andre1621,
You don't need to wait until March to learn your machine. If you have access to some cheap materials, you can learn a lot right in your home. The key to your ACE is recognizing signal strength and audible tone. You could bury selected objects (coins, junk, jewelry, etc.) in varying depths of soil. It would be best to have a sample of soil you intend to hunt as mineralization affects the outcome. Make sure the soil is free of contaminants and your environment doesn't produce any overlapping signals (nails, pipes in the floor beneath the testing area). Put coins and jewelry at varying depths and swing the detector. Note and record the signal strength for each and the accompanying tone of the audio signal. Try both precious (silver and gold) and ferous metals and note the differences. Factors affecting the outcome are target composition, size and depth and soil mineralization. As soon as you hear the signal from a large silver coin, you won't mistake that again for trash.
Where most detectorists fail is learning these differences and applying what they've learned. In the real world over 90% of the signals are trash. If you dig every signal you'll lose interest fast.
Play around with these and you could be an expert by the time you hit the real dirt in the Spring. Good luck!
I got one last year for Christmas and I love it! Told the wife I wanted to supercharge it with a 10x14" Elliptical DD EXcelerator II / EQ2 Pro Search Coil. Hoping to open one of those babies up on Christmas day this year.
Posted 12/23/2009 2:30 pm
