Posted by Carl
on 5/12/2009, 9:51 pm, in reply to "Re: TID"
64.12.116.13
George,
How right you are. In my soil only the surface items down to an inch or two will ID accurately with my DFX. Same with my Sovereign meter. Each pass of the coil gives different numbers. You have to develop an intuition and average the numbers to get close to being right.
Some of the most successful hunters I know hunt exclusively by sound. They know a deep coin when they hear it. Meters only confuse them. They'd rather concentrate on listening for "whispers" as they call them. I think it's the result of knowing their equipment over many years of use. They understand through experience what they're listening for. It's also a product of patience and moving slowly and deliberately. Taking time with each signal to listen to it's response.
Meters can help but they're not fool proof. I've never seen a meter that can ID a target as well as a seasoned veteran who knows what he's listening for. Like you, I've seen iron ID as silver and gold rings ID as trash. Perhaps it's one of the reasons I tend to view the newest top end machines with scepticism. At the end of the day, will the TID do more than a well trained ear? Or, will it make hunters sloppy by making them think the meter is correct?
Soil and moisture can befuddle the best detectors. There are some detectors that work well in highly mineralized soil and others that work best where the soil is neutral. Add some moisture and targets can magically appear where there was nothing a day earlier. Meters can be helpful at times but I seldom rely on them. Maybe the day will come where meters will give the user X-Ray vision into the earth. Maybe then I'd be more of a believer. For now I'll keep trusting my ears first and my eyes second.
HH,
Carl
Responses: