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- Oct 29, 2016
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Hi Angela,
I use an X-Terra 705 and think I know what you are experiencing. Target starts sounding good with a good number then disappears or changes numbers. Firstly it is not unknown that you can get false signals that sound good initially and then once you scrape the top off the soil a bit they just vanish. This can be a bit of metal filings in the soil or rust off something or some mineral sand, etc, etc.
When you have the machine set up to reject some targets in normal coin hunting mode (I'm assuming you have the low and minus numbers for iron rejected) and then switch into pinpoint you are effectively turning your reject function off. So if you pick up a coin ID number or an aluminium can or whatever in coin mode and then start pinpointing you will pick up any iron targets in the near vicinity as well. A positive pinpoint that shows no numbers can sometimes be a target that your machine previously rejected.
Rusty iron reacts differently to a nice fresh nail and galvanised iron/steel reacts differently again depending upon how much zinc was involved in the galvanising process. I often get fooled by galvanised roofing screws which give a nice silver 36-38 tone.
Many things will cause your machine to vary it's response to targets, we are not involved in an exact science. Soil type, moisture in the soil, corrosion of the target, I find that the longer aluminium has been in the ground corroding the more difficult it is to identify as it sounds more and more like good targets. How much you can dig for a target obviously depends upon where you are. In the backyard, on private land with permission or at the beach you can dig halfway to China if you want. In a public park you are somewhat more limited. Depending on the soil condition you should try digging a small hole in soft soil and having a look anyway or if the soil is concrete hard like my winter/dry season Nth Qld soil I'll often just walk away from it.
This is when a hand-held pinpointer becomes invaluable. If I get a target in a public place that I can't find by holding my pin-pointer hard onto the surface I know it is at least 100mm deep. I will usually dig down about 100mm, if I can, then try again with the pinpointer. If I still can't isolate the target and the soil is like concrete I'll usually fill the hole back in and make a note to try again one day after some ground softening rain.
In answer to the second part of your question I use the ID numbers alot and investigate most targets that give a consistent signal above 18 to 20. After digging many 5 and 10 cent pieces in the past I've decided I'd rather spend my time hunting a goldie coin or a silver ring than digging small decimal coins. I still dig plenty of rubbish because as you know a screw type drink bottle top sounds and IDs exactly the same as a $2 coin and bits of aluminium can range all the way from 20 to 40. A screaming 34 can be a whole can or a shallow $1 coin.
As is often said on this forum and in life generally "If it was easy then everyone would be doing it?"
Hope this helps you a bit.
Cheers,
Graham
I use an X-Terra 705 and think I know what you are experiencing. Target starts sounding good with a good number then disappears or changes numbers. Firstly it is not unknown that you can get false signals that sound good initially and then once you scrape the top off the soil a bit they just vanish. This can be a bit of metal filings in the soil or rust off something or some mineral sand, etc, etc.
When you have the machine set up to reject some targets in normal coin hunting mode (I'm assuming you have the low and minus numbers for iron rejected) and then switch into pinpoint you are effectively turning your reject function off. So if you pick up a coin ID number or an aluminium can or whatever in coin mode and then start pinpointing you will pick up any iron targets in the near vicinity as well. A positive pinpoint that shows no numbers can sometimes be a target that your machine previously rejected.
Rusty iron reacts differently to a nice fresh nail and galvanised iron/steel reacts differently again depending upon how much zinc was involved in the galvanising process. I often get fooled by galvanised roofing screws which give a nice silver 36-38 tone.
Many things will cause your machine to vary it's response to targets, we are not involved in an exact science. Soil type, moisture in the soil, corrosion of the target, I find that the longer aluminium has been in the ground corroding the more difficult it is to identify as it sounds more and more like good targets. How much you can dig for a target obviously depends upon where you are. In the backyard, on private land with permission or at the beach you can dig halfway to China if you want. In a public park you are somewhat more limited. Depending on the soil condition you should try digging a small hole in soft soil and having a look anyway or if the soil is concrete hard like my winter/dry season Nth Qld soil I'll often just walk away from it.
This is when a hand-held pinpointer becomes invaluable. If I get a target in a public place that I can't find by holding my pin-pointer hard onto the surface I know it is at least 100mm deep. I will usually dig down about 100mm, if I can, then try again with the pinpointer. If I still can't isolate the target and the soil is like concrete I'll usually fill the hole back in and make a note to try again one day after some ground softening rain.
In answer to the second part of your question I use the ID numbers alot and investigate most targets that give a consistent signal above 18 to 20. After digging many 5 and 10 cent pieces in the past I've decided I'd rather spend my time hunting a goldie coin or a silver ring than digging small decimal coins. I still dig plenty of rubbish because as you know a screw type drink bottle top sounds and IDs exactly the same as a $2 coin and bits of aluminium can range all the way from 20 to 40. A screaming 34 can be a whole can or a shallow $1 coin.
As is often said on this forum and in life generally "If it was easy then everyone would be doing it?"
Hope this helps you a bit.
Cheers,
Graham
