Hunting High Conductors In Tough Dirt...don't Be Hesitant To Try All-terrain Low Conductors Mode...

[phrunt]

42 minutes ago, steveg said:

Rattlehead,

Thanks for tossing in your experience.  This is really good to hear, and it suggests that what I'm experiencing here is also repeatable in some other places/dirt types.  Hopefully, this information is making its way to Minelab, in the event that there is something they may be able to "tweak" to allow a quieter experience when running ATHC...

Steve

Steve, you're an outstanding communicator and handle the technical stuff better than most, if you were to articulate it in an email to Minelab they will pass it onto the engineers, but don't waste your time emailing Minelab USA, they're primarily for sales and marketing, go direct to service@minelab.com.au and they'll pass it onto the engineers.  It does seem you're really onto something.

[CoinShooter]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your input with the ATHC "iron falsing" issues and a possible solution. Here in Pensacola, I have been having the same issues with my M-core.

Next time I detect an open lot, I'll try switching to ATLC to see if this helps me in this area. If so, I know a lot of fellas here that will be happy as well to include me.

From the Manticore manual it says the following on ATLC, "Low Conductors Inland detecting optimized for small or thin metal targets such as hammered or cut coins and fine jewelry. Coke rejection makes this mode suitable for sites of ancient habitation." For this reason, I have stayed away from using the Low Conductor mode. However, if it works for you, then I am hoping this will clear up the "falsing issue" for me.

Thanks,

John

 

[steveg]

21 hours ago, phrunt said:

Steve, you're an outstanding communicator and handle the technical stuff better than most, if you were to articulate it in an email to Minelab they will pass it onto the engineers, but don't waste your time emailing Minelab USA, they're primarily for sales and marketing, go direct to service@minelab.com.au and they'll pass it onto the engineers.  It does seem you're really onto something.

phrunt,

Thank you for the kind words!

I am working on it...

Thanks!

12 hours ago, CoinShooter said:

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your input with the ATHC "iron falsing" issues and a possible solution. Here in Pensacola, I have been having the same issues with my M-core.

Next time I detect an open lot, I'll try switching to ATLC to see if this helps me in this area. If so, I know a lot of fellas here that will be happy as well to include me.

From the Manticore manual it says the following on ATLC, "Low Conductors Inland detecting optimized for small or thin metal targets such as hammered or cut coins and fine jewelry. Coke rejection makes this mode suitable for sites of ancient habitation." For this reason, I have stayed away from using the Low Conductor mode. However, if it works for you, then I am hoping this will clear up the "falsing issue" for me.

Thanks,

John

 

John,

I'll be interested to hear your results...

Steve

[Hunterjunk]

Yesterday I returned to the Ironstone and basalt paddock that I posted about earlier in this topic .  There has been at least 15 1880's hut sites there and although it's been hunted by others I feel that there is just not enough high conductor targets like silver coins .  So I took 3 , 925 silver coins with me to do some testing . These were English Three Pence , Six Pence , and a One Shilling . I scraped holes about 3 inches deep and buried the coins . Ground balance out in the 6-9 range and tried every mode on the Manticore . The machine was blind to all of the coins in every mode !  I tried every setting I could think of but nothing worked . The biggest coin [Shilling]  became detectable at 2 inches and the next biggest [ Six Pence] at 1 inch , while the Three Pence had to be laying on the surface .  All was revealed as to why this paddock was so stingy !  ATLC was the deepest , and noisiest with ATG close behind . This paddock would still have many treasures that it seems only  P.I. machine could see  .  Would be a nightmare to work in though with the sheer levels of iron off all sizes .  Something about this soil blinds the detector to silver in particular with multiple hunt days only returning 3 silver coins and a silver brooch , all within an inch of the surface . Bronze coins are a little better with pennies detectable to about 5 inches , while lead is still detectable somewhat deeper . Time to find some more benign ground !

[BigSkyGuy]

The silver may be upaveraging and wrapping into the iron range due to the bad ground.

[Hunterjunk]

Could be Big Sky .  It amazes me that Low Conductor mode , along with most of the others were virtually blind to silver in this ground .  It was pretty disheartening to find out that unless the plow had thrown finds to the surface then I was wasting my time .  Gave up hunting after 6 hours rather than my usual 7 - 8 .

[steveg]

Hunterjunk, that is some CRAZY-bad dirt.  With your magnet picking up a "ball of ironstone pebbles" when you touch the ground with it, I'm not surprised that you can't find a mode that works well.  

Steve

[Hunterjunk]

5 hours ago, steveg said:

Hunterjunk, that is some CRAZY-bad dirt.  With your magnet picking up a "ball of ironstone pebbles" when you touch the ground with it, I'm not surprised that you can't find a mode that works well.  

Steve

Yep crazy bad , and I have several other spots the same. At one using , using the Nox , I was just able to detect a powder flask on the surface under short grass , and I mean just ! There must be so many finds that are masked . Quieting the ground with another mode like LC may work on some ground , but also may come with a significant loss of depth .  It's worth testing some known targets when things get tricky .

[EL NINO77]

On 3/7/2023 at 12:21 AM, Hunterjunk said:

Yesterday I returned to the Ironstone and basalt paddock that I posted about earlier in this topic .  There has been at least 15 1880's hut sites there and although it's been hunted by others I feel that there is just not enough high conductor targets like silver coins .  So I took 3 , 925 silver coins with me to do some testing . These were English Three Pence , Six Pence , and a One Shilling . I scraped holes about 3 inches deep and buried the coins . Ground balance out in the 6-9 range and tried every mode on the Manticore . The machine was blind to all of the coins in every mode !  I tried every setting I could think of but nothing worked . The biggest coin [Shilling]  became detectable at 2 inches and the next biggest [ Six Pence] at 1 inch , while the Three Pence had to be laying on the surface .  All was revealed as to why this paddock was so stingy !  ATLC was the deepest , and noisiest with ATG close behind . This paddock would still have many treasures that it seems only  P.I. machine could see  .  Would be a nightmare to work in though with the sheer levels of iron off all sizes .  Something about this soil blinds the detector to silver in particular with multiple hunt days only returning 3 silver coins and a silver brooch , all within an inch of the surface . Bronze coins are a little better with pennies detectable to about 5 inches , while lead is still detectable somewhat deeper . Time to find some more benign ground !

it can be seen that your terrain is very strongly magnetically mineralized with Magnetite... and that is why your highly conductive coins will pass from the iron zone very quickly, even from deep, while less conductive bronze and even less conductive lead ... are able to resist better of the non ferous VDI signal. with the depth of detection...,,,

[JCR]

It would be nice if you could try the Tarsacci MDT 8000 on that site.