RgnFn
Forum Supporter
Hi all,
Learning MDing on a Garrett Apex in a very trashy area (1901 farmhouse) and would appreciate any tips from those who've used an Apex in similar situations. There are places where there are metal items every 3-4 inches, so at times it seems it would be easier to get a bulldozer and dig up the whole yard.
Anyway, I've gotten fairly good at ignoring most ferrous stuff, but still get fooled a lot by larger items, especially non-ferrous trash. One scenario I come across is where I'll hear grunt-hightone-grunt, which I've learned is usually junk, but sometimes after swinging over the target several times, the grunts will disappear leaving the hightone, making me dig junk. I (mis?)interpret the disappearing grunts as the machine deciding it's maybe good after all, but often it's not. So far the best indication I've (mis?)learned is to go into pinpointer mode and see how large an area the pinpointer mode is in the upper range - if it just blips, it's small item, if it stays at maximum for an inch or two then it's too large to be a coin. Lead and Aluminum are the bane of my existence. The Apex just screams at aluminum liquor bottle caps. I've found lots of melted lead (dross from old timers molding their own bullets or fishing weights?) which usually rings up in the 70s as well as spent bullets. Because of the trash level, I tend to dig up only items that ring up as 70 or higher, realizing that I'm risking missing nickels or even gold. Nevertheless, I'm still digging up too much trash. Any advise or suggestions would be appreciated.
BTW, I'm willing to consider upgrading to a higher class machine, but changing machines won't change what's under the ground, so I'll entertain suggestions about how ABC machine's xyz feature could help me in this trashy location. That having been said, I am pleased with the Apex's performance, and am convinced (deluded?) that any less-than-desired results are a result of my needing to be more sophisticated in my understanding of the clues the machine is trying to tell me.
P.S.: I have started to beach hunt, which I find enjoyable, and would consider a PI machine like the Axiom for the beach, but I can't imagine a PI machine would help on the farm. Again any comments about vlf/pi would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions
Learning MDing on a Garrett Apex in a very trashy area (1901 farmhouse) and would appreciate any tips from those who've used an Apex in similar situations. There are places where there are metal items every 3-4 inches, so at times it seems it would be easier to get a bulldozer and dig up the whole yard.
Anyway, I've gotten fairly good at ignoring most ferrous stuff, but still get fooled a lot by larger items, especially non-ferrous trash. One scenario I come across is where I'll hear grunt-hightone-grunt, which I've learned is usually junk, but sometimes after swinging over the target several times, the grunts will disappear leaving the hightone, making me dig junk. I (mis?)interpret the disappearing grunts as the machine deciding it's maybe good after all, but often it's not. So far the best indication I've (mis?)learned is to go into pinpointer mode and see how large an area the pinpointer mode is in the upper range - if it just blips, it's small item, if it stays at maximum for an inch or two then it's too large to be a coin. Lead and Aluminum are the bane of my existence. The Apex just screams at aluminum liquor bottle caps. I've found lots of melted lead (dross from old timers molding their own bullets or fishing weights?) which usually rings up in the 70s as well as spent bullets. Because of the trash level, I tend to dig up only items that ring up as 70 or higher, realizing that I'm risking missing nickels or even gold. Nevertheless, I'm still digging up too much trash. Any advise or suggestions would be appreciated.
BTW, I'm willing to consider upgrading to a higher class machine, but changing machines won't change what's under the ground, so I'll entertain suggestions about how ABC machine's xyz feature could help me in this trashy location. That having been said, I am pleased with the Apex's performance, and am convinced (deluded?) that any less-than-desired results are a result of my needing to be more sophisticated in my understanding of the clues the machine is trying to tell me.
P.S.: I have started to beach hunt, which I find enjoyable, and would consider a PI machine like the Axiom for the beach, but I can't imagine a PI machine would help on the farm. Again any comments about vlf/pi would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions