10/17/16 Report - Eroded Beaches of North Florida. Learning To Use Your Detector More Effectively.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurbeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Taken Shortly After Matthew Passed
Photo by Joe D.

Matthew caused more erosion north of the Treasure Coast than to the Treasure Coast.  Below are some photos of damage done to the North Florida coast.  These photos were submitted by Darrell S,

A1A at Flagler Beach was washed out too.

I expect to be receiving some photos of cobs reported found to the north of us.

If you,ve been following the blog poll as results come in, at least three people have reported finding treasure coins on the Treasure Coast after Matthew, and the poll has just started.

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I haven't talked about strategy much lately, but strategy is an extremely important topic.  That is actually more true for experienced and advanced detectorists than beginners.  Beginners simply don't have enough experience and knowledge to be very strategic about their detecting.

When I began this blog there were detectorists that didn't think I should be giving so much information.  They said others should have to pay their dues and put in the time learning like they did.  I understand that, but how much a person benefits from information depends upon how well they understand it.  A beginner doesn't jump from beginner to expert just because you tell them something,  It might help them advance a little more quickly, but they still have to actually apply it and see it in the practice before they really get it.  I believe that some people who say that they already knew what you told them actually benefit more even though they don't realize it.  They might think, "Of course I already knew that." but they really get it in a more complete way when it is expressed in a very precise way.

As Peter H, said in his email the other day, think before you detect.  Form a plan.  But beginners don't have enough information to create a very effective plan.  Some level of experience and knowledge is required.  You're depending totally on luck if you think you can get a detector and go out to the beach and find treasure coins right away.  You might be very lucky and hit one real quick, but that is unusual.  More often you will have to invest time in learning the beaches and how to use your detector,  Reading can help a lot. but you still need to go out there and put in your time.

One thing I recommend for beginners is experimenting with your detector.  Experiment with test targets, especially the types of targets that you are interested in finding.  If you don't have an example, get the closest thing you can to experiment with,

I know there are people spending time in the field using detector settings that would not detect a small half reale if they put their coil right over it.  The same goes for small pieces of gold.

It is necessary to understand your detector.  One thing I have recommended in the past if you don't have a small cob to experiment with, is get a silver dime, cut it in fourths, and use one piece as a test target,  If you can detect that piece of a silver dime you can detect most half reales if you are not holding your coil too high and swinging it too fast.  People do that, and that is something you can learn through experimenting.  Put the test test target on the ground and adjust your detector settings and your swing until you get the best signal.  I recommend more experimenting than that, but that would be a start.

You might want to experiment in dry sand and wet sand for example, or experiment with other types of test targets and trash,  All of that will help you learn to understand your detector better and keep you from wasting a lot of time in the field.

I should have some find pictures ready soon.

Happy hunting,
TreassureGuide@comcast.net

1/20/15 Report - How To Select Good Test Targets And How They Can Be Useful In The Field

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.

Treasure Coast Beach Yesterday Near Low Tide.

Notice all of the new sand on the front beach.   Not looking good.

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I like trying out new detectors.  I like to learn what they can and can not do.  At the same time, I hate using a new detector because I don't know how to use it well.  I guess I have a love/hate relationship with new detectors.

Some detectors take longer to learn than others.  The Ace 350 took very little time to learn.  You can continue to learn to use any detector better for quite a while, but you can become fairly proficient with a detector like that in a relatively short amount of time.  Like I've explained, it is an inexpensive detector and there are detectors that will detect deeper and do a lot of things better, yet it has a place in my arsenal and there are times when I'll use it rather than one of the higher-end detectors that I have.  There are times when it is the best choice for a particular situation even though it is the least expensive.

I've talked a lot about test targets in the past, and I continue to see more and more value in using test targets. It seems I'm always learning.

I am currently learning to use a detector that is new to me, and it hasn't been on the market very long.  Just yesterday I was exploring and comparing the motion and non-motion modes and a variety of other things in a very challenging environment.   I've had it out in the field maybe four or five times now.

I should comment here that when you are learning to use a new detector, you should first do some air testing and some test garden testing in an environment that you are very familiar with.

I have a spot in my yard that I have used for testing for a long time.  I know that spot to be very clean.  The one thing that is not so good about that spot is that there is a good amount of EMI.  That, of course, is not the ideal for a test garden.  It is better to get away from EMI, junk, mineralization, etc. as much as you can for your early learning experiences with a new detector.  Each of those things can complicate the situation.

If you have one place that you have explored many times before with other detectors, you will know something about what to expect and be able to compare the new detector and how it responds with other detectors that you have used there before.

Getting back to test targets.  I was detecting with this new detector in a fairly challenging environment the other day.  I had already spent a few good learning sessions with this detector and was ready to step up the difficulty level.  This beach had a lot of very small pieces of iron, also a lot of very large pieces of buried iron, along with the normal salt mineralization, wet/dry zones and black sand.

