Advice Needed On Tough Location

[Lacky]

I went up and hunted near Silver City in Idaho. It was a long day of climbing really steep mountains prospecting (bust). At the end of the day I hunted an old mining town that burned down about the time the mine shut down and was never rebuilt. Really bad soil and big iron, glass and pottery shards all over the ground. Targets were everywhere but figuring out good targets was hard. Big iron was ringing up in the teens or negative (both the ones I dug and the many I scanned just to see that were laying on the surface) and I'm not sure why. Different types of metal?

The last target I dug rang up a solid 30 and showed it was just under the surface.  I scraped out a few inches,  still there, still 30. Dug a few more inches, still there,  still 30, pinpointer said it was just a little deeper. Got to a foot deep, same, pinpointer maxed out. Gave up at 2 feet, basically because I was exhausted,  it was getting dark, and to dig any deeper I was gonna have to pry out some huge rocks to expand the hole. In the digging I dug out glass and pottery shards and barrel band pieces. When I gave up it was still reading 30 and saying it was a surface target (event though at this point the coil was 2 feet over the bottom of the trench) and the pinpointer was maxed still saying it was touching it, as it had since one foot down.

I did manage to dig up some 1800's cartridge brass in the town site, so not a complete loss, but I barely scratched the surface really.

So, what settings should I play with to try and get some better feel for the good targets, or is it just not possible in a situation like this? Like a said, bad soil, bad coil knock issues, whole town burned down, etc.

And...what the heck could that bizarre target have been? If it was just the detector I would say weird phantom,  but the pro-find 35 was also ringing solid nonferrous, even though it should have been way out of range.

[strick]

Are you sure the target was not on the side of the hole you were digging? I would try park 1 with the small 6" coil if you have one? Dont give up on the site  as it sounds like a good one..

strick

[Ridge Runner]

My problem was just the opposite to yours.

 I was hunting around a old train station and got this signal under a bush but the deeper I’d dug less the signal. Then I realize my target was above the coil in the bush . It turned out to be a nice gold in color watch still running. Your guess is as good as mine on how it got there.

 Chuck

PS On yours don’t stop digging until you see the whites of their eyes .

[Skate]

It sounds like a great site for the 6" coil. I hunted an old site similar to what you're describing and it was frustrating until I realized I needed to clean out as many of the bad targets until I could get to the good. The key was to work a section at a time, put some cones out in a roughly 10x10 square and remove as much of the junk as possible. Once I did this the good targets just kept coming and I had an awesome site that produced good coins and relics for months.

I'd also maybe play with my tones and go to either 5 tones or 2 tones as I was cleaning things up. 50 tones in that environment would get you a padded cell by the end of the day I'm sure.

[GB_Amateur]

On 7/30/2019 at 2:24 AM, Lacky said:

Big iron was ringing up in the teens or negative (both the ones I dug and the many I scanned just to see that were laying on the surface) and I'm not sure why. Different types of metal?

I think the issue is rust.  In my experience the iron part of the TID spectrum is really for small and/or rusty iron.  Large (particularly thickness but also extent) will often show a high TID, but sometimes mixed with low TID.  I think the low part is the rusted edge of a relatively thin (for example, tin can) piece of iron.  The central region of the metal target has more unrusted iron and gives off the high TID.  That' my theory -- may be wrong.

On 7/30/2019 at 2:24 AM, Lacky said:

he last target I dug rang up a solid 30 and showed it was just under the surface.  I scraped out a few inches,  still there, still 30. Dug a few more inches, still there,  still 30, pinpointer said it was just a little deeper. Got to a foot deep, same, pinpointer maxed out. Gave up at 2 feet, basically because I was exhausted,  it was getting dark, and to dig any deeper I was gonna have to pry out some huge rocks to expand the hole. In the digging I dug out glass and pottery shards and barrel band pieces. When I gave up it was still reading 30 and saying it was a surface target (event though at this point the coil was 2 feet over the bottom of the trench) and the pinpointer was maxed still saying it was touching it, as it had since one foot down.

