Why Does My Metal Detector Keep Constantly Beeping?

It is really exciting when your metal detector beeps and you can start digging. But sometimes metal detecting can also be very annoying. Things will get frustrating if your metal detector is constantly beeping even though there is nothing beneath your search coil…

How is it possible that my metal detector is constantly beeping for no reason? And what can I do about it?

There are a lot of reasons why your metal detector is constantly producing phantom signals. The main reasons why your metal detector keeps beeping:

•  A mineralized soil
•  Low batteries
•  Wrong movement with your metal detector
•  You are wearing steel toe shoes
•  You are wearing other material
•  Wrong settings of your metal detector
•  Bad connected cables
•  Moisture in your detector
•  You hold your shovel too close to your metal detector
•  You didn’t turn your pinpointer of
•  Electromagnetic interference of other devices
•  You are too close to a friend with a metal detector
• Your bones contain a pin of metal (surgery)

In this article I will explain these reasons in detail. I will also give you some tips and tricks to avoid this common problem. After reading this article, you know exactly what you did wrong and what you can do about this problem.

1. A mineralized soil

Sometimes, the soil you’re detecting in contains a lot of iron components, which are naturally created and cause small magnetic pulses. This is called ground mineralization. As a result, it can be difficult for your metal detector to distinguish the iron components from real targets, causing it to constantly beep.

Fortunately, you can fix this issue by properly ground balancing your metal detector. Additionally, using the discrimination and sensitivity functions of your metal detector can also help you avoid this problem.

2. Low batteries

Your metal detector may experience issues with providing accurate signals when its batteries are almost empty. It’s important to replace your batteries once they start losing power, as failing to do so can prevent your metal detector from functioning at its best and potentially lead to phantom signals.

Most metal detectors display the battery level on their screen, so it’s essential to keep an eye on it. However, if your metal detector doesn’t have a battery level indicator, you’ll need to determine the battery level manually.

3. Wrong movement with your metal detector

Your metal detector starts beeping when you are swinging to hard from the left to the right with your metal detector. Always try to do this in a calm and controlled way to avoid that your metal detector keeps beeping.

Therefore, move the metal detector slowly from left to right, and make sure that the search coil doesn’t touch the ground. Also, remember to keep the search coil always horizontal and parallel to the surface of the ground (as you can see in the picture below).

4. You are wearing steel in your shoes

It’s possible to unwittingly wear metal in your shoes, which can set off your metal detector when you get too close to your coil.

This issue can occur when you wear steel-toed shoes or shoes with metal components in the connections of your shoelaces.

To avoid this problem, it’s best to wear sturdy boots or shoes without metal components. However, make sure that your boots or shoes fit properly and aren’t too big, as this can cause you to roll your ankle on uneven surfaces.

5. You are wearing other metal objects

Wearing jewelry, rings, or a bracelet can cause your metal detector to react when you search too closely to your coil. Although this may not happen often, it’s essential to be aware of it. Even storing your finds in your pocket can produce phantom signals.

To avoid these issues, it’s best to remove all metal objects before you begin metal detecting. Additionally, you should store your finds in a place where your metal detector won’t be able to detect them.

6. Wrong settings of your metal detector

Properly using your metal detector’s settings is crucial for an optimal working of the detector. The most important settings to master are the discrimination and sensitivity functions. Incorrectly using these settings can cause your metal detector to beep for no reason.

With the discrimination function, you can choose to detect only specific metals while ignoring others. This means your metal detector will ignore the discriminated targets. The sensitivity level, on the other hand, determines how strong your metal detector reacts to the electromagnetic fields of the targets.

If your detector keeps beeping, it may be because you’re not discriminating iron or you are using a too high sensitivity level. Finding a good balance between your soil conditions and metal detector settings is the key to avoiding phantom signals.

In general, using a low sensitivity level and discriminating iron can help prevent your metal detector from beeping unnecessarily.

7. Bad connected cables

Most metal detectors have cables that are plugged into the coil and control box. If these cables aren’t properly connected, your metal detector may beep inconsistently.

To avoid constant beeping, try unplugging and then plugging the cables back in. This may solve the issue.

8. Moisture in your detector

If your metal detector has been in contact with water and is beeping constantly, there may be moisture in the control box. This can happen after a rainy day or if your detector has fallen in the water.

Water can interfere with the functions of your metal detector. To remove the moisture, try unscrewing the control box and leaving it in the sun for a whole day. Alternatively, you can clean it with a towel.

9. You hold your shovel too close to your detector

It might be possible that you hold your shovel too close to your metal detector. Your detector is extremely sensitive for your shovel. Always try to keep your shovel out of the electromagnetic field of your metal detector! I would advise you to keep your shovel behind your body when you are walking with your metal detector.

If you often find that your shovel is too close to your metal detector’s coil, it’s a good idea to switch to a plastic shovel. This will prevent any interference with the metal detector’s signals.

10. You didn’t turn your pinpointer off

It’s easy to forget, but after using your pinpointer, it’s important to turn it off. This is because the pinpointer generates a small electromagnetic field that can interfere with your metal detector.

If you leave the pinpointer on, the metal detector can become disrupted by the electromagnetic field of the pinpointer, causing it to produce erratic signals.

11. Electromagnetic Interference of other devices

This problem occurs when your metal detector is close to other devices that send out electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic field of the metal detector can be disturbed by some of these electromagnetic fields. Therefore, the detector starts to beep for no reason.

Some examples of devices that send out electromagnetic fields
– Power lines
– Radios
– Mobile phones
– Antennas
– Other metal detectors
– A Pinpointer

You can avoid this problem by checking your surroundings. You should keep enough distance to these devices. Furthermore, you can use an anti-interference coil in order to avoid this.

12. You are too close to a friend with a metal detector

When metal detecting with someone else, it’s important to maintain a sufficient distance between you and your friend. If the distance is too small, the electromagnetic field of your friend’s metal detector can interfere with your own.

To prevent this, always try to keep a distance of at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the other person’s metal detector

13. Your bones contain material (surgery)

This is something you can easily forget. There are some people who have had an ankle surgery in the past. In some cases, they put metal pins in your ankle. This might lead to the problem that your metal detector keeps beeping.

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