Anyhow, at one point I noticed less signal strength than I would have expected from a small piece of foil.  Hmmm.  I took out a small test target that I have used quite a bit.  I know how this detector and other detectors respond to that particular test target under various conditions.  I threw it out on the ground ahead of me and indeed, the signal was not what it should have been or what I would have liked. 

Somewhere along the line the detector was detuned somehow.  I have my suspicions.  I think it had to do with some huge buried iron that I was over or a while, which could have caused the detector to retune.  However it happened, the detector was detuned and my test target quickly confirmed that the detector was performing less than optimally and was out of tune.

That is just one more example of how carrying a test target can help you.  The fact that I had used this test object before and had a good idea of how the detector should respond to it was a big help.

Select a sample of objects that include the types of things that you are interested in finding.  For example, you might include a coin, a small silver object, a small gold object, and perhaps a cob.  Again, select the kinds of things you are most interested in finding.

The most effective test targets will give off a small but distinct signal if the environment is challenging.  Don't use test targets that are too large or too easy to detect. They will give a strong signal even if you are slightly out of tune.  You want targets that produce near borderline signals that will be most affected by changes of the detector settings and changes in the environment.

You can use the same test objects for air tests and in the field.  By using the same test targets over and over, you will learn what type of response to expect from different detectors in different environments.  That will help you compare detectors on the different types of targets in different environments.  It will also help you better evaluate your settings.  Having a well known test target along with me helped me quickly determine that my detector was responding less than optimally, and it also helped me retune the detector to obtain a near optimal response in the environment where I was hunting.



Not much change in Treasure Coast beach conditions to talk about.  Same small surf and sandy beaches.  No change in expected real soon.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/15/15 Report - Todays Beach Conditions. Getting To Know A New Detector. A Few Notes On Buying A Detector.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.

Two Treasure Coast Beach Views This Morning Near Low Tide.

 

 

As you can see from the top picture the North winds caused some fresh cutting.  Not much though.

 

I went out to test out a new detector.  It took me a little while to get the settings how I wanted them, but not too long.

 

I only spent a little over two hours with this detector, so am far from mastering it.  I was pleased with the performance even though I need to spend a lot more time and learn a lot more about it.

 

One thing that was difficult for me this morning was interpreting the signals.  With detectors that I have used a lot, I know what they are telling me.   Not nearly as much with this detector.  That will take a little time.

 

It is known as a "heavy" detector, and when you pick it up you can feel that it is indeed heavy, but it didn't swing heavy.  In actual use it didn't feel any heavier than what I have been using.

 

It always takes me a while to feel comfortable with a detector that I haven't used a lot.  Testing with test objects helps. 

 

I took coins and gold for test purposes.  The response to both seemed good.

 

There are a lot of good detectors to choose from.  I know there are people who will swear that one particular detector is the best.   I think there is always more than one good choice.

 

A lot of people want advice on what detector they should buy.  I can't answer that question.  I believe that the choice of detector is a highly personal one.   It depends upon so many factors.  It depends upon where you hunt and what you want to find.  Most people know that.  But it also depends upon how you hunt, your personality, and even your arsenal.  

 

By arsenal I mean what other detectors you have or use.  Different detectors will serve well for different hunts and even different stages of a hunt.  I've talked about all of that before.

 

I might start out detecting a site using one detector and then follow up with one or two other detectors.  

 

If you are just trying out detecting, I'd suggest that you select an inexpensive and easy to use detector.  Some inexpensive detectors perform very well for the price.  I've gone over that before using one particular example. 

 

If you stick with the hobby and decide you want to invest in a more expensive detector, the first detector will still be a nice backup, plus you'll probably find that it does certain things very well, and is worth keeping around.

 

For beginners I highly recommend visiting a shop where you can get a demonstration of any detector that you might consider.  Not only will that help you understand what to expect from that detector but it will also help shorten the learning curve.

 

Even if you are an advanced detectorist, it is still good to personally see a detector in operation before you lay down the money.  Take test targets with you.  I don't care how deep a detector will detect clad coins unless that is what I want to find.  Take small gold test targets or small cobs if that is what you want to find. 

 

You can read all the literature you can find and watch all the Youtube videos, but once you start actually using a new detector, it is likely that new questions will come up.  Of course, you can settle most of those by actual experimentation, but you want to learn all you can before you make your choice and commit to a particular detector.

 

That isn't what I started out to talk about today.  I'll get back to that some other day.

 

 

Copper and Encrusted Coin Found This Morning.



The first coin I found with the detector I was testing was a deep and heavily encrusted coin (See above.)  Just a penny though.  I think it was the most encrusted coin I ever found.  The crust was almost round and almost the size of a golf ball.   Most of it was removed before I could see any of the coin and before the photo was taken.

 

Another find from this morning was in a clump of rock. It seems to be a point, but not like a point from a blade.  It is triangular in shape.  You can see that in the second photo.

 

That was in a big clump about the size of two large fists.

