Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/08/2019 in all areas

  1. I cleaned the contacts with the eraser and tried charging but after 20 minutes it turned off. I checked ohms of all 4 contacts and they checked out. I went ahead and used 2000 grit sandpaper to clean the contacts again and that took care of the problem. I put it to charged and it never turned off again. The last six times or so that I would try to charge it would always stop. Thanks again for all the help guys ?
    5 points
  2. Here is a photo of how I modified the coil cover on my EQX 800. Works fine for me on our Florida beaches. One swipe in the water and the sand flushes out.
    4 points
  3. Last weekend Spud Digger Johnson of the "Spud Digger" YouTube channel hosted another outing at the 1863 ghost town and gold mine located on private property near Idaho City. About 30 avid detectorists were in attendance, lots of goodies were found, and a good time was had by all. Two attendees found their first natural gold, needless to say they were delighted. My 9 pieces weighed in at 2.8 grams (GM 24k) but Craig's baseball sized chunk will far beat that in gold content. Several nice coins were found, among the ones I found were a Shield nickel and "fatty" Indian Head Cent, both "firsts" for me. Likely some video footage of the event will be posted on the "Spud Diggers" and "Tough Run Metal Detecting" channels. It was fun. HH Jim
    3 points
  4. I suggest you start to drill your holes from the inside of the cover. That way there's no ridges left on the inside to impede the flow of water. Just the view from my foxhole...
    3 points
  5. No point in me going back. Picked all the winners already.
    3 points
  6. I wanted to get this posted on the anniversary of D-Day. I'll let the picture of this copper plaque speak for itself. The back story is personally significant, but is inconsequential to the recovery itself. I am honored to present it to this forum on this date.
    2 points
  7. But Minelab isn't looking to cater for people wanting a Nox or that price range. They are looking to cater for people wanting a better than starter machine and rip into the Ace 300/ 400 market I think. The Terra is old and needs replacement so I still feel that's the Vanquish is that and will be in the £300 to £550 price range . If it can mix what the Terra can do and what the Nox can do in the surf well enough , it will eat Garretts for breakfast . We'll see.
    2 points
  8. Deep 1, I've been drilling numerous holes in my coil cover for years and, like you said, it works fine and the coil itself is still protected. After years of hunting the beaches, I found that with a solid coil cover, no matter how well you try and seal them, salt water and sand gets in there. The real problem comes from the indisputable fact that once in there, the sand has no way to get out thus the problem. After I drilled holes in the cover, the water flushes out the sand and I'm good to go. When I get home and remove the coil cover, I find there's only a few isolated grains of sand left...not nearly enough to cause any problems whatsoever.
    2 points
  9. Fred I got a good signal under cap rock after getting down about three feet it open up to goanna hole. All I got for my effort was a dingo trap. I don't know if the trap caught the goanna or whether he dragged the traps catch back in his den. Next time I will look for any burrows, the entrance was 3 meter away.
    2 points
  10. The family in question was using nuthin but Fisher 440's. 1st trip got them about 20oz....2nd was maybe 200oz. Nuthin smaller than 2-3 grammers though.....them was the days....
