Gary985112 Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 Hi there, I am new to detecting on the beach. The sand is very fine I'm in the Florida panhandle. I get a lot of pull tabs and a bottle tops. I think that I'm getting used to the sound but I don't want to miss out on something good. Can you share any tips on dealing with this? I hear some people say to dig everything on the beach, is it true? Should I be doing something to avoid pull tabs? Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F350Platinum Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 Welcome to the forum. 🙂 Pull tabs and bottle caps are a certainty on the beach. So are tent stakes and foil. It depends upon what part of the beach you are searching, what program you are using, many things! Unfortunately if the beach has been hit hard by more (and many) experienced detectorists, you will find a higher concentration of the above as they may have "cherry picked" the stuff you are looking for. Another problem may be the season and the massive cold snap we just had, that lessens the amount of "depositors" on the beach 😀 I think we will need a bit more information about what program and coil you are using before any specific help can be offered. 🙂 There is no magic that will get you instantly what you want, time, repetition and persistence are the best teachers. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvpopeye Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 Welcome aboard. Look at all the junk other beach hunters are posting . You'll have to dig it all to have the best odds of finding something "good". Gold can ID just about anywhere.. Are you finding many fishing sinkers ? Check these out while you wait for more responses. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Beechnut OBN Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Gary985112 said: Can you share any tips on dealing with this? I hear some people say to dig everything on the beach, is it true? Should I be doing something to avoid pull tabs? Every location is different.. For me.. The water/waves are great classifiers, light objects are pushed in, heavy targets are out further. Than you have tides, where some depositors will be at high tide at 12 noon, on the beach, lowtide these areas can be easier to get to, these areas will hold heavier targets since the lighter targets have been washed in... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midalake Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Gary985112 said: I am new to detecting on the beach. The sand is very fine I'm in the Florida panhandle. Digging it ALL, is your only way to learn!! You will set your own parameters. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary985112 Posted January 2, 2023 Author Share Posted January 2, 2023 3 hours ago, midalake said: Digging it ALL, is your only way to learn!! You will set your own parameters. Thanks for the info! I will keep digging for sure 🙂 Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold? Or is the overlap so close that it is impossible to tell even with experience? I will keep reading and heading out :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary985112 Posted January 2, 2023 Author Share Posted January 2, 2023 4 hours ago, rvpopeye said: Welcome aboard. Look at all the junk other beach hunters are posting . You'll have to dig it all to have the best odds of finding something "good". Gold can ID just about anywhere.. Are you finding many fishing sinkers ? Check these out while you wait for more responses. I found 2 fishing sinkers today and it seems to pick them up strong (maybe the metal on top of the sinker?), does that mean I should up my FE setting? Or F2? I am just running the out of the box setup for the minelabs equinox 800. Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold? Or is the overlap so close that it is impossible to tell even with experience? I will keep reading and heading out :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary985112 Posted January 2, 2023 Author Share Posted January 2, 2023 5 hours ago, F350Platinum said: Welcome to the forum. 🙂 Pull tabs and bottle caps are a certainty on the beach. So are tent stakes and foil. It depends upon what part of the beach you are searching, what program you are using, many things! Unfortunately if the beach has been hit hard by more (and many) experienced detectorists, you will find a higher concentration of the above as they may have "cherry picked" the stuff you are looking for. Another problem may be the season and the massive cold snap we just had, that lessens the amount of "depositors" on the beach 😀 I think we will need a bit more information about what program and coil you are using before any specific help can be offered. 🙂 There is no magic that will get you instantly what you want, time, repetition and persistence are the best teachers. Thanks for the welcome 🙂 I am running the out of the box setup for the minelabs equinox 800. (Double D coil I think? If that is standard out of the box). I am running 3.08 I think program (if that is wrong, its the most updated software). I found 2 fishing sinkers today and it seems to pick them up strong (maybe the metal on top of the sinker?), does that mean I should up my FE setting? Or F2? I am just running the out of the box setup for the minelabs equinox 800. Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold? Or is the overlap so close that it is impossible to tell even with experience? I will keep reading and heading out :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valens Legacy Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 For best results use the factory settings on Beach 2 and dig everything for several reasons. When digging everything you will learn what tones are for what items in general. With that stated remember that some items will also have the same tones as others. Second thing is the preset programs are as good as any that you can add as a newbie. Third thing is keep your sense at a level that is comfortable for you, I keep mine around 20 as it gives me depth and keeps some of the EMI out. I have tried it this way on Fort Walton Beach with good success. There are many other reasons, but try this first and learn the unit as it will take time to be good at it. Good luck and good hunting. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midalake Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Gary985112 said: Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold? With all detectors there is no way to tell the difference by ear of a pull tab and a piece of gold. Some detectors will put pull tabs at a certain number. In my area pull tabs come in at 14 on the Equinox, they will bounce a little on numbers depending on depth and amount of time in the ocean. If my conditions set-up with small waves I get many pull tabs to come into the wash zone. On those days I skip solid 14's. But luckily this might only happen once a month. So, after some time on the machine, you might be able to skip a few. Gold can TID on your Equinox from 1 to 22. My own personal style is not to get hung-up on numbers. With modern multi-frequency detectors my goal is to remove all non-ferrous targets from the beach. So if I think a target is non-ferrous>it is coming out! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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