Got My Vanquish Ordered

[Jeff McClendon]

I agree, Coin mode works fine for beginners who are just out for a casual dig and really have no clue.  Jewelry mode will go deep, has fast enough recovery speed to deal with some unmasking and will discriminate out most bottle caps. Relic mode is still a bit of a mystery to me. It seems to have a bit faster recovery speed and slightly less depth than Jewelry mode in my dirt. Maybe your results will differ. Get ready to dig some tiny targets, which is another way of saying that the Vanquish is a very capable micro jewelry and micro aluminum trash detector, and have fun JT.

[jmaryt]

7 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

SMF doesn't really go deeper than single frequency (which has more raw depth), but it DOES allow you to potentially get a solid target ID deeper.  The main advantage of SMF is salt compensation for beach detecting, ability to compensate for ground mineralization provided the detector has a ground balance circuit, and more reliable Target ID.  Trash separation is more a function of the detector's recovery speed and coil size and little to do with whether a detector uses SMF.   That being said, the Vanquish has pretty good recovery speed, especially in Jewelry mode, and the coils you get with the pro pack are great for what you want to do.  Coin targets really ring out, some say they ring out better in Jewelry mode than coin mode, so be sure to try out the different modes to see what works best at your sites.  Let us know how it goes.  HH

thanks for the tip about the jewelry mode! ..gonna be fun! if this thing gets me some sweet deep hits on older coins,
i'll be thrilled! 

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

8 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

SMF doesn't really go deeper than single frequency (which has more raw depth), but it DOES allow you to potentially get a solid target ID deeper.  The main advantage of SMF is salt compensation for beach detecting, ability to compensate for ground mineralization provided the detector has a ground balance circuit, and more reliable Target ID.  Trash separation is more a function of the detector's recovery speed and coil size and little to do with whether a detector uses SMF.   That being said, the Vanquish has pretty good recovery speed, especially in Jewelry mode, and the coils you get with the pro pack are great for what you want to do.  Coin targets really ring out, some say they ring out better in Jewelry mode than coin mode, so be sure to try out the different modes to see what works best at your sites.  Let us know how it goes.  HH

am curious! did i understand you correctly when you indicated that (s.m.f.) is basically for the beach?
if what you say is accurate, then there really is "no" advantage to (s.m.f.) on land ,when compared to 
single frequency detectors?. one can get accurate i.d (at depth) with some single frequency detectors.
this is known already, so one would speculate as to the "true advantage" of (s.m.f.) on land?  is there one, or several,
or if not,the question begs why would manufacturers develop (s.m.f.) to begin with,IF the technology is ONLY basically useful 
on a salt water beach? it is also understood that coil size, and microprocessor "'clock speed" (which you mention) are paramount
in determining recovery speed. again!..taking all this into account what are the advantages of (s.m.f.) on land? as opposed to salt water? perhaps there are "hidden" advantages in software that only minelab is aware of ..lookin' forward to finding out!
should be fun! 

(h.h.!)
j.t.

[jmaryt]

7 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I agree, Coin mode works fine for beginners who are just out for a casual dig and really have no clue.  Jewelry mode will go deep, has fast enough recovery speed to deal with some unmasking and will discriminate out most bottle caps. Relic mode is still a bit of a mystery to me. It seems to have a bit faster recovery speed and slightly less depth than Jewelry mode in my dirt. Maybe your results will differ. Get ready to dig some tiny targets, which is another way of saying that the Vanquish is a very capable micro jewelry and micro aluminum trash detector, and have fun JT.

thanks jeff,and chase!...it certainly sounds like jewelry mode is what i should be using out of the gate! 
i will try all the modes, and determine if there is one mode better than the others.what type of soil in your neck of the woods jeff?
i got mild to slightly mineralized here in new england. i realized before i purchased, that i could not (g.b.) but also knew from past experience with fixed (g.b.) detectors, that i didn't need it!. i'll be setting up with high gain, just shy of (e.m.i.) will also
start off with the 12" coil. i am hoping to get depth,AND separation in these huge parks i want to hunt! 

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

8 hours ago, phrunt said:

Yup! Jewellery mode for the win!

appreciate the tip..simon! ..thanks!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[Chase Goldman]

56 minutes ago, jmaryt said:

am curious! did i understand you correctly when you indicated that (s.m.f.) is basically for the beach?
if what you say is accurate, then there really is "no" advantage to (s.m.f.) on land ,when compared to 
single frequency detectors?. one can get accurate i.d (at depth) with some single frequency detectors.
this is known already, so one would speculate as to the "true advantage" of (s.m.f.) on land?  is there one, or several,
or if not,the question begs why would manufacturers develop (s.m.f.) to begin with,IF the technology is ONLY basically useful 
on a salt water beach? it is also understood that coil size, and microprocessor "'clock speed" (which you mention) are paramount
in determining recovery speed. again!..taking all this into account what are the advantages of (s.m.f.) on land? as opposed to salt water? perhaps there are "hidden" advantages in software that only minelab is aware of ..lookin' forward to finding out!
should be fun! 

