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Hurricane Marie generated some good swells and moved sand at several southern California beaches. I got gold at 2 of the 4 beaches I hunted but not as many targets as I would have expected from the size of some of the cuts. I see that a couple of other forum members also did well from Marie which was an unexpected but welcome surprise. After finding a few dollars in clad and a small, 1.8 gram 14K gold ring at the first beach I hunted, I tried a couple other beaches that didn't yield much before driving to beach #4. This beach had a nice deep cut but, again, not nearly as many targets as a cut that size could have produced. Perhaps someone had beaten me to the punch earlier but I didn't see any signs of digging. Late in the hunt I scooped out a target and was shocked to see half of a bracelet in the mound of wet sand. It had the famous Cartier circles on the perimeter of the bracelet but I have found so many fakes with those same circles before. The bracelet also had a funny color to it so I tried not to get too excited about it even though it felt pretty weighty and was stamped "AU 750". When I got home I realized that the bracelet was rose gold and it acid tested at 18K. On the internet I found out that Cartier jewelry is one of the most copied in the world but the bracelet seemed to pass all the checkpoints that determine its authenticity including its weight which was half of the typical 30 to 37 grams for a complete bracelet. At first I thought that it would be nice to find the other half and have the bracelet repaired. I still would love to find the other piece but it probably won't need to be fixed. The 2 halves are actually screwed together with permanently mounted screws. That's probably why the person that lost it didn't remove it since it is a bit of a hassle to do so. Of course, the downside is that you better make sure that those screws are fastened properly and checked periodically. Sorry for the lengthy post but pretty excited about this one. My hunting friend doesn't think it's likely that I'll find the other half but the way this year is going I wouldn't be totally shocked (well, maybe a little). GL&HH!

Been waiting for fresh drop season to slow down a bit before taking the Fisher AQ out for it's maiden hunt. Some big surf hit a spot and exposed some black sand under decent looking cuts so figured it would be a good time to try it out. Started out in all-metal under suggested stock settings. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of iron bits around. Decided to give the "Tone" mode a try, about 15 mins later I hit a high pitch sound at the lower slope, 2 scoops down and I had my 1st AQ gold, 3.6 grams of 14k! I like the Tone mode a lot, I can foresee how it's going to be a useful setting when trying to cherry pick gold rings out of coin & iron infested areas. Quarters, dimes, pennies, tent stakes, nails do come up as a low tone. Some rotten Felix pennies did come up as a high tone though, but surprising most zincs were weeded out by the machine, a lot of the trash you see in the pic sounded off as a low tone. Nickels and Gold sang out as high tones. The 925 chain came in as a high-tone surprisingly, the silver ring was a low tone. Also another note, this area was already heavily pounded by someone else judging by the grid marks & dig holes left behind. I couldn't be happier with the performance of the AQ and I can tell after I spend more time learning this machine, I'll be able to expedite the gold extraction process on some challenging beaches this fall/winter!!

Found while detecting the beach, this is a German-fired Czech 10cm VZ21n fuze, for the Skoda Houfnice light field howitzer VZ 14/19 (given the German designation 10cm LeFH 14/19 (t) ) It would have been fired in preparation for the defense of the island of Jersey, Channel Islands, from allied attack. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skoda_houfnice_vz_14http://michaelhiske.de/Allierte/UK/Handbook/Pamphlet01/01_008.HTM

Last night I went to a beach that yielded a lot of targets. On my 6 hour hunt from 8 PM to 2 AM I got 51 quarters, 40 dimes and nickels, 54 pennies (one wheat), 2 silver rings and one 10k gold ring. There should have been more rings! The trash was another 50 pieces or so. When you figure it is 4-5 scoops per target (1000 total) then it adds up to a stiff back in the morning. I found the gold ring 2/3rds of the way through the session about the time the fog started rolling in which made for an enjoyable sight as it covered up the normal lights but there was still a mostly full moon above. I was using the 15 inch coil and when I started I was down a couple of notches from full power. I thought there would not be much on the beach but I was wrong and kept pushing along finding some high cuts. Near the end of the session the detector was nearly out of power and I could hear a lessening in my headphones. Something I've wanted to say about the 3.0 update is that it really makes the quarters crackle. I don't think I remember them like that before and I wish they would be a little more 'solid' but perhaps it is because of the sandwich metals.

