Posted by Carl on 3/21/2008, 10:16 am, in reply to "PI - iron mask and "orphan" silver"
64.12.116.13
Hi Lytle,
I think it's all a matter of depth and soil conditions. If you take the same VLF machine and work the same patch of ground when it's wet and dry you'll have 2 very different results. Change coils on that same machine and things change again. The point is if you work an area to where there are no signals then finding a way to detect a few more inches deeper might bring another layer of previously undetected targets into range. Since PI's are generally considered the deepest hunting detectors today, reworking the same areas previously hunted out could be rewarding. But keep in mind the reason more areas haven't been hunted with PIs is their love of all things iron. A paper clip will hit hard with a PI and never make a wimper with other machines. Thus, be prepared to dig many holes...both shallow and deep in search of that elusive bottom layer of good targets.
This is why a PI with iron ID ability has been considered by many as the "holy grail". Current units on the market can in some instances see iron down to 4-6 inches but the machines detects much deeper than that. So, until iron ID can be made with some consistency to limits of detection, the PI will remain a difficult tool to use unless you're working a location where all beeps get dug. Then, iron ID probably isn't that important anyway.
Once people get their hands on the new crop of PI's in development and re-work some of these areas we really won't know just what to expect. If silver starts popping out of the ground with regularity then we will have a mad rush to capture what's left. But if that happens it could also be the beginning of the end of detecting in many places. Not because the PI's will find all the silver but because of all the deep holes in places like parks and playgrounds that will get the attention of people in charge of these places. It will only take a single idiot with a PI to get everyone banned from a promissing site. Equip a bunch of bums with PI's and I fear a domino effect will happen. Deep targets mean wide holes with lots of dirt being disturbed. How many do you think need to be seen in that local park before signs go up "No Metal Detecting Allowed"?
Carl
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