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So I’ve taken my Equinox 800 out a few times but not for long each time and to different claims each time - so I’m telling you, I’m an expert, and you can believe me when I say there’s no gold in California. Hey, I’ve even tried gold panning for a few minutes - nope, no gold. So at the Fresno gold show, I played along with the conspiracy and went to Kevin Hoagland’s talk about metal detecting for gold - you know, in states where there IS gold. And he said to dig the targets that don’t even show up as numbers on my detector’s screen. Well, that can’t be right, because otherwise why would they give me a screen with numbers? But anyway, I decided that IF he was right, maybe I could at least find some small pieces of lead or something with the same technique. So I set out to find the tiniest piece of birdshot I could find. I mean, I WOULD have looked for gold but we all know that’s a crock. SUCCESS!!! That Kevin guy might know a thing or two about metal detecting for lead, if only he’d stop pretending he’s talking about gold. Check out my haul from a few hours in the claims at Cajon Pass (note this is only the small stuff - I was already an expert in finding shell casings from an hour on Lytle Creek):

I'm more of a coin guy, but, I've been wanting to hit this spot because my buddy has taken out a couple of Dragoon buttons. I met up with a couple of guys today for a relic hunt at a fort that was occupied from the early 1850's to the early 1860's, unfortunately one guy had to cut his hunt short due to a plumbing problem. He did manage to score a couple of nice relics before he had to head out. I started out using the CTX, but, due to the excessive amount of iron, I ended up using the Equinox which performed wonderfully. This was my first time to hunt here, so, I wasn't sure what to expect, but, it turned out better than I thought. Ended up with a nice assortment of finds, the better ones were the Eagle button and the medallion thing with the guys face on it. Not sure, but, we think it may have had a ribbon attached through the eyelets on each side. I believe next time I'm back, I'll use the 6" coil on the Eqhinox to try and work through the iron a little easier than the 11" I'm also going to take a magnet, some of the bits of wire and iron were almost too small for me to see without my glasses. I was amazed at how well the 800 hit the small items among the iron debris. 90% of the targets hit between 10 and 15, a couple rang higher, the brass rivets and the 3 ringer hit between 18-22. The thing with the guy on it hit at 10-11 solid. My setting were as follows: Park 2 2-tones Tone break at +8 thru 40 Sensitivity 22 Recover 7 Iron bias 0 Ground balance 0 No disc used ran it wide open

Hello all and there are some good points and discussion in this thread and I thought I'd jump in for a chat... Feel free to ask questions as the more you know the better you can make your own decision whether you think the new GOLD EXTREME coils are for you. from this thread the main queries are: Why aren't the new coils water-proof? We thought long and hard about this and decided to not epoxy fill the 10x5" coil due to extra time and weight from this and essentially if you wish to keep the unit water-proof then keep the 8" coil on or revert back to this. (time and more materials mean more $$$) For those that hunt the water this (8") is all you need. But you never know what the future holds... Warranty - is it voided? the short answer is no but as Gerry stated in a previous reply as long as there is no misuse or damage made during the conversion. Like any product under warranty - if it is deemed a fault of the user then it will not be covered. our coils come with a 2 year warranty - if you have an issue with our product we deal with that separately - if you have a warranty issue with the SDC unit itself revert the unit back to standard and send it back to Minelab - simple. Does the conversion require any hard modification to the unit? NO. there is no cutting, slicing, cracking or any type of firm modification required. Just undo two hex screws, undo two flat head screws, help the plug around the corner in the shaft and drop the coil away - then attach our shaft piece using the clamp and screws we supply, wrap the cable around the shaft like a GPX unit or any other treasure detector, plug in and screw up the plug collar, install the Coiltek cover over this area and use the hex screws you took out before to tighten up the cover over the plug area. turn on and go! Why does the cable wrap around the shaft and not go in the middle? We didn't want to complicate the install. I am sure even Minelab would say that getting the cable up the shaft and around the elbow of the unit is tricky and requires a cap and ball chain to pull it around. We supply a cap and ball chain in our attachment kit so you can get the unit back to standard whenever you want. Essentially we didn't want to have a user make the cable go up the shaft every time they want to change a coil, its far easier to interchange coils like we have made it. How does the shaft work? It has been designed to fit straight in to the carbon shaft once the standard coil is removed. the holes line up and the clamp we supply fits to help keep it in place. one of the main benefits of this shaft attachment is it now makes the unit around 4-5 inches longer so if you are 6'2" or there abouts the unit is now extended and when I hunt with it I no longer feel like i am stooping or at risk of stepping on the coil (figure of speech!) We will have a full attachment video coming out soon which will help guide you through the fitment process. So in short we have thought long and hard about this set up and certainly spent a lot of effort creating the right shaft attachment. Of course no one is forcing anyone to buy the coils and if you think they are not for you then this is perfectly fine. Coiltek is all about providing more options for the Minelab Detectors as this is what we do and I for one am excited to see these coils get out into the market and start to provide the user with more coverage, more depth, more opportunity and hopefully more gold! Trevor.