Dear Valued Members,As our market share and sales are growing in the USA, thanks to all of you, the amount of service requests are also increasing.Responding to end-users in a timely manner to provide them with the best customer service experience is a MUST for Nokta Makro Detectors.For this reason, we have recently added a second service center located in Missouri.Please find below the contact details for the new service center:NOKTA MAKRO SERVICE CENTERName: Andy O’NealAddress: 120 Black Ave. Chaffee, MO 63740Tel: 573-270-0447Email: Noktarepairs@wedigmetaldetectors.netThank you!

TESTING THE GARRETT APEX ------------------------------- I have followed for the Apex exactly the same procedure already used for the other detectors that I have tested in the past : a) static depth tests , b) field tests . For info I live in the North of France, the soil is low to moderated mineralized there . The iron trash varies from medium to very high. I have used the Apex inland only ( no beach detecting ) During this test, I will compare the Apex with the Vanquish and Deus/Orx that I know very well and which are in the same price category ( Apex 600e ,Vanquish 540 pp 550e, XP Deus Lite/Orx 650e ).. The Deus/Orx are a reference over here. And the Vanquish is a very good machine . So all what needed for a realistic comparison .. 1) First impressions : ---------------------- The Apex is very well built , I like the thin control box which is much more compact than the Vanquish control box. The lithium battery is a plus. The shaft has a little outdated design I would have preferred a telescopic shaft like the Vanquish , but it is easy to mount and seems robust. The Apex weights 1,17kg without the coil cover , 1,23kg with the cc , so more than what indicated in the manual ( 1,13kg ). The Apex 6X 11 coil weights 400grams without the cc , it is a little heavy compared to the Vanquish V10 coil which weights only 360grams. The Apex coil shape is a little unusual , long and narrow , almost rectangular , but this has the advantage to provide an important ground coverage par sweep compared to circular or even elliptical shapes. The Apex is easy to use . The manual is short , only 25 pages this is a good thing. The wireless headphones are very well build, they have no noticeable latency. and they worked well during the test. I just noticed a few drops out but nothing dramatic 2) Static depth tests : ----------------------- 2 depth tests have been done , one using a big copper 10grams coin at 28cm ( 11 inches ) depth , the other using a small 3grams bronze coin at 15cm ( 6 inches ) depth. See pics below. I have always used the MF mode during this test. As I expected the Apex does not hit the big 10grams copper coin at 11 inches , so the Apex does not go as deep as for example a Vanquish plus the V12 coil. This is due to the small width (6inches ) of the Apex coil and it is quite logical. However the Apex hits the small 3 grams coin at 6inches , the same result as the Vanquish and Deus so a good result. I noticed at this moment that the Apex audio signals on targets ( coins for example ) are quite sharp. Actually I found them too sharp , as if there was a little iron in all the coins that I was testing. The Apex audio is a little unusual and I would have preferred softer signals actually .. So conclusion of this part the depth tests are ok , the Apex audio is a little surprising with these sharp signals on targets , but probably just a matter of a few hours detecting to get used to it .. 3) Field tests : ---------------- I have tested the Apex at 3 different locations, where I always go when testing new detectors : - a plowed field which has been occupied by a camp hospital during the 1st WW. So quite a lot of iron trash ,plus aluminium fragments , etc .. and interesting things like buttons, buckles , etc .. - a wood near a small town containing medieval artefacts among a very high density of iron trash - others fields near a big town Total detecting time : 8 hours 3.1) plowed field : ------------------- I went 3 times in this field with the Apex. During the 1st outing everything went ok . Actually I do not like the Apex audio ,I find it not enough accurate compared to the Vanquish/Deus and too sharp on targets as I said above . And the Vanquish VDIs are much more accurate that the Apex VDIs .. Then I started to have serious troubles with the Apex .. 😬 During the next outings done in this field there I have been constantly bothered by FALSE SIGNALS. The Apex was randomly beeping while no target under the coil. There are power lines quite close to the field but I have never had such pbs pb here with other detectors Equinox , Vanquish and Deus. During the 3rd outing in this field I have even decided to leave the area after 15 minutes because it was impossible to detect due to the erratic signals. 3.2) wood : ----------- The outing in this wood has been more positive.I had very few false signals there and the Apex did a good job in this area infested by little ferrous. I even found a nice medieval buckle missed by the other detectors. I have appreciated the 11X6 coil which has very good separation abilities . As I said I am not a fan of the Apex audio but it worked ... at least in this area. 🙂 btw it has rained during all the outing , so difficult conditions , and I had no pb with the high hygrometry , a good thing 3.3) other plowed fields : -------------------------- During this outing we tried 2 fields In the first field I had the same pb as above , false signals again .. There was a gsm antenna not far , perhaps this could explain the pb . But not justify it , because other detectors work very well here .. It went better in the second field where I found 2 coins. My friend found 3 coins with his Deus . So quite a good result for the Apex here.. One more thing I do not like with the Apex , the backlight activation. To activate it the menu button must be pressed 6 times, then the + button 1 time ,. Total 7 times ... Same thing for desactivating it.... On the Vanquish 540 you just have to press one time the dedicated button it is far simpler , I usually just need the backlight a few seconds to check the VDI , so the Apex backlight is almost unusable for me ... The Apex should have a dedicated backlight button .. CONCLUSION --------------- At the moment I have decided to stop the Apex tests because of this important 'false signal" issue . This is not normal that the Apex cannot be used at places where other detectors work perfectly well. 😒 I have never experienced a pb like this actually. I do not know where it comes from, EMI or others ... I have informed my dealer about this pb and he will contact Garrett. I hope I will have news on this soon.. and a solution to fix that pb , so that I can restart the tests. btw I have tried all the settings to get rid of the "false signals" issue , reducing the sensitivity , ground balancing , changing the channel , etc ... With no results up to now ... I think that the pb is more related to the Apex electronics/software or coil design ... Future will tell

