Civil War Buttons - Field 1 Or Field 2?

[groundscanner]

I am curious to know which mode the relic hunters prefer for finding buttons and why.  Field 1or 2?

Thanks

[Chase Goldman]

Park 2 or Field 2 are optimized for small and mid conductive targets  (brass, lead, gold, jewelry, etc.) so are ideal for relic hunting.  Field 1 (like Park 1) is optimized for high conductors (and larger targets) and is also just 2 tone so is optimal for deep silver hunting or simply non- ferrous target cherry picking in low trash situations (Park 1 is 5 tones).  Now this does not mean that the "2" modes will not hit silver or that the "1" modes will not hit mid-conductive relics or gold because Equinox is multi frequency, it's just reflective of the frequency weighting for each of the modes (1's being low frequency weighted and the 2's bring higher frequency weighted).

For relic hunting buttons, brass, plates and minie balls my preference is Field 2 others like Park 2.  I like interrogating prospective targets with Gold Mode (with gold mode stored in the user profile slot) to get a gage on the relative strength of the target signal (because gold mode uses VCO pitch audio which is not tone ID, but varies in pitch and intensity based on target signal strength  (which are determined by target mass, depth, and relative conductivity).   Pinpoint mode helps with identifying whether the target is big/small and/or shallow/deep.  In the tone ID modes, Equinox is notoriously weak on providing target modulation for large or shallow targets, so pinpoint and gold modes help in this respect.  I also like to get a feel for the iron density in the area by cancelling out discrimination using the horseshoe (aka all metal) button.  Also, I like to run with little to no iron bias.  It reduces falsing but with the drawback of causing masking non-ferrous targets in the proximity of iron.  I'll take the falsing rather than miss targets.

BTW buttons and minie balls tend to ring up in the mid to high teens, respectively.  Basically, if you are relic hunting in low modern trash you should be digging all non-ferrous signals.

HTH

[groundscanner]

Thanks CG!!

Your info is very helpful!  I used the 800 for the second time today.  I found one clad quarter and several pennies in heavy trash.  I also found an eagle button, a Indian head penny, and a cartridge box finial.  These items were away from the trashy area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cal_Cobra]

I've been having very good success with Field2, found an 18teens-1820 one piece U.S. Militia button, an 1840 two piece Naval button, an 1850-1860 two piece Artillery eagle cuff button and a nice little late 1700's - early 1800's flat button, and all in California no less. Found a few other things too, been doing pretty well relic hunting with it. 

[groundscanner]

Thanks Cal!  Those are fantastic finds!!!

[Cal_Cobra]

On 12/19/2018 at 4:53 AM, groundscanner said:

Thanks Cal!  Those are fantastic finds!!!

Thanks.  This should give you some idea of the finds I've been making with my EQ800 in Field2:

IMO it's far from the best detector in heavy iron or sea of nails (at least with the stock 11" coil) but with moderate small iron and and areas with lower amount of junk, it's a real performer IMO.

GL&HH,
Cal

 

[groundscanner]

Thanks for posting your finds!!  It really has me cranked up to hit my sites. Unfortunately rain and the holidays will prevent me from going for several days.

[Chase Goldman]

I agree with Cal's assessment.  Best all around detector, no doubt.  But as I am hitting some thick, constrained iron sites with very hot soil, lately, I am having more succes with my other go to detector (Deus).  They both go in the car whenever I hit ANY relic site as they are very complimentary.  Wide open plowed field, normal soil, scattered iron, the Equinox is my weapon of choice, especially with that 12x15" coil.

[Daniel Tn]

I'm a Park 2 guy for most applications, including relics.  

[groundscanner]

I am hoping that the weather will be nice after Christmas so that I can hit some of my more productive sites.  I can't wait for deer season to end so that I can get back in the woods and hunt a couple of civil war camps sites. Currently I am restrict to hunting open fields with sites that are full of trash.

I am really looking forward to seeing what the 800 will do on a camp site with little or no trash in both park and field 2!