Depth Readout Vs Actual Depth Of Target & Pinpointing Tricks

[Gerry in Idaho]

This post is in part to help newbies and or folks who don't hunt as often.  I'm posting it here, as the Equinox is getting many people excited and even Prospectors who are used to running gold machines without depth indication on their units.  If it helps you, then great.  I'll even post a video I did on pinpointing a few years back that could help some swingers.

Reading some posts below, I read a statement Steve H replied to pertaining Pinpointing and signal strength.  He brought up a very very valid point that WAY TO MANY people don't understand.

Why do I say so, because when all the training classes we do on Coin/Relic detectors, that seems to be one of the points most folks miss.

I'll try to explain it again.  The depth readout on the screen of most detectors is set from the factory on Coin Size Targets.  Remember that bit please "Coin Size Targets" as well as a few other engineer magics I won't go into.  But if you remember the above, you'll be fine.  So here are two examples I'll use to show the opposite of correct Depth ID (incorrect).

A beer can at 12" deep could read .25 coin on readout and depth show at 5-6" giving a strong signal tone.  It is actually much bigger than a coin and so that is why it says it is shallower.  When I hunt beaches for gold rings or old silver coins and my Depth readout says 6", but I have dug down 8" or more, I am most certain it is not a ring or coin and in fact is a larger target that is deeper.

A stud earring could read 4" with a soft chirp weak tone, when in actuality it is less than an inch deep.  I enjoy hunting for diamond studs and have learned they are near the surface and not as deep as the Depth Indication shows.  Also point of interest for those who don't know.  My White's TRX Pointer is much better at finding gold nuggets and stud earrings than my Garrett Carrot.  But I do prefer my Carrot when hunting coins/rings size targets.

Here is a video that is of an older machine, but the technique is the same.  Hope it helps some of you newer users or old salty prospectors converting to new machines.

 

[tsunamiscott]

Thanks for taking the time to make the video. I enjoyed it.

When I'm hunting; beer cans, and larger junk targets are easy to determine by lifting the coil while swinging over the target. If the signal is still there and you are a foot above the ground. It's probably a can. Ascertaining the size of the target by the duration of the signal is also helpful in determining the possible target.

[Steve Herschbach]

Great post and video Gerry - thanks!

I will add that I find pinpointing to be quite easy with the Equinox. Of course that may be because I normally use a GPZ, and it took me near a year to get good at pinpointing little nuggets with that beast! 

[Gerry in Idaho]

Yes Tsunamiscott,  I do the same thing.  Also go to the PP (pinpoint mode) and see how wide the signal is.  That will help let folks know of a bigger target that is not a coin.  Thanks for adding.

[Jackpine]

Gerry

Does PP ratchet down with each pass over the target or do you do it manually by hitting the PP button closer to the target? Also is there a separate sizing mode as on the X-Terra?

Tom

[Gerry in Idaho]

Jackpine, 

The 305 and 505 do not have the same PP features as the 705.  Yes the 705 signal width and strength weaken with Ratchet Pin Pointing, but not as good as a few other models and brands of detectors I have used in times past.  Yes the 705 has Sizing/Tracing or whatever some call it.  Most folks don't know that on the 705 and I am here to say I don't know everything either.  I do know and was one of the 1st to realize changing the kHz settings could alter the readout of a pull tab.

What does your X-705 do?

 

[Jackpine]

I seldom use PP so can't talk to the 705's functionality vs other machines.  I do try it with a new detector, but X'ing the target is so ingrained in me I never think of using the pinpoint function.  It's  a wasted feature for me.

One thing that I have not seen pointed out by anyone is the difference between the original X-T 70's  and the 705's audio.   ML attempted to make the 70 a "better" coin machine by doing some tricks to the audio whereby if a target didn't fit neatly in a TID window (ie as round coins tend to do)  then the audio was broken/distorted on jumpy TID targets when using the multi tones.  It was a pain in the posterior for people that hunt by tones and necessitated using only 2 tones  when hunting relic type targets that aren't necessarily round.  I was glad to see the 705 did away with that "feature".  For all I know it may have been a function of the slower reactivity.

This was on an early final production X-T 70 that ML sent me for evaluation.

There were several things about the 70 that were different from what a user would expect coming from other brands.  People that didn't take the time to suss them out were disappointed with the machine and went back to their favorite brands.  ML kept too many things close to the vest with it.  In a way, the release of the 705 might have been partially due to ML seeing the error of their ways.

Sorry for the digression, my original post wasn't clear as my question was how does the PP on the Equinox function vs the X-Terra.

Tom

 

 

 

 

[Steve Herschbach]

The Equinox pinpoint automatically ratchets or zeros in on the target.

[Jackpine]

4 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The Equinox pinpoint automatically ratchets or zeros in on the target.

Thanks Steve and sorry for the diatribe above. LOL

[Mark Gillespie]

11 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The Equinox pinpoint automatically ratchets or zeros in on the target.

Wow, that's awesome.  Not many machines (V3i) have that capabilities.  I usually have to do the narrowing down manually using the pinpoint function, but it takes time.  Awesome feature.