    2 points
  11. Received my copy in the mail, sat down for a quick look-see,. Ended up reading half the book before I knew it :)
    2 points
  12. I am primarily a gold prospector but I do enjoy all things metal detecting. The thing is I really like finding gold (or platinum, silver, etc.) so my focus is always on precious metals. That being the case relic hunting has not particularly appealed to me, especially given the laws surrounding finding true artifacts in this country. Many relic hunters are at least technically in violation of federal law if they are recovering items 100 years or older and in many places 50 years or older can get you in trouble. I don't need that kind of problems in my life, and so even though the actual risks involved tend to be overblown, it is not something that excites me. I have the law firmly on my side when prospecting for gold on land open to mineral entry. Eight years ago some friends suggested I might enjoy hunting ancient artifacts and gold in England. The UK has laws regarding the recovery of antiquities that are far superior to ours. They actually support metal detecting and have proven so successful that museums are being overwhelmed by the numbers of exciting finds being made. I always wanted to find a gold coin anyway. My friends suggested the operation that centers around Colchester, England. Colchester is the site of the earliest Roman occupation in England and has history extending far earlier. The Celtic tribes in particular were active in the area, with many Celtic gold coins found by detectorists. The gold coins found span the millenia though including hammered gold coins and milled gold coins of more recent vintage. Just browse the website finds page for an idea of the types of finds made every day in this area. All photos in this story may be clicked or double clicked on for larger versions. Just one field of several at this one location. I could have spent the whole trip here. The hunts are limited to a couple times per year when the farm fields have just been harvested or planted, so Feb-March in the spring and Sept-Oct in the fall. The limited timeframe and limited openings means it is hard to get your foot in the door with this club unless you apply a year or more in advance. 2019 is already filling up and people are booking 2020 now. Long story short I made the trip for two weeks back in 2010 as told at Metal Detecting Ancient Coins at Colchester, UK. I refer you there for more details especially photos of all my finds. The hunt was amazing with finds ranging over a 2000 year span. Finds that would be world class in the U.S. are not only common but considered "new" by comparison to the finds I made almost every day I was in England. Yet I did not score that gold coin. There are many found, but when you consider the number of people hunting 12 hours a day the reality is that you have to be very lucky to get your coil over one, even given a full two weeks. I came away better educated on that reality. It was a fabulous trip but I was in no great rush to return knowing what I learned, plus it rained half the trip, and UK farm field mud is as sticky as it gets. It is far easier to find gold nearer to home and I went back to prospecting and jewelry detecting as my main focus for finding precious metals. Nostalgia does creep up however, and as time passed I thought I should give it another go. I booked a slot with two of the hunt managers, Minnesota Mindy and Chicago Ron, figuring that I had a shot at maybe at least one of them. I had never met Mindy but we knew of each other from Ganes Creek days, and Ron I took a photo of making his first Morini Celtic gold coin (see story above). A year went by and then suddenly Mindy had an opening, which I jumped on immediately. Just a few days later Ron had an opening. I was going to decline, then saw by some miracle his week started when Mindy's ten days ended. I really hate making trips of any magnitude for less than two weeks. This is low odds stuff and the costs also do not justify short hunts in my mind. I booked with Ron also and suddenly had seventeen days in England on my calendar for October 2018. By sheer coincidence it turned out that a forum member unearth (hi Gary!) was booked for Mindy's portion. Field with view of the River Stour I got a ticket with United for $1250 round trip to Heathrow from Reno, NV. It is a pretty easy flight really. Afternoon flight out of Reno to Los Angeles, and then 11 hour overnight flight from LA to London. Overseas flights coach class is more like domestic first class, and if you can sleep on planes you can sleep most of the journey away and wake up in England. My return was the reverse but routed through San Francisco with a longer layover in order to deal with customs on re-entering the U.S. No real issues for those used to navigating large airports. It could be exciting for novices however but just relax and ask for help the minute you have any problems. The trips to a certain degree are like an all inclusive vacation with most everything covered, but may include nights out at English pubs for dinner. I did none of that my first trip so looked forward to seeing a little more local flavor this time around. I must be mellowing with age because it is not all about the hunt these days - I am making more effort to smell the flowers along the way and just enjoy. Accommodations on the trip are in barns that have been converted to apartments, which is why these types of hunts are referred to as "barn hunts" but there are other options. Rooms are normally shared - my room for the