Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
Target practice with a metal detector is different than target practice with a gun or bow and arrow but just as important. When you practice with a gun itt is a fairly simple process. You want to hit a particular point. With a metal detector you want to detect a target, but it is also possible to determine something about what the target might be.
I've always recommended practicing a lot with your metal detector. You can practice with different types of targets and different detector settings and different situations.
Just a day or two ago I talked about metal detecting watches, which can be some of the most valuable targets you'll ever find. Identifying watches from detector signals and readouts isn't easy because there are so many variables, but you can still improve your chances of not missing some very good targets if you practice with the type of targets you might want to find.
The problem is, there are different kinds of watches, and they can lay in different positions. All of that can affect the signals. There are a variety of types of watches, different sizes, they are made of many parts and different metals, and the bands can be anything from leather to gold.
If you want to find a particular kind of target, whether it is a piece of eight or a watch or diamond ring, you need to have a good idea of the type of signal it will produce. Ant the best way to do that is by lots of target practice.
If you want to find a piece of eight, practice with a price of eight. If you are interested in half reales, one reales, two reales and four reales, practice with all of those. Learn to recognize the signal and ID reading that your metal detector will produce for each type of target. In the case reales, there will be a range of conductivity numbers, and some of them will overlap with signals from other things, such as US coins and even some junk items. You won't want to skip junk targets that produce a similar signal if you want to make sure to not miss the items you are targeting. A half reale won't stick out like a freight train. Your detector won't scream out HALF REALE. They can produce signals that are hard to distinguish from other things. There will be a range of uncertainty, even with the best modern metal detector. To avoid missing what you most want to find, you must recognize the range of signals that might come from good targets even if they overlap with junk targets.
Getting down to the practice exercise now, first select a practice target that is as close to what you want to find as you can. Practice with targets that are as similar to what you want to find as possible. If you want to find a Rolex watch (maybe someone said they lost one) you want to practice with a watch that is as similar to the lost one as you can get. Sometimes you won't be able to practice with the exact same thing, so select practice targets that are as similar as possible.
Since watches can be very valuable and are very difficult to ID with a metal detector practicing with a variety of watches is a good idea. I can tell you that watches are often missed by detectorists. Become familiar with the signals and readouts of a variety of types of watches, especially those most like you want to find.
I've done a few videos on metal detecting watches. Here are some of those. Metal Detecting Watches With An Ace 250 in Coin Mode. and Metal Detecting Watches With An Ace 250 in Coin Mode. and How Metal Detector (Ace 250) Responds To Three Different Watches Laying Flat.
Like coins, watches will produce different kinds of signals depending upon how they are positioned on the ground.
Practice with the practice targets at different distances and in different positions. Notice what kind of signal they produce - not only one watch in one position, but a variety of watches in different positions.
When you have a particular target in mind, like you would if someone reported a lost watch or ring and you have a similar example, you can really zoom in on the signal and target ID readings. Imprint the signal and ID reading on your mind. Note the possible range of readings.
Repeatedly practice. You don't just have one practice session with a gun and never practice again. You want to improve and remain sharp.
Below is a brief sample of what you might expect from three different watches. In this case, I used: a dive watch, a cheap Timex and a pocket watch. They are shown below.
Sweeping over the dive watch (left) first, here is an example of the Manticore ID map.
Notice the tail dipping down and to the left. There are multiple metals and signal stengths involved with a single watch.
Here is another view of the map obtained with additional sweeping on the same watch.
The tail is more faint here (but you can see it) and farther to the left. The conductivity number is still very similar.
Switching to a different watch (the Timex with expandable flex band) here is a view of the ID map.
The conductivity number is only 50 on this one. You can get a big range with different watches.
The band on this one caused the watch to stay on edge and presented less surface to the coil and the numbers were much more variable on different sweeps.
Now the pocket watch.
This one resulted in a lower conductivity number and a slightly oblong shape on the middle line of the map. This watch has no band and showed a tighter shape on the map.
I could have spent a lot of time each watch. In a previous post I described the method for obtaining the best reading on the Manticore Id map, but that is beyond the purpose of this post.
My main point is that watches can be valuable finds, but they present a real challenge to target ID systems. You can, however, good time in target practice can improve your target recognition and performance.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net