Why specific coin programs are not very useful...

[Bart]

When I first got my SE, I wanted to focus on US coins only, so I gathered up all of my coins and put the SE into learn mode. After learning all of the US coins that I was likely to encounter, I saved this discrimination pattern. Now I was set to really put a dent in the old coin population in my area. Here I am 9 months later, and what I have learned is this....I have missed countless tokens, buttons, jewelry, and coins (US & foreign). Why is that? Well...for example....I have recovered quarters that ID'd from 00 27 all the way to 04 30. Even though I rely on audio feedback 90% of the time, a good audio sound will sometimes produce junk. I always try to match a good audio sound with a good ID. The visual ID of a target will vary due to a lot of factors.... soil mineralization, moisture in the ground, nearby trash/good targets, coin position in the ground, surface oxidation, halo effect, direction of coil sweep, machine settings, and sweep speed, to name a few. So basically, what I have found is that you should open up the discrimination as much as possible, so that you can still make sense of what the machine is telling you. Of course, the best method is to hunt in all metal mode if the conditions will allow it. This will give you the most audio and visual information possible. Bottom line....good targets don't always present themselves as such, and a junk indication, is not always junk. It took me 9 months to realize just how much variation there is in detecting good targets. There is NO substitute for experience, and because the Explorer can give you so much useful information, there is a significant learning curve for this machine. But learn it you will....every target that is dug, good or bad, will be another lesson towards getting your degree. Getting there has been a tremendous amount of enjoyment....using this wonderful machine, and hunting with some good friends. I still have a ways to go, and this forum has helped a lot. Happy Holidays to all, and let's make next year the best one yet.....

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

If you read the forum archives you will find that most of us gave up on patterns years ago. Seems to be a pretty even split between those of us who use open screen with perhaps bottle caps disc''d out and those who use a little bit of iron mask. The books that come with the machine really emphasize the teaching in of targets which although a good idea in theory doesn't work as you have discovered.

Chris