In the ground counts...

Having used many different model CZ old and new numbers one wonder about air tests...

Heck even the ones that didn't air test well got em deep ?????

Hi Dan,,,,My philosophy is that a detector can not penetrate the ground any deeper than it air tests at....JJ

That's a mystery wrapped in an enigma:

There's the halo theory

There's the Pulse Induction (mainly Minelab) theory

Then there' s every one who swears that their Coinscannerdeepscannergoldscanner Special finds 10" dimes in radioactively hot red dirt in spite of the fact that it only air tests at 7".

The earth is a dark and mysterious place and when we probe it with our electronic tool, we discover this and that. From this we form theories to explain how it all works and what we think we know and why.

We will all keep trying.

Sovereign air test like crap...goes Deeep in ground.

Agree with what Jimmyjiver stated..

Not trying to argue,but like I said, the sovereign definitely doesnt follow that rule. Thats probably why it does so poorly on disturbed soil too.

I'm not 100% sure IF a detector can detect an object any deeper than it can air test that same object at (although - I am a believer in the "halo theory" )

but on the same token

I do know that "moister" (ground saturation or lack thereof) has a LOT to do with how deep your machine will or won't detect an object (and that can change from day to day or week to week) etc.

Have you ever heard the = "it's hard to find silver when it's dry" term?

There's a LOT to that statement and it's true (not only for silver though).

You can scan over an area (say like in a park by a certain tree) when it's really dry ground and not get a blip from any target but let it rain an inch or 2 and go back after the rain and detect that same patch of ground and WHAM = hit a slew of targets 7", 8", 9", or more down (depending on detector/coil used obviously) but when you know for 100% sure you just went over that same ground a day or 2 earlier when it was dry and didn't even get a peep!

Hi,,,a couple of years ago I read on Minelab's web site a question about depth in the ground Vs air....I believe Bruce Candy? replied that a detector can not go deeper in the ground than it air test's....I have been searching for that particular question for years now and have not found it.....The halo theory is alive and well in my neck of the woods especially, when it comes to Indian head pennies.....I also believe that silver gets a minute boost of conductivity only in low lying wet areas and comes out of the ground black....In closing and some final thoughts, I don't think that every coin gets a halo regardless of how long it's been in the ground.........JJ

I do air tests to find out what numbers I hit, or where the needle on the meters fall , or what sound comes out of each detector when swiping various targets .... I don't use air tests at all for depth tests .........As far as depth goes , I NEVER judge ANY of my machines by how far away from the coil I can move a target ..... Jim

Moisture is a double edged sword....if indeed it makes coins more detectable should have the same effect on masking elements in the ground.
So in either case it can be a plus or minus...
Also heard of deep finds after an electrical storm which sounds logical...judging by the nightwalkers in abundance after a good rain and electrical storm...used to be an avid fisherman before the detecting bug bit me....

Dan you must be house locked. Always stirring the pot. Just joking of course.

But you do seem to bring up good questions / thoughts.

In my short md history I have wondered about the same thing. I have dug items at 12 plus inches and know that my detector would never hit them hard enough in an air test to made me want to dig them. But when they have been in the ground for years they hit hard enough that I have to dig.

Another one of the many mysteries of metal detecting that keeps thing Intresting.