Wet Ground = Increased Detector Performance????

Brains trust,

I've had an Xterra 705 since January this year and have been out plenty of times to get a good feel for the machine. Its been extremely dry and there was only one day for the last 6 weeks where we had a small drop of rain.

Today I went out to a local park after 4 days of good soaking rain. What I noticed, apart from really easy digging, was the depth performance of the detector seemed to be much deeper for the same sounds if that makes sense. I wound the sensitivity right back today as I did not want to dig 1ft holes in the park for a bottle cap.

Last week a dollar coin would scream if really close to the surface and the pinpointer would confirm that it was close to the surface.

Today the Xterra would scream but the coin was too deep for the pinpointer to beep and I had to dig about 50 to 70mm to reach it.

My question then is: Is it a well know fact that detectors perform better in damp ground or cool humid weather???????

I've heard that
Mate of mine said it gave better " conductivity " after a bit of rain . Made me wobble my head ... Yet , he is one of those bastards that actually find heaps...but my answer is I don't really know. It makes and dosnt make sense to me.
Barney

VLF get better depth with wet ground, assuming it doesn't increase the dissolved salt content (dry sand vs wet sand)
PI gets noisier ground but also increase in depth.

Thanks Ben, I am 100% sure that the 705 detector seemed to be on steroids today!

I felt like the extremely dry ground was giving me less depth last time out with the 5000, was still picking up tiny targets but was not digging very deep for most stuff.

Might try to get out while it's still damp and see if it makes much of a difference.

With my Tesoro VLF detectors its definitely noticeable! I have scoured over areas literally dozens of time when its dry, then gone over it once after a good rain and pulled out lots of stuff i should have got before the rain. From what I've been told its exactly what Barney said, it ups the conductivity which allows the VLF to penetrate better

Can't speak for everyone or all the detector's, But the one's I have used all perform better with cooler ground. You will notice I said Cooler not necessarily wet. I have also read many comments in books & on forum's & it is a common belief by many that you will get more depth on cooler ground.

Ive heard that also dave, but I've been out on 40+ degree days and had a bit of rain and bam I'm pulling up stuff out of areas I've hit hard. Water "wetness" increases conductivity. Not saying its not true but whether something is hot or cold doesn't increase conductivity.
When a coin or relic is buried in the ground, the condition of the soil around it plays the most important part in whether or not you will pick it up with your metal detector. The object tends to create a halo, or electromagnetic field around it after being buried for some time that increases your detectors' ability to find it. Usually this halo will increase over time to an optimum level and then taper off somewhat.

Additional moisture in the soil increases conductivity and objects are easier to detect. That's why you'll usually find me out there after a good soaking rain, working an area that I "hunted out" when the soil was dry. This is probably the biggest shot in the arm our hobby gets from nature and we should all take advantage of it whenever possible.

Just research it on the net. Every site will tell you the same thing. Water/moisture increases conductivity. Its nothing to do with cold or hot. If your standing barefoot on dry cold ground and you stuck 50,000 volts into the earth right near you, you will not feel a thing. If your standing on moist ground and you stuck 50,000 volts in you will be dead lol only moisture/water will increase conductivity of any electro pulse whether its in a detector or any electrical item

sorry yellow yes I agree with wet. But not what you say about cooler ground. But that's Ok we all have different opinions.
Cooler conditions also increase depth that is why some detect at night because ground is cooler. Cooler conditions = less ground noise which then means we can then hear deeper targets that may not be heard when ground is hot'n noisy.
Also in WA outback 45+ deg during day & a lot less at night is also good reason, for early mornings. After all who's keen to walk in the high forties.

Thanks Gents for the info.

This would also explain why some "flogged out areas" still produce nuggets.

Perhaps on the days where missed targets are visible (to a detector) is during cool and or wet/damp ground conditions?

I guess people like going out on nice sunny days instead of rainy weather?

I'll weigh in. I think it might be a case of the circuitry performing better in its loop too when its cooler. Without getting into the physics just think about computers using heat sinks and fans, and the electricity conductivity increasing dramatically in cooler days versus a really hot day. Not only does the signal penetrate further the signal being produced has the opportunity to be stronger/faster. It makes sense in my mind.

I'm always keen no matter what the temps i am not disagreeing about cool temps changing conductivity in metal i thought we were talking soil conductivity. Metals conductivity can and does change with temps. Ions are the biggest player in both factors. As gold target said with temperatures its more the circuitry and metals that change with cold/warmth. Soil conductivity CAN change with temps but only if there is high mineralisation in the soils. Lets just call it an even combination of wetness and coolness happy hunting everyone!