(06-19-2014 09:17 PM)Ohio Dirt Fisher Wrote: [ -> ]Joe, the tones help a lot but I use them in conjunction with the Digital readout too. I dig many high tones that the numbers are not good on and wind up with iron or crushed aluminum cans. If the digital readout shows me along with a high tone that the object "may be" a coin or silver, I cross sweep the hell out of it. If that same cross sweep shows me a bouncy number anywhere in the sweeps that jumps from 3-28, 29 to 21-30 or 24-28 (for example), I know it's aluminum trash or can slaw without even digging it. If my digital readout and the tone remain stable at the same depth after many cross sweeps, I dig it. This type of cherry picking has eliminated my digging a ton of junk from already experiencing digging it. Now it's not perfect, but it's pretty damn close. I dig about 50% junk on average. You know some of the time you just don't know what's there. You can hazard a guess but you have to dig it if the machine says dig. That's what I like about the ML SE Pro. You have a much better ability to see what's actually in the ground. My Delta can't do that.
And Will, I also have it set in Ferrous tone mode. It makes a helluva difference distinguishing iron from silver.
Ed, I cherry pick a lot. In a sense, you almost have to in a modern trash spot (parks, etc.), since you're dealing with 40 years of trash before you hit the start of the silver years. Now, if you want to find rings & other gold jewelry, well, quite simply, one is going to have to basically dig through all of that. I'd rather not. I've got the beach to find gold. MUCH less junk. I'm quite happy sniping all the silver. Now...
I hunt by tone first, followed by numbers, and then by depth...in that order. I'm looking for VERY specific types of signals. Now, there are exceptions, which vary by type of dirt, age of the spot, ground conditions, etc., where, for example I might dig a shallow signal or something along those lines. However, tone, numbers & depth is my system.
I usually don't dig anything shallower than say 4 or 5". Why? 95 times out of 100 it'll be clad. Again, though, if that tone is there, I'll dig even a signal on top. Mostly it's the deepies though. I too dig a LOT of deep iron. No way around it. There are clues you can look for, hints, or telltale signs it's deep iron, but, that deep iron can also be a coin on edge, a deep coin READING as iron, a deep coin nearby trash, etc., so, you MUST dig those deep iffy signals, as that's where the oldest & best coins are. Also, those sketchy signals are the ones other hunters walk past & can't figure out
If you aren't coming home with a pouch full of deep iron, you aren't hunting correctly has always been a good rule of thumb I've followed. Remember, most of the easy silver is loooong gone. You're looking for the leftovers, the scraps, that detectorists of yesteryear missed. These 'scraps' are mostly going to be deep and/or iffy signals...which is why they were missed in the first place
Also, in pockets of HEAVY trash, when you swing the coil and get the machine gun response, slow down, as this is where the exception of finding a shallower silver comes to light.
You are well on your way, young grasshopper
Joe