What Vdi Numbers You Guys Getting On Deep Nickels?

[Dan(NM)]

I hunt really trashy parks and hardly ever go after nickels because my time is limited.  I'm going to notch in 12-13 on my next hunt due to amount of wheats and silver I've been taking out of 2 places I've hit this past month. Have you found the Nox the hit nickels in this range at depth, I'm talking 7-9" depth, that's where most of the keepers are being found, thanks.

[GB_Amateur]

My deepest coin is a 9" USA nickel 5 cent piece, found the the ML Equinox 800 (multi, Park 1, RS = 4, IB F2 = 0).  In my soil (moderate = 2-3 bars on the Fisher Fe3O4 scales) I've never noticed a shift in dTID with depth of nickels.  However, deep coins in general (and this includes nickels) broaden the dTID response in my experience.  So I have gotten some 11 and/or 14 with the majority 12-13, overall weak, which turned out to be nickels.  (I always dig pure 12-13 signals.  If the signal is strong, though, throw in some 14 and it's likely a modern pulltab or can slaw.  Strong 12-13 with some 11 is likely a broken off beavertail.  Weak signal with majority in 12-13 with or without some 11 and/or 14 -- I'm digging for sure.  All of this assumes the coin is below the coil's sweetspot during the swing.)

The dTID reading for nickels may be soil dependent, though, so I'm curious as to how others respond.  I think it is also a bit dependent upon either mode or recovery speed (or both), so everyone should say which mode and recovery speed they are referring to.

[steveg]

Dan, IMO the EQX is not the best choice of machines, if you are trying to cherry-pick deep nickels.  It LOCATES them just fine; quite deep, in fact.  BUT -- way too many other targets ID extremely similar to a nickel on the EQX.  Nickels are MUCH easier to cherry-pick at depth with FBS.  On an Explorer, for instance, with stock Pro coil, I could cherry-pick deep nickels with a good bit of accuracy.   CO number almost ALWAYS 06, but on a deep one, the FE number would creep up into the teens.  I used to LOVE cherry-picking deep V nickels with the EQX at one particular old park I hunt; any soft 14-06 or 15-06 target was getting dug, and there was a pretty good chance it was a deep V.  NOT so, on the EQX. WAY too much trash IDs the same as a deep nickel.

That said, Dan, I would be willing to open a notch up to 11, and if it's deep, dig it. A shallow 11 is usually a beaver tail or .22 casing, but deeper/old nickels can throw off 11s along with the 12s and a few 13s at depth. The other reason to open up your notch to 11? One-dollar gold coins! 😉

Steve

[Valens Legacy]

I do agree with GB on what he has stated, but I have started digging all the strong signals no matter what depth they are at. I want to find as much as I can and from that I will someday begin to learn what not to dig.

However if you don't dig numbers in those ranges you might miss out on a ring or two as they can come up in those numbers. I guess what I am saying is, if you want good results dig everything. You might end up clearing out the trash just to make it easier for your next visit.

[Jeff McClendon]

Chuck explained deep nickel responses on the Equinox very well. I have dug 10”+ deep Jefferson, Buffalo and V nickels which had standard nickel audio and slightly expanded 11 to 14 target IDs. 
 

At least in my area, I rarely recover pulltabs and can slaw at 8” or deeper so those deep, coin sized responses in the 11 to 14 range are usually nickels, lead bullets, other lead targets or something else interesting.

 I have noticed that using too much F2 iron bias can really effect the audio response of low to mid conductive nonferrous targets like nickels in my hunting areas. 

[CPT_GhostLight]

2 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

...

 I have noticed that using too much F2 iron bias can really effect the audio response of low to mid conductive nonferrous targets like nickels in my hunting areas. 

Hi Jeff, can you elaborate this? I've been hunting a park that has almost all coin targets at 6" and deeper. I usually run F2 at 6 so I'm curious what it does to the audio response at depth.

[Jeff McClendon]

At least in the areas I hunt with moderate to high iron mineralization, if I set the F2 iron bias even at 4 on my 800, deeper low and mid conductive targets can have very clipped nonferrous tones with iron tones mixed in. That can happen whether I am using zero discrimination or a small amount of iron notching like rejecting -9,-8 and -7. I actually tried using F2 set at 4 this summer and my deeper nickel/lead/gold target recovery decreased drastically.  I am slowly re-hunting those locations with F2=0 and am finding deep nickels, some earlier wheats that read lower than later wheats and copper memorials, some fired bullets but......no gold yet!!!