You hunt one side of a draw and only find trash. Your mind keeps telling you to cross the drainage below and go back up the other side (grass is always greener theory) so you start hiking away and eventually turn off the 7000 just to cover ground quickly. Eventually getting to the other side, you fire up the machine and start your search. Not 10 minutes into it and that sweet soft sound comes thru the sweaty headphones and I can tell it is not surface trash. I get a little gigglie as I reach over my shoulder to grab my pick and ....holy shit...I reach over my shoulder again to grab my pick...., Now the holy has left and it's just shit... as I realize there is no pick? This is the hard part for guys 50+ as I try to think of where my pick be? Well the sound of that target was too good to leave, so for the next 15/20 minutes I used my plastic scoop as it was not designed and or intended...and scooped/picked away removing bits of dirt, pebbles and clods 1/4" at a time. Eventually 6" later it is removed from the divot in the soil I've so feverishly been working. Now most of us at this point would use the big super magnet at the end of our picks and run it through the freshly removed dirt trying to suck up any iron trash targets. Well as you recall, I did the "holy shit" thing and lost my $100 pick. So going old school (for those of us who's been doing this a while and we had no magnet on our picks), I used the hand/scoop over coil method and eventually found my little treasure. Yes, there it was a nice .2 maybe .3 gram, 100+ yr old beauty of a boot tack. Now I'm not only upset at the old prospector who lost his tack, I'm still pissed at myself for losing that fancy APEX with the magnet. Where could it be?? as I'm thinking and can only guess to hike back down the ravine, across the wash, up the other side (holy shit - this is going to take a while) and then walk around trying to find my last dig spot. I'm just about to the point of calling it a loss and not giving a holy shit anymore and realizing $100 is gone, when I then realize something even more shittier, is the fact that I did not bring a spare pick. Well this would not normally be an issue if I was close to home, but the reality of it...I was in the 2nd of a 4 day prospecting hunt (new area and ground to me) and was almost 500 miles from home. So the reality of things is I better get my holy shit together, hike back up that ridge and walk the side of a mountain trying to find my last dig. Well I have to admit, I didn't think I'd find it, as the sagebrush was 10 to 14" tall and all the terrain looked the same. Luck would be on my side and I eventually did find the pick. You know, I'm usually pretty good at not losing my own pick and in fact have found 2 picks and many scoops in my many yrs of detecting. But I did learn a lesson for future trips. As I get older and these hills get steeper, I better start packing a spare. What is the longest hike back or time you have had to go to find your pick. BTW. The gold in the area is not known to be nuggets (according to the old research records), I guess they missed a few.

Coming from using mainly the XP Deus on many of my local 1800's sites, I purchased an Equinox 600 to compliment the Deus and to see how it would fare over the same sites. Whilst I am still learning the Nox, so far it has impressed on both depth and ability to squeeze some more targets from what is some pretty difficult ground due to iron contamination (plenty of large nails). Of particular interest was how well it does on the mid to low conductors (damned .22 casings), and in one case pulling an 1863 British penny, fob watch winder and a large iron nail from the same hole. Am pretty keen to re-visit many other local sites to see what other surprises the 600 can offer.

