Tripped over a Roman coin in a farmer's field in Somerset last month and my metal detector's sensitivity was set way too high the whole time

After 3 years of finding nothing but bottle caps and rusted nails, I turned the sensitivity down from 90 to 60 on a whim and immediately dug up a worn silver denarius from 200 AD - has anyone else had their detector settings mislead them for ages?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.jason20d ago

Yeah, "immediately dug up a worn silver denarius" is just showing off, man. I spent six months swinging my detector over a beach in Devon with the sensitivity cranked to 95, thinking I was a pro, and all I got was a rusty bike chain and some screaming from the locals. Finally dropped it to around 50 one rainy Sunday, and within an hour I pulled up a 1930s sixpence that was practically sitting on the surface. It's like these machines are designed to make you feel smart until you figure out they are just as confused as you are. Now I just run everything on low and let the dirt decide what wants to be found.

grant72820d ago

Man that is exactly the kind of pain I know too well lol. I did the same thing on a field near Winchester, cranked it up to 99 thinking I was going to find Roman gold. Instead I spent three hours digging up bits of old tractor and a rusted horseshoe that looked like it had been there since the Middle Ages. Finally turned it down to like 45 out of sheer frustration and bam, a 1940s half crown popped up within twenty minutes. These detectors just love to lie to you about what's deep down there. Running low and slow is the only way to stay sane honestly.