New to metal detecting
- Thread starter roemills
- Start date
dirtydog
Forum Supporter
Welcome from FL.
cellrdwellr
Elite Member
My advice get a good pinpointer! You could be digging for signals that aren't even in the hole anymore. Welcome and HH!
Cherry Picker
Forum Supporter
Welcome from Dodge City
Where to start . . . . . .
Welcome roemills -
I did a quick look over of the BH Discovery 1100. It appears to be a simple, straight forward detector that is set up to categorize targets into 3 different segments; iron, mid-range and silver/copper.
There is a Bounty Hunter introduction video on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbp-fGTOvE0 you should watch if you haven't already. You need to be familiar with the 1100 controls and how they work.
You should first familiarize yourself with what items fall into which category on the 1100.
Gather some of the common items found with metal detectors, including a nickel, penny (zinc - 1983 and later), penny (copper), dime and quarter, a silver and gold ring. Also find some trash items like a small waded up foil gum or candy wrapper, an aluminum screw top for a bottle, a round and square pull tab, some iron nails, an aluminum soda can and so forth.
Find a clear spot in the grass or dirt in your yard and make sure you aren't doing these tests above sprinkler pipes or other buried metal objects or next to any large metal objects like a chainlink fence. With your detector set to find all items (mode); iron, Mid-range and High range, and the sensitivity on 3, set a target down on the test area. Remember, the coil needs to be moving slightly in order for the detector to work properly. Swing the coil from side to side over the target. Listen and look for the response. What sweep speed gives the best results? Decrease the sensitivity to 1 and see how that changes the response. How close does the coil need to be to the object to detect it? Raise the coil above the target to see how far away you are able to detect the object at each sensitivity setting, 1-4. When you are on the edge of detection, (barely getting an audio signal) does the ID segment change to a lower segment? i.e. if you are testing a quarter, does it change from the high segment to the mid-segment?
Learn the segment that each target falls into. If you change the mode to eliminate a segment (discriminate it out), which items are you going to be leaving behind?
How far away will the detector pick up BIG metal items in your yard? If you set the sensitivity to 4, is the detector audio stable? or does it chatter? Power pole transformers and many other electrical items can create electromagnetic fields that interfere with our detectors and make them unstable. Oftentimes decreasing the sensitivity will help. Occasionally not.
Anyway, once you have the understanding of how your detector works, you just need to start swinging it over some targets you can recover. As mentioned above kiddie play areas (tot lots) can be an easy place to start. There are lots of possibilities here.
As for digging ghost targets; as already mentioned above, you can change the sensitivity setting lower. Too, if you are discriminating out IRON, try changing your mode so you accept IRON and see if that signal changes to IRON instead of a high Copper/Silver Signal. Sometimes the signal from large rusting iron and nails can fool the detector and give a positive high signal when there isn't one there. A pinpointer can help in finding these culprits if you are digging for a target.
A couple other suggestions;
Make sure you remove all items that you dig up. Don't leave trash laying about.
Always fill in any holes you might dig and make every attempt to make signs of your having been there unnoticeable. Don't leave a mess behind.
Obtain permission to hunt on private property.
Don't be destructive to old buildings and deserted structures.
Don't hunt in steel toed boots. Your detector will pick them up.
There's a lot more out there to learn, much of which comes from experience. But don't hesitate to read through old posts on the forum and glean information that might help you. Ask questions, there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the forum.
Best of luck,
Rich (Utah)
Welcome roemills -
I did a quick look over of the BH Discovery 1100. It appears to be a simple, straight forward detector that is set up to categorize targets into 3 different segments; iron, mid-range and silver/copper.
There is a Bounty Hunter introduction video on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbp-fGTOvE0 you should watch if you haven't already. You need to be familiar with the 1100 controls and how they work.
You should first familiarize yourself with what items fall into which category on the 1100.
Gather some of the common items found with metal detectors, including a nickel, penny (zinc - 1983 and later), penny (copper), dime and quarter, a silver and gold ring. Also find some trash items like a small waded up foil gum or candy wrapper, an aluminum screw top for a bottle, a round and square pull tab, some iron nails, an aluminum soda can and so forth.
Find a clear spot in the grass or dirt in your yard and make sure you aren't doing these tests above sprinkler pipes or other buried metal objects or next to any large metal objects like a chainlink fence. With your detector set to find all items (mode); iron, Mid-range and High range, and the sensitivity on 3, set a target down on the test area. Remember, the coil needs to be moving slightly in order for the detector to work properly. Swing the coil from side to side over the target. Listen and look for the response. What sweep speed gives the best results? Decrease the sensitivity to 1 and see how that changes the response. How close does the coil need to be to the object to detect it? Raise the coil above the target to see how far away you are able to detect the object at each sensitivity setting, 1-4. When you are on the edge of detection, (barely getting an audio signal) does the ID segment change to a lower segment? i.e. if you are testing a quarter, does it change from the high segment to the mid-segment?
Learn the segment that each target falls into. If you change the mode to eliminate a segment (discriminate it out), which items are you going to be leaving behind?
How far away will the detector pick up BIG metal items in your yard? If you set the sensitivity to 4, is the detector audio stable? or does it chatter? Power pole transformers and many other electrical items can create electromagnetic fields that interfere with our detectors and make them unstable. Oftentimes decreasing the sensitivity will help. Occasionally not.
Anyway, once you have the understanding of how your detector works, you just need to start swinging it over some targets you can recover. As mentioned above kiddie play areas (tot lots) can be an easy place to start. There are lots of possibilities here.
As for digging ghost targets; as already mentioned above, you can change the sensitivity setting lower. Too, if you are discriminating out IRON, try changing your mode so you accept IRON and see if that signal changes to IRON instead of a high Copper/Silver Signal. Sometimes the signal from large rusting iron and nails can fool the detector and give a positive high signal when there isn't one there. A pinpointer can help in finding these culprits if you are digging for a target.
A couple other suggestions;
Make sure you remove all items that you dig up. Don't leave trash laying about.
Always fill in any holes you might dig and make every attempt to make signs of your having been there unnoticeable. Don't leave a mess behind.
Obtain permission to hunt on private property.
Don't be destructive to old buildings and deserted structures.
Don't hunt in steel toed boots. Your detector will pick them up.
There's a lot more out there to learn, much of which comes from experience. But don't hesitate to read through old posts on the forum and glean information that might help you. Ask questions, there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the forum.
Best of luck,
Rich (Utah)
Strider
Full Member
Hello and welcome!
