Ideal Height Over Ground

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Given a fairly uniform land, like a lawn for example, what would be ideal distance off the ground to maintain while swinging? What variables would change this, and how do they influence. Assuming vegetation is not variable. My guess is you need to stay off that.

 

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[robertk]

I'll push the grass around if it isn't too stiff. Otherwise, yes, right above the ground cover.

 

[KSDirtfisher77]

Low & slow! Like good BBQ!!!🤣😂🤣

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

I hear as close as possible. The is no 'height' which is any sort of sweet spot. Agreed?

 

[Almy]

The closer, the deeper and often the stronger the signal. Therefore, usually the deeper the better. On sites that allow it (mainly wild ones or fields which have not been planted), I often scruff the surface with my boot or shovel when I get a weak signal and then swing over it again. Getting closer this way often strengthens the signal and makes it more identifiable.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Yes, Low & Slow.

Depending on how fast the processor in your machine recovers you can swing pretty fast on clean ground.
If your hunting in junkie / iron infested ground - slow down so you don't miss the good targets.
Very important - regardless of swing speed - the slower you walk the more you will find !

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

As close to the ground as you can get it, even touching the grass if it doesn't cause false signals.

 

[pepperj]

In the early days we wore coils out from scuffing them on the ground.
Taped plastic ice cream pail lids to the coil before the fitted ones came out.
Low/slow sliding along the grass or dirt.
Rocks/stubble/corn stalks are always an issue.

 

[releventchair]

My coil cover shows lots of scuff scuffing.
(Height is the minimum still allowing a swing or serpentine pattern above surface.)

 

[mike44]

Coil height depends on the detector and the coil type being used and the ground mineral content and even trash content. Some detectors need an good 1 to 3 inches of air gap above the soil. Some coils, like concentric coils are ok with surface scrubbing, and some coils like DD coils have an inherent design distortion when you get closer than an inch to the coil bottom. Some detectors overload on surface trash, some don't. So there isn't any set in stone coil height. You just have to figure out what coil height your detector and coil type combo works best at for each site as you hunt it.

Good luck,
Mike

 

[villagenut]

Avoid too wide of sweeps that bring the coil above 6 inches of the ground...unless you are gridding and plan on coming back and overlapping your last pass. Better to have shorter swings, close to the ground if single passing the area being searched. I see guys swing so far to left and right that the coil is over a foot off the ground for a few feet extended in each direction...5hinking they are covering more ground.. I would rather have allmy swings count.

 

[Mackaydon]

Pretend your coil is a 'weed wacker' (low and slow).
Don in SoCal

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Avoid too wide of sweeps that bring the coil above 6 inches of the ground...unless you are gridding and plan on coming back and overlapping your last pass. Better to have shorter swings, close to the ground if single passing the area being searched. I see guys swing so far to left and right that the coil is over a foot off the ground for a few feet extended in each direction...5hinking they are covering more ground.. I would rather have allmy swings count.

This makes me wonder: does anyone make a swing joint that hangs the unit so as to never leave parallel with the surface? If not , when you invent it based on my idea I want only 10% of the gross

 

[villagenut]

It's not practical to say that the coil can't go slightly angled from the ground surface on the outer swing....but too high a swing does not serve a purpose, unless the detectorist knows it and compensates by having it be part of a very good wide sweep...or he is gridding the site.

 

[Bucket Lister]

Given a fairly uniform land, like a lawn for example, what would be ideal distance off the ground to maintain while swinging? What variables would change this, and how do they influence. Assuming vegetation is not variable. My guess is you need to stay off that.

IMO, as low as possible without causing/getting a lot of falses. What's a lot? I spoze whatever you can stand/tolerate. If you're getting too many, raise it up; if you're not getting any, try lowering, but not so as to brush/scrape and cause more falses.

Others have mentioned variables. IDT vegetation should be discounted; it's the cause of most of my false signals, along with EMI (which is just a PITA).