I have to chuckle at this topic as I am very guilty of this unpleasant situation as each year goes by since about 2009. I typically loose my scoop. One time I was out hunting with Oneguy and I found a scoop, and I thought cool, I got a spare. Well within 30 minutes I had lost my favorite scoop, the one that comes with the Gold Monster. I tried to back track my route, but I was unsuccessful at finding it, so I used the one I found, which I didn't like too much as it had riffles in it. Well the next trip out hunting with Oneguy and he said he found a scoop and asked me didn't you loose a scoop last weekend. Yep! Sure enough he had found it and gave it back to me. Well Lunk and Steve showed up and one of them was talking about loosing a scoop there and I pulled it out and sure enough it was one of theirs. I seem to be getting worse with this as I now am aquiring a habit of leaving my phone in shopping carts and driving off. I did this two weeks in a row. Yep, I gotta laugh at this. This getting older thing and forgetting scoops, picks and my phone makes me annoid at myself. I have to be very aware that I don't forget my test nuggets on the ground when out detecting. That would really piss me off.

Hello Today i went to a Sandy beaches which has been popular since the 50s but also hit hard (as most of the beaches are).I took my MDT as i was told it was a potentially good beach for PI but i wanted ti try the Tarsacci 1st as it is Tarsacci week in the RR house.Anyway first target was the stainless tube which gave me a shit reading but i dug to keep myself warm. Then came 1 whisper in my headphones with positive ID took me 5 minutes to dig and the 1st 50cal cartridge was out then same signal and same target really deep maybe at 40/45cm (15").The copper deep too maybe deeper but could mesure as it was a fight to take it out, the hardest was i only took the spade. While digging those deep stuff i realise they were on a layer of crushed and broken shell under 35/40cm of sand,i shall be back there tmw God willing RR

Mystery solved. The customer in question asked for 2 coil covers as part of his order. Since they had a couple of prototype covers available - they were shipped. Production coil covers are not yet available. My apologies for not clearing this up sooner!!

Abenson I got the same problem, iron really cripples the apex and this hybrid audio system is very annoying. I did a test with a dime in between 2 nails and even when im right over the dime barely moving the coil into the iron, the dime is down averaged so much it becomes an iron tone. I can imagine it only gets worse if the dime is under the nails...

As far a s false signals go I haven't really experienced that in clean ground (other than 1 park I went to). But when you enter a patch of iron. look out! The closest thing I can compare it to is the Equinox when running it hot, which I do most of the time. By hot I mean sensitivity all the way up, iron bias at F2 0 and horseshoe on. The difference is with the Equinox you can pretty much tell a false on a nail vs a good target pretty quick. The good target on the Equinox will lock in and tune out the iron. With the Apex it's weird you can't really hone in on the target even when it's good. It's like close nails tend to steal the strength of the signal so you get a centered hit on the good target then a hit off to the side and as you circle around the good signal the center moves. Drives me nuts! It doesn't help that iron pulls the ID and audio so far down on the Apex either. And Garrett is in the background doing videos trying to explain iron masking, like we don't already understand that issue. Well it's a different story when you can see the coin/target next the the nail on the surface and it's beeping on a dime with an ID at 37-40. But try going out in the field and use that theory. You have a group of signals all over the place in the 15-40 (yea nails false that high I've experienced it first hand) range trying to pick out a good target, and the good target is only coming in at 37-40. On top of that you can't get it to lock in. Maybe I have a bad machine, but I know it's not me. I've got enough experience metal detecting that I know it's either a bad machine or a bad design, not sure which.

Couldn’t agree more. I despise the tones on it and the recovery speed is pretty terrible. One thing i’d add is a problem with false signals, i’m really struggling with those and frequency shift doesn’t help.

