Ghost Holes

Spend Less Time Digging Them

“AAAAAAAH…WHERE ARE YA? YOU - - - -. I KNOW YOU’RE DOWN THERE.”

Cuss, was yelling and swearing at the hole he was kneeling in front of. Piles of dirt lay all around him. Cuss was the ornery type. And using foul language was his norm. He didn’t care who he was with or if he just met you. Cuss was just plain miserable. Nothing made him happy. Cuss wasn’t his real name. It’s the name given to him by those who knew him. The name fit him perfectly.

But this piece isn’t about Cuss. This article is about what Cuss and others in the hobby deal with on many occasions. It’s when we get a good signal from our detector that says, “Dig me.” So we dig and dig, dig some more, run our detector coil or pinpointer over the hole to check if what we’re digging for is still there. Yup, the signal is still there. So we dig some more, and some more, but still nothing is found. Again we pass our detector over the hole. The signal is still there. So we continue to dig, dig, and dig. By now, like Cuss, we stare at the deep hole we just dug and feel frustrated that the target is still in the hole, but we can’t seem to find it. That’s when we think, “It’s gotta be a dreaded “ghost hole,” or “false detection.”

Parks, Schoolyards, and Lawns

When metal detecting in parks, schoolyards, or lawns, and you’re digging ghost holes the issue could be your detector is sounding off to small particles of rust from old metal cans, bottle caps, or small pieces of tin foil. Carry a small powerful magnet and press it into the dirt to see if it picks up any iron deposits.  

Farm Fields, and Cellar Holes,

If you’re searching around old cellar holes or in a farm field and you’re digging “ghost holes,” the problem is more than likely rusted iron particles.

Farm fields and old cellar holes are loaded with rusting iron. Small broken tractor and farm equipment parts litter those fields. The old cellar holes are the worst culprits for decaying iron.

Mineralization

Another problem that causes “ghost holes” or “false detection” is the ground you’re digging in is highly mineralized.

All grounds contain some minerals. Many grounds have what's called “negative reaction iron deposits.” If you’re detecting in these areas your detector will scream out no matter where your coil is swung. This is the time you need to adjust the sensitivity level of your metal detector to cancel the negative reaction. Adjust your sensitivity until your detector quiets down when you pass the coil over the ground.  

Wet Ground and Salt

Many ground areas contain salt. Metal detecting in wet ground that contains conductive salts can cause your detector to scream out false signals. I’ve detected in areas after a rain shower, or if there was heavy early morning dew where the salt content of the ground forced me to keep adjusting the sensitivity of my detector.

Coins on Edge

Sometimes that coin signal you're sure of but you can’t see it after digging and rechecking the hole is not a ghost, but in fact is really there. Here’s what happened.

As you dig and recheck the hole, the coin that once was lying flat in the hole has fallen deeper due to your digging, rechecking the hole, and digging some more. The coin is now resting in the hole on its edge. And because the coin is deeper and there is less area on the coin's edge to read by the detector’s coil, you may not be able to pick up any sound. Or, the sound may now be just a small chirp, chirp, instead of the nice definite rounded sound the detector was giving off.

It takes patience and knowing your detector and how it works in all situations to become efficient in your searches.

By becoming more aware of the above situations, and how to adjust your detector's sensitivity in mineralized soil, you can reduce the amount of time you spend on “ghost holes.”

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Thanks,

Frank

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My metal detecting/treasure hunting TV series, “Exploring History’s Treasures” EHT, was the first REAL, reality, show of its kind. There was no scripting, no planting or salting the ground with finds before we dug them. Exploring History’s Treasures can now be viewed here.