Impact beach settings???

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Hi,
I should have done more research but Im stuck with this machine now.
I was using it down the west coast of vic between Geelong and Anglesea.
Im having problems on the wet sand.
Tried cog mode, was getting a lot of false readings, maxed the gain not much difference.
Would anyone know what advanced settings might be good to try?
Followed a GPX for a while and I couldn't pick up what his was picking up even though the target was only a couple of inches down. Conditions where low tide on pebbly stony wet sand area sitting on a clay base.
sd2200 was going alright as well.
Moral of the story I guess is I should've gone PI.
I will persevere and learn this bloody machine.
 
jakal said:
Hi,
I should have done more research but Im stuck with this machine now.
I was using it down the west coast of vic between Geelong and Anglesea.
Im having problems on the wet sand.
Tried cog mode, was getting a lot of false readings, maxed the gain not much difference.
Would anyone know what advanced settings might be good to try?
Followed a GPX for a while and I couldn't pick up what his was picking up even though the target was only a couple of inches down. Conditions where low tide on pebbly stony wet sand area sitting on a clay base.
sd2200 was going alright as well.
Moral of the story I guess is I should've gone PI.
I will persevere and learn this bloody machine.

What coils do you have because running a single frequency works better with a concentric coil on the beach and then you should be able to run the gain up around 70 to 85+%, I have not used the Impact but a couple of people here have, so hopefully they will be along soon,

good luck,

John.
 
If the Impact is anything like the Racer 2, it should ground balance and run quietly on the wet sand. If it won't ground balance properly using the trigger operated ground grab, you may have to adjust using manual ground balance down to near zero. Running the gain high or maxing it out is the opposite of what you should be doing, especially on wet sand. Instead start off with a lower setting which is stable with minimal falsing, and then gradually ramp it up until some chatter starts to come in, and then back it off again - bit of a balancing act between optimum depth and having stable operation. Not sure whether you have tried ground balance in tracking, that may also be worth a try, although may also have issues transitioning between wet and dry.

The Impact is really more of an all-rounder detector vs a specialist beach detector, it will have just as many limitations as any other VLF detector on the beach - though not to say it won't offer decent performance when set up properly. That is why many serious detectorists run seperate detectors for coin shooting and for beach detecting, having the right tool for the job so to speak.

Personally if it were me, I would be running a Minelab multi-frequency detector if beach detecting is you preferred field. They offer stable operation transitioning from dry to wet sand, or even in the water, plus offer the advantage of useful discrimination ability over a PI detector. You do spend a lot of wasted time digging iron and junk targets with a pulse induction detector, hence why I would prefer a Safari, Etrac, CTX or Excalibur for the beach. Pulse induction detectors can also suffer from interference from electrical sources (EMI) which can be a common issue around built up areas, whereas not so much the case for multi-frequency.

Hopefully Nenad from Phasetech will chime in on some ideal settings for the Impact, as my only experience is on using the Racer 2 for the beach - which I have found to be one of the best VLF's I have used for wet sand detecting.
 
One other thing I forgot to mention, with a VLF detector detecting over wet sand you are better off running the coil a few cms from the surface vs making direct contact with the wet sand or water to reduce falsing. To properly understand how the gain works on these detectors, you have to realise that the profile of the gain isn't always a smooth curve from the low settings through to the highest of settings. Even at mid gain levels you should be able to get good depth ability, whereas running at the highest settings tends to be almost a boost mode, and will make falsing a lot worse and with minimal depth gains over mid levels. So in those regards, less is often more when running over areas with high salinity.

Don't be too perturbed if it isn't working for you straight up, it can take some experimenting to get an ideal setup. There are also other factors like how much black sand you have in your area which can dictate how much gain you can run, and on the ideal ground balance settings for those situations. Down here our sand is quite clean with minimal mineralisation other than the salt to deal with (limestone derived sands), other areas may have sands derived from volcanic or metamorphic sources that can provide more challenges for your chosen detector.
 
I've used the 11x7" stock coil, COG mode, Sens around 75 and it has worked very well. Just ground balance and it should be sweet. If it's getting a bit of noise just back off the Sensitivity until it's stable.
14 kHz may run a little more stable than 20 kHz, but it will depend on the beach.

If the beach is mineralised, as in black sands, mineralised rocks etc. give the Gen D mode a try. You need to sweep very slowly but you'll get more depth.
 