Really good find. You realize that the other half probably isn't all that far from the half you found.......... Better get back out there before someone else finds it! Unless they already did 😬

What you see for sale is a bunch of older generic stuff that practically no one who might buy "the company" would want to mess with. What is not for sale is all the key equipment for making detectors. I suspect they are still trying to strike a deal on an overall sale. For the most part, there is nothing preventing a company from making the same detectors as White's was making. Replicating the circuit design is easy, but they would also need the micro source code. Source code repositories are on the company server with limited access so it's not a matter of anyone's "know-how," it's a matter of having the source code. Everything else is simple. If an "overall sale" never happens then White's may piecemeal-sell the designs, and then FTP might show an interest. When I started the F-Pulse design I considered re-creating the TRX. I did not because (a) I had only recently left White's and felt that would be a bit unethical, and (b) the TRX was an incredibly difficult project (I designed the circuit, but did not write the micro code so I would have to start from scratch on that). So I went with PI instead. One day I may design a "PRX" pinpointer, but not for now.

First passes were in all metal mode. Then, in tone mode and, finally in mute mode The iron nail is fully discriminated but the lead bullet gives a lower tone than the gold or aluminium. The pull tab can not be discriminated out.

Well Gerry, I would have replied sooner but I misplaced my keyboard. Years ago when I was falling timber I would carry a stout single bit axe for driving wedges. I was forever leaving it behind and loosing it. One day my falling partner said "did you loose your axe again?" I told him "yup. I have a hard axe to follow."

So having used and test the Garrett Ace Apex for a bit now. I've come up with some things I do and don't like about the machine. If anyone is on the fence about buying one this might help you make up your mind. I think Garrett is heading in the right direction with all the modern features they have included on the Apex. Here's what I really like about the Garrett Ace Apex. 1. Wireless headphones 2. Backlight display 3. Rechargeable battery 4. Easy to navigate menu 5. Easy to read display 6. Great sleek look 7. Light weight 8. Ground balance capabilities 9. Weatherproof design 10. Adjustable frequencies What I don’t like and why, yea I know you can’t have everything you want with a $425 machine. 1. Lack of accessory coils-IMO the 6” x 11” Viper coil is too big for trashy sites and not big enough for clean sites. 2. Iron audio-IMO the iron audio on the Apex is pretty much worthless. It’s too loud even on 1 and the machine can’t reset fast enough and drowns out good signals close to iron when iron audio is used. 3. Notch discrimination-notching out 5 segments at a time is too many. With the Apex already struggling at depth and in iron, you need to be able to notch out one number at a time so you don’t lose targets in iron or make them even more jumpy when the target is deep. 4. Lack of adjustable tones-5 tones on this machine doesn’t work well, especially in iron trash. The iron tone and the very low conductor tones are too close in sound. Yea you can hear the difference but since this machine pulls down target ID so bad in iron, a 2 tone option or even a 3 tone would be much better so there is a distinct separation of the audio. 5. Lack of usable search modes-Really all you get with the Apex is set discrimination patterns, not search modes. When you change modes you simply notch out different segments you may not want to dig. Depth and separation remain the same, many other machines on the market both more and less expensive change the recovery and depth in relation to the mode you choose. For those of you that have the Apex or even if you don't, I would be interested in what your thoughts are on the Apex.

Hey all, Today I went out for a quick one hour run on a 18th century site. I have found a lot of good things at this place. Yesterday they started to cut a long driveway around the property, so I decided to hit the cut. I found a 70's penny, a 40's golf club head and half a horse shoe. Then there was this chinese coin, the first I have ever found. I tried to google but came up with nothing that matches. The coin is very thin and seems to be copper or an alloy of copper. I was hoping the DP gang could help with a date for this odd little coin. Any clue's or help would be great.

Hello to all,went this morning to the 50cal cartridge spot i knew more less were to focus .I decided to take 2 tools to dig (mistake)once i arrived midway the blue tooth started to play.I had to go back to the car take the Tarsacci Headphones and left the spade and kept the sand scoop. It was rainy ,windy plus sand flying all over the place,the main spot stayed exposed only 30min.......but the first signal was : A IMMERSION PUMP........ Second was a 50 cal cartridge and thought i was on a roll ,same as yesterday all targets where staying on the hard layer around 30/40cm once reach it is hard work and i still think i need 2 tools because the beach good spots are 15min from the car park. Anyway the coins were sharp signals the iron copper pennies give a funny ID and were not deep(a spade would have been better),all the shrapnells were as deep as the 50 cal and positive all the way. Now while i learned few lessons today regarding my kit,and were i need to improve. I really think the MDT once master gonna be the beach machine for me i just need to find a deep ring to be 100% confident. I am sharing those pics as a beginner will no Golds rings everywhere and Piles of silver coins it is only harsh reality here pounded beaches.......... Enjoy RR

Phrunt... You own every detector ever made?...lol Gotcha...(couldn't resist a poke...lol)

Weather here has just been too damn nice to call the season over just yet. Managed to get out this week on Tues. and Wed. and scrounged up 2 pieces on Tues. and 15 on Wed. Supposed to be another nice week ahead after rain this weekend? Hopefully a few more hunts before I call it....

