Infinium LS question

Hi first I'd like to thank Thom for his excellent educational video. I learned many things between the video and this web site.

Now for the question. I just got the Infinium LS and I'm in the process of experimenting with it. I laid out a 12 by 12 grid and started a sweep of the area. I set the ground balance to lock and threshold at 3.5. I thought I'd work backwards and see what I'd dig up starting with the highest disc which is the iron check. I found 2 areas and the sound was hi/low, not perfectly repeatable however. I dug about a foot down and the hi/low disappeared and it was not in the dirt I dug up. Why the phantom signal?

Thanks
Walt

Walt,

First and foremost, did you go through the process of setting up the correct frequency ? Did you then ground balancing in Slow mode for about 30 seconds to a minute, then Fast, prior to locking in ? If so, was your discrimination setting at 0 when ground balancing ?

What coil were you using ?

Did you re-check the same signal with discrimination at 0 ?

The false signals on the Infinium will be there some times. One of the main things you have to do prior to hunting is make sure you go through the frequency adjustment procedure, and then allow the unit to settle into the ground matrix via ground balancing in Slow and Fast prior to switching to Lock.

Most all metal targets will repeat either hi/lo or lo/hi where as falses will not. One of the main things you need to do when checking a target is to sweep SLOW and from ALL angles. If there is a repeatable signal when that is done, mostly all the time, there is metal somewhere. It could be very small, but it's there.

The Infinium definitely has a learning curve and you have to put your time in but once you learn it, it's one heck of a unit. Saying that, one caveat I want to mention is I exclusively use the 10x14 mono, so all my experience comes with that coil. If I had to dirt hunt with it, I would use the 8 inch mono. I don't like the stock DD on that unit, but that's just me.

Thanks for the reply Rover.

I did not think the frequency was an issue because other then those two signals it was very stable, thats why I thought I had something there. I did not ground balance I guess that is the next thing to try when I set up. I want to use this unit in the Hudson river where there had been a resort next to an amusement park where the affluent played during the 1880s through early 1920s. The river is brackish and visibility is bad. Any suggestions on how to handle it?

Walt,

As always, first frequency check, then ground balance Slow for a minute and then Lock.

If the water is brackish, I would start off with the discrimination at 0 and threshold midway. If it still is not stable, that is, the unit is still a bit 'noisy', run discrimination at 1 but still keep the threshold mid way. You should hear the threshold fairly audible...this is a unit where you don't have to run barely audible when starting off. You want to hear the distinctive hi/lo or lo/hit repeatable tone and don't chase the fainter ones at first. Get an idea of how the unit is reacting to targets. Gotta dig all targets at first no matter what if this will be your first time there with this unit. Don't even bother with Iron Check....dig all repeatable targets. Get in the mindset that the Infinium isn't going to miss any deep targets because it won't.

You are going to dig a lot of junk, but when you get an idea what some of the shallow iron targets sound like ( nails elongated can double hit when sweeping point to point...that's why you want to sweep from all angles when hitting a target).

If you want to shallow coin hunt, dig only the lo/hi targets. You will still dig iron though. You can pick off quarters deep since they give off a nice lo/hi even at depth.

If you get serious about the unit and hunt these type of sites a lot, invest in the small 8 inch mono coil.

Bet you find something good at the resort site to buy that small mono !

Thanks for the help. This is a very knowledgable forum.

Walt

Rover.... im still interested in the machine. Just because its got a lot of the capabilities id like to have. Any idea how it would do on IHs, coppers, buttons, or coins in a field? I do a good bit of field hunting but because of the bad soil and sometimes deep iron you really loose depth.

Dew

Dew,

I have not hunted on land much with my Infinium, but it appears via posts on other forums that it is a really good relic/coin hunter in bad soil. I am not sure what coils these hunters used for this type of application.

I swear by the 10x14 mono coil for my beach hunting, but the stock DD may be a good bet for field hunting in bad soil. Not sure what an IH would ring up as in the ground ( I gotta bury an IH and test it now to find out !!) you would be hunting, but since you are after buttons, coins and would be basically relic hunting, I would dig all anyway....problem is, you will be digging iron too ! You could use the iron check option but in cases where there are a lot of targets, that would get old fast clicking that knob back and forth.

For the most part, shallow iron nails that are elongated can be distinguished via the double hit when sweeping from point to point, but you have to sweep from multiple angles to get that.

One way to eliminate a lot of junk if coin hunting is to only dig the low/high signals. Most silver and copper coins will signal low/high, but so will some iron. The good thing is, the Infinium will signal that way even at optimum depth, so it's ID capability in that respect is very good. One other great feature is the build quality and waterproofness...can't beat that when it starts to rain and when in muddy or dusty conditions. No worries there. Plus, you end up with a great beach detector too !

I say go for it and learn it...dig everything to start and you will be surprised. Mine paid for itself 6 times over on it's second hunt.

Hi Walt. Did you find any rocks or black sand down there when you were getting false sigs? You may of hit some hot rocks or magnatite. Just a thought......btw, I would love to use my 14" mono, but I am a beach bum, and the mono doesnt work on the wet sand at the beach (unfortunately).

Kevin,

Where are you located ? Not sure if you are on the West coast, but here in NJ, that 10x14 mono is all I use and it is by far the best coil for the beaches I hunt. Some beaches have hot rocks and black sand as well.

I tried the stock coil as well as the 8 inch mono and the 10x14 worked way better for me.

Rover... does Fisher make it? I went to their website and didnt find it or over looked it. I was going to down load a manual. I might get it off Kellyco's site.

Dew

Dew,

The Infinium is made by Garrett. They make the 8 and 10x14 inch mono coils as well.

The ONLY beefs I have with the unit are the headphone connection and stock shaft. The stock land headphones ( which I use since I don't dive) aren't the best. The connection is flimsy and I ended up braking the pin on one set and had to get another set of headphones. I also bought a custom straight shaft and with the control box mounted under the cuff, the unit is super balanced and a WAY better set than the stock configuration.

I ended up getting 2 connector kits from Garrett and will be making a universal headphone adapter out of one, so I can use better land headphones, and will connect a pair of Grey Ghost underwaters on the other for total waterproofness in case I do want to head on under during the Summer.

Problem is, they are a pain in the butt to put together and you have to solder the ends on. Gotta set up the magnifying glass and alligator clip contraption for this project !

I understand Garrett is coming out with a universal headphone adapter for the AT Pro, and I hope the AT Pro uses the same headphone connection as the Infinium and if so, I hope the adapter can also work on the Infinium ! That would save me the headache of trying to fashion one myself.

I'm back : )

First I would like to say, Thoms videos are fantastic! A ton of great information that helped me out a lot!
I have been experimenting with the Infinium on land a few times in the past couple weeks. Today I finally went to the beach while the tide was going out. I GBed the unit, set the threshold at 4, disc at 0, and went with the stock coil, and found that the MD was was very stable on wet sand and in the water. I came across plenty of bobby pins and tabs, one penny, one nickel, and one dime. I also found one earing, and one GOLD mans wedding band! For a 3 hour hunt I think it was successful.

The only negative experience I had was near the end I think fatigue set in and it became more difficult to pin point the targets and that's when I decided it was time to go. Next time I'll put on the waders and hunt in the water.

The beach I went to is Rye playland NY. Under the regular sand was black sand. Is that the mineralized sand that I've read about that makes detecting difficult? If it is it didn't seem to effect the Infinium.

Thank You for your responses to my posts.

Walt

Walt,

Anytime you pull gold, it's a good hunt ! Bobby pins are the Infiniums nemisis. Don't they sound great ! I can't stand em.

You did well, and keep up the good work. If the machine is running stable at zero discrimination, you have it set up right.

John

Bobby pins...lol.......my T2 got fooled by a piece of steel wire yesterday. Same diameter and metal make-up as as a bobby pin. Toned & VDI'd just like a coin. Grrrrrrrr

In general, PI's are hardly affected by bad dirt/mineralization.

hi John. Yes, bobby pins certainly are the Infiniums nemisis. That's all I ever find at the beach are bobby pins. Quite a few people have been saying that the 14" mono works well on wet salt sand. Maybe my 14" coil is malfunctioning. Of course, I must admit, it could be the result of user error. I'll try it again at the beach, as I would love to use my 14" coil at the beach.