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 Replies: 10 / Views: 2,369 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2077 Posts |
Bought my daughter a Garrett Ace 250 and we haven't had any luck so far. We've been hunting in the yard of a local elementary school that closed down in the 80s. I figured there would be tons of lost lunch money along the edges of the playground. So far it's been mostly old aluminum cans and bits of wire. Our big find was a bent stainless spoon. I've tried adjusting the settings and testing with coins I buried myself. Can't seem to adjust it to reject the junk and still pick up good stuff. What's the secret? Does soil dampness have any bearing? Not looking for Blackbeard's treasure, just some old coins.
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
you're probably the 1378th person to hunt that school yard, but heres a tip.
Hunt next to the sidewalks and two feet out from them. Your finds might increase a bit.
also try hunting in jewelry mode instead of coins.
good luck in the "hunting", if you keep that up your "findings" will come.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
The 250 is the finest machine you will buy for sub £200.
Read the instruction manual(& watch the DVD) and go on detector forums.
Learn before you give up.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
863 Posts |
dont give up :) its probably just a bad location. try another spot.
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Valued Member
Canada
135 Posts |
When in doubt, hunt in "all metal mode".
Most detectors lose %40-%60 of depth while discriminating.<Think about this, 8" depth turns into 4" and if your coil is 2" in the air, you get the idea.
When you discriminate, you lose the silver coins next to the trash, which is just about all of them.<Think about this, a coin or ring that sits a couple inches from an iron target, will be rejected with the iron. Smaller coils can help with separation, but trade off depth.
I find when I discriminate, I dig less trash AND treasure. I only discriminate once in a while for a bit of a break.
I have heard decent reviews for your machine, so it should be OK.
Serious treasure hunters use all metal mode. Look at those videos on youtube where the guys are getting POUNDS of gold per year from the beaches.
They are either using a decent machine in all metal mode, or a "PI" (Pulse Induction) which has no discrimination at all.
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Valued Member
Canada
135 Posts |
Don't give up, it's a great hobby that is extremely addictive.
Get ready for the longest winter of your life!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4333 Posts |
All my best finds are in the trashiest areas. Old silver halves, quarters, rings, etc, shallow, but masked by trash. Creep at a snail's pace and tiptoe through the trash.
When I listen to LED ZEPPELIN...so do my neighbors...
Roll hunting since '77
Dirt fishing since '72
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2077 Posts |
On my way to the post office, I saw a bulldozer behind the school and the blacktop is all dug up. Going to get my detector!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2077 Posts |
Well I discovered three things.
1) Local school must have had a free lunch program.
2) Locals liked Sprite.
3) Entire area has an iron rich clay that causes false alarms.
Did find my first coin! 1968 cent. It's a start.
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Valued Member
Canada
135 Posts |
Some schools are better then others. My public school did not have a cafeteria, but there is still decent money there. Although since it was built in the 1950s, there might not be much silver or real old finds.
Schools can be really trashy too, as you have found out.
Move away from the building and look for landmarks like shade trees and rocks big enough to sit on. There is always coins there.
It should be a little less trash too. (Hopefully)
If you get snow there, look for the area where they go sledding.
If you want to just dig some modern money for practice, do the patch of grass between the parking lot and bleachers of your local ball diamond. Always decent spending money in these areas.
Just make a note to yourself that modern "clad" coins might sound different on your machine then the older good stuff.
At least here in Canada they do. They come up mostly in the trash range.
(Especially buried coins, due to fast forming zinc corrosion, or rust forming on or steel coins)
Your "Zincolns" are made a little better, and might still sound as copper, you would have to try and see.
Also let that 1968 cent be a good clue.
Anywhere you find change from the Sixties has a good chance to have silver.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1590 Posts |
My local school has been done to death....but on investigation read where the city used to have a tram system. And the stop for the school was across the street.
63 Mercs later.....strange..not one Roosie or Barber! Not one! But I did nail 5 17Ds! Most of them from before 1937!
Research...research...research! Next I'm going to check a house that used to be a Candy store in front of the school!
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Replies: 10 / Views: 2,369 |
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Posted 06/26/2012 12:04 am
