Atmospherics

[SCROUNGER]

I'd be interested to know if atmospherics have any effect on the ability of detectors to work. Something wolfrau said the other day about detecting in the morning that i didn't chase up. Appreciate that it's more comfortable in the morning or evening, but does the heat of the day, cooler weather or damp soil etc effect the ability of the machines.

 

[jamie]

i am sure i read somewhere (not sure if it was here or elsewhere) that if the ground is cooler (temp wise) a detector has a easier time picking up signals from the ground, i am not sure how true it is but would be interested to hear from the more experience guys out there too

 

[Jaros]

I think you must have read some posts re the dampness of the ground making it easier to use a metal detector.It is.
Jaros
Look under "Wet ground and detecting"

 

[stoyve]

Yes it is but it can also contribute to falsing as well in the GT
ie:some types of moss give a strong signal

 

[jamie]

yeah i know if its damp its better , so much nicer to dig damp ground too instead of the rock hard concrete version of it lol, one of the last times i was beach detecting after a really hot day it seemed as tho my detector was falsing more but i put it down to the operator more than anything else, or i hadnt wrapped my coil cable up properly after the last time i stripped it all down to clean my detector

 

[SCROUNGER]

I was detecting the middle of a hotter day with no results and then went over the same area in the cooler afternoon and had success. Of course it could have been the angle i approached from etc etc i suppose but it got me thinking after wolfrau suggested i concentrate my efforts in the morning. I'll check out that wet ground and detecting post, thanks all.

 

[Guest]

I was detecting the middle of a hotter day with no results and then went over the same area in the cooler afternoon and had success. Of course it could have been the angle i approached from etc etc i suppose but it got me thinking after wolfrau suggested i concentrate my efforts in the morning. I'll check out that wet ground and detecting post, thanks all.

Where you running at the same sensitivity setting or did you have to back it down a tad?

The best way I can describe it is like the sun 'charges the mineralised ground' and in turn
can make your detector false a little.

In summer and when the sun is out I prefer the morning till about 12.

Have you been out again and have you had any more luck?

 

[SCROUNGER]

Hey mate, yeah went out again and got another couple of small (read tiny) specs. In the heat it seems as though i wasn't picking up those light signals but getting more crackling if that makes sense. As soon as the weather cooled off i got feint but definite signals. The other day when i had the most success it was much cooler. I left settings the same all day, but reset a couple of times just in case.

 

[SCROUNGER]

From what i'm reading more moisture (cooler air temperature) in the ground results in better conductivity?

 

[Guest]

With time you will get good at it and work it out. I am still learning and you never stop learning.

Take a notepad with you and use that to record your finds, date & time of find, where you found them and if you
want to get technical take a close up ground photo where you dug the nugget. This is for observation
purposes for later on. Eg the colour of the ground, type of ground, amount of qaurtz, the colour of the qaurtz,
the size of it and so on. A pattern might emerge later that can help with 'the penny dropped moment'.

Just stick with the shallow leads and the surfacing areas and more will pop out.

Others can feel free to chime in and add more to your questions.

Hope this helps.

 

[jamie]

From what i'm reading more moisture (cooler air temperature) in the ground results in better conductivity?

may be the case mate, well thought

 

[SCROUNGER]

You know wolfau, already noticing a bit of a (rough) pattern where i'm striking the small specs. Really like your idea regards taking a note pad and recording time, weather? location (general and localised) and other things that might come into play down track.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Cheers Jamie, i'll start taking some notes as wolfau suggested and see if a pattern emerges. Mind you, could be that it just comes down to the more i do, the better (hopefully) i get at it!

 

[user 4485]

A lot of people detect at night in summer for this reason - quieter ground when cooler. Not to mention it can be a lot more pleasant in cooler temps.
It is thought that certain ground minerals become "hotter" or more reactive in higher temps. Saline ground can cause issues when wet/damp too. When trying to counter these with settings or ground balancing out you can be operating less than optimally than if say detecting in the cool or if saline soil is dry. In short yes I believe these climatic conditions can affect the detectors ability to a degree when combined with specific ground conditions.
Other external interference can also affect your detectors performance too. Sperics (lightning etc.) as well as manmade EMI from telecommunications towers, HT powerlines etc. can play havoc & can be more prevalent at certain times of the day in different areas. I have heard of people complaining of EMI at some spots at around the same time every day & there is some thought that powerlines etc. are less likely to have an affect during traditional low usage times.
In some areas all of the above can combine to make for a very interesting day out!

 

[Dave law]

Gee i thought i was just my brains were fried in the middle of the day. But i got better results in the cooler months.

 

[KarlS]

From what I remember from physic, as temperature rise the resistance of conductors increase and oposite happen to non conductors. Therefore the ground and metals in it will give different response at 15 degree C then at 45 degree C. The effect will be very small but I suppose that modern metal detectors are quite sensitive.
Karl

 

[Jaros]

That's correct Karl.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Ya lost me KarlS, didn't do physics, I was lucky to scrape past third form in the dark ages! But i believe you. There definitely seemed to be less 'clarity' in what I was hearing through the head phones. What does the saline content mean then mbasko if i'm using the 2300 in saltwater? Or am i way course asking that? Or is that why they have the 'salt' setting on the 2300's dial for?

 

[SCROUNGER]

Just having a laugh about detecting at night. I was struggling to see the gold specs i found in full daylight, let alone at night. Would be more pleasant though, give you that. going out at night could be called 'ultimate detecting', the winner is the one who finds any gold at all and actually gets back in one piece without falling down a mineshaft!

 

[Roscoe]

One of two most important things in choosing a coil to use in a particular area, ground Mineralisation and Atmospherics.