AT-Pro vs diamond earring...

fogcity

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Today I tried to help a lady who had lost a diamond earring. She had posted a request for help on the Lost My Stuff Group indicating the earring was in one of two places... either in a small area of her backyard lawn or in her dachshound puppy's stomach!!!

Well, hoping for the easiest solution I first scanned the puppy's tummy using both my AT-Pro and my Pro-Pointer... no beeps, no VDI readings, nothing.

So, I then take the matching earring and go to scan it with the AT-Pro (my plan being to discriminate everything but the earring signal before I started scanning in the back lawn). With the AT-Pro in STD Zero mode and no discrimination at all I first located a piece of clean ground reading a steady VDI of Zero, and then scanned the earring at that location.... scanning the earring I continue to get a steady of VDI of Zero...???

Confused, at this point I scan the earring with my Pro-Pointer... no beeps there either, even with the earring in contact with the tip... ???

Needless to say I didn't find the lady's earring...

Any ideas ??? Is there such a thing as too small to detect, even when up close and personal ???
 
Earings are very hard to find because if their size. A Gold detector would work best. I did a test with a small gold/diamond earing on my F75 and Explorer and was lucky to get 2-3 inches on the F75, less on the explorer, the smaller 6in coil on my F75 seemed to help some.
 
Well I tried & the pro pointer would only pick it up from the side, the tip/end of the pro pointer wouldn't read anything, The At Pro would only read it from about 1/2 inch away & only with the clasp on, it read 43 on the screen.. This was a very tiny gold and diamond earring I used & it had a very small clasp.. So I'd definitely say it is very possible to miss some very small items.. More then likely if she lost the earring in the yard the clasp would have been separated from the earring making it extremely hard to find.. But hey at least you tried & we both learned something from your experience..:yes:
 
The Tesoro Compadre would've found it and signalled on the earring besides. I found a pen refill while at a/m mode because it signalled on the ball bearing in the refill! And this while rejecting paper clips.
 
The Tesoro Compadre would've found it and signalled on the earring besides. I found a pen refill while at a/m mode because it signalled on the ball bearing in the refill! And this while rejecting paper clips.

Be that the case, maybe somebody in the Group that has one and is near the lady will help her out.

:grin: :grin: :grin:
 
Well... I can guarantee this guy won't be buying another detector any time soon!!! I'll just learn to use the one I've got as best I can, and I'm sure between the detector & myself, I'll be the limiting factor!!!

:D :D :D
 
Well... I can guarantee this guy won't be buying another detector any time soon!!! I'll just learn to use the one I've got as best I can, and I'm sure between the detector & myself, I'll be the limiting factor!!!

:D :D :D

You have a great machine. Earrings are tough. The Compadre will also find teeny pieces of foil, tips of cut pulltabs, bb's, etc.:lol::lol::lol:
 
I had this exact issue because my mother had lost a 1/2 ct diamond earring a while back, but instead of placing any controls to ensure I didn't lose the control earring, I just put it down without the back in a non signal producing area. I figured I'm watching it, what could happen. I wasn't getting any VDI, but I did get an audible signal with my ATP. I put the coil closer, too close and lost the earring. My name was mudd. With no target ID to go on and the Garrett PP little use because direct contact was needed, and just right at that. I searched the grass around at every non ID # but sound producing signal ... nothing. I searched by hand with a magnifying glass. Two hours Sunday in a 4'x4' area, nothing.

I resorted to gridding out the area with stakes and string, 1' x 1' squares, and applying a shop vac to the grid. Found it in the 3rd grid. I'm forgiven, but my sanity has been questioned :)

Moral of the story, put some controls in place when testing, especially when the wife's possessions are the test object.

Dave
 
I had this exact issue because my mother had lost a 1/2 ct diamond earring a while back, but instead of placing any controls to ensure I didn't lose the control earring, I just put it down without the back in a non signal producing area. I figured I'm watching it, what could happen. I wasn't getting any VDI, but I did get an audible signal with my ATP. I put the coil closer, too close and lost the earring. My name was mudd. With no target ID to go on and the Garrett PP little use because direct contact was needed, and just right at that. I searched the grass around at every non ID # but sound producing signal ... nothing. I searched by hand with a magnifying glass. Two hours Sunday in a 4'x4' area, nothing.

I resorted to gridding out the area with stakes and string, 1' x 1' squares, and applying a shop vac to the grid. Found it in the 3rd grid. I'm forgiven, but my sanity has been questioned :)

Moral of the story, put some controls in place when testing, especially when the wife's possessions are the test object.

Dave

haha you gotta tape it to an index card or something before you lay it in the grass.
 
Could you try again in Pro Mode, or is it too late? I've only used Pro Mode and have had times when I didn't get a VDI at all, but got a a faint but clear tone.
 
The yard was so trashy I don't know... even with the sensitivity way down it was way too noisy for me to differentiate different tones... holding the coil perfectly still it was still bouncing all over the place. Perhaps someone with better hearing and more skill than I could manage it !!!

I do think the shop-vac idea is a good plan if somebody's got one.
 
The shop vac only worked because I lost it right then and there and it had to be in the known area. So if it was recently lost and she is certain of the area, it's an option. I was getting faint signals, the problem is with all the dried dead grass, I was resorting to sifting handfuls any way and I had a lot of low tone signals in pro mode in the area it could have been. Also, since the detector is set up for coin size objects, even though I wasn't getting a VDI #, I was getting a tone and a depth indication of 6"...before I lost it. So that didn't help discriminate from objects in the ground, as I knew it was on the surface. What really sucked was the Garrett PP had to be touching it, and touching it just right to pick up. I thought that was going to be my saving grace, until I got the other one and tested it with it (should have done that first too, that might have alerted me to institute a control like "taping it to an index card" :)

Dave
 
The yard was so trashy I don't know... even with the sensitivity way down it was way too noisy for me to differentiate different tones... holding the coil perfectly still it was still bouncing all over the place. Perhaps someone with better hearing and more skill than I could manage it !!!
I do think the shop-vac idea is a good plan if somebody's got one.

I don't guess it would stay stuck to a fine screen of pantyhose over the wide vacuum tip of a shop vac?

If not, after sucking up everything in that area, use a Propointer on the contents to look for it.
 
Fogcity, If possible ya need to use/borrow a small coil. That is the only option at this point. Or find someone in the area with the right machine. It being a trashy yard though a small coil is the ticket I would say. WOLF
 
Hi, ive been hunting with the AT Pro for about a year now and constantly detect items as small as a pin head just using std custom mode, same with my Pro pinpointer, sorry unsure whats going wrong.
 
I have air tested my gold collection with my at pro and other then a fragment of a 9k ring with less gold then your find in a studs bar...that wasnt able to be found by either the at pro or gpp..but the larger bits and the rest of my stuff has given VDI's on the AT Pro....maybe a sniper coil might help more
 
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