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Another of my customers wanted a light weight detector for his wife and one that could do it all (well most styles of detecting). So I told him the new Equniox 800 is the detector of choice for Multi Taks hunters. Here is her story of this amazing find. What was funny and not mentioned.. All the guys in camp were giving grief to her husband because she found the bigger pieces. Heck...I would be happy just to have my wife out there swinging with me. They did not realize how lucky he is. https://www.minelab.com/usa/community/success-stories/from-nugget-virgin-to-nugget-queen

Because Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Scott was already taken.

They say “the early bird catches the worm”, but how early are we talking here? I have been trying to make it to the beach two hours before low tide but by the time I get there somebody has already been there. The beach looks like it was bombarded, there’s open holes everywhere and junk targets laying besides them. It’s been hard trying to find the good stuff when there’s so much competition but I’ve managed somehow. Anyways, these are my good finds for July. The last 4 rings and heart are gold. The very last picture of a single ring appears to be silver with a little gold. I also found a working GoPro 6 in the water. Thanks for looking and happy hunting.

I don't have a problem with people being anonymous if that's what turns them on, but on some other forums certain low life use it like a little kid throwing rocks over a fence. Cowardly 'no names' heaping abuse on others knowing that they are unidentified. At one time I copped heaps of foul and personal abuse from one character simply because I had honestly criticized a product. He carried on like he was some sort of monster, but through various means I was able to identify this 'keyboard warrior', who turned out to be a little five foot nothing weed. When anonymity is used to perpetrate cyber bullying and abuse it stinks. This sort of behavior is a sad reflection of the modern age.

Beatup was nickname i was given for how i looked when i was into dirtbike racing ,hare and hound races and long distance desert rides , you know beatup and bloody .

No thumpers for me.... except when I come back empty handed to the Taskmaster? We went for a little exploratory mission yesterday to “parts unknown” and I managed to skunk.... par usual..... and all Taskmaster could get were some teenie tiddlers and this one nasty piece... i wish he could have found a nicer example I thought this was a set of dentures...lol??

I do and I am.

Names can be tricky. I had a friend named Robert Dick. He named his first daughter Ophelia.

In a tidy house like Steve’s, it ikely makes no difference. There is a reason however why the wearing of masks has often been agains the law. On the other hand, there was the Lone Ranger!! Lol So I-guess, however you choose to be known - you or I will sooner or later be KNOWN. And that reputation will be based not on our name but on our behavior. In a well managed forum, that’s probably good. This is a well managed forum, I reckon.

Fred Mason is who I am except on Robs forum . I am easily confused when someone uses a different name on every forum. I just keep my life as simple as my wife will allow....

Maybe. I know Simon (Phrunt) has done well with his. You might want to ask his opinion. My thing is that most gold is in areas with high mineralization that is really rough on VLF machines. (remember, Simon is in the easiest ground possible) If you are in high mineralization areas, I would suggest pulse induction machines or similar. Personally, I wish I started with the SDC2300 and worked my way up from there. Yes it is more expensive, but waiting and studying and saving more money, may be the way to go. Either way, see if you can buy used. Everyone has an opinion and really I don't think anybody is wrong. It is what works for their ground, with their knowledge. Good luck!

Hey Fred, I'm alive and well. That 13.5 hr leg of air travel from Sydney to SFO is a killer. I've been up in the mountains of N AZ getting out of the nasty Yuma by the Sea weather. No detecting, since I don't have a detector yet! Just relaxing in the cool mountain air and working with the new dog. 9 weeks old, but coming along pretty good. I was amazed at how many people have these "Doodle" breeds. The rest of the story is best told around a campfire. Dennis got just over an oz, 11 grams in one speci that he broke up at home. With my detector woes, I got about half oz total. The opportunities were there, we just couldn't get over the gold in some of the unexplored areas.

