How to Read a Metal Detector: A Comprehensive Guide

Published: 25 Sep 2024

Treasure hunting is a hobby that is high in demand. One needs to have patience, knowledge, skill, and a little bit of luck to be successful in this field. However, your success mostly depends on the fact whether you understand the tools you use or not. Learning how to read a metal detector is crucial for every treasure hunter. You might be fishing in the dark if you are not able to read properly the language of your device.

This guide explains the art and science of reading metal detectors. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional looking to enhance your knowledge, this article will help you understand your detector’s language, thus increasing your chances of success.

Table of Content

Differentiate between the good and junk targets
1. Good Targets
2. Junk Targets
Pinpointing a Target
1. Two common methods include
Interpretation of Metals Detectors in Certain Conditions
FAQs
Final Remarks

Basics of Metal Detector Readings

The following factors must be focused on to avoid wasting time and energy.

Visual Display Indicator (VDI)

Most metal detectors offer the option of a Visual Display Indicator (VDI), which assigns numbers to different types of metals. The VDI scale basically provides a road map to treasure.

0-40: Aluminium or iron.
40-60: Often soda cans or similar trash.
60-80: Higher conductivity metals like copper and small silver items.
80-99: Likely valuable items like large silver coins or gold jewelry.

The higher the VDI number, the more conductive (and often more valuable) the metal is. For example, a VDI of 95 signals the presence of a silver coin, while a low VDI of 30 might be a rusty nail.

Target Identification (ID)

Target ID is another useful feature that helps you avoid spending time digging up worthless junk. Many metal detectors categorize metals into two groups:

Ferrous Metals: These metals contain iron and are usually not worth much.
Non-ferrous Metals: These include valuable metals like gold, silver, copper, and bronze.

The rule is always to circulate, be cautious if you are looking for coins, relics, or jewelry, and always be keen on the non-ferrous category.

Depth Detection

Eventually, your metal detector will give you a coarse indication of the depth at which the object is buried. I want to stress that it is only an estimate, yet it is very useful when deciding whether to dig.

0-6 inches: Targets whose dimensions do not extend very deep into space, such as modern coins or small jewelry pieces.

6-12 inches: Larger, older work such as relic or coin inlays.

12 inches and deeper: Probably big, cumbersome things or things that were buried long ago.

Remember that sensitivity depends on the ground conditions. Wet soil is a favorable condition for increasing the detection depth, while the opposite effect may be observed in the presence of highly mineralized soil.

Fact: Cranking up the sensitivity of your detector can allow it to find more profound items, yet do not overdo it; higher sensitivity also brings in more false alarms.

Differentiate between the good and junk targets

Metal detecting can, at times, be a waiting game. You will collect as much garbage as you will get valuable.

Is it possible to succeed in anything and everything you try, even if it means collecting some garbage on the way? Fortunately, this is where knowing the sounds and signals and determining the good from the junk targets come in handy.

Good Targets

This was especially the case when it came to solid and repeatable signals given from different positions and angles. Some examples include the following: If you drop coins on the floor, they produce a sharp, clear sound for a given period.

Junk Targets

Irregular rough noises alter when another scanning technique is used on them. These are normally brought about by aluminum foil, pull tabs or nails.

To put it bluntly, it is very much like separating the sheep from the goats. Just as one cannot avoid thorns in a rose bush, once the patterns of the behavior have been identified, one can look past the unwanted signals.

Pinpointing a Target

However, if you want to dig, there are a few things that you must consider: First, you must try to locate the exact spot of the object. Location helps minimize instances where one has to dig and possibly miss the target.

Two common methods include

X Marks the Spot: Toggle your coil in a crosswise fashion to reduce the scale and home in the signal.

+ Pattern: Swing the detector right to left, then up to down, following the shape of the plus sign over the area of interest.

As for the pinpoint mode, even the most basic models can have this feature, but in most of the advanced metal detectors, you can find different options for this mode.

Interpretation of Metals Detectors in Certain Conditions

Gold Detection

Gold has a high sound pitch and a high value of VDI. It is very advisable to use a high-frequency detector, especially one that specializes in gold detection. Gold is notoriously well concealed; however, where there is smoke, there is fire.

Silver Detection

Most silver coins and pieces of jewelry produce a good and constant signal with a high VDI range of 80-99. Many people tend to congregate in places where there used to be parks or other structures that were largely made of timber or under large trees because one man’s garbage is another man’s gold.

Coin Shooting

To find out the coins takes effort and time and good research. This was seen in the earlier cross-references with maps and records that show you where to find buried coins. That is, if the real thing doesn’t drive you away, the mere thought of losing out, that sound, that voice, will keep you coming back for more, and when you hear a loud echo and every second shout – then you’ll know that you’ve got it made.

Jewelry Detection

Gold it seems to generate a very clear and strong signal if the object of focus is jewelry. You should look at areas around old swimming pools or areas where many people used to flock for the highest chance to find gold.

Relic Hunting

In regard to relics, the general signals allude to things such as bullets, buttons, or even buckles. Search for abandoned old villages or buildings, stony walls in the forests – in an area with lots of history, one can find treasures.

FAQs

Interpreting Disc Tones on a Metal Detector?

Disc tones enable you to determine the kind of metal in the fusion keenly. Whereas high-pitched tones are generally associated with valuable metals; the low tones point to junk.

Metal detecting is an excellent way to prospect for gold but the question of how to identify gold on a metal detector is one which many people have asked themselves in the past.

Gold creates a sound similar to crackling and a high VDI reading. Nonetheless, other metals such as nickel are also capable of generating the same signals so if at all in doubt take the metal out.

How can Target Depth be Estimated

Depths are determined by the signal strength and the display of the detector that you are using. High activity indicates a surface-level target while low activity a deeper one.

Can metal detectors accurately identify different types of metals?

Yes, many modern metal detectors can differentiate among different types of metals. This identification is based on the electric conductivity of those metals. However, they aren’t always perfect, especially when metals have similar conductivity, like gold and aluminum. So, we can say that they are effective but might not be 100% accurate every time.

What should I do if my detector gives mixed or unclear signals?

If your detector gives mixed signals, it usually means that there might be many types of metals in the ground or the object has a weird shape. For better and correct readings, you should adjust your detector’s settings and sweep the area from different angles. This will help you figure out what is really down there.

Are the depth readings on my metal detector reliable?

Depth readings give you a general idea but they are not 100% reliable. The size and shape of the object, along with the type of soil, can affect how deep the detector thinks the target is. So, use depth readings as a guide, but do not hope for success every time.

What’s the best way to get better at reading metal detector signals?

The best way to improve is to practice! Try detecting in different places and testing your detector with various objects. Experiment with the settings, and you will start to understand how your detector responds to different things.

Can I use the same settings on my metal detector everywhere?

No, it’s a good idea to adjust your detector’s settings based on where you are and what you are looking for. Different soils and objects can require different settings to get the best results, so experiment to see what works best for each location.

Final Remarks

Actually detecting can be as easy as pie especially if you are in a position to understand the signals that the detector gives. You will be eventually able to identify good targets and spare yourself from having to chase irrelevant leads. Now that you have read how to avoid the bad – follow these tips and strategies and you should be ever on the brink of getting the real treasures instead of trash.