It's not practical to say that the coil can't go slightly angled from the ground surface on the outer swing....but too high a swing does not serve a purpose, unless the detectorist knows it and compensates by having it be part of a very good wide sweep...or he is gridding the site.

I haven't found that keeping my swing level is all that difficult. Yes, there's a tendency for the coil to tilt up at the ends of a swing, but that can be related to motions at the top of the shaft. If you don't move your swinging arm much, the detector acts like a pendulum and rises at the ends. If your arm swings with the detector, it's much easier to level out the swing.

I've been doing it this way since day 1, so now it's become muscle memory whenever the detector is in my hand.

Side Note: I never understood the figure 8 technique until I started playing around with the pinpointer button/feature on the detector. I find the technique much harder on my swinging arm, so I'm sticking with my sweep swing--at least for now.

 

[ARC]

As stated many times above... lower the better... riding the surface with just slight brushing is IMO the best you can get.
Coil cover is something i don't always use unless i will be doing this... then i basically abuse that cover by scraping slightly.

IOW's....
So low that the ants and bugs have to duck their heads.
Slower the better.
I will even push coil into grass like push/touch - push/ touch like padding the ground cover at times when thicker.

The best advice i can give from my years of doing this.

I will add..... doing the above with detector (any and all detectors imo) set to its hottest settings possible without falsing...
Sound all the way to the point of uncomfortable loud when a hot /strong signal is hit. (ALWAYS use headphones)
And listen very close when in the silent / quiet non obvious hit areas for the slightest change in your setting buzz / hum.... ANY ... repeat ANY variation in even the slightest of type / sounds should then be coil pushed ... even take foot and scrape off any debris or excess soil to an inch and then X over and over until signal comes in clearer. (if it does... if not then falsing slightly OR minerals hot)

 

[Bucket Lister]

I haven't found that keeping my swing level is all that difficult. Yes, there's a tendency for the coil to tilt up at the ends of a swing, but that can be related to motions at the top of the shaft. If you don't move your swinging arm much, the detector acts like a pendulum and rises at the ends. If your arm swings with the detector, it's much easier to level out the swing.
View attachment 2157989

I've been doing it this way since day 1, so now it's become muscle memory whenever the detector is in my hand.

I just went out and analyzed my swing technique (whoop-de-do). 🙄 I swing from my elbow rather than my shoulder or full arm. My upper arm is relatively motionless; close to--but not against--my body. Forearm swings with detector, pivoting at elbow. This keeps my swing fairly even and regular, and the coil parallel with the ground. I can sweep a path around 6 feet wide, and I try to sweep rows 5 feet wide so they overlap.

I had to analyze it because like I said, it's now muscle memory and I don't think about it.

I've seen a few guys swing from the shoulder. Seems like a lot more motion, but whatever works. YMMV.

 

[bc5391]

I keep all my coils on the ground, I plow through the grass and

scuff the gravel.

 

[Chilli]

I know you guys are coin, relic and treasure hunting.
But I'll chime in coil height on gold for nuggets.
When the ground is tame enough the lower, even scrubbing the surface gets max depth.
Some hotter, highly mineralised ground will cause knock sensitivity on the coil. False signals . Then its best to just hover a couple of cm above the ground.
You could lower the sensitivity until it quietens but usually that takes away more depth than raising it slightly and keeping a higher sensitivity. We are generally looking for small sounds of targets at depth. Not necessarily small targets, but at depth they can be soft small threshold tone rises or falls or soft broad tone changes.

 

[pepperj]

Avoid too wide of sweeps that bring the coil above 6 inches of the ground...unless you are gridding and plan on coming back and overlapping your last pass. Better to have shorter swings, close to the ground if single passing the area being searched. I see guys swing so far to left and right that the coil is over a foot off the ground for a few feet extended in each direction...5hinking they are covering more ground.. I would rather have allmy swings count.

Doing the banana swing, golf swing, dish detecting.
The coil meets the ground in front of them, and then it gets elevated higher as the swing gets wider.

Then add a Z pattern of coverage, and the fast pace.
One of the biggest factors is fatigue.