I just read that most gold falls into the same conductivity range as foil. Hmmmmmm, is this your experience? On my ACE (some) thin aluminum foil often breaks up or crackles a bit in a disjointed way. I can just tell that it's foil, or the next thing to it. Now I wonder if I'm passing on gold.

You will know if you hit gold. It will usually give a solid repeat signal , the same as a pulltab and a wad of tinfoil. So what it boils down to is do I dig or don't I. On the beach or in the country with a shovel it is no problem it just takes a few seconds and you know what you have. Unless it is deep and if it is deep the odds are on your side , except for the beach. It could be anything at any depth. I noticed on another post of yours that you mentioned beach hunting, but it seemed that you weren't using a sand scoop. If you plan on doing the beach again I suggest you get one. It will save you a ton of work and you can scoop everything. I'ts fast and easy. HH.

I found a few gold rings with my ACE, they range from foil to nickel for the most part, some of the heavier mens rings are closer to nickel/pulltab signal. Generally, gold sounds smooth both ways on the ACE. Obviously, if you're detecting in a beer garden, you're going to dig 10,000 tabs for every gold ring you find. Increase your odds of digging a gold ring by digging all signals that fall into that range when detecting a nice sunny slope in a grassy park where people like to tan, a nice sandy beach, or the best of all for me......a ski hill. The pulltab and foil to gold ratio is a lot better in these spots, don't get me wrong though, you'll still get way more junk than gold, but it's there. It took me awhile to figure this hobby out when I started, but you'll find that the longer you have been detecting the more signals you dig, and digging those iffy signals is what brings the "real treasure" to the surface.

Good luck
Craig

Chewed up pop cans fall in the VDI numbers of +6 to +30 just in the range of all the low numbers that fall in the jewelry ring area.(can Slaw) as it is known. These come in all sizes and shapes and VDI # (6 to 30)
I do lots of soccer fields and parks.
I recently found a 14k ladies engagement ring at VDI 14 with a Diamond setting.
It came in very repeatable tone.
So unless it registers at (0 to +6) in the foil I don't bother to dig it.

Joel

That is all good to know - I dig nickel a lot and aluminum almost all the time, because I find that on the Ace 250 Silver rings also sound like nickel. I know that my own test runs on personal gold items ring up one up from pull tab - but I really haven't been digging for foil. Maybe I should start. I haven't found gold yet.

Peggy

(08-12-2009 07:50 PM)upnorth Wrote:  I just read that most gold falls into the same conductivity range as foil. Hmmmmmm, is this your experience? On my ACE (some) thin aluminum foil often breaks up or crackles a bit in a disjointed way. I can just tell that it's foil, or the next thing to it. Now I wonder if I'm passing on gold.

I think it depends on what you're willing to put up with for trash in your pouch.

Let's talk rings first.....I have dug gold rings that have ID'd anywhere from foil to nickel and everywhere in between. The most common is "square pulltab". The first few years I was hunting with non-ID detectors and I set my discrimination low and dug everything that beeped.....Admittedly I dug more gold rings then and I remember at least two rings that disced out at the foil mark (broken bands).

Rings are easy!! It's the other gold we're all missing most of the time. The small pendants and chains. Even a small silver cross or anything that isn't round will give a super low ID (below foil).

The trash to gold ratio is huge, but it's all about how much trash you can stand in your pouch!!

I emptied my wifes jewelry box and tested every piece of gold she has, chains, ear rings, rings etc...bottom line, gold falls just about anywhere on the discrimination scale, you have to dig trash to find gold.....

Thanks for the replies all. Bottom line is that I'm still learning, I don't know it all, and I appear to be lazy. I cherry pick too much out of ignorance and limit myself. I did make myself a last minute sand scoop Wayne, just before I did my last beach, that I posted up. I'll post a pic of it sometime. You'll likely be amused. It was semi effective actualy.

(08-12-2009 07:50 PM)upnorth Wrote:  I just read that most gold falls into the same conductivity range as foil. Hmmmmmm, is this your experience? On my ACE (some) thin aluminum foil often breaks up or crackles a bit in a disjointed way. I can just tell that it's foil, or the next thing to it. Now I wonder if I'm passing on gold.

I just made a post under "coin and relic hunting" that is very relevant to this thread.