kai_gold said:A clad dime.
A Clad dime. Thanks. I see that it does say that on the Youtube site.
That's a great setup. Pretty ingenious how he flips the stick to get three depths out of each tube.
I've been trying to come up with ways to accurately test depth and this is the best I've seen yet.
Impressive test! I'd like to know if the soil was recently dumped into the test bed and if you had ever compacted it. Also, was the moisture content above 5%? (kidding). I am curious, however if you watered the soil at all. It looks like fresh dumped soil.
I really like how you measured to the half inch.. quite a good setup. Too bad about the lack of halo effect... perhaps you could bury a clad dime on the far side of the box on top of every pipe. Then let it "acclimate" for a year or so (it is exposed to the weather?) and then you might have some way to check a buried dime in undisturbed soil.
Kudo's to you Treasure Barrel!!
I really like how you measured to the half inch.. quite a good setup. Too bad about the lack of halo effect... perhaps you could bury a clad dime on the far side of the box on top of every pipe. Then let it "acclimate" for a year or so (it is exposed to the weather?) and then you might have some way to check a buried dime in undisturbed soil.
Kudo's to you Treasure Barrel!!
Thanks. The soil is a combination of loose dirt and dirt clods. I created it to mimic conditions found in demos and fields where the soil has been disturbed and keep variables consistent across the board. The soil was compacted with only a hand shovel with moderate tapping to get the dirt into the corner of the box. No water was added. Keep in mind that I live in Arizona and so it does not rain here much and it is dry mineralized soil with some clay and loose dry dirt on the surface. As for the halo effect, I have seen reports from two different detector designers that both say not to place much emphasis on halo for nonferrous items as leaching is almost negligible. One said that Iron relics that are rusting can exhibit a more substantial halo effect..
The results I received are consistent with what I have experienced in the field. My main takeaway from this was that at fringe depths every id system starts to drift into the iron range before finally dropping out. Some detectors like the etrac keep a more true id to greater depths but even the etrac experiences depth loss in this mineralized soil. Smaller items can completely disappear when placed in the mineralized soil.
I no longer spend much time detecting the turf, but if I did, I would have tried to mimic those condition as much as possible. Aside from demos and disturbed areas, I am now spending more time in tot lots looking for small micro-jewelry. To mimic these locations, I have built another box using sand like that used at local playgrounds. I also use smaller pipes to take measurements in 1/8 increments on testing a small gold earring.
Because these reflect local conditions, my advise is to not consider them maximum depth tests as I have found items much deeper in less mineralized locations. Rather, notice the relative depth between coils under the same conditions and listen to how the audio response changes as the target reaches the fringes of detection depth as this information can be useful in other locations and scenarios.
The results I received are consistent with what I have experienced in the field. My main takeaway from this was that at fringe depths every id system starts to drift into the iron range before finally dropping out. Some detectors like the etrac keep a more true id to greater depths but even the etrac experiences depth loss in this mineralized soil. Smaller items can completely disappear when placed in the mineralized soil.
I no longer spend much time detecting the turf, but if I did, I would have tried to mimic those condition as much as possible. Aside from demos and disturbed areas, I am now spending more time in tot lots looking for small micro-jewelry. To mimic these locations, I have built another box using sand like that used at local playgrounds. I also use smaller pipes to take measurements in 1/8 increments on testing a small gold earring.
Because these reflect local conditions, my advise is to not consider them maximum depth tests as I have found items much deeper in less mineralized locations. Rather, notice the relative depth between coils under the same conditions and listen to how the audio response changes as the target reaches the fringes of detection depth as this information can be useful in other locations and scenarios.
Ken in Georgia
New member
it's a great video and relic hunting the G2 / Gold bug has no equal !!!!
Here are the microjewelry Videos. This round was conducted with the coils stationary. I figured this was ok since a video from one of the factories showed coils being tested stationary. I will be conducting some more tests later this week with the coil moving and the earring stationary to compare the results. These tests are with the Fisher Gold Bug Pro version 4 in playground sand that contains some minerals. The ground phase reading when ground balanced is 74-75. In all metal the sensitivity was maxed, threshold at 3. In disc mode, sensitivity was maxed, audio break set at zero. I ground balanced the metal detector before placing the coil on the sand.
With the 11 inch coil I had to drop the sensitivity to the 11 o'clock position to prevent the noisy chatter from hiding the signal. In my area, this was as high as I could run the 11 inch coil I currently have as well the one that came with the G2 I had previously. The 11 inch coil struggles in this test with the small 14k white gold stud earring with 1/2 carat cz 5mm in diameter but it has worked well for me with coins and even slightly larger earrings. I do not know why the 5x10 dd is less noisy, but I like it. I can get closer to totlot poles with it.
I have been asked by a couple of detectorists why I did not just bury the item and let it settle in the ground. Most of the jewelry items I am looking for in totlots and volleyball courts are recent drops and have not had much time to settle. I run tests that match my style of metal detecting.
