Jump to content

I Struggled At A Desert Rail Stop


Recommended Posts

Yesterday I went out to an old SP stop in the desert. It has a long history but the heaviest use was 1920's-1930's when it had a small post office. Being next to the tracks I experienced EMI with each passing train. There is also an under ground cable that runs along side the tracks that made itself known when I got close to it. To top it off the ground is mineralized. I struggled with my settings. I tried default P1,P2 and F1,F2, did not try the other modes. I settled on F2, 5 tones with the power set at 17. I did not change the IB. Later in the day I did notch out everything below 19 with the exception of 12/13. All the targets were shallow so I assume I could have turned the power down even more. I am open to suggestions on settings, or is this just power v.s. stability ?

With all that said there were targets worth digging. 1892 v and a 1943 war nickel. A military button from I do not know when, lots of junk that sounded good too when covered with dirt. This thing has been suprisingly easy to use, just not sure I was spot on with set up this time. I am going to go back again and experiment with the options.

 

P4050002.JPG

P4050003.JPG

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I'd venture to say you did very well on your first hunt with the Nox  Keep up the struggle it's a very sensitive machine.... we are all learning right now. 

strick

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ground around railroad tracks especially around stops can have lot of very fine iron from the steel wheels grinding against the tracks.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool finds!  I like that old spark plug..

If everything is real shallow maybe drop the sensitivity even further, or try 15 or 20 kHz and see if it runs better for you..

If there is not much aluminum there I would try digging some of the lower conductors..  Some small cool stuff hangs out in 9 -14 range on the Equinox..  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’d say this instance may be the time to leverage the single frequencies, go through them one at a time until you find a good one.

I remember a similar experience on my F75 LTD2, and no amount of tuning would allow it to hunt next to the RR line I was trying to detect.  Just think if it had five major frequencies to choose from, probably could have had a great hunt.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've hunted along railroad tracks and have had the same problem with the CTX. My first instinct would be dropped the sensitivity down and then run the recovery speed up. If everything is shallow, then you don't have to worry about losing depth with the higher recovery speeds. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree with Cabin and Cal.  While Multi is a great tool to have, cycling through frequencies can be a great tool too.  I cannot use multi in my front yard, but 10khz works like a champ!  Good luck and I look forward to your next hunt results! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, dsrtdwg1 said:

I struggled with my settings. I tried default P1,P2 and F1,F2, did not try the other modes. I settled on F2, 5 tones with the power set at 17.

I didn't notice you mentioning that you did a (EMI) noise cancel.  Even the auto procedure isn't the best in very noisy environments, and it's not that difficult to cycle through all 19 settings, even for multiple modes.

It sounds like you were able to operate at gain=17 and obviously you made some nice finds.  I know from experience that it can be disappointing to read about all the hot, quiet, tight TDI operation that others are getting, but the bottom line is that the site determines what you can run.  The fact that you pulled out some nice targets at the reduced gain setting says you are getting a lot out of the detector.  Definitely wise to ask, but even if this is all your site can handle you are doing well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest I did not think of trying single freq. There are more options than I am used to. I would like to be able to go over this site smooth and stable. Thanks all for the input.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, dsrtdwg1 said:

To be honest I did not think of trying single freq. There are more options than I am used to. I would like to be able to go over this site smooth and stable. Thanks all for the input.

dwg,

This is a challenging site.  It takes a lot of experience to tame a sensitive machine down.

Steve suggested that people new to the Nox not take it out for a stroll in a nail bed.  There is good reason for this but one of the reasons is to be able to hear the good sounds and control the coil around all the junk.  It is there.

Have you seen Steve's last couple of posts?  He has 'notched out' or rejected everything in the low range.  He has been using the Nox the longest on this forum by far so we should emulate his settings in trash.

An observation I have is if you are looking for 'smooth and stable' in an area like where you were hunting you will have to go a few hundred feet away from the trash and set yourself up.  Now return to the scene of the crime and find those noisy good targets.

Mitchel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...