Instruction Manual | Page 11 |
7.6Digging the Target
Once you have established the location of the target it is necessary to dig a small hole to recover it. In order to preserve the environment, it is essential to make the hole as small as possible and always replace any soil and grass that you have removed. Carry at least one of the following digging tools with you when searching. The best tools are:
·a small, strong, digging spade
·a pick
·a shovel
·a crowbar (for very deep objects in hard ground)
Before digging, clear the area of loose surface material and check that the sound is still there. If it is not, the target must be among the surface material.
If the signal is still there, dig down 50mm to 100mm. If the target is not visible, sweep over the hole. If the signal has gone then it must be in the pile just dug. Make sure that there are no objects buried in the soil beneath the pile.
Take care when you dig because damaging a nugget can reduce its value. Minelab suggests you start digging about 100mm in front of the target to reduce the chance of damage. Pile the diggings carefully as it might be necessary to search them systematically later. They must also be replaced, just as they were dug, once your search ends.
If it becomes evident that the target is in the removed soil pile, sweep the coil over the pile and pinpoint where it lies. Progressively halve the pile containing the target. If the target is still difficult to find, lay the detector down with the coil flat on the ground. Take a handful of the diggings and pass them over the coil. If there is no signal, place the handful carefully away from the pile and repeat with another handful. Of course, your hands and wrists must be free of any metallic jewellery and watches. Once the object has been recovered it is a good idea to sweep the hole again to ensure that there are no other targets to be detected.
When you have found an object in a particular hole, search the surrounding area very carefully as it is very likely that there are more objects nearby. If you hear a target, keep searching until you find it. It is there and it might be valuable.