Hi thanks for your help.
The machine ground balances alright. I"ll try lowering the gain also Gen D setting might be the go.
I was detecting around the Torquay area which has black sand.
I will be back down there in a couple of weeks, looking forward to trying some different setting to see what it can do.
Meanwhile Ill hit some local parks and try it out around some Melbourne beachs.
Cheers Jakal
 
With the Impact you cant keep changing settings.It has to register and clear them first before you can change the next setting.That is the most important basic rule you must learn.I tend to forget it every time I go out and wondering wtf it is doing when I try to quickly go from Expert settings to General settings and it wont do it. I went out yesterday and dug 70 holes looking for nuggets and came up dry in GEN mode.It just means the gold just ain't there.It picks up 0.1 gram steel with ease at 4 inches. I have used it for a total of 40 hours detecting on goldfields and still learning about the Impact.Another thing you have to learn is to distinguish a real metal object from a faint signal resembling ground noise.I fall into the trap of digging up faint signals only to discover it was a false signal.On the Impact a metal object will give a sharp high pitched shrieking signal on a non ferrous object unlike faint more broader signals.You havnt bought a bum machine but most likely the best VLF around for the money.One thing I have learnt it is a very sensitive and high tech machine.In 90% mineralisation where GEN mode cant GB the COG mode will easily GB,even at 100%.Another thing I found yesterday is that DEEP mode will DOUBLE the depth that GEN mode will register even with gain reduced to 63.It will easily outstrip GEN mode even if if is not setup properly. I did reduce tone break from 40 to 15 just for nugget hunting.Need more feedback from prospectors about it,but there is none out there except Phase Tech.
 
This is my first machine and I am new to the hobby. Works great in the parks 8 inches is about as far as ive dug for targets. To scared to go any deeper, don't want to upset anyone. In the backyard ive dug targets out at 18 inches. (junk)
I know the machine is not a dud .Planning for a day trip to the GT during the school holidays to do a day learning and try to get the cook interested. Anyway back to the beach. I have found targets in the wet and dry sand. Coins, fishing gear and a silver spoon. But this thing is as frustrating as all hell on the wet sand. Actaully Im not sure where to start. Going back out in a couple of hours as the tide starts to drop and will further try to fine tune this machine.
Once again thanks I have taken on board what you guys have advised and I have reread the instruction booklet again and again.............
 
I was at Inkerman on Tuesday and found my best target 3 meters from Rock of Ages track. It was a rusty old nail 6 inches down which gave a non ferrous signal in DEEP mode because the Impact in default settings is not set up for gold prospecting and you have to dig everything up. The tone break setting is the culprit which is set to 40 and picks everything up as a non ferrous metal. Setting it to 15 is even worse as it masks both iron and gold. Setting it to 20 masked out the iron but gave a signal on gold. I had placed the iron nail right next to a gold specimen to achieve these results. I did get the supposed 2 tones in DEEP on various occasions and have to conclude the low tones may have been hot rocks.Just like Nokta to think of everything to make prospecting easier.
I am going to SA next month to use the Impact on beaches so I will let you know how I fared with COG mode on wet sand. My main aim is to detect the dry sand in DEEP mode to get more practice with it to use in goldfields and hopefully find some deep objects like rings.I know it can pick up pea sized bits of silver 15 inches deep in parks from our UK compatriots.I would also try tracking mode in GOG mode to see if it works better.
I think PI,s cant manage to GB at 100% mineralisation on the meter which is extreme mineralisation when in goldfields.Can anyone let me know if this is the case?
 
oldtimerROB said:
I was at Inkerman on Tuesday and found my best target 3 meters from Rock of Ages track. It was a rusty old nail 6 inches down which gave a non ferrous signal in DEEP mode because the Impact in default settings is not set up for gold prospecting and you have to dig everything up. The tone break setting is the culprit which is set to 40 and picks everything up as a non ferrous metal. Setting it to 15 is even worse as it masks both iron and gold. Setting it to 20 masked out the iron but gave a signal on gold. I had placed the iron nail right next to a gold specimen to achieve these results. I did get the supposed 2 tones in DEEP on various occasions and have to conclude the low tones may have been hot rocks.Just like Nokta to think of everything to make prospecting easier.
I am going to SA next month to use the Impact on beaches so I will let you know how I fared with COG mode on wet sand. My main aim is to detect the dry sand in DEEP mode to get more practice with it to use in goldfields and hopefully find some deep objects like rings.I know it can pick up pea sized bits of silver 15 inches deep in parks from our UK compatriots.I would also try tracking mode in GOG mode to see if it works better.
I think PI,s cant manage to GB at 100% mineralisation on the meter which is extreme mineralisation when in goldfields.Can anyone let me know if this is the case?

