Intense searching tip - 90 degrees

[Junkman]

Hi

I know the 'old hands' will know this but it may be a tip for those of you new to the hobby. I used this tip recently to great affect.

OK, this week I had the chance to search the garden of a Tudor Manor house. There was a 'hotspot' at one end of the house that was as naily as hell but had some good finds coming out. It's location in relation to the main house plus all the Tudor brick and tiles in the holes indicated there was a Tudor building in this area.

So, with the Trusty 2 set up for this 'nailfest' by reducing the sensitivity right down, I went back and forth covering every inch of ground and listening intently to every signal. After 2 searches back and forth I had dug every signal that wasn't iron and got some good finds.

So, knowing the area in question was naily but productive,I  then searched at RIGHT ANGLES to my original search pattern (instead of walking  back and forth, walking side to side ) and started to get even more signals and finds.
 
So, why the extra finds?. Well the T2 is a good machine in amongst the iron but like any machine it is not perfect. So, if you have a Coin and next to it lays a nail, depending on a machines recovery rate, the iron signal also can mask the coin signal. However, move through 90 degrees and sweep again and the nail in relation to the coin has changed position and in many cases, the sweep of the coil will pick up the coin first and give a signal BEFORE it registers the nail and disciminates it out. You end up with a classic one way only signal – but one that’s worth digging.

By changing the angle of you search, every bit of iron and every decent target have changed their relationship in the ground and BINGO, you will be more likely to get a signal.

It works for me and came up trumps in this site.

[Sexy Legs (Leighton)]

I rarely walk directly from side to side of a field, because everyone does that and there's a good change you're following in someone's footsteps. I prefer to walk across a field at oblique angles, thereby cutting across the ground in between where the straight line walkers have been. It seems to work for me, although I must admit while I have found plenty of coins, I have yet to walk over a hammered or Roman.