Penny to Dime ratio

Im an Exp SE guy. Ive noticed there are days where the machine tends to key in on pennies or dimes. When it likes the pennies my depth seems to suffer. I havent noticed it being the soil or moisture. But what i do notice is if its hitting dimes im getting much deeper old coins. Do you think this is more ME than the machine? Or just more pennies in the area hitting in the dime range? Here in Indy i do dig some of those penny hits just because if they are weaker deeper signals you just dont know what you might get. Does all detectors do this....i assume it has to do with adjustments. Trust me ive adjusted the heck out of it, but it doesnt seem to change whats happening. I suppose it could just have to do with what im hearing.... if dimes arent there im digging what is.

Dew

Could be EMI or silent EMI............no dimes in one area; no pennies in another area.................or acidic content of soil.

In general............I find 5-1/2 wheat pennies to one silver dime.
6 Indian Head pennies to 1 Barber dime.

Yes, there are days that I find 27 wheat pennies in one hunt..........and no silver dimes. Then..............the next hunt...........I'll find 4 silver dimes and only 2 or 3 wheat pennies. BUT...........it still validates the "ratio".

Considering pennies in general not including large cents probably cover 20 digits on a 1-100 meter from early indian heads to newest Zinc overall the odds just favor you hitting pennies more often and deeper. I do know an Explorer is a complex unit and an experienced Explorer operator can usually tell a penny from a dime by learning the movements of the crosshair and of course the adjustments come into play depending on conditions you are hunting. Honestly having used many units over the years never experienced what you explain relative depth and would feel you hunt many different areas with different dime to penny ratios..In addendum might talk to your local dealer, club member or another experienced Explorer operator which may help. In addendum don't become an overtweaker as change one facet and it alters another and like the rest of us hunting old areas some days every dig is a wheatie and others a lot of silver goes into the pouch..

Guess it could also have to do with concentration or iron/disc targets as well. Do machines like pennies over dimes? Which do you get a better air test on? Obviously pennies are larger and thicker. I tend to get about 12 wheats to a silver dime.... but im sure its my location or even my hunting style. It is interesting to see what the ratios are at the end of each the year. If nothing elce to see how i need to adjust my hunting style and improve my keeper rate. I read a post the other day talking about how people seem to be changing they style to do more gold and jewelry based on the number of items being posted and the quantity of these items in places like parks.

Dew

My ratio is closer to DewCon's than Tom's.

All the time I used my 1265X I had a steady 10:1 wheat to silver dime ratio. Now with 2 full years of F70 experience under my belt I am seeing 1 silver dime for every 4.5 wheats. I have wondered if this is benefit of the DD coil vs the concentric coil. I have always overlapped my swing but I suspected with the concentric my coverage resembled a sawtooth and I thought I picked up wheats better because of the "halo effect"(I know we just debated this) making a larger target than the silver dimes presented. Now with the DD and me still overlapping my swing I tend to pick up more silver? Just my theory but the silver is coming in so much faster there has to be some reason for such a profound difference.

On a side note I see about 1 silver quarter for every 6 silver dimes.

I understand these ratios also have to do with the numbers made, carried, lost as well as my desire to dig those unproductive targets. I dont believe it has a lot to do with my tweaking or not knowing my equipment. I hunt with some pretty good hunters and as far as the dealers in the area..... well ill say they sell equipment if you need it. The smartscreen isnt to bad on TID, but i hunt mostly by tone and might check it for that bounce you mentioned when checking a target. It just seemed to be something i was noticing when i took a look at my finds over the past year and started paying attention to finds and depth. Maybe this year ill work on that ratio.

Dew

On my Explorer II, a zinc penny read Ferrous 7 & Conductive 25 while a copper cent came in at Ferrous 4 & Conductive 25... a dime came ion at Ferrous 4 & Conductive 20. I never used the cross-hairs just the numbers to ID the targets.

"Happy hunting" - Schultzie

If you hunt only old schools.............kids carried a much higher ratio of pennies; of which..... would 'skew' the ratio result.

8 to 1 wheat to silver dime ratio with the CZ-3D. Mostly park hunting. I seem to be doing better with nickels: 4 to 1 wheat to buffalos. That's in enhanced mode, digging anything that hits on nickel.

I find way more pennies than dimes, people cherry pick sites up here , even the beaches, I have gone out to the beach and dug 20 pennies and no other coins, but I dig everything, I wish tin foil would go up in value

You may have it Caretaker.... people do seem to cherry pick here as well. Even the guys i hunt with tend to leave the wheats. But my post was more about the depth loose i though i was getting when the machine tends to hit pennies over dimes. Im sure its nothing more than whats in the area im hunting and how deep those targets are vs. those being masked. Now Tom has given me a ratio to shoot for.... obviously i must be missing some of those silver coins. Thanks everyone for your input.

Dew

A few things...

schultzie -- those are some unusual numbers, comparing your Explorer II to my SE Pro. On my SE, zincs are consistent 07-24 or 07-25, similar to you. However, my coppers are most often 03-28 or 04-28; sometimes wheats will read different (time in ground?) 03-27, 05-26, stuff like that. Dimes however? VERY similar to pennies, but if you watch the numbers, you may see just a few more 29s than 28s on the conductive side -- which is a clue that it's more likely a dime than a penny. Silver dimes may be a notch lower on the ferrous number -- an 03-29 might be a silver, an 04-29 might be a clad -- but sometimes they read the same...tone might have a little more "warble" to it when it's a silver dime vs. clad dime. For me, deeper copper can sound pretty nice, too, "warble-wise," but rarely will you hit a 29 conductive number very consistently on a penny, in my experience, in my soil. If you are getting ANY consistency to your 29 reading, it's probably a dime.

dewcon -- don't know about your depth issue on days when pennies are favored over dimes. I can't confirm such a thing, never made that connection. But, as for ratio, I agree with others. I had a real hard time hitting my first silver coin; probably had a dozen and a half wheats before my first silver. However, in the last few hunts, I've managed four silvers and four or five wheats. So, while it seems erratic, over the longer term the ratio does seem to hold. I've heard 6 or 7 to 1 many times; folks here seem to be talking 5 1/2 to 1 up to about 10 to 1. One thing I learn with time is that it IS possible to ignore copper pennies and dig dimes with an SE...they read JUST ENOUGH different that if you want to cherry pick and dig only dimes, not pennies, you can learn to. Many people favor the smartfind "matrix," but I personally like the digital numbers, at least so far. And from a numbers perspective, you can often see a small difference between pennies and dimes. Smartfind screen hunters probably see that same thing, just graphically instead of numerically. Your silvers will come, you have a silver-loving machine! How long have you been using it?

Steve

Steveg... i agree with your readings and the 29 cond for those dimes. Mine may be off ... but normally its a surface or coin close to surface and raising the coil will get a better read. Ive learned the digital and smartscreen... but i do prefer the smartscreen. Ive had the SE since they first came out so not my first radeo. As far as silver..... well ive been getting my share over a hundred last year. But i spend a lot more time concentrating on field hunting and getting more of the coppers. I like what these machines can do and that there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to personal settings. Thanks everyone for your imput.... looks like a project for the rest of the year since ive found your finds can really tell you something about how you are hunting and what adjustment you need to make.

Dew