I would have to hunt midnight to 8 a.m. to miss the locals and crowds. Traffic, competition, kids were just too much distraction to get the job done. Plus the times when you would walk into a run of beached squid was magical and scary with all that expelling water sounds you would hear all around you. I would love those early hunt hours. I miss my So Cal beaches! These central Oregon beaches just aren't bather beaches. Love your finds!!! GaryC/Oregon Coast

My first online poker account on party poker was lackingaces. When I signed up for twoplustwo (poker forum) I didn't know if I was going to have to type my name each time so I shortened it to lacky. I played poker full time for 9 years and part time for more, and am known as lacky by lots of poker friends so I just use it for everything now. It is always available.

My first 21st Century detector was the Gold Bug Pro. I was no pro, so Gold Bug Amateur (GB_Amateur for short) seemed to fit. I've m/l retired my GB Pro but it will always remain part of my arsenal for sentimental reasons if nothing else. Great story by one of its developers, Jorge Saad, starting on page 11 here: http://www.fisherlab.com/wtn-2014/ chronicalling how they initially hesitiated to provide all-around capabilities for fear of scaring off their intended target market as a gold detector. Ironically it may be a better all-around detector than a gold detector, while being good at both.

It was a lot of fun. Most folks left Sunday afternoon, but Rob gave Craig and I, and Lisa and Bella, permission to stay until Monday morning. Lisa and Bella did very well bottle digging, while Craig and I concentrated on raking away the thick layers (up to 10" deep) of decomposing pine needles from several house sites, which resulted in several coins being found, including my first "fatty" Indian Head Cent (1863, the date Diamondville was founded) and my first Shield nickel. I also found a brass name plate, and was hoping to research it, by I can not now find it. Grrr! Craig found a really nice gold pocket watch, with glass cover still intact. And some coins. He also found a cool "Junior Pilot" badge, probably from the 1930's. James (Tough Run Metal Detecting channel on YouTube) and Larry scored their first gold. On the find's table the big quartz rock, which gives a "multi-gram" gold signal, was found by Craig. The 4 pieces shown in my palm in the opening scene were the first of 9 that I found. The video of the training seminar that Gerry and I taught was much longer, and well-received. Rob's video neglects to show the several hail storms we encountered. Note the cold weather clothing; as I type this back home in the Mojave the summer monsoon season has begun, I have to admit I'd rather be back in Diamondville digging for gold. HH Jim

Big difference between forums and other social media. On social media it is generally all about being famous and so you want to use your real name. On forums people much more prefer to protect their privacy. I always used my given name since I did so many detector reviews, and thought it the right thing to do to reveal exactly who I am. I used to think people identifying themselves would make people more polite on the internet, but that theory has long since been proven wrong!

Hi everyone, i'm excited! I just purchased a GPX-5000. I got 10% off the total. With an additional 8" commander mono coil, the total came out too 3.8k. I studied for awhile on which one to get, the GPX-4500 or 5000. I figured for 1k more I could get the better one, so I got the GPX-5000, Yay!

I was one of the first to get an Equinox 800 in the states and I have been using it on the beaches ever since. I've found a lot of good targets while walking long distances with all 3 coils. Today I switched back to the 11 inch coil after using the 15 inch coil for the last two weeks. I use Beach 1 mostly in the damp sand but it is possible to use Field 1 and get some nice targets also. I have the sensitivity at 22 and speed at 6 or so and have stopped using tracking. Today I increased the volume on the iron targets (those below 0) and I'll work with 5 and 50 tones. When I started this morning I noticed someone on the beach before me and they were furiously swinging something. I think they had a PI but I'm not sure but he was in a hurry and was going in my direction. I didn't see him digging much and neither was I. I was swinging pretty fast also. It was time to go in the other direction on the beach. I did some combination of low tide wet sand and damp sand trying to find a patch but I was walking 'towards' a beach I like. That is when I found the large Guatemala coin which sounded like a penny. It was just bigger. I continued on for almost a mile getting very little but then I hit upon a couple of targets. This slowed me down. I've seen some videos where targets are missed when the coil is moving too fast. Today that was happening to me because I started digging quarters, dimes and nickels at 12-15 inches. The coil speed had to be just right and I could hear many more targets and there wasn't much trash. (I threw about 10 pieces away before I took the picture.) A quarter at 14-15 inches doesn't always sound like a quarter in the beginning. Nickels can be a 0 on my screen. It became a dig everything patch that I worked for over an hour. I was 'there' and didn't have to keep going on to another beach. Sometimes I keep walking fast in search of a better beach but when I slowed down I found the silver ring at about 12 inches, faint and repeatable with a slow swing but I would have missed it walking speed. This same 'pattern' of faint targets mixed in with the corroded pennies continued. I surprised myself with 'holes in my swing' and grid pattern. I was finding targets right under my feet as I tend to swing off to the right side. (Check your grid pattern for holes!) Anyway it was a nice patch. I was not in a hurry and I think I got most of it but we'll see tomorrow. Mitchel