first ten days. Art was a great roommate. I got far more lucky with weather this time much to my relief. It makes everything more pleasant for all involved. Groups consist of seven or eight people including the host, who busses the group to different fields each day or twice a day. All morning hunting takes place on one farmers fields. The hunt may continue on that farmers land in the afternoon, or switch to another famers land. The farmers are paid by the number of people on their land each day so for logistical purposes it is one or two landowners per day. The amount of land available is mind-boggling vast. There are fields that have been hunted for the 16 years the club has been in existence, and good finds are still being made. This is part due to the sheer size but also the fact that the famers deep plow and turn the land. Targets that were too deep or on edge get brought up or reoriented, and so areas thought dead come back to life on a regular basis. I proved that myself this trip. New fields are also added on a regular basis for those who like that feeling of being on less hunted ground. I took two Equinox 800s on the trip, one outfitted with the new 15" x 12" coil that arrived just before my departure. This is a fantastic coil, very light for its size, and just the ticket for covering huge areas. There is a depth bonus also on most targets but to me that is just a bonus. That extra 4" coverage per swing is far more important in improving the odds for finds than another inch of depth. I will get more into my settings and how they evolved during the trip as a follow up post. United wants $100 for a second bag, and I was able to bring two complete Equinox and everything I needed for three weeks on the road in a single 40 lb bag plus small satchel carry on. Nice! I could drag this out as a blow by blow accounting of each day but let's cut to the chase. Just a couple days into the hunt one of our group found a Celtic gold coin, always a good sign. Five days into the hunt Gary (unearth) scores part of a medieval gold ring with a red stone, possibly a ruby. A great find and Gary was very pleased to find gold - who would not be? Congratulations Gary! I and the others were finding various old coins and artifacts similar to what you would see in my story from 2010 - lead seals, hammered silver coins, watch winders, buttons galore, musket balls, etc. Gary scores gold and a gemstone - jewelry finds are very rare October 16 dawned nice and sunny, and we went to hunt some of the older ground in the club and so few people want to hunt there. Yet I was immediately busy digging "gold range" targets with my focus being on target id numbers from 7 on up. I will explain the reasoning there later. I made a few passes back and forth digging all manner of small lead bits when I got a nice little 7-8 reading no different from hundreds already dug in the last few days. I turned over a spade full of dirt, and out popped an oddly shaped piece of gold! Celtic "Votive Offering" fresh out of the ground! I knew it was gold but I was not sure what it was. It looked like a small torc, normally a band worn around the arm or neck. This was too small, maybe 5-6 inches long, so it would barely loop around a wrist enough to stay put. More like the size of a ring really. Whatever it was I knew it was great and my emotions soared sky high. I reached in my pocket for my iPhone to take a picture.... and had an emotional crash. My phone was gone! I went from elation to panic almost instantly. I left the find and detector where they were, and proceeded to backtrack my trail. I had not gone far and the ground was rolled flat, so I determined I must have left the phone in the van with Mindy. So I got on the radio and announced my find of a "mini-torc" and explained I had lost my phone. New Minelab Equinox 15" x 12" coil helps make once in a lifetime find Mindy was excited and said she would be right there. She did indeed have my phone, so we rushed back and took photos of the find. Everyone gets excited when gold is found and this time was no different. Now that I had my phone I got excited all over again, quite the rollercoaster! Happy guy! Photo courtesy of Mindy Desens Celtic gold, the find of a lifetime for sure. Many of the Celtic gold coins found here date from around 50 BC to 25 BC and so it is reasonable to think this find is of similar age, though that cannot be determined for sure without further testing. Gold dropped around 2100 years ago - simply amazing! Equinox and Celtic gold! The find has since been labeled as a gold "votive offering". The ancients lived for the harvest, and offerings were made to the gods in the form of gold tossed into the field to insure a good harvest. At least that is the theory that tries to explain why nearly all the farming land seems to have at least a few Celtic gold items found in them eventually. The truth is nobody really knows for sure as there are no written records from that time. For all we really know this might be an ancient gold hoop earring! That's half the fun, imagining what this stuff is and why it is where it is. The club has been hunting these fields for around 16 years, and while many Celtic gold coins have been found this is the first item of it's type, making it a particularly rare and satisfying find. It is really hard to get my head around the fact that somebody last held this gold over 2000 years ago. Celtic gold "votive offering" closeup All gold or silver that is not a coin is immediately declared as treasure to the museums. I actually got to handle the find very little before it