Finally was able to use my 5x8 and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I'm still getting all kinds of crazy signals with it in the iron invested homestead site.
I will say I am grounded balanced, I do have discrimination on and I am using pro mode. Mostly zero with 30 disc but have been trying pro coin to see if I can see a difference. . Sensitivity is one under max. So I'm not so sure yet. Will get out again tomorrow and give another update.
I pulled out a couple of decent relics and a 1915 d wheat penny.
Hh
It takes time Zach! Don't worry about the signals. Dig it all and become familiar with them and the coil. That's how everyone learns. When I first went strolling with my 5x10 on the Delta, I couldn't even target a pull tab. I was very disturbed about it. Then, when the silver rings started popping up all over the place, I learned. Now, with the 8x6 SEF on the SE Pro, I'm so spoiled rotten to the core with the thing that I refuse to take it off.
And congrats on the 1915 Wheat back, as they call them here.
That's what the target is all about. Learn it. Know it. Won't be all bells and whistles all the time, but those few that are will knock your socks off! Count on it!
Addendum: Bump up to 39, take sense down about 4 notches. You are running too high for Iron.
Ed/ODF
Zach, could be the dirt you went over or your swing speed. Hang in there and give it another chance possibly in another area. Congratulations on the wheat cent
New coils are always tough to adapt to. They might require a different swing speed, detector settings, etc. Ed's right, just dig everything that beeps, and SLOW DOWN.
Hunting an iron infested spot will drive anyone mad, small coil or not. Best bet is...
Pick one small area (5X5 or something similar), and crawl like a snail. Don't whip the coil from side to side, but slowly move the coil over each and every target, and try to isolate each & every beep.
Hunting a site with iron wall-to-wall takes a LOT of patience. The small coil will make your life much easier, but the act of simply slowing down & working one small area at a time, will prevent much frustration, too.
Joe
Hang in there Zach, and listen to the guys running same type of coil. I do not have one, so I'm in the same boat as you. (Not able to help) I do have a sniper coil for my Minelab, but I don't use it much.
I'm funny, thinking depth is all that matters. I know that is the wrong way of thinking. So I look for those deep loner coins or I listen for a chirp in the trash and hope it is not a iron spike signal. But normally it is, but sometimes its a sweetie. Good luck with your new coil, and give yourself and equipment time to shine!
(11-17-2015 08:23 PM)updownup Wrote: [ -> ]I'm funny, thinking depth is all that matters. I know that is the wrong way of thinking. So I look for those deep loner coins or I listen for a chirp in the trash and hope it is not a iron spike signal.
It's all site dependent. In most of our spots here, unless you have a detector that can punch down 8 or 9" with accurate i.d., you'll be hard pressed to find anything old. Yet, I've hunted a few places over the years that've been wall-to-wall iron. In a situation like this, depth concern goes out the window, and speed/separation becomes the driving factor. I hunted a heavy iron site with an AT Gold, and it did FANTASTIC in locating the chirps between the junk. Would not have been able to do that with the Minelab. On the other hand, if I take the AT Gold to one of our depth spots, it would have real problems i.d.'ing targets past a few inches due to the moderately hot soil we have here, so it wouldn't punch deep enough.
Watch Ron's videos. They're pulling up crazy old/rare stuff that's a only few inches deep. Depth isn't their problem, they need fast machines that separate well since those old mining camps are littered with nails, cans, and a ton of other junk.
Joe
I'm definitely getting used to the 5x8 a bit more in all these nails and melted scrap. The home burnt down early 1900s. I'm starting to learn a lot more about detectoring all around. From ground indentations, certain plants, paths ect. Almost 30 hours of detecting under my belt..woohoo...! You old men probably have about x1000 that. Just kidding. But maybe you do, if sothat's impressive
. But forreal, thanks to everyone's imput and help so far, you've all been great
The 5x8 on the AT-Pro really makes the detector feel lightweight and like you can swing for days. It's a good compromise. I find the 11" coil makes the detector more coil heavy due to the fact the collective battery weight is forward of the fulcrum (hand grip), but it does a better job at depth in most soils, at least in my location. Generally the detector slips a bit on accurate ID on deeper targets, but at least it can hold on to the audio. Today's motion discriminators (single frequency) do quite well at separation in general due to the minimum swing speed required and fast response. The key, as others have noted, is to slow your sweep down, allow the circuits to process and keep the coil close and level with the ground.
Same technique can used with the multi-frequency detectors as well. Actually the swing speed is more critical in algorithmic processing. Their excellent depth on conductive targets in high iron content soil among concentrated iron trash continues to delight me.
A 1915 Wheat and an AT-Pro is a good start these days. Coins of that vintage are far deeper than when I started. Good luck to you!