10x5 Inch DD Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZwo4MNLL6I
5 Inch Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmZ9WkyLcDc
11 Inch Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1jjvppXkPM
With the 11 inch coil I had to drop the sensitivity to the 11 o'clock position to prevent the noisy chatter from hiding the signal. In my area, this was as high as I could run the 11 inch coil I currently have as well the one that came with the G2 I had previously. The 11 inch coil struggles in this test with the small 14k white gold stud earring with 1/2 carat cz 5mm in diameter but it has worked well for me with coins and even slightly larger earrings. I do not know why the 5x10 dd is less noisy, but I like it. I can get closer to totlot poles with it.
I have been asked by a couple of detectorists why I did not just bury the item and let it settle in the ground. Most of the jewelry items I am looking for in totlots and volleyball courts are recent drops and have not had much time to settle. I run tests that match my style of metal detecting.
10x5 Inch DD Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZwo4MNLL6I
5 Inch Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmZ9WkyLcDc
11 Inch Coil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1jjvppXkPM
Thanks Ken. My opinion is always subject to change as technology improves, buy I can confidently say that the Gold Bug Pro / G2 is one of my all-time favorite metal detectors. I have liked a lot of metal detectors over the years but this one is just so fun to use. A good balance of performance and simplicity. My other favorite is the Gold Bug 2.
For those who wonder how swinging the coil versus having the coil stationary affects overall depth, I ran the tests again but this time moving the coil with the earring stationary. Depth decreased fairly consistent across the board. All-metal on all three metal detectors saw a drop in depth of about 1/4"-3/8". Discrimination mode saw a greater drop in depth of between 5/8" and 3/4". So the Gold Bug 2 coil was still deeper than the Gold Bug Pro coil which was still deeper than the Lobo Coil in relative sizes. The 11" coil on the Gold Bug Pro could only produce a signal in all-metal if the coil pretty much scraped the bottom of the coil.
Actual depth in the field will obviously vary depending on local mineralization / soil composition. But these tests provided a good idea of the depth of one coil relative to another which was what I wanted to learn from this experiment.
Actual depth in the field will obviously vary depending on local mineralization / soil composition. But these tests provided a good idea of the depth of one coil relative to another which was what I wanted to learn from this experiment.
That's very interesting kai and Hobbyist and thanks for sharing.
Hi Kai I think you would get a better response with a flat coin sized gold target, like a flat religious medal. Earrings are hard to detect in the first place, they give off a chirpy iffy sound that makes the tuned ear want to investigate. If you don
Hi Kai I think you would get a better response with a flat coin sized gold target, like a flat religious medal. Earrings are hard to detect in the first place, they give off a chirpy iffy sound that makes the tuned ear want to investigate. If you don
Ant, Thanks. I wanted to test a hard to detect item to push the limits a little and see how they respond between the different coils. I have some other gold items that I have tested but not on a video and they give a much better response. It is on these larger items that I noticed the difference in audio at depth between the GB2 and Gold Bug Pro. The GB2 is smoother and richer while the Gold Bug Pro is a little more scratchy and incremental in sound. Glad to know that even you have a difficult time with the small earrings.
Does the pop at the end of the GB2 signal on good targets sound like someone is softly tapping a wood dowel with a wood mallet really quietly in the distance? Sorry for the odd analogy but that is how it sounds to me. Not sure if it is just my ears. This happens right after the signal almost as though something is resetting.
So did you find some more gold this weekend? I didn't get out as the wife had some things to do and I had to watch the kids. I am itchin to get out and take the GB2 for a spin.
Does the pop at the end of the GB2 signal on good targets sound like someone is softly tapping a wood dowel with a wood mallet really quietly in the distance? Sorry for the odd analogy but that is how it sounds to me. Not sure if it is just my ears. This happens right after the signal almost as though something is resetting.
So did you find some more gold this weekend? I didn't get out as the wife had some things to do and I had to watch the kids. I am itchin to get out and take the GB2 for a spin.
You're welcome kai_gold.
Yes I understand the way you describe the response and the resetting stage (the resetting stage is what we would refer to as the ramp down. The response ramps up and then levels off and then ramps down. I would describe the ramp up and down response as a wop/pop on targets that arent too shalow or deep. On shallow gold targets the response is like a scream as it is on silver half and dollar coins.
No luck on gold this past Sunday. I hunted 2 chipped lots in the morning and an old railroad site that afternoon. My only mentionable finds were a 1949 wheat, junk ring, antique shaving handle, and a 1925 and 1940 dated railroad tie nail. I
Yes I understand the way you describe the response and the resetting stage (the resetting stage is what we would refer to as the ramp down. The response ramps up and then levels off and then ramps down. I would describe the ramp up and down response as a wop/pop on targets that arent too shalow or deep. On shallow gold targets the response is like a scream as it is on silver half and dollar coins.
No luck on gold this past Sunday. I hunted 2 chipped lots in the morning and an old railroad site that afternoon. My only mentionable finds were a 1949 wheat, junk ring, antique shaving handle, and a 1925 and 1940 dated railroad tie nail. I