was whisked away to a safe. The museums will evaluate it, and possibly bid on it. High bidding museum gets the find, and the money would be split between me and the property owner. If the museums decline, I will pay the property owner one half the value and eventually get it back. This normally takes about a year but can take two or more years depending on the backlog. Every item found that the finder wishes to keep must go through this process, and there are only so many experts who can identify and catalog all this stuff. I live for the hunt and the photos. It's not like I haul gold around to show off to people - it all resides in a safe deposit box. So for me the only real value is in making that adrenaline rush happen and then having photos I can easily share with others. I won't mind therefore if it sells at auction and I get half the cash. Clean and easy. If I get the opportunity to get it back however I may very well have my find fashioned into a ring. There are not many people in the world who can claim to be wearing jewelry fashioned before Christ was born. I could sell it myself no doubt for over twice whatever I pay for it, but I don't need the bucks that bad to part with such a find. Celtic gold details - actual age unknown but BC, around 25 to 50 BC if in range of coins found in area The Equinox with 15" x 12" coil did a good job making this discovery. As a classic open ended "broken ring" type signal it was reading 7-8 and was detectable to only about 4-5 inches in air tests. I am guessing it was about 4 inches deep. The Equinox is exceptionally hot on gold and while you can never say for sure it is very possible that this gold item was left in this heavily hunted area because it is such a poor signal on most detectors. Needless to say I am very happy with both my Equinox and the new 15" x 12" coil. It is the perfect coil for this type of large field detecting. Speaking of Equinox I was surprised at how many were already in use with this random cross section of hunters from around the U.S. About three-quarters of the hunters were swinging the Equinox, most having switched from the Deus or CTX 3030. Other than the typical minor quibbles people were unanimous in liking the machine and there was constant talk about how well it was performing. The Equinox really loves round items in particular, and people were reporting noticeable increases both in depth and target id accuracy at depth. Ferrous identification is almost 100% accurate under these conditions. I dug only one ferrous item in nearly three weeks that just clearly fooled me, a very deeply corroded steel spike of some sort. There were a handful of other ferrous targets I dug that I figured were ferrous but were borderline enough I figured "just dig it". Better safe than sorry, but in each case they were the expected ferrous items. Lots of Minelab Equinox plus a Deus and CTX The next day we were back in the same general area. There was one small plot Mindy wanted to hunt and nobody else was interested, so I decided to hunt with her. I was at one end of the field and Mindy the other. I was hunting fast, trying to cover area, when I got one of those showstopper signals and dug a nice 1737 George II milled silver sixpence. I had no idea what it was - kind of looked like a Roman emperor to me and so Mindy had to take a look. I found I was best off not speculating on finds as I was usually wrong though I am learning. The "George" I know now is a dead giveaway that this is a "recent" vintage coin. A real beauty though and I was quite pleased with it. 1737 George II milled silver sixpence It was only 15 minutes later that Mindy calls out on the radio that she found a full Celtic stater, the larger of the Celtic gold coins. It was her twelfth gold coin find on these hunts over the years, and a real beauty at that. I am one of those people who get nearly as excited as the finder when a great find is made - I love seeing people do well detecting - and this was very thrilling to witness. Although I was in no position to complain this was exactly the sort of find I had hoped to make myself, and it is nice to know these targets still remain. I had walked maybe ten feet past the coin as I headed for the far end of the field. Just a stunning coin, and looked almost brand new even though it had been in the ground for around 2100 years. Gold is just amazing in that regard, whether nuggets, jewelry, or coins, they pop out of the ground like they were dropped yesterday. Mindy scores a Celtic gold stater - her 12th gold coin 45 BC to 25 BC Addedomarus - Trinovantian tribe 5.58 g.16.90 mm Can you imagine, twelve gold coin finds, including a hammered gold noble, some sovereigns, and Celtic gold? Mindy is amazing. Here I am looking for my first gold coin and she gets her twelfth - now you know why this hunt attracts people. The next day we were hunting some of the newer, less hunted ground, but after some high speed scanning I wandered off to an area that has been hunted a lot before because two gold sovereigns had been found there recently. There are areas where there are lots of targets, and also vast stretches of fields where targets are few and far between. People tend to like the idea of new fields, but they often have very few targets to dig. I kind of prefer older target rich zones that have prior gold history because even after years of hunting I have no problem digging lots of gold range targets in these locations. This does usually mean lead but I am happy to dig lead targets all day as opposed to being in an area where there are only targets once every 15 minutes or more. This was one of those locations, and I was in gold hunt mode digging lots of tiny signals in the 7-10 range with 9 being particularly prevalent. This almost always is an oblong little bit of lead, but I dug another nice 9 signal and up popped a large gold flake! It was not much different than something I might find gold prospecting, but is either a fragment of a hammered gold coin that has been worn to oblivion or maybe a portion of a blank gold sheet. I don't know but it was my second gold find in three days and so very nice to see. Just making one gold find is exceptional, and two in a week is harder yet. The flake only weighs 1.03 grams and is 15.05 mm long and 0.80 mm thick. Truly just a flake of gold, and another testament to the gold ability of the Equinox even when running the larger coil. I was pleased with the find as much from a technical aspect as anything else, since I have already found countless similar flakes of gold while prospecting. I went all the way to England to find a flake of gold! It finally came time to say goodbye to Mindy and the group and get handed off to the new group incoming with Chicago Ron. Ron is an incredible hunter with a real nose for making finds. I really enjoyed watching him - an artist at work. In fact there are many people on these hunts that are amazing detectorists (Scott and Scott, and Mike, I'm looking at you) and there is always something to learn by observing good detectorists in action. What makes Ron special is he just wanders around in an apparently random fashion, yet consistently wanders into some really great finds. He has one of the best noses for detecting I have ever seen. My luck dropped off in this final week but no complaining here - nobody would sympathize anyway! I had my trip in the bag and was more relaxed and I was admittedly cherry picking a lot more now, focusing on the gold range and round targets. Most people are hunting hard for hammered silver coins, but for me those were more accidental bycatch. I just hunt for gold and let the rest happen. I had the chance to eat out a few times with Ron's group and enjoyed seeing more of the local flavor than I did on my first trip to the U.K. There was a dinner night out with Mindy's group (I bought dinner and drinks for all celebrating my find) that was a good time. I just love the English people and these nights out gave me more chance to interact with them. I even took time out from a hunt to go shopping in town with Mindy just to see the town of Manningtree close up. Again, one of the benefits of making a great find - the pressure was off and I did not get so crazy about just detecting. Manningtree, England One pub in particular out with Ron and company was directly across the street from where the captain of the Mayflower lived. The history everywhere you look is just stunning. Ron like nearly everyone in his group is was swinging an Equinox, and early on one day of the hunt he made a find that is rarer than the gold coins - a huge 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown (30 pence). This is one of the few English coins with no king on the front because England was a Commonwealth without a king for a brief period of years. How this 14.39 gram silver coin was still sitting in the middle of a hunted area is a mystery, but as we all know if you do not get the coil right over the spot finds get missed. The coin is 34.66 mm or 1.36 inches in diameter and 2.0 mm thick. I got a great photo of Ron with his first Morini Celtic gold on my last trip, and here he is again doing his magic. What fun! Chicago Ron and 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown Ron's 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown I added to my collection of hammered silver, 1700 and 1800 copper coins, and milled silver coins with the remaining time I had. I tended to wander off in oddball directions away from the group, doing the "go big or go home" thing by hoping to get into some little corner or hotspot overlooked by others. Given the size of these fields there are limitless opportunities for this sort of wandering, and it often means fewer finds. It is however how spectacular finds like a horde happen so I do enjoy giving it a go. It ultimately is my favorite type of detecting, being alone in some place wandering around doing my own thing. Gridding target rich zones is probably more productive, but it has a mechanical work aspect to it. Wandering is more freestyle and also more conducive to the sort of meditative mental state I achieve while metal detecting. I am one of those types that lives in my head and some of my best thinking is done while wandering around detecting. I get so into "the zone" that hours flash by in apparent minutes. Whether I make finds or not I find metal detecting to be wonderfully refreshing. For me at least there are few things more relaxing than metal detecting. The trip ended with a spectacular bang by another new Equinox owner who recently joined the forum. Tim was kind of frustrated with the Equinox when I met him, but I did what I could to help him gain confidence in his detector, and the finds started coming. The very last day he made a find that exceeded my own in some ways, but that is his tale to tell so I will leave it for now. It was so awesome again to be around when a major find was made, and come to find I had walked about 30 feet away from it the previous week. Miss it by a foot or a mile, and you miss it. Usually you never know what you miss, but in this case I got to find out. It may be hard for people to believe but I am happier that Tim made the find than me. I am getting a bit jaded these days whereas Tim nearly fainted from the excitement. I get a real charge out of seeing that in people and Tim is just a really nice fellow. He really worked hard for that find and it was an awesome way to have the adventure come to a close. I am sure we will hear the details about Tim's amazing find very soon. I could not be happier with my 2018 UK adventure. The weather this time was really great. I actually got a farmers tan while in England! Mindy and Ron and his wife Gretchen are all great, doing everything they can to insure people have a good time. The folks I got to visit with in both groups came from all over the country, and I could not ask to meet a nicer and more upbeat bunch of people. I really am going to have to give this another go because I finally came home without that gold coin. Even that is ok because what I did find is even rarer, and I made two gold finds on the trip. Eight years ago I went home with a pouch full of great stuff, but I think my pride was a bit wounded that I had found no gold. I am supposed to be the "gold guy"! I am constantly competing with myself at some level, and this trip really left a warm glow. Again, my thanks to all involved for making this one of the best experiences in my now very long detecting career. Just awesome!! ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2018 Herschbach Enterprises Many more details and pictures later in this thread plus the settings I used so do follow along ! Here is a partial selection of some of the finds I made on this trip. I won't be able to post a complete listing until I get the museum documents back - may be a year or more from now! A few finds made by Steve Herschbach in England, 2018
    1 point
  13. I like my little Compadre. While it looks overly simplistic its actually a pretty decent metal detector with a full range disc circuit. I bought it for my wife but then I modded it with a connector so I could switch out coils and now I run my Cleansweep coil on it. I just set the disc to accept my lowest reading ring and go beep and dig with it. Since I'm only hunting the top 5 inches of dirt or woodchips I don't need a manual ground balance and the sensitivity setting on mine is just right for my EMI and depth requirements. The 12 kHz operating frequency combined with the full range disc is plenty sensitive to the targets I'm after. And if you like to tinker, its a cheap detector to mod with. I like it and can recommend it to any and all. HH Mike
    1 point
  14. Richard you are 100% correct in what you say about the Vanquish being brought to the market to compete with and supersede the low end Garrett detectors with two models priced just as you say. The Vanquish to compete with the lower end detectors is much the same as what Minelab did when bringing out the Equinox to compete against the XP Deus. There was a recent Europian Minelab distributor meeting in the Netherlands where the Minelab Vanquish was the purpose of the meeting and general discussion and although all attendees were sworn to secrecy it looks like a few are singing like canaries.
    1 point
  15. How can I make a dredge for fossils. I don't want the fossils to go through the pump. I haven't bought anything yet...just using bucket classifiers and its painfully slow with all the blue & purple clay and leaves. We are on a small creek that runs through a swamp in South Carolina. Right now we are just going through piles of excavator dirt from the creek bottom but would like to get into the hand size teeth in the creek bottom. We are considering just using an excavator and a gas powered preasure washer to wash the fossils off the clay. Any help would save me time and money. Thanks?
    1 point
  16. robin You may not know this but extra detectors is good for holding up wall in your house. That’s what I’ve been telling myself to justify having more than one. The day one will do it all I’ll still have more than one . They may just stand in the corner and I may never use any but it’s the joy of having them. The day I can’t hunt anymore I can say “I remember when.” Chuck
    1 point
  17. My thoughts: There are a LOT of subtle and not-so-subtle factors in play here that could contribute to the difference in signal performance. First, you pointed out the obvious - the different coil size. Remember the 9.5" elliptical is actually a 5 inch wide coil, so depth will be significantly limited compared to the 11". Basic rule of thumb - 5 inches max depth for the elliptical (the 9" length only really helps with coverage and does not appreciably increase depth vs.say a 5" round coil) and 11" depth for the 11" coil. BUT that is in neutral ground. Now I own the 9.5" elliptical coil and I know under ideal conditions it can go deeper than 5" depending on the target, but head-to-head, under the same soil conditions and target type, the 11" will have a greater depth by at least a few inches. So this, by far, would have the most significant impact. Second, because the coils have different frequency ranges and setpoints, you cannot both run at exactly the same frequency. The legacy coil runs at base frequencies of 4, 8, 12, and 18 khz. Whereas, he HF elliptical runs at 14, 28, and 80. I presume you were running at 12 and 14 khz, respectively. Even though we are talking a small difference, there is a difference nevertheless, and if the target of interest happens to resonate at 12 then the same target may have a much weaker signal at 14 khz, especially at depth. You still should have very similar frequency-based performance however for most targets at 12 and 14, and the coil size discrepancy would have a much greater effect, but it is a factor to be considered. Third, there are limitations on some parameters on the ORX that can have a significant effect on how well you hear the target signal including the fact that you cannot adjust the underlying silencer filter setting on the ORX vs. the Deus (on the ORX and the Deus the silencer automatically adjusts with reactivity setting in Coin Fast, but is turned off in Coin Deep, but on the Deus you can also just turn the silence off regardless of reactivity and program setting). Audio Response is also fixed on the ORX, but adjustable on the Deus, though I DO like the ORX fixed default audio response setting. Finally, there is a significant difference in the signal processing filters of Coin Fast and Coin Deep. Coin Fast uses "normal" Version 5 Deus software signal processing filters, which are quieter than the Version 2 Deuss software filters used in Coin Deep. However, Coin Deep tends to sound off better on deeper targets despite being chattier than Coin Fast. Finally, not a big fan of the limit of 3 tones on the ORX with fixed breakpoints. I personally prefer pitch or 5 -tones and like the ability to adjust the breakpoints on the Deus. It is still usable, but is pretty limiting IMO. Pro tip. Even if you are coin shooting or relic hunting. You might want to give the gold modes a go. It is a pitch-based tone, so there is no tone ID, only visual ID, but you might be surprised at the sensitivity that VCO audio gives you (volume and pitch increase based on how close the coil is to the target, similar to pinpoint). Gold mode is really like hunting in all metal, though you can apply some ferrous target audio rejection, it is not the same as the coin modes, but very sensitive. Give it a shot, especially on those borderline targets that your buddy was hearing clearly. Without knowing the specific target types, target depths, or site conditions, hard to say exactly what was going on, but I think the coil size discrepancy may have played a large part. Regarding the X35 coils - I have an 11" and I like it if I am going after depth with either the Deus or ORX. Great coil, with a great range of operating frequencies. The addition of the 25 khz over the legacy 11" coil is awesome, and a sweet spot frequency for me when hunting CW relics (buttons, brass, and minie's) which tend to light up at that frequency. I think picking yourself up a 9" or 11" X35 coil would be a great compliment to your HF elliptical. However, by far, my favorite general purpose Deus/ORX coil is the 9" HF round. Good depth, light weight, and just a great all around coil for relic hunting, coin shooting, or dry beach jewelry hunting. HTH HH
    1 point
  18. Think I would get sidetracked and snag it too if it came with a Tejon. They don't do anything different on the Back series on that electronic wise do they? Doesn't it just have the DD coil and a new paint job? In any case those analog machines really shine with the lithium rechargeable, just make sure they are the 1.5v aa's.
    1 point
  19. Tough sledding out here in WA. We've put in a lot of miles exploring along the "line of strike" gold producing zone. We generally start from old Drill Site roads or old pushes and do a 1/4 mile up and back grid along the likely areas. The few we're finding are where weathering has exposed deeper ground on the old pushes, plus the Z 7000 can find tiny gold the original detectors missed. They didn't miss much based on our return so far. Our hearts were thumping yesterday when I got a deep low tone way down in the caprock. Luckily Nurse Paul was nearby and brought over the jackhammer. Paul put in a yeoman's effort on the hammer, Dennis and I traded off digging out the hole. We waved over the hole with everything we had, GPX, GPZ and 2300, and with the exception of the 2300 it all sounded good, but it just never improved even after we were down over a foot. Finally even the 2300 was giving us a signal and we gave up for the evening. Paul went back this morning and finally pulled out some kind of hot rock, the story is much more detailed, but that's the jist. No doubt Paul has his version of events. The weather has turned nasty, threatening rain and gusty winds. Camp Yank took some damage from the wind, turned over the prep table for cooking. Pots, pans, plates and everything associated got dumped into the dirt. Paul cleaned it up considerably, but I think he left some soap on my dinner plate, cuz I'm feeling a bit puny this morning. We have the gazebo anchored on each end with an ATV to keep it from blowing away. Dennis gold photo is his cumulative, mine shows this weeks finds only. It's just a matter of time till we hit a big one. Flies continue to be a menace, they just don't quit. They're having a tough time today with these gusty winds, but they'll find a way.
    1 point
  20. Dang, that is a big trap for a dingo... Yes, the burrows are a problem, especially when some smart-ass person throws a beer can down the hole. I should modify my statement- in virgin ground a signal under the caprock is ALMOST always gold....
    1 point
  21. I drilled a series of larger holes on the wider areas of the cover and numerous small holes around the narrow rim area.
    1 point
  22. If gold detecting the 80's was a serious for real gold rush, with gold prices higher than today in equivalent dollars. And a decent VLF was all you needed since stuff was essentially virgin. My old business was launched on the back of that gold rush.
