Metal Detecting misleading signals

[gcause]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie to metal detecting most of the gold I have found has been alluvial wet prospecting. i.e. goldpanning, highbanker

However I thought I would start a thread where we can talk about what can give a misleading signal on a metal detector.

So heres a basic list to start of things that have caught me out:

1. Hot rocks - lots of iron content - can give a strong signal;

2. Old buried camp fires - lots of orange soil looks different to all soil around it and charcoal - can give a strong signal;

3. Old dig holes - the edge of old metal detector dig holes can give a different signal to the center of the hole as the soil has been disturbed in the center whereas the ground is solid around the edge - can give a feint signal;

4. Bullets in trees, I was searching around the base of a tree and was getting a signal but couldn't find it in the ground and then looked up the trunk about a foot off the ground and saw a bullet hole in the tree and sure enough the 5000 was picking up a large old style bullet with three stripes - can give a strong signal;

5. Old tins down the stump of a tree, found i was getting a signal near the base of a stump, couldnt find it, then looked inside the hollow stump and there was a coke can - can give a strong signal; and

6. Hot ground - get a signal dig it, it moves, dig some more, it moves again and changes tone, dig some more its gone, its not in the hole, its not in the tailings from your hole just gone - can give anything from a feint signal to a strong signal depending on the ground.

Anyone else get caught out like this by misleading signals? Or am I the only one :8

Cheers,

Grant

 

[joe]

7. EMI

 

[Jaros]

Steel cap boots.

 

[Beagleboy]

Aluminium foil that people chuck out in the bush.

 

[nuggetino]

Steel cap boots.

lol guilty as charged

 

[noncents]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie to metal detecting most of the gold I have found has been alluvial wet prospecting. i.e. goldpanning, highbanker

However I thought I would start a thread where we can talk about what can give a misleading signal on a metal detector.

So heres a basic list to start of things that have caught me out:

1. Hot rocks - lots of iron content - can give a strong signal;

2. Old buried camp fires - lots of orange soil looks different to all soil around it and charcoal - can give a strong signal;

3. Old dig holes - the edge of old metal detector dig holes can give a different signal to the center of the hole as the soil has been disturbed in the center whereas the ground is solid around the edge - can give a feint signal;

4. Bullets in trees, I was searching around the base of a tree and was getting a signal but couldn't find it in the ground and then looked up the trunk about a foot off the ground and saw a bullet hole in the tree and sure enough the 5000 was picking up a large old style bullet with three stripes - can give a strong signal;

5. Old tins down the stump of a tree, found i was getting a signal near the base of a stump, couldnt find it, then looked inside the hollow stump and there was a coke can - can give a strong signal; and

6. Hot ground - get a signal dig it, it moves, dig some more, it moves again and changes tone, dig some more its gone, its not in the hole, its not in the tailings from your hole just gone - can give anything from a feint signal to a strong signal depending on the ground.

Anyone else get caught out like this by misleading signals? Or am I the only one :8

Cheers,

Grant

Hi Grant you are not the only one. My self and mates have dug the Phantom signal a few times, the more experienced operators are better at knowing what's a signal and what's not. I'm far from it :8

 

[Ronk]

yes i have everyone of those false digs the other things that get in the way are rings on your finger watches and the some boots have steel in the arch of them

i guess there are many other things as well
When we were in WA without a magnet we dug lots of boot tacks and staples out where you would think no one had ever been and yes the old hot rocks and campfires were always misleading

 

[joe]

my long sleeve shirt had a metal base plastic coated button

 

[gcause]

Other ones I forgot to mention:

8. There were a batch of bad coils with incorrect pins in the leads that were put out by one of the coil manufacturers forget which one it was. The pins wouldn't sit tight so would give false signals to the metal detector. Coils had to be sent back to manufacturer to have the pins in the lead replaced;

9. Coil being hit by branches / rocks giving false signal;

10. Leads getting caught in branches;

 

[joe]

11. low battery

 

[Metamorphic]

Hot rocks (ironstone etc) should only be a faint signal, anything more and your running settings too sensitive.....back em off a tad. Don't worry too much about depth.
If you walk over it, the 5000 will find it.

A light boot scrape or that with the pick, if the signal moves and its not in the mullock you know what your faced with instantly....continue on! Avoid the need for continued scrapes chasing the signal around.
Faint signals that stay put are worth another scrape or two, by then the signal will be getting more audible the deeper you go and you will know.
5" down and its still there but screaming at you, your heart will start to race for sure.

The other issues you list are pretty much normal flow for detecting and mostly unavoidable. We all go through it.

With practice, you will know a fairdinkum target the instance you hear it.

Keep swinging, adjusting settings and advancing with trial and error......in no time you will be an old pro!

Good Luck

 

[muzz]

Rusty nails in the dirt detector picks up the signal strong at first as you dig it up it just fades away cause the nail turns to dust in the soil

 

[PhaseTech]

Rusty nails in the dirt detector picks up the signal strong at first as you dig it up it just fades away cause the nail turns to dust in the soil

Enhance timing on the 4500/4800/5000 usually ignores those!