enjoy the results I can get from an XL Pro, Classic IDX Pro, Classic III SL and Classic ID. These 5 White's detectors are perhaps the best models they have ever offered the consumer. A bit biased, maybe, but I am not alone when it comes to appreciating what they can do.
Naturally, no detector is going to perform well without proper settings, proper coil presentation, and some savvy signal interpretation and skill from the operator.
Eric in RI said:
I managed to get out for a short hunt this morning at the park I've been pounding. I decided to once again try my luck behind the baseball bleachers. This spot used to be an old road and there are still remnants of it left. Over the years I've pulled many wheats, indians, V'nicks, buffs and a few silvers from this small 10x30 section.
I also enjoy re-hunting some well worked sites, especially when there is a dedicate area, such as your 10X30 section that is known to have produced good targets in the past. Old-use sites can always hold some potential, especially when you have iron as the masking offender.
Eric in RI said:
Now all thats left is the nulling of iron.
Yes, the marvels of hunting in iron.
For sure the best approach when it gets really thin is to really tackle it head-on. If you've hunted and re-hunted, over and over, then most of the easy 'cherry picking' is done. The more easily located targets have been removed and it gets a lot more challenging to get a hit on a desired target. It's time to start cleaning out the iron junk. Grid the site to 5' by 10' sections and clean them out ... clean! Iron and all.
Eric in RI said:
I did get this zinc penny signal that was kind of scratchy. I dug down about 3 - 4 inches and whats this? A mercury dime! I said to myself, a merc that sounds like a zinc penny? Curiousity got the best of me... so I stuck my probe in and got another signal... about 1 inch next to the merc inside the hole was a 8" rusty nail. I guess I went over the signal at just the right angle. Not bad considering I was using the stock 950 coil. Awesome!
As many found out the past two days in the seminars I did for a dealer, Target ID isn't really all we come to think it is supposed to be. Too often the literature or videos or field reports we read/see tends to promote just how accurate TID can be.
We hear of the praises of how accurate the readings are and, all too soon, a hobbyist starts to fall prey to the lure of believing in Target ID way too much. So much that they will often ignore any and all visual responses that do not 'lock-on' really well or are jumpy and erratic. In the early days of detecting, when we didn't have visual TID or for those who don't care for it today, we simply kept our rejection low and recovered all reasonably decent audio hits. Target masking can sure work against us, as you just noted, because it will totally mask a desired target from detection or will skew the visual response to produce an errant TID or VDI response.
Eric in RI said:
I'm also wondering if I would have found that dime if I was using the coin and jewelry program and discriminated out nails.
Bad choice. The Coin & Jewlery program already has way too much discrimination for most serious detecting, and nails shouldn't be an issue with the factory C&J programs already.
Eric in RI said:
I use a custom relic program and accept all numbers from -45 to +94. I dunno, I just like hearing whats in the ground. I'm not one to "cherry pick".
I start my Custom programs by using the Relic program and then make the
few necessary adjustments for the three applications (programs) I use. I usually accept from -40 through +95, and when the need arises I can quickly block edit in some lower numbers of acceptance. I don't mind hearing some iron come through because that way I know iron is in the area and I can better work the coil around it in search of any potentially good higher-conductive target.
As for search coil selection, I am a strong supporter of smaller-than-stock search coils for several reasons. One is that they don't really lose that much depth, and sometimes they might get better depth than a larger coil in trashier sites. I also like to use a detector that is well balanced to reduce the fatigue of log-period searches. The stock 950 is 'OK' for some general open-area hunting and I might use it on the beach or in a very open grassy park. I prefer a smaller coil for hunting in dense trash.
My favorite general-use open area search coil for the XLT is the 8". It gets almost the same depth but balances much better. That said, I most often have the 6