    1 point
  23. Have you noticed that all coil covers' bottom surfaces, not only the ones for the Equinox, aren't smooth? What I do with my coil covers for all the detectors I have had and now the Equinox, is to put a bead of RTV silicone all around the top edges of the coil cover, making sure that the silicone does not get between the cover and the coil. But the Equinox coil has numerous areas that have to be sealed, and this takes some time to accomplish. Anyway, the 11" coil has been sealed this way, and soon a 6" coil that I bought from Amazon.
    1 point
  24. Youse guys should check that HOTROCK...it could be a meteorite. Of course you can't keep it...it would belong to the Crown. Strick, almost everything in or under the caprock is golden...almost... It is very exciting when you get a deep signal and it is under the caprock...the breathing gets short and the BP rises...then the work starts. good luck guys fred
    1 point
  25. That Plaque is in excellent shape..I'd leave it as is congrats on your first relic...looking forward to your next one! strick
    1 point
  26. I thought you were trying to get a Mojave? Congrats on the purchase and please let us know how you like at the beach or wherever you use it. HH
    1 point
  27. Time travel?.....3K in my pocket.....take me back to 2008 just before the crash. I'd spend 40 bucks on a used tracker IV and buy stock with the rest on the day after the market crash. HH Mike
    1 point
  28. Well I ended up returning the first eBay Compadre as it wasn’t up to its description. The gentleman agreed and gave me an instant refund. So found another at Transbay Metal Detectors where Greg talked with me for about 30 minutes on the phone. He’s a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to detectors and kind enough to give you his time and share his experience. Greg sent to me a new open-box Compadre in perfect condition and also included a new Black Tesoro hat as well as a few other goodies. One of my better eBay purchases. The Tesoro Compadre is tiny. I’d never actually held one in person, so I was totally blown away on its diminutive size. I’m looking forward to the first session with it, in a few minutes, in the backyard. Thanks guys & gals!
    1 point
  29. Try rubbing the contacts (very lightly) with a pencil eraser.
    1 point
  30. We shall see. It is hard to see how there is room “under” the Nox 600 for a simultaneous multifrequency detector. All that X-Terra technology waiting for a new mechanical design and a software/hardware “tweak” to let the same coils run at both available frequencies (unlike the X-Terra - and it’s hopeless ‘buy a coil of each size for each frequency” mess). If I am right in my guess, then you are right as well - Minelab will have some fast explaining to do as to why anyone would want anything “obsolete” like a “singlefreaker”
    1 point
  31. DeltaDigger It wasn’t a true test for depth being most was just covered but some between 5 & 6 inches. The lineup next to the quarters the one that has a stone has a small metal loop and the ORX hit it about 4 inches solid. I was running in coin fast and no headphones. I know from past experience it’s best to always use your headphones but nowadays you just don’t know who will walk up on you. The Best Chuck
    1 point
  32. I enjoy detecting because it takes me places I otherwise would not go...its the silence and solitude, the only noise is the rustling of grasses by sudden burst of quail or other animals when you suddenly come up on them. I just think theirs way to much noise, be it people, politics plastered on television, and other stresses of life. Metal detecting/nugget hunting takes you away form it all. IMHO I think new blood (young folk) are awakening to the benefits of the outdoors, some choose other activities to do..but we all seek the same thing. Peace and perhaps some gold. I don't think the spirit of adventure has died with new generations..its growing.
    1 point
  33. I added a new twist this year. Next to the panning trough. Is a old miners cabin. It has a recording of the trials of the miner back in the day. I was telling the kids the cabin was haunted when they were listening to the recording. When they were all engrossed listening to the story, I would sneak to the opposite side of the cabin,of the doorway where the kids were, and scare them at the window. About 30% of the kids jumped. Ha.
    1 point
  34. This is my first post on this forum . I have been a long time lurker and a non posting member for a while . Just had to post after reading Steve's brilliant post , love the pics too ! Steve , you deserve every wonderful find just for running such a brilliant , decent forum . It's a total credit to you and a breath of fresh air compared to so many other forums . Your trip description makes me feel like grabbing the Nox and booking a trip to the Old Dart right now! As you described though there is a bit more involved than just getting an air ticket . Keep up the great work and I hope there is a gold coin waiting for you on your next trip . All the best from the land down under .
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...