Thanks, Condor; It ain't easy to find gold, even harder in unfamiliar terrain and English that is not always easy to understand. I look forward to a campfire chat... fred

sometimes I wonder what a parent is thinking...I had a relative named Harry, last name Balls... Another time my Bro and I were playing racquet-ball....while taking a break a lady came in looking for her husband. What's his name..." Dick Sweat, she said"...we laughed and said there was no way we would ask for Dick Sweat...so, she changed it to Richard and we found the correct Dick... fred

I like to find gold and I am always right ?

Ive been on the run from the law for 20 years. Would be a little stupid to use my real name incase the police googled it.

I figured if Steve wanted real names he would just ask my name on the sign up. He asked for username so I gave that. I'm too boring to have anything to hide Reg, and I work in a prison so probably not a nervous person. Not sure why nicknames became the norm for forums but it's always been that way.

My mate called me Seeker, and i used that forum name for years, i think I unconsciously pulled away from that name because it reminded me of her, since i live in Alaska I just added that to the handle and it softened ..that part for me, shes been gone now for 10 yrs, but i remember her daily. There are some on other forums that ive known for a long time some ive hunted with, they still call me seeker, its ok ....

Like phrunt this this name I have always used for everything internet since the day it started. Started with the internet room in college and never looked back. It was a completely random choice of name. Funny thing is it is never taken where ever I have to use a login or username ? I still like some anomitity on the net but when I PM folks I state my real name. I am almost certain that it has “freaked” people out to to have conversation with ?

DolanDave- I lived in Dolan Springs Arizona when I got into prospecting, which is right next to Gold Basin, Arizona.... used the name on all the other gold forums, and stuck to it, even though Im in Las Vegas now... Dave

Spud Digger Johnson has just released the latest video on his "Spud Diggers" YouTube channel about hunting for gold, relics, coins, and bottles at the 1860's mining camp "Diamondville." One of the highlights was a lady who, using a detector, dug up a diamond ring... and then her boyfriend proposed marriage! Lots of good gold was found. HH Jim

Nice stuff! I hate the smear every detectorist gets because of those slobs and idiots.... fred

I was the first PE teacher to bring skateboarding into the curriculum in CA and for years I was referred to as the "Skateteacher" and then the Skate guy. It just stuck so after awhile I just kind of gave up trying to go by my real name. The skateboarding in class became such a big deal I was even featured in an NBC Nightly news with Brian Williams segment. It was right after he was shot down in Bosnia ?.

Just some stats for those who may wonder about such things. In the last year (July 2018 - July 2019) this website had just over 350,000 unique visitors (each person counted once, not every time they post). The top ten countries.... United States 55.5% Australia 13.93% United Kingdom 8.22% Canada 2.45% France 1.19% Germany 1.18% Italy 1.06% Netherlands 0.99% Turkey 0.92% Russia 0.71%

It helps to post the video here Jim so people don’t have to go looking. Most won’t. Use the Share option in YouTube to get the link, then paste into your post. Video magically appears!