I'm betting you we digging for a large piece of iron or sheet metal.  This happens to me quite a bit and after I get down a foot and haven't found it I just decide it's not a coin so why am I expending all this energy?  Certainly in some cases I may be giving up on a great find but unless you're after a cache or similar the chances of it being valuable is pretty small.

Regarding hand-held pinpointers, this is where the White's TRX really earns its keep.  The reason is the very good proportional response.  (I also have a Garrett Carrot and it has its pluses, but the proportional response on it is not as good, IMO.  The sides of the Carrot -- about an inch from the tip, are more sensitive than the tip.  Just the opposite for the TRX.  Sometimes I want the side sensitivity and then I go with the Carrot.  I actually often carry both!)  For the TRX running max gain, in ground coins typically start to signal when I'm within 2-3 inches.  (By 'coins' I mean pennies and dimes.  Quarters a bit farther and since I never find larger coins I can't say.)  So after getting my first chirps, if I dig down a couple inches and the signal doesn't pick up considerably in frequency and intensity but is just a bit of a change, it's indicating a deep, large target.  I don't stop there but dig down another few inches just to make sure.  For the deep iron, though, even now the frequency of the pulsing and the intensity haven't changed much.

Abandoned ghost towns are about the most difficult sites to hunt.  They will drive you crazy (as you've found out) giving what seem to be high conductivity TID's.  The sheet metal and nails are everywhere.  Unfortunately I don't have a great solution.  What Skate said above is probably the best approach.  I doubt there is any way to cover ground quickly and still make good finds.  You're almost in archaeological dig mode.

[Lacky]

15 hours ago, strick said:

Are you sure the target was not on the side of the hole you were digging? I would try park 1 with the small 6" coil if you have one? Dont give up on the site  as it sounds like a good one..

strick

Can't say I'm sure, but the pinpointer said the target was in the bottom of the hole.

[Lacky]

13 hours ago, Skate said:

It sounds like a great site for the 6" coil. I hunted an old site similar to what you're describing and it was frustrating until I realized I needed to clean out as many of the bad targets until I could get to the good. The key was to work a section at a time, put some cones out in a roughly 10x10 square and remove as much of the junk as possible. Once I did this the good targets just kept coming and I had an awesome site that produced good coins and relics for months.

I'd also maybe play with my tones and go to either 5 tones or 2 tones as I was cleaning things up. 50 tones in that environment would get you a padded cell by the end of the day I'm sure.

That sounds like the right approach. I need to make another trip with that site as my only goal instead of hitting it late in the day already exhausted. 

[Lacky]

I went back today with my daughter on our adventure.  I'm not certain I am finding the actual town site. I hunted around for other possibilites close by and hunted a spot with a fair amount of glass on the ground. I ended up digging 6 or 7 bullets. Everyone I showed my daughter she said "oh wow" immediately followed by "you need to dig the gold now dad". I'm pretty sure she is convinced I'm just confused on what the goal actually is. We moved back to the site downhill from the mine and honestly I think I'm giving up on that spot. It's just covered in sheet metal, from small peices to several square feet pieces at all different depths. If I lived closer I would hunt areas just outside the sheet metal zones but it's 4 hours round trip. I think for now I'll just go another direction. My kid had fun till the thunder and rain started. Then she said "we need to get out of here dad". It was her adventure so we headed home.

A good day, and enough quartz crystals she felt like she found treasure. 

[GB_Amateur]

Any signs of historic habitation (such as glass) are good indicators of where to hunt.  Glad to hear your daughter enjoyed the adventure.  Quartz in the right form, etc. is valuable, as I'm sure you know.  But the thrill of the hunt is often the greatest value and she seems to have discovered that already.  Good fortune finding a successful hunting spot closer to home.

 

[Skate]

It's great your daughter went and wanted to go. Finding something to do with your kids is probably the best find a dad could get.