Equinox 800 Coil Question

[Lost Scout]

I've had the machine almost year. Really like it. But I've noticed that sometimes the outside, say the right of the coil will pick up a signal, the middle gets it and then nothing on the left. Other targets give the opposite. Some targets give a tone on each side. Slows me down when pin pointing. I do use several techniques if I seem to have multiple targets. I'm not a coil guru.

Also I've found if I'm running trying to eliminate iron and the signal is slightly different at a 90 degree angle pumping the coil will still give a positive number. Switching to all metal and pumping will now give a consistent negative. This always proves out to be iron.

Thoughts?

[dsb]

sounds normal in signal rich ground plus the iron halo's.  It makes it impossible to dig it all in yards and parks, in fields i can dig till i get a clue what's going on and can ignore junk if i don't feel like a groundhog.

[blackjack]

I agree, the 800, with the standard coil is a bit tricky when pinpointing, I think Steve answered this, DD coils aren't as accurate for pinpointing. I haven't fact checked this so I'm sure someone will correct this If I'm mistaken. Also the link is not answering your question directly, but I think it's a good tip and seems to work for me so I've included it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

[Valens Legacy]

When I have the same problem that you describe above, I ground balance again, go back over the target, raise the coil about a foot above it and then pinpoint it. Most of the time I can dig straight down to the target, and then other times it is on the right hand side of center.

I never found a reason for the coil to do that but I put up with that little quirk and move on.

[midalake]

19 hours ago, Lost Scout said:

Switching to all metal and pumping will now give a consistent negative. This always proves out to be iron.

Thoughts?

Congratulations on learning the power of the Horseshoe mode. At least for myself when hunting in beach 2. EVERY piece of iron with double sound on 360 inspections. [swing speed is important] and it will take practice. You cannot go too slow. 

Anything nonferrous will NEVER> Repeat NEVER make a double sound [unless very shallow] in which case your Equinox will lock out on a nonferrous number. 

I highly suggest hunting more with the Horseshoe mode on to understand this concept.  

Ditch recovery in pinpoint and recover your targets with the horseshoe mode on. 

[midalake]

18 hours ago, blackjack said:

Steve answered this, DD coils aren't as accurate for pinpointing.

DD coils are not accurate on Iron!  Spot on with nonferrous. 

[Lost Scout]

Got play a little more today. Because of my area I completely forgot to use a single frequency. Did this and then went back a forth with iron discrimination.  Rediscovered that it depends on the target. But pumping the coil tells all. Consistent, low consistent, or all over the place tells me iron or not. If it's close I will dig it because something's are made of various alloys. Thanks for the input . They all helped.

[Lost Scout]

Uugghh! Ok we went to Nevada to do some nugget shooting. We ignored some iffy targets because pumping the coil over them gave a negative 9. This was in prospecting modes. Great for pin pointing but...when we returned home l played with a piece of gold I had found previously from the same area. In prospecting mode when pumping the coil over it gave a... negative 9! Sweeping gave a 1. So good for pin pointing but in prospector when pumping the coil ignore the number. Must be part of that learning your machine thing. Now I know.

[midalake]

11 hours ago, Lost Scout said:

So good for pin pointing but in prospector when pumping the coil ignore the number.

I just have to say>There is more accurate information to be gained from swinging the coil than pumping the coil.  Save pumping the coil for doing GB. 

[GB_Amateur]

11 hours ago, Lost Scout said:

Uugghh! Ok we went to Nevada to do some nugget shooting. We ignored some iffy targets because pumping the coil over them gave a negative 9. This was in prospecting modes. Great for pin pointing but...when we returned home l played with a piece of gold I had found previously from the same area. In prospecting mode when pumping the coil over it gave a... negative 9! Sweeping gave a 1. So good for pin pointing but in prospector when pumping the coil ignore the number. Must be part of that learning your machine thing. Now I know.

There's a lot of metal detecting advice on the internet, but it's not always correct.  Reader/viewer beware...  I heard that 'advice' about discriminating by pumping and tried it out on a known good target, but I did that *before* I trusted it.  Never again after that.