A piece of information I value and often can't find (or can find, but sometimes unreliably) are coil weights. I'm attaching a list I've assembled. These weights include the cable and the coil cover (unless noted). The uncertainty of the measurements is estimated at about 2 grams. Coils that are made with the same name and nominal dimensions, but for different detectors, will likely have some difference in weight due to the number of windings and possibly other discrete components (e.g. resistors) inside. But you can still get an idea of a weight if you find a coil you're interested in but it's listed for a different detector. An example here is the Detech Ultimate which came in at 532 g for the Fisher F75 and 549 g (as measured by Phrunt) for the Fisher Gold Bug. A more extreme case here is the "Digger" coil for the X-Terra series at 481 g and the same housing, cable, etc. of a prototype Gold Bug coil weight of 437 g. Coil_weights2.pdf

Well I am assuming people know what I mean by tuned, but maybe not. I mean the electronics are designed and set to detect gold (not relics). Or maybe a clearer statement would be that if you are looking nuggets, don't get a relic hunting detector and try to use it to do both. You can and people do, I just don't recommend it. Just a personal opinion I have. I don't think Stephen clarified, yet, what he was actually hunting for ... nuggets or rings ...etc.

Yeah, he`s confirmed he`s an OZ. Hey, JW is it time the lad was transported to Tasmania????

Norvic? Did you read what this guy just said? ?

Very nice finds! I live 10 minutes from the beach here in SoCal. I don’t know why I don’t go more often.

I don't see the use of user names, unless you have something to hide or are frightened of your own shadow.

I chose Lytle78 as a forum name and still use it on most forums. For Steve’s place, I thought that we might be better served - on the whole - by using our real names - makes for a certain accountability. The funny part of the “Lytle78” handle was that I chose it because my Norwegian wife and I were married (by a strange set of circumstances) by a JP in Lytle, Texas. Only problem is that I was a bit confused about the date - we were married in ‘77, not ‘78!! Nice thread, thanks for starting it!!

Here is the link to the Minelab Finds Site and his story to go with it. https://www.minelab.com/usa/community/success-stories/first-gold-coin-equinox-800

My last name is Fisher, so all my life I was called all things fish...flat head, mullet guts, fish guts, trouty, tuna face etc. Tuna sort of stuck and was probably the most palatable of what I've been called. Madtuna came about after a series of unfortunate events resulting in hospital stays. I use the same user name on all forums I'm on but usually sign off with Steve. I don't go on the anononimity thing though understand why some people may need to. Because our station is in the gold fields of WA and heavily visited, we need prospectors to contact us so my name, address, phone number email etc is posted for all to see. Hell...there's even a photo of my bum floating about the www. No hiding here.

Phrunt...…. refirees not retirees...….retire is what tired people do, refire is what go getters do...….? tis a magic time of life.....

I got out to Tarnagulla today for about 2½ hrs and as I was detecting back to the vehicle I got a birdshot sounding signal where someone had done a light scrape of the ground. Down about 1" and I really thought I was chasing birdshot, but when I had it in my hand, until I put my glasses on, I thought it was a rusty piece of steel. ?

That’s an excellent point strick. We are all individuals and different machines just “click” one way or another. The truth really is that a skilled detectorist can make finds with many different detectors. I was doing great years ago before any of these detectors existed, and if all I could have was a $400 detector I would still do well. Good locations and effort along with knowing whatever detector you have is the real key to success, not any one “magic stick”. True story but the thing I like most about the Deus is the hand grip. That machine is extremely comfortable for me. And the way it just compacts down so easily. The Equinox hand grip took time for my hand to get used to. It was uncomfortable at first. Now my hand has adjusted with use (they actually do) and it’s a non-issue for me, but I know Deus users that tried Equinox and went right back to Deus just over that one factor. It’s the little things that often matter once you get to the point where any one of a dozen machines will work. In my case though I have been trying for decades to get to where I could use just one detector for everything and Equinox being waterproof out of box puts me in that camp, all other things being equal. I do like to get in the water now and then and have no interest in the Deus waterproofing kit. Again, that’s just me, but it’s things like that where many people make decisions and the scales tip one way or the other. In a way the Equinox radically changed my detecting life. I have been trying multiple machines per year for the last 20 years and never had less than a half dozen and often many more. With Equinox I finally became satisfied. It’s not perfect but for me it hit “good enough” across the board. Good enough for coins. Good enough for jewelry. Good enough for relics. Good enough for gold prospecting. Good enough for water detecting. There are specialized machines that can edge it in certain area, like Deus in dense iron or maybe Gold Bug 2 on the tiniest of tiny bits. But across the board for somebody that wants to do it all with one detector? It’s the one for me until a better one comes out. I still have a few machines sitting around just because I have not gotten rid of them yet, but doubt they will see much if any use before they go since I always grab the 800. The only one I have to keep is the V3i and that is simply because it runs my Bigfoot coil. It’s not the machine... I almost prefer the DFX really, but the coil that keeps it in the collection. I am boycotting PI (or GPZ) type machines until somebody makes what I want. The PI models are all 20th century units and most are ergonomic messes or too low power. The GPZ costs too much, weighs too much, and Minelab dropped the ball on coils. Price I can bend on but I’m done supporting detectors that need harnesses with my purchasing dollars. Once I get that machine, if ever, I am pretty much done. It will be nice when I get done weeding and cleaning house. I have had a large area devoted to metal detecting and prospecting gear for the last 40 years. Soon it will all fit in a closet or a trunk. Far better for my downsizing lifestyle!