Keep us posted how you go oldtimer
 
oldtimerROB said:
I was at Inkerman on Tuesday and found my best target 3 meters from Rock of Ages track. It was a rusty old nail 6 inches down which gave a non ferrous signal in DEEP mode because the Impact in default settings is not set up for gold prospecting and you have to dig everything up. The tone break setting is the culprit which is set to 40 and picks everything up as a non ferrous metal. Setting it to 15 is even worse as it masks both iron and gold. Setting it to 20 masked out the iron but gave a signal on gold. I had placed the iron nail right next to a gold specimen to achieve these results. I did get the supposed 2 tones in DEEP on various occasions and have to conclude the low tones may have been hot rocks.Just like Nokta to think of everything to make prospecting easier.
I am going to SA next month to use the Impact on beaches so I will let you know how I fared with COG mode on wet sand. My main aim is to detect the dry sand in DEEP mode to get more practice with it to use in goldfields and hopefully find some deep objects like rings.I know it can pick up pea sized bits of silver 15 inches deep in parks from our UK compatriots.I would also try tracking mode in GOG mode to see if it works better.
I think PI,s cant manage to GB at 100% mineralisation on the meter which is extreme mineralisation when in goldfields.Can anyone let me know if this is the case?

Sorry Rob but so far I have found if you dig holes 1" deep in UK parks they will go ballistic, and any public land you find that does not have rules about detecting soon puts up signs with threats of Arresting such a dangerous Criminals.

J.
 
Goldpick said:
John, I think he was just referring to how the Impact performs in the UK on thin silvers, not necessarily in parks as such.

Yeah them thin sectioned hammered silver coins are hard to get below 6" they air test fairly well and they come in where ring pulls come in so discing out ring pulls can be costly, big silver and 50/50 silver can be got quite deep, The half crowns can be seen past a foot deep or more. Six pence's are hard to get below 7 or 8" so you can easily loose and 30 to 40% from what they air test at sometimes more.

J.
 
Isca Detecting in UK told me about the pea sized silver ball.Sorry it may have been a field he found it in. :8 It was in high mineralisation if I remember correctly?
He has photos on the UK and European Forum about a family member who went to the Klondyke and found gold.
 
Ridge Runner, regarding being branded a criminal it can be a very thin line to cross.There is possible areas to detect for gold at Clunes Common NCR in Downes Street but it is all fenced off.Does anyone know if it is legal to detect there? Clunes has historical diggings for tourists past the shopping centre which I would not go in to detect.
There are a couple of diggings just South of Buninyong which look promising but are fenced off with gates and I have contacted Vic Parks which referred me to Ballarat Council but they they dont know. There should be signs on all these areas to let people know if it is legal to detect there.I can,t afford to get my new detector confiscated.
There is a guy fishing there on the Maryborough Road which looks so realistic it took me weeks to work out it was only a dummy. :lol:
 
oldtimerROB said:
Ridge Runner, regarding being branded a criminal it can be a very thin line to cross.There is possible areas to detect for gold at Clunes Common NCR in Downes Street but it is all fenced off.Does anyone know if it is legal to detect there? Clunes has historical diggings for tourists past the shopping centre which I would not go in to detect.
There are a couple of diggings just South of Buninyong which look promising but are fenced off with gates and I have contacted Vic Parks which referred me to Ballarat Council but they they dont know. There should be signs on all these areas to let people know if it is legal to detect there.I can,t afford to get my new detector confiscated.
There is a guy fishing there on the Maryborough Road which looks so realistic it took me weeks to work out it was only a dummy. :lol:

Well I do know that they are very hot on it over here, And if you do ask the local councils they always say "NO" even if there is no by laws about detecting, The told me I could not detect in one park because there was Ancient Plant life in the Park/Wooded are and that me digging in the park would damage the plant life even though I was a 1000 metres away from it, and one place I did detect they then turn up a few weeks later and put up signs every where,

Then you have land that is under the National Trusts Care, and then there is English Heritage and then there is SSSI land in which they will hang you at Dawn if you are Caught detecting on and that only leaves privately owned land and the only place left is farm land which most farmers do not allow people to detect on, And Now you have to pay to detect on some of the Beaches.

So all in all it is a very Grey area detecting in parks.

J.
 
Hung for treasure hunting? Sounds like YeOlde pirate days....Still what a great way to earn the noose...If I get there you'll have to point me in the right direction John....I'm a sucker for adventure.... :Y:
 
OldGT said:
Hung for treasure hunting? Sounds like YeOlde pirate days....Still what a great way to earn the noose...If I get there you'll have to point me in the right direction John....I'm a sucker for adventure.... :Y:

Mate If you get here I will take you to one of my favourite spots, just bring ya shootin Iron and get in to it, :Y:

John.
 
I,m going to research old brothels and grog shanties.Looking for bottle dumps.There must be heaps of old coins there dropped by the drunk miners. There are places around the diggings which have been spared from housing estates but they are all waterlogged and full of high grass,snakes.Ballarat council are very nice,had a nice woman ring me up and get the exact location of the two parcels of land in question.Referred me on to another body and I got tired of it.All public reserves in the Greater Ballarat area seem to be all fenced in without explanation. Only way to detect public/private land seems to be at night,but farmers can lay bear traps,covered over pits with spikes :mad: whereas Councils can,t. That,s how OldGT can satisfy his lust for adventure.Luckily my new Impact has an incognito mode too :lol: forward light beam and a lit up screen. :cool:
 

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