Noob questions

[jpd1903]

Around a month ago I got me an XP Deus. I have been detecting every weekend since, having got one permission through someone I know. I have found that there is an almost infinite amount of reading on detecting related topics, and I have indulged.
However, I do have some questions that I either can't find an answer for, or can't find a definitive answer (perhaps there isn't one).

For information, I am using Discrimination 78, Frequency 18, full sounds, ground 90, sensitivity 90.

At first on a lower discrimination setting I dug up everything, no matter what sound it made. I did this in order to learn which items made what sounds.

Amongst other things, so far I have found about 15 coins, all fairly modern (1892 the oldest!).

Q1)
Horse shoes. Although (presumably) iron, they tend to give a signal conducive with coins. Is this just because it's a big lump? Smaller iron items give the low drone or don't sound at all, esp on current disc settings.

Q2)
Random lumps of lead. From thumb nail sized pieces, upwards...often folded. What use was this lead to anyone? I have read that it was primarily used in construction, especially between glass segments on old windows.

Q3)
Other small lumps of light metal. Highly conductive, little splodges of metal. Too light to feasibly be bullets.

Q4)
Disappearing signals. Sometimes I get a great signal, dig out a lump and the signal goes. I have found that the item has got stuck to my spade or welly, but now do my best to prevent this and check it. Sometimes signals start out quite deep and get more squeaky as I uncover soil and the bring the item to the surface. This makes me want to dig all signals. Am I going about this incorrectly?

Q5)
Since I started reading about detecting, one of the most common words I see is "Hammy". I quickly discovered what this referred to. My first hammy (if ever found) will be a great moment. Is it likely to give a sound similar to other coins? Some times I dig up faint squaks in hope that they turn out to be tiny little hammered coins. Alas, this hasn't happened yet.

Q6)
Sometimes I begin to dig a signal and I'm going down down down to perhaps a foot and I dig a large hole so I can fit the whole 11 inch coil in there, and the item is lower still. I have often given up, with my small amount of experience so far telling me that a bit of broken plough or shoe show is down there. Is it common to start digging then decide against it? I don't want to copy everyone else, but having never gone out with other detectorists, I wonder about norms.

Q7)
I have tried to cover my main field methodically, visually working out where I have been before, trying to overlap my stripes, like lawn mowing. I have made little ground, walking slowly and swinging as fast as possible while not going too fast to miss good signals. Is this the norm or do some people walk randomly?

Q8)
FLO. I see a lot of talk about these people. What is the threshold for reporting a find to the FLO? And what are the likely outcomes? Will they just log it? Visit the site? Bring in Time Team (ok I know that's gone but you know what I mean)

Q9)
I seem to see know images of smooth, featureless hammered coins. Is it that their material is less likely to become corroded? I have found fairly modern coins very smooth and featureless, one with only the date visible. I am afraid of finding a hammered coin which is "blank". The land I have permission for is liable to flooding.

I have further questions but will leave it at this for now. If you can answer any of them, or point me in the right direction, I would be most appreciative.
Jack

[Puffin]

Q1: big iron regardless of most machines will give a good signal.
Q2: Lead objects, I've had major lead finds from small items, dig them all. And just sort and weigh it in.
Q3: Very conductive, put up with it.
Q4: Often a signal fall back down into the hole, away from the coil, this is why we have pinpointers.
Q5: Hammered, are what they are, you will get one soon. In 8 years, I've had 51, another admin has had 100 plus each year in the last two years. I knew guys who have never ever found a silver coin in ten years.
Q6: Common, still dig.
Q7: Slow and low, a hoard from last Sunday on a club dig, came out because the finder happened to go over a weak signal and dug. A fair few guys have been covering the area because we knew we had 10 scattered coins of like sie and type from the same area.
Q8: Basic rule anything over 300 years in age or more then 10% silver or gold. But explore the PAS site and simple contact your local FLO via the contacts link. They work hard to record your finds but are willing to talk about your finds. http://finds.org.uk/contacts
Q9: Silver and gold are more stable than most metals and will not corrode like iron and copper. If in doubt post images of a coin with a scale, a kids 15cm rules is the simplest to obtain. Even if we tell you that it is not a hammered coin at least you will learn without getting a blasting for foolish posts. By the way, flooding land may not be as productive due to sediment being deposited at each flooding and driving the finds deeper.

We all learn the hobby by asking questions, please keep them coming.
If in doubt, post an image here, most of us have seen it before.

[Puffin]

Ps don't disc out as you could be missing the good stuff. Hammered can be as low as 40, I've even heard that Gold staters, can be less than 40 right down to 30. Copper alloy finds, we look for these and they can have a low reading, 40's? To start out play with the Gold maxx power and Deus fast before you start messing with settings.

[dig-it-pete]

Very good advice there Puffin - I would also add that you could try 'notching' out iron - I notch out 0-25 and search in 8khz, 12khz or 18khz depending on soil conditions, overhead electric wires etc. I dont think notching out signals up to 25 has any effect on non ferrous signals as still finding small hammered down to 9" and tiny bits of copper alloy etc.

I am still digging deep iron, especially anything round with a hole in it IE nuts,washers,round and oval links - they all give a brilliant signal on my Deus. Some iron will 'disappear' when you lift up the sod of soil and give no signal.

I no longer look at numbers and keep the remote in my pocket - you will gradually get used to the different sounds that 'hot rocks' and things like tin foil make. 'Hot Rocks' around here tend to be Coke. Deep hammered give a faint but good signal which is sometimes broken when swinging the coil in a different direction! So keep digging those faint signals.

You need to get used to walking like 'a little old man' just shuffle forward and overlap every swing, keeping that coil as close to the ground as you can, even rubbing it on the grass surface. I try if possible to just cover a small area of a field at a time, rather than walk about at random.

I hope that one day I will recognise the signal that deep iron gives - we live in hope!

[jpd1903]

Puffin and dig-it-pete

Thank you very much for your useful answers. I wonder now if my settings were not ideal and I may have walked right over some interesting stuff, going to go back to a preset.

Jack

[popsandme]

I can only echo what puffin and pete say.
I will however reiterate.....discrimination all the way up to 78 is a bad idea as you are missing all the good stuff assuming it is there in the ground to start with.
Remember.....you have to wave the search coil over it to find it, and if it aint there in the first place you never will.
Successful detecting is also about research research and then more research.

[59aardvarks]

I've been using my Deus since before Christmas and would suggest getting on to You tube and looking at some of the excellent videos on there, the experts will take you through what sounds to listen out for. There was recently a really good thread on here with links to some excellent videos.

I would suggest that you find a local club if you can, the members will help you alot and you may get access to some good sites.

On the question of Iron: In my experience it will tend to sound a bit louder than other signals, if you think it may be iron, go 90 degrees around the signal and try again, if the signals starts to give a stratchy signal it is probably iron, some times it'll disappear completely. Another trick is to gradually retreat from the signal, when you are on the edge of the signal it may again start to sound stratchy.Of course one of the great features of the Deus is it's ability to get in between the iron and find good targets amongst the rubbish, it is really important to think whether you have a good signal amongst the bad. Although the most import advice is when in doubt dig it out.