Is THIS a good way for testing my soil's masking abilty??

I dug a hole. It is 12 inches deep. I dug it only after sweeping the area with my detector and finding a large location where ntohing was picked up in All Metal and in Pinpoint mode. I took pains in finding the right spot where ONLY the dirt would be the limiting factor. I am NOT trying to reproduce a real-life scenario. But what if I do an air test (down at the same location asthe hole I dug) and then stick a coin into the side of the hole.
Say I can air test a silver dime at 12 inches with my Deus. I then stick that same dime into the side of my hole exactly 8 inches down. I simply plunge the dime into the side. No halo. Just a metal dime with 8 inches of undisturbed dirt over it. And then swing over it. {By the way, I can barely acquire the dime and only from a couple of directions. It is NOT a great signal all the way around. In this test, I am seeking to find out how much my dirt HIDES coins. This dirt shows two bars on the Deus iron guage(?) on the far right side of the screen. It Ground Balances at 73.} This was my first test. I will keep removing the coin and pushing it in at less depth until I acquire a good, all the way around (DIG ME!) signal. Then, subtract the air test number (just over 12 inches) from the soil test number of inches (let's say 7.5 inches if it works out that way). Then, I will have a "soil index" ( I just coined that phrase....it is not known to the metal detector engineer world yet) of 4.5 inches.
Why am I doing all of this. Well, because it PUZZLES me that my detectors call my ground "low mineralization" but the true results show differently. Someone may say: "Just go detecting and enjoy the sport!" Well, part of my enjoyment is solving mysteries. And the mystery is this: When I had an Etrac, and buried a quarter at 8 inches, with wide open screen, full sensitivity, I would get an occasional iron grunt. Same with F75SE. And others. MY SOIL IS HIDING STUFF AND YET the metal detectors iron graphs and indicators are saying that I have low mineralization. I cannot get my brain around this.
Anyway, this idea (of the hole, and pushing coin into the edge) seems better than just digging a 8 inch hole, putting coin in bottom, and putting dirt back in. What do y'all think. For those who care to answer.

Two bars of mineralization on your bargraph tells me that anything in the 7-1/2" - 8" depth range is highly subject to ID'ing as 'iron'. Wait till you find some dirt that gives 4 bars of mineralization! (((Or more))).

And............ just because your bargraph is giving 2 bars of mineralization reading...... that bargraph only measures Fe3O4. This is the primary mineral of concern; yet, there are others that the bargraph will not see/measure.

Thanks NasaTom!!!!! That is some good feedback for my (attempting to be) scientific test, once and for all, of why the detectors I try are stymied by my dirt!!! Tha dirt is acting as a shield. Believe it or not, I am learning from all of this. Then...perhaps I can make an educated buy on a detector that will perform good (read deep in Disc mode) in my ground.

Surely the flaw in this test method is the fact you don't put the dirt back in the hole? So as you scan the coil over the area, there's a massive drop in ground signal picked up, which throws the machine off, as it's trying to seperate 'dirt' from 'dirt plus coin'. If you're primarily interested in a small coin like the dime, couldn't you just 'drill' a 20mm hole, stick in a length of PVC plumbing pipe or similar, and lower the coin into it on the end of a stick/ several sticks. Don't do this at this 'clean' spot, as you've now dug it up and spoiled it's 'clean-ness'.

Yes kevin to dig a hole,then cut slots into the side and slide target in is better than disturbing the whole matrix...

besure to cut the slot's in deep like 8 inches or so...you dont want the coil to read the open hole....

A few yesrs old test bed is probably your best natural bet though...it gives the dirt an metal time to bond...

I have seen videos were people with access to ravine's are able to put object's on sticks and slide them inside like a foot or more...then test...

Keith

**** When I had an Etrac, and buried a quarter at 8 inches, with wide open screen, full sensitivity, I would get an occasional iron grunt. Same with F75SE. And others. MY SOIL IS HIDING STUFF AND YET the metal detectors iron graphs and indicators are saying that I have low mineralization. I cannot get my brain around this.****

Just to duplicate your test and get some exercise ....

In damp gravelly sandy loam with E-Trac (tried all settings to get clearest signal. Sens always on Manual-30 with slight falsing)
Clad Quarter
Depth ..................................................... TID ....................Audio ........Depth Meter Reading
4" (flat) ...........................................01-31 to 01-41 ...........Strong ................ 4 - 6"........
7"(flat) ............................................01-32 to 01-50 ...........Medium .............. 7 - 8".......
8" (slanted 45 degrees) ................ Not detectable ......... Ocnl chirp ......... None .......
10" (flat) ........................................ 01-31 to 01-35 .......... Ocnl chirp ............ 12" ........

Under these conditions the likelihood of an audio or visual clue to the whereabouts of the quarter diminish rapidly beyond 7.5" deep.

At 10", if you knew it was there and switched to pinpoint to get the audio, then in QuickMask while dead-center on-top, you'd get a high chirp every 3-4 sweeps. It's a walk-on-by signal.

As the avid detectorist Fred Eastwood once said "a man's got to know his detector's limitations."