I came across this topic on Wednesday and on Friday I experienced the same thing. After every hunt I fully charge my detector and headphones. This time I did a partial charge on both for a 6+ hour hunt on the next day. I get to the beach and I turn the detector and headphones and they are not pairing up. I tried twice to pair them up as if it was a new set of headphones and nothing. I did a factory reset and still wouldn’t pair up. On my 3rd tried after the reset they finally paired up and I was able to get down to business. That day started bad right off the bat. When I got there I went to get my scoop and found out I had left it the night before. I was lucky to have parked two spots from the night before. There were some people doing work on a house and they found my scoop and returned it when I asked about it. The day started quite bad but there was a silver and gold lining at the end.

Yep - common labels are: 333, 375, 585, 750, 917 aka 8, 9, 14, 18, 22k

If you're locating and recovering little targets like that, you'll find the gold when you eventually get your coil over it. Keep tuning your ears to your detector's unique set of sounds, and one day you'll get your coil over a chunk of gold big enough to punch up the numbers on your display as well. Keep putting in the time, and keep honing your skills and the gold will come. All the best, Lanny

Yes with the new Coiltek coils looking like they have a normal hinge/mount point, I`ll have a shot at just a standard stem. But saying that whilst the square stem looks heavy it isn`t. Most of the weight is in the convenient fold up case which is the go for a lot of users, just not my thing, plus the C cell battery holders are weighty. Swing it all day without bungee etc easy as now.

We hunted for 7 hours, I had to leave because my battery died. I brought Nox as a backup for the CTX and didn't bother to charge the battery because I hadn't planned on using it ? That will not be the case next time ? And yes, we dug a ton of holes.

Anyone who offers you up a chance at finding Dragoon buttons gets my vote What a great hunt. You found a nice assortment of finds, enough for a nice display case. Nice quality finds. You must have dug a lot of holes. That is the only way to get used to the Equinox. Sweet hunt!

What you've emphasized and illustrated is that beach hunting is very different than dry land coin & jewelry hunting. The persistant erosion effects of the surf expose and hide the time constrained layers of drops. This is not something typically encountered on dry land coin/jewelry/relic sites, except for the extreme cases of reworking the soil by scrapes and backfill which sporadically (on the order of decades) occur with development. (Exception occurs in farm fields with their annual tilling, although that is more consistent in both time and space.) I don't know how to rank beach hunting vs. nugget hunting in terms of complexity (one is temporal = time variable and the other spatial = location variable) but both have subtlties that reward the experienced, observant detectorist. I appreciate the explanation and understanding that you and other beach hunters share.

Thread here ?

GB_Amatuer, I dig it all. Eroded zinc pennies go in the garbage with the pull tabs, foil and can slaw. I'm always happy to dig nickels.....you never know, it could be a gold ring. The merc had no mint mark. HH, Rob

It will be interesting to hear reports on how much more sensitive the small coil is over the original round. I would get on the waiting list, but want to hear some more feedback before jumping in.

Update.....hit this same park yesterday for two hours and found a 1919 mercury dime and five wheat cents. There's more ground to detect in this "hunted out" park. It's still giving up many high tones like clad quarters, dimes and copper pennies which means there might still be more silver lurking under the turf. I'll keep hitting the local parks until the snow melts in the Sierra's, then it's back to the mother load for gold nuggets. Happy Hunting to All! Rob

I've now used the 24K in the field for only 3.5 hours and although the gold is flowing, its all small bits on ground I've already flogged hard. But still fun finding a little bit every few minutes ? The iron discrim I haven't had an instance where I needed to change off factory settings yet. But that time will no doubt come one day. One thing I WILL say....that 6.5" concentric coil continues to surprise me with its ability to handle mineralized ground and its sensitivity. The threshold stays solid and hot rocks are easily cancelled out. 18 bits of gold and counting......

Camo tape, like it, but initially I was going further and 3D print a flash case but decided (through perhaps sheer laziness) that the mod works AOK, SDC became a lighter, much more stable beast, although a wee agricultural looking..…………..just a shame that the aftermarket elliptical coil that was in the pipeline has not as yet become a reality.

Be sure and turn on the English subtitles under the video settings if you don't know the language. Nokta/Makro Simplex Data & User Reviews

I recently finished an intense work project that was a year and half long that seriously cut into my detecting time. Now that it's behind me, I'm finding more time to get out and swing. Researched a couple parks from the early 1900's yesterday and headed out this morning to see what I could find. We've had a tremendous amount of rain lately, making for very easy digging. Using a CTX 3030, I detected for about five hours. Almost right out of the gate, I popped a 1906 Barber "S" dime. Then nothing but clad for the next four hours, although it was a lot of clad.....$13.12. Then the last half hour, I dug a 1920 Mercury "S" dime and a 1943 Mercury "S" dime. Got six wheat cents to boot and a few junk trinkets. Happy hunting to all!

I don't feel maligned ... it's just not anything I said. haha No worries Again? Now that has me ... ?

Fantastic finds!!

Maybe changing the square carbon stem will do as well.....if i found one cheap in UK i shall pimp it.For fun RR

Lol. I'm back on my meds now. Much better. Anyway, sorry to lose focus on the main point of the thread, your great finds. The old coins you constently find on your beach runs always amaze me.

Thanks. The silver count was a nice bonus to a really great day. I usually can ID the wheats, with only a few exceptions. This hunt I did not separate the memorials vs wheats. I did remember that I saw only about 5 wheats, with the majority as copper memorials. I think only 3 zincs in the bunch. But this hunt is a example of how layered the beach really is. Most of the coins were probably lost early to mid 1960's. Some newer coins were found close by and there is always a crossover in layers. Because of that layer, I got more silver than usual. Move up just 10 years and the silver count would drop, as well as the wheat count too.

If you can use a screwdriver, hacksaw, drill, get a Li battery, USB charger with some PVC pipe and aren`t too concerned about voiding your warranty, in a couple of hours you can have the SDC in a more ergo friendly lightened status no trouble. Easy as.

I hear you on that Lucky! Its one awkward swinging detector, but we love it anyway!

Wes, I’m right there with you! That little Blue Coil, is awesome...and we’ve dug up some crazy deep nuggets. Now if Coiltek, would come out with and ergo friendly detector fram and box to swap out the computer board and stuff it in theirs, I’d be all over it! Rick

You're right, highlighted the quote in the wrong post. See revised post below. My apologies.

Golden Bonanza Days, Finale: (I will include some general tips in this section for those that are still learning about nugget shooting.)A small stream of clear water ran down that gentle slope over small pieces of broken, black and reddish bedrock salted with medium pebbles and smaller stones. With no intact, original material remaining, the spot didn’t look promising; however, I’ve found nuggets playing hide and seek in settings like this before.In retrospect, I remember way back, when I first started chasing nuggets, a successful Old-timer told me, “Lanny, water and gold are good friends.” (I really didn’t understand what he meant then, but I do now. Water follows trough and gutters; it drops into cracks and crevices, and it drains downward into low spots in the bedrock. Guess what else loves to do the same thing?)Learning what he meant, I’ve followed running or trickling water back up into bedrock that was covered in channel, and it’s led me to gold. I’ve also followed water downslope as it hugs bedrock contours, and as it dives under intact material, all with the same golden results. To be frank, I’ve also followed it and found nothing, but that’s part of the experience too: success never comes for me without failures along the way. Regardless, learning that water and gold are good friends was a remarkable tip.Knowing the relationship of water to gold on bedrock, I scanned the area with the Gold Racer. Knowing that gold loves the opportunity to drop in water when it’s moved by machinery, I’ve recovered quite a few sassy nuggets in this way, and I put two small nuggets (the biggest being just over two grams) into my jar. Moreover, the Racer screamed on both targets due to the thin layer of pebbles and broken bedrock.I worked my way up from the low spot leaving the water behind, and carefully detected every transition zone of hardness and color change in the bedrock. Each little fold in the rock; every crack, crevice, and friable section; all slips and faults, including numerous gutters and troughs, got scanned. As a result, lot of signals went into my gold pans for my wife to work down.At this point in the day, the sun was high overhead without a cloud in that alpine-blue sky. Tiny orange and brown spotted butterflies, with smaller squadrons of blue and white ones, were flitting back and forth from seeps in the dark bedrock. Large, lazy, black-bodied flies, with iridescent blue and green highlights, lumbered by us while performing slow, corkscrewing aerobatics.No wind stirred the setting, and it was getting warm, so I stripped off a layer of clothing, and as I did so, my brain reminded me it was time for a break: muscle fatigue was setting in, my stomach was starting to grumble, and I was thirsty.Our bottled water was cached in one of the small streams of ice-cold seepage water, so it was perfectly chilled. We ate our traditional mining lunch (meat and cheese sandwiches, a piece of fruit, some chocolate pudding for desert). After eating, we all had a nice rest.TIP: The five-gallon bucket my wife takes along makes a great panning-pool seat that saves the back muscles: moreover, anytime there’s panning to be done, if a seat [rock, bucket, bedrock ledge, etc.] can be found, muscle stress and fatigue are reduced.Why take a rest when there’s gold to be found? Taking a gold-hunting break lets the conscious brain rest, and then the subconscious fires up and quietly analyzes the day’s global input for processing. Next, the subconscious brain delivers suggestions to the refreshed conscious brain for recognition. (TIP: I can’t overemphasize how critical it is to take breaks to keep the mind alert: rushing without breaks severely compromises productivity.)With a rested brain, my subconscious popped the suggestion to “Go low and slow” over the previously worked northern end of the excavation. I quickly realized the bottom of the north cut needed just that process. I would head back with the Gold Racer to scrub the bedrock floor. (My son was still working his honey-ledge, so my wife stayed to pan.)The bedrock floor had dips and rolling rises of hard rock (some bull quartz too), with occasional flatter areas of softer formations. My son had already hit these areas with the Gold Bug Pro, after working his rich rise of bedrock, but he’d made only standard passes through the bottom.Firing up the Gold Racer, I scrubbed the coil slowly across the bedrock. I soon had a signal. I kept repeating this low-and-slow scrubbing process which netted a steady stream of pickers and nuggets for my bottle, with most targets trapped in cracks and seams that held almost no accompanying material. After finishing the bedrock, I went to the crazy areas (the places where you’d have to be crazy to look), and picked up some nuggets weighing under two grams that were obviously been redeposited by machinery action. (This tactic has produced enough gold that it’s part of my routine now when I work disturbed ground, either that mined by the Old-timers or by modern methods.)Using the same techniques outlined above, the next day produced more nuggets as well. It’s true, this may have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we certainly left with heavy gold bottles, but the wonderful memories of family fun over those two golden bonanza days was the greater treasure.All the best,Lanny

Thanks Gerry! I’ve happily rubbed my plastic scoop against the top of the coil - so glad to know I’m doing that right! ? REALLY appreciate the video and explanation. ? -Julie

Gerry, thanks for the in-depth response. From what I've gathered from your post, it's more like if I bought a bigger coil for my Gold Racer, the bigger coil would get greater depth and allow me to find deeper gold. On a different note, I also see the advantage for people that already have an SDC and don't wish to buy another detector, so I guess those are two solid reasons; moreover, I guess we'll have to see how much better people do with it out in the field going over the same ground they've detected/same exact patches to see what it will sniff out vs. the original configuration they used to hunt it the first time over. It's kind of like (and I do mean kind of) when they started offering aftermarket coils for my SD 2100, and how much sharper those coils were (smaller coils, larger specialty coils, etc.) at hitting gold, but there were no options for other timings on that machine, but if a person could get past all of its yodelling (extreme ground or interference, what a racket!), there sure was a lot of sassy gold found with the new coils that way. (I remember with the factory coils, I was pretty much stuck finding nuggets around a gram or larger, and that was it, but after getting some Coiltek aftermarket's, things changed greatly. Thanks for letting me know it's not easier to swing either, good information. The coil floating on the SDC is a strange one as well. In addition, I don't know why Minelab releases detectors with only one coil option (SDC) and the Z, then releases another later on (Nox 800), and why they don't already have some options ready for initial release? Regardless, a highly informative post, much appreciated, and all the best, Lanny

The sound of a good and great target on the Nox is glorious. We have so many mixed metal targets in the surf it is rare for an uncorroded, pure sound. I get it most often with pull tabs and nickels. There is a fullness to the sound. ☺️ I should note that both of these finds were 'without a clue' but in an area where I've found good objects before.

Brian, I've been using a couple of three port chargers like the one you mentioned above. One thing I've found is that with these "smart" chargers they sometimes won't go into a charge mode unless there is a decent drain or pull on the charger. The charger will just sit there because it doesn't notice the item that's plugged into it. If there's not enough draw or pull nothing happens. I've solved that issue by most always plugging in the detector at the same time as the earbuds or headphones. The detector draws enough to keep the charger in charge mode and not just in maintenance mode. If this makes any sense.

I love checking out a park or school for the first time and not finding many coins. Usually means someone has cherry picked all the coins relying on IDs and as a byproduct left the jewelry behind. I will make no claims of being able to dig gold without digging junk but I don’t mind digging foil and tabs in a spot that may hold gold jewelry. I will say that with the newer Mojave the audio is the best so far in regards to tone differences between a good ring vs. foil or tabs. But the majority of jewelry found is broken or misshapen and rarely gives a nice “round” tone. Either way, finding gold in parks is far from glamorous. To consistently find it you’re going to dig a bunch of crap.

Thank you Steve, I was either selling the SDC and getting a QED or changing it to what I believe is what most of us wanted. Especially with the hopeful release of the NF SDC coil. No doubt the Z is my main gold detector, now I also have a lightweight & easy to swing PI for those areas the Z just can`t get at, although a bit agricultural in looks it is very functional. I suspect I will use it a lot more now, well until ML make that smaller coil we seek for the Z. It was a very easy mod., the basic guts of the SDC have not been changed at all, so to put it back in its original form would take probably 2 hours max. No wires were cut, no soldering or alterations of the CBs, just so easy to do for anyone that is handy with their hands.

OK, Steve & Dave you have spurred me on, the SDC works AOK (no smoke escaped) and is ready to find that magic stuff. Note in the bottom photo, speaker & HDphone socket, the batteries will slide in the space below the CB compartment. Assuming all goes AOK ( Murphy might interrupt) this mod will make the SDC so much easier to swing, of cos it loses the "packability" it had in its original form but for me should be the go. Time will tell.