We still have a North wind and will have the same tomorrow.  Too bad there isn't a bigger surf.

Beach detecting conditions will remain poor overall.

Happy hunting,
TreaureGuide@Comcast.net



9/13/14 Report - Problems With Air Tests. How To Test Your Metal Detector. Buried Objects and Disappearing Signals. Tropical Storm Edouard.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.

Source: www.nhc.noaa.gov

Not long ago I said the best way to compare detectors is to take the detectors out in the field and compare them on targets that have not yet been dug and compare the signals.  That gives you a comparison in the specific environment.   I'll explain my ideas on testing detectors today and explain some of the problems with some common approaches.

Everybody knows about air tests.  One of the problems that I have with air tests is that the test targets are often not the best.  People tend to use a clad coin of one denomination or another.  As I've explained before, unless you want to find a clad coin, that is not the most relevant test.   Different detectors react to different types of targets differently, therefore you should use test targets that include the types of things you are most interested in finding.  A single test target won't tell the entire story. 

Some people use a nickel because it has a relatively low conductivity, supposedly something like gold, but however true that might be, few gold items are shaped like nickels.   Most gold targets are not solid disks and few are as thick as a nickel.

One big problem with air tests is that they usually aren't done in the type of environment where you will actually use your detector.  They are often done in a house or yard, where there are power lines, underground cables or other sources of electrical interference.  Some detectors react better than others around sources of electrical interference.  That will affect your air test results.  Most beaches are relatively free of electromagnetic interference.

An air test does give you a little information, but it isn't a very good test for comparing detectors or for figuring out how deeply real targets can be detected in the field.

Another approach is to take the detector out and dig a hole and bury a target and then see how deeply the target can be detected.  Of course, for that test to be most accurate, the target should be buried in the type of ground you intend to hunt.   Some detectors will work better in dry ground, others in wet  salt sand, etc. 

Even if you are in the right type of sand or soil, you will not get an extremely good  measure using a newly dug hole.   A target in a newly dug hole will NOT give the same response as a target that has been buried for a good amount of time.

You've probably heard about the "halo effect."  Supposedly a naturally buried object will have a halo effect and therefore give off a stronger signal than a newly buried target.   I won't get into how the halo effect is supposed to work, or even what it is, but I can say that a newly buried target won't give the same signal as a naturally buried target that has been in the ground a while.

Have you ever dug a hole to get a target in the wet salt sand and you couldn't find the target in your scoop or in the hole?   It seemed to disappear.

Here are some things that could have happened.  The object could have slipped down deeper in the hole, or it could now be sticking to the side of the hole and standing on edge, thus presenting less surface area for the detector to detect.  Those are two ways that a target can seem to disappear in a hole, but there is another.

Go to a beach where there is compact wet salt sand.  Dig a hole.  Now run your detector over the hole.  If you are in all-metals mode, you might well get a signal from the hole where you disturbed the sand. 

If you can find some black sand and run your coil over it, you might get some false signals, but if you dig a hole in the black sand, or even disturb the smooth black sand, you'll probably get a bigger signal from that.

If you don't get a signal from the disturbed sand of a new hole or the black sand, your detector is probably canceling that source of noise out and you'll therefore likely be getting less depth.

The thing is, a newly dug hole will change the ground, either causing false signals or changing your ground balance so that your detector is less sensitive.  That is another way an object can get lost in a hole,  The hole itself disturbs the ground, which can cause false signals or a change how your detector is ground balanced.

Another problem with digging a fresh hole in sand, especially wet sand, is that the entire matrix changes.   Just watch a newly dug wet sand hole.  Water will come in and fill it.  Sand and shells will move about and settle,  And if you threw a coin into that hole, you saw where and how it was before you covered it, if that is what you did, but you won't know how or where it settled after that.

Since a target in a newly dug hole will settle, and since a newly dug hole disturbs the sand and creates false signals or changes the detector's ground balance, I do not find newly buried objects a good way to test a detector on a target.   The sand or soil in a newly dug hole is not settled like the sand or soil surrounding a naturally buried object.  And it may have not had time to create a halo effect. 

To me, setting the object on the ground where you intend to detect, and then raising the coil above the object is just as good, or in my opinion, a better way to go.  That way the detector will be responding to the natural undisturbed ground in that area.   It is true that you won't be detecting "through" that type of ground, but if your settings are right, that won't matter much.   I think you will get as good an estimate of depth by raising the coil over an object on the surface as by digging a hole and disturbing the ground. 

Also,if you experiment a little, you'll see that an object in a very well packed area will generally give off a better signal than the same object buried in course material, such as course shell sand.

 

As you can see there are three areas of weather to watch.  (See map at top of post.) The weather system that has been bringing us wind and rain has now moved into the Gulf.

Edouard is still out in the Atlantic, and there is one more disturbance following Edouard.

On the Treasure Coast we still have a small surf and fairly good tides.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net