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How To Enhance The Chances Of Finding Gold Chains With The Equinox


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This post is mainly directed to UK field detecting where we have had social open air gatherings since Medieval times and on fields littered with coke. I used these settings yesterday and I was hopeful of finding at least one gold necklace / chain but alas none, better luck next time.

As most of us know it is almost impossible to find a fine gold chain with any metal detector and as it is a long story why but mainly due to Eddy Currents and the metal detector rejecting coke which fits into the same frequency range as thin and fine gold and as here in the UK we find our permission fields littered with coke which mostly emanates from the days of steam engines powering farm equipment and the spreading of night soil as a crop fertilizer and which was collected from house middens and where the ashes from the household coal fires was used to cover the stinking human excrement, these ashes contained large cinders which survive for donkeys years in the soil and give off wonderful signals for metal detectors.
This information on how to adjust the Tone Breaks to enhance the chances of finding gold chains during field detecting is only applicable to the Minelab Equinox 800 as it has the advanced settings capability.
To alter the "Tone Breaks" it involves making changes to three "Target Tone Dependencies" which are "Number Of Target Tones", "Target Pitch" & "Target Volume".
Here is my effort to change the settings to cover the frequency conductive range to give off a signal from thin gold chains in the discrimination zones, at present the default Discrimination zone is -9 to +2 and it is the Zero to +2 segment where gold chains show.
So first of all select either "Field 1 or 2" your choice.
Then go to "Target Tone" choose 5 tones.
Then go to "Tone Breaks" and set the 5 tones as thus T1 = -9 to 0, T2 = 1 to 2, T3 = 3 to 28, T4 = 29 to 38, T5 = 39 to 40.
Then go back to "Tone Volume" and set tone segments to T1 = 1, T2 = 15, T3 = 25, T4 = 25, T5 = 15.
Then go to "Tone Pitch" and set the tone segments to T1 = 1, T2 = 15, T3 = 25, T4 = 20, T5 = 16.
To move from from one tone segment to the next segment use the "Accept / Reject" button (
\//x ).
These settings are working for me but then again they may not be every-bodies cup of tea.
 
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  • The title was changed to How To Enhance The Chances Of Finding Gold Chains With The Equinox

Thanks Randy.  It is posts like yours that help us new 800 users get going faster.  Adjusting the zones, volumes, and pitch really make the 800 shine.  The advantage of being able to quiet down certain regions and let what you are looking for sound out louder, helps smooth the profile out and it is much easier on the ears to get to the good stuff.  Keep up the good work and Happy Hunting everybody

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  • 5 months later...

Hi Randy and Others,

Was going to ask a question re: fine gold chains and the likely TID's and it sort of fits in with this thread and settings for same.   The search function on the forum is a wonderful thing   ?

So, I am going looking for a fine gold chain tomorrow that was lost by a lady that I work with.  Thinks she roughly knows where she lost it in her yard about 5 years ago.  I am not going to discriminate anything out but will set up 5 tones and change tone volume/pitch, etc. 

Considering there are differing versions of "fine gold" would it be safer to make that zone a 1-4 on the TID rather than a more confined 1-2?   

Thanks for any input  ?

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(Northeast) Consider using one of the Gold modes and dig 1-10, assuming no pendant of significant size.

The gold audio is a little better at catching targets in your peripheral, the best numbers from the machine are in this mode with the horseshoe engaged.

A necklace may read 1 when you set the sensitivity to 1, however it does have the potential to flicker higher numbers when running regular or hot sensitivity.  Based on actual sensitivity and random target orientation you may see 4 or 5 make an appearance, even the odd double digit.
I agree that a 1-2 TID is a good if you want that narrow of a range and keep the sensitivity moderate.  (at or below 20)
1-4 TID might work out better if running sensitivity >20.
A consequence of this is a 1 has the potential to flicker -1, not a big deal, you're looking at the average. As long as say 3 out of 4 swings is a positive 1, the odd -1 is nothing to be concerned with.

This would apply to the other modes too if you want to bin the targets into narrow ranges, moderate sensitivity will give tighter numbers.

Good thread

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Thanks for the response Alluminati.

I like your suggestion re: keeping sensitivity at a reasonable level.  In our soil running over 20 generally causes issues so around 15 will probably be suitable for what I'm doing today.

I actually don't like gold mode much in trashy areas simply because of the 1 tone audio.  In gold mode with the horseshoe button activated I think would just be persistent noise and would prefer not to be staring at the numbers all day.  I am unsure how much rubbish is going to be there but it sounds like an old farm and this particular area has been turned into a large area of lawn out the back of the house - could be anything in there. 

When I get there I will have a bit more of a discussion with the lady re: if it is a genuinely 'fine' gold chain or something a bit chunkier and build my segments based on that.  Maybe 1-3 for really fine and 1-8 for chunkier.  

It will all be a learning experience.

Thanks for sharing your ideas  ?

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Im glad to see others see the value of these settings and are working them into pattern hunting.  Question about the tone volume thou for the 1 - 2..... why 15?   Its kind of like when i used to use the explorer.  in open ground i used say a 7 gain to get modulation on targets..... but in trashy areas i moved the gain to 10 where all targets sounded the same so weaker/deeper targets didnt get over looked.  I dont know that a softer volume on a weak target like a chain would stop me.   What ive also found is tone pitch 25 on a round targets like coins tended to make them sound smaller yet they did scream silver.   Some of those chains will have crosses.... 4 - 7 digits but still very weak signals.    Interesting the conditions you guys work in with thousands of years of targets.  Ive worked areas where there were a lot of cinders from coal......hard to work in with other machines.   very well though out ........

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In the Salt water Chase 50 tones drives me nuts with this machine.   Each of these modes or styles of hunting require us to adapt this machine to those conditions.   But most whose been detecting for many years tend to adjust and get the best out of any detector they use.   Those who cant...... normally were those blind squirrels lol.

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Up date on the chain search.  Short answer is I didn't find it.

Went for Park 1.  5 tones.  -9 to 0 low tone.  1-4 pitch 25.  The 3 higher segments all 15.  I wanted that 1 - 4 to really pop out.  The lady said it was a very fine chain with no pendant of any sort. 

Did approx a 15 - 20 metre area that the lady was reasonably certain she lost the chain in.  She remembers the dogs jumping on her there and assumes that is how she lost it.

Dug about 7 targets that came up in the 1 - 4 but mostly they were cigarette packet foil all folded over.  A few targets that hit hard around the 15-20 that may have been coins but they had a very nice lawn and I was reluctant to go digging for my benefit.  It was also close to where they have a fire pit and have a few parties so they may have also been pull tabs, bottle tops, etc. 

Anyway, it was good fun and I may not have missed the chain as it may not be within 50 yards of where I was looking.  The added bonus is I may also have another very special location to detect but that is going to be secret squirrel until after it happens  ?

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