Coin test garden prep

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    • mark
      at #2203

      Here are some tips I've gathered (and mostly tested) that will help you build a good test garden for your detectors.  Some of these I came up with myself, others were gathered from detecting sites… I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but this will help you get started if you want to have a good test garden!

      • Sweep your prospective spot while in all metal (no disc) to make sure there is NO iron present.  Remove any that is present...if it's flakes, find another spot

      • Chart where you bury stuff with a map! (yep..unless you're super human, you'll forget years down the road)

      • When digging your hole for placing the test objects, check them CAREFULLY with a pinpointer to be sure there's no other metal present.

      • When you place your test objects, pour a little salt water on the object while it's in the the soil, prior to reburying.  This will speed up the effect normally seen when objects have been buried a long time.  Caution...the test won't be legit until the salt water dissipates after a few days.

      • Bury coins and objects at different angles if possible so you can learn how they sound

      • Bury some nuisance items as well, beaver tails, pull tabs, foil, etc.

      • Golf tees pressed to almost flush with the ground, or gold ball markers can make good visual indicators of where you have things buried.

      • ...MOLES!  Yep...they will change things! (air space between the coil and the target)

      • Test your garden on dry days and wet, wet days to see the difference in signals

      • Bury some coins adjacent to common iron objects (square nails, for example)  This is a great way to test target separation and detector reset speeds

      • Just for the heck of it, bury a coin TOUCHING an old iron object (like a nail)...interesting, huh?

      • When you REALLY want to go crazy, bring in some different soil types and fill in a 2 foot x 2 foot spot...red, iron rich clay has a very humbling effect!

      • Be sure to bury a few coins that are barely TOO deep.  You may eventually find a detector that will sniff them out!

    • tink
      at #2623

      Thanks Mark – it has been a while since I had a test spot but this is a good idea for anyone getting used to new detectors.  Anymore I just set my sensitivity and do a good airtest. This doesn't take into count the different soils but I guess I rely on 50 yrs of experience. I'm sure the young guys can probably out hunt me and set their machines up better "Like the E-Trac" so anymore i just go by the old adage - swing slow, swing low    Main thing - keep it fun    😀

    • draaiorgel
      at #2624

      Tremendous information there Mark.  8) 8)Unfortunately our backyard is filled with large stones and heavy debris from an old air raid shelter.Making it almost un diggable.  :'(

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