Good. Correct. Real-world. Nominal results.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Yes, I will find a way to burrow a dime in far enough under the undisturbed matrix at various depths to give some idea of dirt masking and it's limitating factors. I will also try sanitizing some of that dug out dirt with a rare earth magnet to see what all sticks to it. Then......I have BIG plans for the rare earth magnet (ordering monday) and a certain 15' by 15' square nail bed that had produced many many good CW campsit relics. Burnisde hulls, Tranter revolver bullets (both calibers), Rosette, much more. The magent will be used to sanitize that site, small cube at a time!!!! This is going to get exciting. (see....I hijack my own posts often with non-related posts) Happy searching fellow forum members!!!!! PS. I WANT A VISTA GOLD!!!!! OR A 1000!!!!

Would you believe how hard it is for me to think of a way to make a 3/4 inch diameter hole (several of them) in the side of a dirt bank!!! Is there another way???
Didn't I hear that some people super glued clad dimes to a 1/2 inch wooden dowel and drove them into the ground at varying depths?? Crap, I need a 8 inch or longer drill bit that will chuck into my cordless drill that I can auger out some clean holes for coin insertion. This is getting complicated. But I welcome the challenge. I also welcome suggestions. lol

Edited: I FOUND SOMETHING!!!! AREN'T Y'ALL GLAD!!??? Sure you are....I could tell by the compression on your face. LOLing
(That's what a guy told me one time when he was telling me how he could read peoples facial "compressions" ('impressions' of course)
I have got me three holes in the side of my hole. 7.8. and 9 inches. Looks like I am going to need one for 4.5. and 6 inches.
At 7 inches I am geeting a good one way hit from the F5 and 11 inch DD and the Deus. But I am going to go out and do some research today with my test medium and two detectors. So far, let me tell ya, the F5 is NO slouch. Today, will 11 inch coil, it ground balances at 50 and I get two bars of minerlization. The Deus reads three bars of iron nad balances at 73. But I will save this for another complet thread of tests. I am going to put off going detecting and do some studying about how soil (my soil) affects detectors (F5 and Deus). I bored three hole about 8 inches into the side, and parallel to the earth (eyeballed). I'll use headphones to get some accurate audio reporting and i will report back. I just KNOW that y'all are waiting with baited breath (what does that phrase even mean....'baited breath'......sounds like halitosis)
Now guys, don't jump on me when I rib ya. I am feeling light-hearted today and playfully making these post. I am sure, that on down the road....someone might find my test useful. At least, that is the goal. Plus....I like doing this stuff. (ordering a rare earth magnet tomorrow for another more exciting project) Merry CHRISTmas to all!!!!! be good this year....and ya might get a good deal on a detector from me! lol



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2012 06:06PM by Kevin B.

From a groundpounders point of view when digging targets say a 10 inch silver dime with a CZ remove a 5 inch plug and the signal gets stronger ought to tell us something.

Of course my 20 year plus buried test garden gives me a good idea also.

My way of testing is to get a good deep target in the field with my normal settings and then change settings to see what helps or hinders with the particuliar unit I am using. Of course then the target is dug to reafirm the tests...

Sort of hands on testing in real field conditions for your neck of the woods....other than that all tests I read or see are ballpark at best no matter who does the testing...and at best a conversation piece to discuss...In the field is where its at guys and gals......

The word is bated:
[www.thefreedictionary.com]

Pimento Wrote:
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> The word is bated:
> [www.thefreedictionary.com]


OH okay!!! I stand corrected on "baited breath". Thanks Pimento.
@Dan-Pa, I am not trying to recreate a real world situation. I am just seeing how much my dirt acts a masking agent. That's all. A dime at 7 inches that has been in the ground for a hundred years undisturbed will be quite different from me sticking a dime in a hle 7 inches down. I am just trying to get to the bottom of something in my head. Thanks for your feedback.

My buddy used to have a golf couse Hole maker for the greens...

it was about a foot long tube really sharp on the edges..you could plunge in in the dirt and pull a nice plug out...

We would mark the ground or grass before cutting so we could line it back up right when reinserting the plug..

It worked very well.

And in mineralized dirt you would be surprised how much better the burried target sounded when planted with the hole maker v's the simple dig a hole and toss dirt back in hole...that does mess up the matrix...


On a side note....have you ever got an iffy signal and just took your boot and removed the first maybe 1/2 inch of dirt and then the signal sounds a whole lot better....

I am in the belief the first inch or so of top soil is our worst enemy...

Keith

What your describing Keith reminds me of a device back in the 80's called the "Hole Hog", a 12" long stainless tube w a plunger, I used to have. It was more trouble than it was worth. I guess it would have been great for making a test garden.

Yes the Hole Hog was similar Aaron...

But this thing was way more industrial..very heavy could not carry it with you for long..

It was a golf course hole maker...even had foot pegs to drive it in...waist high handles...

Keith

Ty recommended this, take electrical conduit pipe and drive it in the ground whatever distance then pull it out of ground, place in coin, bullet, whatever
and carefully push dirt out of pipe back into hole.

I tried that once, first I couldn't drive it in the ground the depth I wanted( ground too hard and pipe began to bend from hammering) and I was having a very difficult time getting pipe out of ground.

Yet I have thought about it since then, perhaps it would work better if the ground was saturated with water prior to attempting.