(h.h.!)
j.t.

I don't want to say there are NO advantages on land.  SMF tends to give more accurate target IDs than single frequency.  SMF also is responsive to broader range of target conductivities vs. single frequency.  This means it should hit equally hard on nickels and gold jewelry as it will on silver.  With a single frequency machine that is optimized for silver (i.e., uses a low frequency), it would have a harder time detecting nickels and gold rings at depth, that is why people hit fields repeatedly with different machines with different frequencies to see if they got all the different types of targets - SMF reduces the need to do this..  But SF might have a slight raw depth advantage than SMF under certain circumstances.  I think for what you are trying to do, primarily in mild ground,, you will have great success with SMF on the Vanquish. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to both SMF and. SF.  Other than superior salt beach stability, SMF does not really work miracles on land vs. SF but I do think SMF has an edge over SF overall for the reasons I stated above and that is why manufacturers are moving towards SMF.  I prefer having a machine where you can switch between SMF or SF at will for maximum versatility and the best of both worlds.  Equinox gives you that ability, that is one of the reasons it is priced higher but mainly because it is waterproof.  Even though I can switch to SF with the Equinox, I find myself in SMF most of the time.  Apex has the ability to do both SMF and SF as well.  But you pay more for it and don't get two coils like you did with the Vanquish. 

You are going to enjoy what Vanquish has to offer, believe me.   Vanquish is somewhat proven in its abilities being out now for about 8 or 9 months.   We are not going to  really know how APEX is doing for a few more months.  On paper, the differences between Vanquish and Apex are probably a wash.  You made a good decision to go with Vanquish.  Just don't expect miracles - but that is true of any detector.  If the targets are there, Vanquish will likely find them.  Like we said, Jewelry mode seems to give the best depth, separation, and really bangs hard on silver and might even snag you some gold jewelry as well.  Enjoy it.  Like any new toy, it should be fun, especially as you get to know what it can do.

[jmaryt]

thanks!  i appreciate the fact that you guys have experience with the different modes in the field,
and are in a solid position to recommend certain modes based on intended usage. this is very helpful.as stated, my soil is mild to slightly mineralized so i can "get away" (so to speak) with a pre-fixed (g.b.) in the various modes. i "should" be able to get max performance out of
the 540,and maybe "catch a break" at all the sites i, and everybody else have "croaked" over the years!  call me a "dreamer" if you will, but i would surely "love" to just  be able to "pop" some old stuff again! i really would be thrilled! 

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[Chase Goldman]

18 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Is super low frequency good on really small silver as I've found the opposite, I found 4kHz not as good as 20kHz on small deep silver coins with the Nox, although on the bigger silver coins the lower frequencies seem better but not as good as Multi for me.

I've also found jewellery mode better than coin mode for my small silver coins on the Vanquish.

Even smallish US silver dimes tend to prefer the lower frequencies but they seem to be the benchmark target for depth meter calibration. But indeed, smaller targets, regardless of conductivity, tend to be favored by higher frequencies.  There are no hard and fast rules regarding frequency optimum sensitivity to specific targets and plenty of exceptions, but in general lower frequencies for high purity silver (i,e., non-hamnered silver), copper coinage, larger targets and higher frequencies for small targets and mid-conductive targets like gold alloys, brass, aluminum, nickels, and lead.  So multi tends to be better at covering all the bases.

[jmaryt]

this is good to know!  for years i hunted with whites equipment
their main frequency was 6.59 kHz and was set this way for years
back then, 70's,80's this was considered an ideal frequency for silver as whitey's 
detectors responded exceptionally well to silver.they eventually went with 14 khz
so as to respond better to jewelry, and still retain the ability to find silver. the m6 comes to mind.
it was a mxt derivative and one outstanding coin and jewelry sniper, and based on 14 kHz.
i believe all the domestic makers went to  the higher frequency so as to increase the chances of finding jewelry along with silver.
i have a tesoro "mojave" which runs at 12khz,and is a jewelry fiend, along with the compadre,probably one of the best
micro jewelry snipers of all time.

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

 

 

[Chase Goldman]

36 minutes ago, phrunt said:

The Apex manual even indicates what I find about 20kHz for small silver over 4kHz.  The reason I'm so firm on it is I've had small NZ silver threepence coins in the wild that 4kHz doesn't even see that 20kHz does.  They're 50% silver coins though.

50% purity.  That makes all the difference.  Like I said above, lower frequency for high purity and non-hammered silver,  Hammered silver tends to be low purity silver as is your threepence coin, so the higher frequency tends to be a better choice.  What I said is pretty consistent with the Apex chart you cite.