Low and slow is the only way to go. The GB is very capable. Gold will usually be a very subtle signal unless it is a decent size and shallow. Don't expect a readout on the display on smaller or deeper items either. Sometimes those slight whispers that give no readout on the display to start with are nuggets. You really have to investigate every whisper. If it is a valid target, it will get louder as you get closer and then you might get a readout.....but not always. Tiny pieces may never give a reading at all. Always search in all metal mode for the best sensitivity and depth. Dennis

Good advice.

A good friend tagged his post with "Low and Slow Awakes the Sleeping Gold" and it is a mantra to live by when detecting. Know how your coils are reacting to the ground you are hunting, match your detector to the ground you are working and understand your threshold and all that your detector is telling you. Coil management is one of the hardest task for many to learn and even after learning it, sticking with it all the time is harder than most people think. Practice, practice, perform!

I took the low and slow advice from Kevin during a lecture in Fresno CA to heart. I have used an old Radio shack detector and gone really slow and dug every thing that I heard or thought I heard up to enough old rings and quarters (I don't know why but the last owners of my lot lost a lot of quarters) and bought a new Garrett AT Gold machine with my findings and a little cash out of pocket. And you know while practicing with it I am finding more stuff where I already went over with the old machine. Just walking real slow and digging every sound. I did a 10 by 10 area in 3 hours the other day.

So the best advice I guess I got was during that lecture, dig everything and when you think you are going slow, slow down some more.

Thanks everyone, I haven't been out all summer. but now that its cooling down i am heading back out. will keep posted.

Thanks Russ....

Thanks everyone, I haven't been out all summer. but now that its cooling down i am heading back out. will keep posted.

Thanks Russ....

Yeah Fall is here and it is time to spend all day looking. I live near plenty of beaches but am still looking for somewhere to swing the detector for gold in the southeast area.

Remember, "the slowpoke gets the gold," provided you are optimally tuned, have good coil control, listen for those "whisper" signals, and are in an auriferous area. HH Jim

I got earphones and started finding about twice what I was before.

Now the headphones are great advice. My Garrett came with a set and I almost never use them. Will now and see if things get better.

Tim, the purpose of headphones is to hear targets more distinctly. The bottom line is, if you can't hear the target, you won't dig it. For headphones to offer greater performance over the detector's speaker requires that the headphones have significantly higher decibel output ("loudness") than the speaker. Thus, if the speaker's output is 32 decibel output, and the headphone's decibel output is ALSO 32 decibel, you have gained nothing, except that the headphones are closer to your ears. Thus, always use headphones with the highest decibel output you can afford. I recommend at least 100 decibel output rating. For example, at a seminar I placed a nugget on the ground, and ran the searchcoil over it. With the detector's speaker, a distance (searchcoil height) of 4 inches was the farthest that the nugget could produce an audible signal. Switching to 103 decibel output headphones and the nugget could now be heard at 8 inches. MORE DEPTH. Thus, if the headphones you got with your machine offer low decibel output, I suggest you upgrade. Hope this helps; HH Jim

There have been head phones for detectors that are high quality and amplify the sound but also have a chip in them that will not allow the sound to go over a certain decibel so your ears do not get hammered if you happen to go across a large contact. When your ears are subjected to a loud noise or sound it does damage the ear if not for long term definitely for short term causing you not to have as sensitive hearing there by missing a target you may have heard. I had a set do not know the name of them but I am sure that type of head phones are still made. You could also control volume for each ear and switch from auto sound buffering to manual just like a regular headphone. As I remember they were not cheap.  

You really don't want to go over a 80db sound in your ear. 90db is considered the threshold of pain with sound.

Headphones are listed by there internal resistance like 8ohm or 16 ohm.  Yes some have built in amplification and some will blank out loud noise like gunshots. The reason some of us don't hear so well now is because of the loud radio playing in our ignorant youth.  Hay, I just turn my hearing aid up.  lol   Frank  

Hello all!

I wish I read this thread earlier this year... this is all very good information. This thread got me thinking of all the low sounds I heard; however, nothing would read on the meter scale. As a result of no reading on the meter when I heard the low sounds I didn't dig those targets, now I'm regretting not digging after reading this thread. I may have to learn to slow down a bit more too.

My question would be at this point is: What headphones would one suggest to purchase that would allow me to have the volume turned up for small variations and will minimize the loud banging of iron based items or trash? Currently I'm using the basic headphones that came with my Garrett AT Gold and the underwater Garrett headphones for future underwater sniping.

Oh, one more question: Is the DD coil a good option or would you recommend a different coil? What are the benefits of the other coils if a change is recommended?

Thanks!

You might check out the Detector Pro series of headphones: Gray Ghost, Nugget Busters, Jolly Rogers, Rattler, Black Widow, and Treasure Ears. Most of these are 150 ohm headphones. You can check them out at .http://detectorpro.com

You might also check out the Sun Ray Pro line of headphones as they are also 150 ohm headphones. http://www.sunraydetector.com

Both of these brands are fairly expensive, starting at around $80.00 and going up to around $150.00

Kellyco Metal Detectors carries the Detector Pro line of headphones also.

Clifford... Thank you very much! I will look into your suggestions.

Kevin Hoagland, you had a name of a pair you recommended at the last outing and I did not write it down. If you are following this thread can you pas it on to us. Thank you.

Posted By DENNIS NOTSON on 05 Apr 2014 02:39 AM

Low and slow is the only way to go. The GB is very capable. Gold will usually be a very subtle signal unless it is a decent size and shallow. Don't expect a readout on the display on smaller or deeper items either. Sometimes those slight whispers that give no readout on the display to start with are nuggets. You really have to investigate every whisper. If it is a valid target, it will get louder as you get closer and then you might get a readout.....but not always. Tiny pieces may never give a reading at all. Always search in all metal mode for the best sensitivity and depth. Dennis

I was curious about how small stuff would show on my Garrett AT Gold after Dennis mentioned the small stuff will give no readout, so I tried something.  While up in the mountains yesterday I took out a vial filled with water and 0.95grams of gold to checked how my detector would respond.  I placed the vial on its side on top of the ground... it read "00" to "01" on the readout and barely made a blip sound.  I then buried the vial about 1" down... the same result.  By this time it was so late I could barely see and since I didn't have a flashlight, and about a 15 minute drive out an old dirt trail road, it was getting later than I felt comfortable being out without cell service.

My point is that what Dennis mentioned about how quiet and no readout is spot on.  I will have to go out and play more armed with this new information.  I appreciate everyone's input as it helps all us beginners.

More on this old thread. I found a real nice expensve headphone at an estate sale and bought it right, and put it in place of the set I had been using. Wow. LOTS of difference !!! I turn them up to what is probably 80db or so, but after a while turn em down a bit. Headphones are probably the most overlooked item, under appreciated too! Also of course the noise from the world goes away and you become more melded into one with the detector.