When to dig

When you have a deep coin signal sounding off as iron how do you determine to dig or not? Would it be if your pinpointing indicates a small target or what other ways would help you make the decision to dig. Thanks in advance.

On what type of machine? I can answer a bit of that if you are talking an FBS machine, but I think you use an F-70, right? On an F-70, "sizing it" in pinpoint would be the best advice I could offer, but you already have that figured out. Others with more experience with that machine will be able to help you out more than I. But, I will say that you are asking was one of the biggest frustrations I had with my F-70, when I had it -- how do you know when do dig an "iron hit?" It was especially frustrating in that the F-70 does NOT have continuous depth readout, as you know. Thus, you have to pinpoint an "iron hit" to see how deep the machine thinks it is, to decide whether it is beyond whatever depth your machine starts to ID good targets as iron, in your particular soil. Other more experienced users may have been able to figure things out that I never did in the time I used it, but again -- that was my number one complaint with that unit...outstanding "absolute" depth, but for me, limited "effective" depth. Running in all-metals, or very, very low disc., would have detected deep coins EASILY, but it was just not practical, for me, in the trashy sites I tend to hunt. By the way, my soil is red clay, and the iron in it gave the F-70 FITS in terms of ID. If I were in mild soil, I may never have sold that machine...

Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2012 07:30AM by steveg.

Whilst sweeping the coil......... and rotating your body around the target............... if the target seems to shift locations by a inch or two......... it is most likely ferrous (nail/iron). If the target remains in the exact pinpoint same location......... it should be non-ferrous. Elongated ferrous items...... such as nails........ will 'move' (IRT its pinpoint location) as you rotate your body around the target.
The preamble and postamble of the audio report is more sharp/pronounced with non-ferrous items. Iron 'falses' sound more 'washed-out'.

In laymans terms if the pinpoint seems to move when you dig a plug or if a target doesn't hit from several directions, sometimes on real deep ones tough to get a hit from two directions, coins especially just seem to sound more sweeter( tough to describe)...and sometimes just a gut feeling.....get a nail next to the deep coin throw all the above out the window and of course all units are a tad different and its a learning process in the field. Finally if its an iffie go for it perhaps..in other words not an exact science but once you learn your unit and dig some iron you will get the idea.
Many CZ newbies think they are nail grabbers but I dig very few myself and its usually when going for a real deep iffie...and imagine the same goes for the fellows that learn their units well no matter what unit they are using...
To me digging, bending etc. is hard on the old bones and muscles and analyzing from the top makes me more selective and extends my hunting time and usually adds more good coins to the pouch.

Thanks once again for the helpful information.

Dan --

You said:

Quote

Many CZ newbies think they are nail grabbers but I dig very few myself and its usually when going for a real deep iffie...and imagine the same goes for the fellows that learn their units well no matter what unit they are using...

I couldn't agree with you more. I think you can remove CZ, and put "FBS" in there (and probably many, many other types of machines), and it would be just as true (at least it was for me). Now, I -- like you -- don't dig very many anymore, and when I do -- like you -- it's when chasing deep, iffy targets, just like you said. You are spot on with this observation, in my opinion -- the better you learn your unit (no matter WHAT your unit of choice), the more you learn to read its quirks and nuances with respect to its behavior with nails vs. coins...

Steve

Tom D. .....is the rotational sweeping..... ferrous shift technique...... done in all metal...or disc mode?

The 'shifting' (or changing) of the pinpoint location of a ferromagnetic/ferrous item can be witnessed in both the all-metal mode...... and in the ID mode.

Being new to double d coils,Im still having trouble with this, as the coil has a long ,knife like field, as I move the coil toward or away from me, it is difficult for now to size a target or get its exact location especially if other unwanted targets are close, and sometimes impossible to work around the target. Pinpoint mode does help,at times, but for now if another target is close,I still have a hard time. I didnt have this problem with concentric coils. This is , using the E-Trac.
I hope this isnt a hijack as you were talking about digging and rotating around a target.
Thanks,
John

The learning curve on a DD coil is a bit different..... but fairly easy to learn. PRACTICE.... PRACTICE..... PRACTICE!!! (((as this one is difficult to verbally teach))).

Isn't the stock coil on the E-trac a double D? The ET also PPs easily and is dead accurate.

Yes..... and correct.