Just now seeing this...been all caught up in the X coil and "Mans best friend" threads... Merton you are right something I really hate to admit lol I know the Deus is probably a better relic machine (in iron) then the Nox...but I've never really clicked with the menu in the deus and then the updates seem to complicate things. I'm more of a cave man...beep and dig type of detectorist...The Nox menu and screen quality make the Deus appear more like Apollo 11 (deus) vs Space shuttle (Nox) so the Nox clicks better for me...sadly I've been thinking of selling the Deus since I have not ever used it since the Nox came out. Anybody know anyone ? Have HF elliptical never used before. strick

Hello, I have been beeping since the end of 2012. I come to learn and share what i can, i have found a little gold, some meteorites and coins. I enjoy hunting for all these things and even relics i have found some forks and other scrape from emigrants heading west. Thanks for having me here and i look forward to meeting and learning here! h.t.?

That Le Trap square pan is my secret weapon for doing final cleanups, nothing beats it IMO and you can get gold totally clean, even ultra fine stuff. I don't use it like a normal pan at all though, not sure I ever would but who knows maybe it works good like that too. The way I clean up with it is use the "riffles" carved into the far 1/3 of the pan bottom to collect you material and shake it side to side and back to forth slightly at the same time to settle stuff. Keep just a little water in it, barely up to the 1st real riffle. Swoosh gently the top material off your pile of cons to the back of the pan then snuffer it up and replace the water you removed. Repeat this 10+ times until you have mostly gold and a bit of heavy cons scattered on the pan bottom riffles. At this point you can do a tap on the corners, sides and back that gathers the gold into a little pile in the corner of the pan (a little gentle shaking while tapping sometimes is necessary), it will be close to 100% clean gold. Snuffer that up. Now you will have a little bit of fines and a little bit of heavy cons left. I personally just dump that all back into a container which itself gets dumped back into the Le Trap on the next dredge cleanup and the process repeats. but you can also clean that bit further using the same process if it's all you have or want it all seperated right away. It's really quick once you get it down, you'll surprise people who can't understand how you can get your gold so clean. It's far easier with the square Le Trap than with any other pan I've ever used. You can even clean hard rock crushings which are very fine when you get good at it. I should probably buy a few more myself just in case they disappear entirely, I love those things.

Hi HTH, and welcome! Looking forward to your finds reports. Jim

Steve this is a great well run forum, I like reading the posts from all over, I really like that folks here share info willingly hoping to help someone just getting started.. We both know it would have been a lot easier to learn if places like this site were around in for instance in the 70s when we were novices..I bought my first unit in 1972 and I learned by basically digging everything." I can say I've met some very interesting folks including yourself in this hobby..Years ago I used to travel to Nebraska to attend the Treasure week, I was fortunate indeed to have met some folks there that were really into Treasure hunting...A lot of them are gone now, including my Mate... What an adventure it has been... Norma June and Van Fossen. Houston Texas in the late 80s

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