wet ground and detecting

Gday everyone,

Just a thought,with all this rain and dampness on the ground does it affect your detecting?
For example do you have more ground noise, does it seem to spread out more, or do you think that it makes targets stand out?
I have been detecting in the golden triangle and found that I seem to have more false signals and hot rocks as well
I have heard that some detectorists have been finding good gold out in the triangle.
What about you?
regards
Mardymoose

I've noticed an increased target response on coins and relics in low mineralised ground using a VLF (i.e targets appear louder and IMO detect a little deeper) but I couldn't tell you what affect it would have on hot ground or if a PI detector responds any differently.

Nugget said:

I've noticed an increased target response on coins and relics in low mineralised ground using a VLF (i.e targets appear louder and IMO detect a little deeper) but I couldn't tell you what affect it would have on hot ground or if a PI detector responds any differently.

Click to expand...

I agree there with you Nugget.

Cheers Monty

In my experience, I feel that my detecting generally feels more comfortable with less tweeking required during wet days, overall I feel its more stable but the one thing that increases undesired false signals in the wet is carbon (burnt tree roots, old camp fires).
The easy way to establish that it is a false / unwanted signal can be done by visually pinpointing the reactive spot, change your postion and approach from the opposite direction, and again from the other 2 sides .. call it North South East West if you get a repeatable signal from all direction over the exact same visual pinpointed spot >> DIG .. if not continue walking.

Cheers Pete

So Pete, whats the alternative. Does the signal break up, is it scratchy, or intermittent? What am I listening for as the alternative?

The other thing is the soil attaches to the pick and your
Forever looking for the target..

LOL...Correct Wolf....

Tassie .. the true target responds on all approaches from any direction over the same spot, whereas a signal generated from carbon or a section of mineralised ground does not offer you a fix position true signal, in other words you just can't seem to be able to centre the target signal on the same spot when you approach from different directions

Pete

thanks dreamwalking for the good advice and yes lots of soil attached to your pick alright, will put it into practice this cold and wet weekend in the golden triangle
what about long broad signals dreamwalking?

Tassie .. my observations are inconjunction with using a PI detector and a mono loop. Sorry, I didn't fully answer your question ... the sound you hear 'resembles' a true target but when you try to centre it, it feels like it is in a slightly different position and you cant seem to get a exact location, hence why its called a false signal.

Mardymoose, .. 'Long broad signals' sounds like you have heard my wife calling me when I was tucked away in a corner sleeping.
Not having used many detectors besides my own a long broad signal could have different meanings for different detectors.
I have heard of people saying they haven't dug a good target yet that was a long drawn out signal, others have said its only junk, truthfully speaking it is a target, that you yourself need to dig to get a good understanding what your detector is telling you, after you have done that you will know whether to dig in the future a long broad signal when you hear it on your detector again.

Cheers Pete.

Pete..tell your wife to let you sleep in the corner in peace..
I think perhaps the coil I was using had a little to do with it..a new PM 18inch tarantulla coil, just couldn't get it to be quiet...like someone else I know..I was all arms and legs with that one!!!

Mardy

I find damp soil to be good, but very wet soil to be bad. Dug two deep holes for nothing with the GPX 5000 yesterday that started off as a sweet well defined faint signal. Don't often get fooled by ground noises, but waterlogged ground is a different story

Wait until you wave the stick over a capped shaft with wet soil.
Only when you drive the pick in to find rotten wood.
Now that is what I call a low warble. :lol:
Put it simply, It was one heck of a void... 8)

I 100% with Nenad and have found the same, damp ground is good, wet ground is bad.

when you say damp ground as opposed to wet ground how far down is it damp/wet?
where I have been detecting it is damp/wet for about 100 mm down then dry
how does this affect the signal?

spent the weekend in the golden triangle, -1 in the morning, more good signals for nothing, only ground noise
couldn't get the 5000 to settle down didn't matter what I did
seems to me that wet weather, cold weather and dampness are not good for my prospecting
returned home empty handed
I think I need some one to fine tune me and my machine!
also need to read the land better so that I make more educated decisions about where I detect
HELP ME !!!!!
had my rant now feel a lot better

Normally all that's needed is to flick to Enhance timing, as it'll run smoother than Fine-Gold. If you are still getting ground signals, drop the Rx Gain.

Hey DW, thanks for the words up on the breaking signal/false signal. I have an ATX and it annoys me when there seems to be a great signal only for it to disappear. Never thought to attack it from different angles. But I'll give it a go next time I'm out. Might stop me from all that digging useless holes. I first experienced them when I was in the gold fields last time and Loamer and DWT told me of the mineralized clay that is in the Triangle. We all must continue to learn!!!!!!!!!

Tassie ... just another little pointer, this works for me on the GPX, it might work on your ATX, when I have dug up a rock that sounds off like a piece of gold, a quick check I do is ... take the rock in hand and approach the coil side on. not above the coil or below it but on the same plane as the coil.... if it is a hot rock it will not make a sound, if it is a metal it will sound the same as it would if you passed the coil over it.

Mardymoose .. If what PhaseTech advised you fails, another thing you might want to try to stabilise your detector when EMI makes you want to tear your hair out is ...
I don't care if you auto tuned the detector or not, ... wind the 'manual tune' back down into the 60 - 80 range, you should find it will settle down if not then, you need to back off the Rx Gain and make sure the stabiliser remains at least 2 units lower than the Rx Gain, on days of extreme noise / emi the Rx Gain likes to be at factory preset (11) or less
Detection of fine gold prefers the higher settings so if your detector is quiet in the 60 - 80 range gradually increase the setting till you feel the detector is on the verge of chatting / becaming unstable again, at that point back it off about 2 units and you should be swinging again.

Hope this may help you.
Pete