How can you make life long lasting memories drinking merlot/pinot in the desert? Ya gots to let the hair down on occasion Peg. Only live once right.

Simon, That only works for aliens using mind control! But if you want to post us a picture of you modeling one, i would love to see it!!🤣👍👍

Great find. The bracelet is called the Love bracelet. I hope that you find the other half. Retail is $5k.

Well....not exactly new, but new to me. My wife was thrift shopping yesterday and picked me up an old used Estwing 12" steel gold pan as a surprise gift. I was happy that she recognized it and bought it for me and I think its pretty a cool pan. I normally use a green plastic pan but I think it will be cool to swirl a metal pan. She wants to see it in action. She "suggested" I go pour some gold into some yard dirt and pan it out and see how I liked it. I "suggested" that we go out Sunday morning to a local spot and see how it works on fresh gold. She then suggested we wait and do a road trip and make it a long weekend thing......oooh......better and better.... I have no idea how it will turn out but I'll let you know. HH Mike

From the videos I had seen the audio seems a bit more like the AT MAX and less like the AT Pro. I have used my buddies MAX and by all rights a pretty descent machine but the audio seems a little more mechanical and chirpy. Used my AT Pro in the river nearby as tide went out with gb ranging from 87-96 due to the heavy natural iron deposits and I was under some power lines. Machine ran perfectly smooth. If they update the Apex it would really be nice to get that sort of stability and audio that many still appreciate from the Pro.

My knowledge of Chinese cash coins is modest, but the "I Ching" piece depicted is a modern amulet/good luck pocket charm, not a true circulating coin. Personally I have found numerous genuine cash at 1850's California Gold Rush sites and 1880's railroad labor camps, the earliest coins dating back to about 1700. Hope this helps; HH Jim

Yes,,,, for your teeth.

Jim - Not losing the elevation on the side of a hill as we get older, is sometimes more of a challenge than the actual hunt. I agree, it's a mind over matter. Glad you were able to recover the pick. Thanks for contributing. Matt - Good point on a cost savings (Harbor Freight), but on last weeks hunt, I don't think there was one within 150 miles. Maybe if Elko, NV had one? Since I have seen so many lower quality picks break, I'll just add another APEX to the back of the truck. Good to see you on here and thanks for contributing. Joe - Glad I'm not the only who has done such. You being a beach hunter, I totally know the feeling of losing a scoop. I was with a staff member in Cancun a few yrs back and he got into some rocks, so the $300 scoop was no use. He did not want to lay it on the beach and have someone walk away with it. He laid it down in the rocks under the water. Well an hour later he comes over to me and says I need to help him find his scoop. Now you'd expect a couple guys with $2500 detectors that can find a gold ring 12" deep could find a big metal beach scoop? After about 30 minutes of us criss-crossing I finally get a whopper of a signal and sure enough it was his scoop. Thanks for sharing your same 50+ issues. Valens - You do bring up a point I have seen many timing while training groups of people. Sometimes the younger ones just feel it's easier to buy another than to try and find the original. I've learned, those few folks are normally not going to be good at metal detecting, as patients/persistence is half the battle. Thanks for your input. Skookum - Great points to paint the handles. I actually have a Staff Member who paints all his wood handle picks bright PINK for a couple reasons. 1st is we are doing quite a few trips with many customers when training and most of us all use APEX picks. Not once has a guy grabbed my staff members pink pick thinking it was theirs. Also, the pink pick is easier to spot at distance. BOOTS - I've done that before and now I keep a 2nd pair of detecting boots in my truck at all times. Only benefit of flip flops is there's no metal in them...now that is funny just trying to imagine you out there. Thanks for sharing. DDancer - You bring up a good point about the GPS on the 7000 and plotting your digs. When I was in MX earlier this yr I had one of my staff show me to use the GPS on the 7 and it was much easier than I had expected. It also made things much easier and safer when returning back to the rig after a days hike. I highly recommend those who have GPZ to learn the GPS for such occasions. Glad you were also able to find then night-light a month later. Did it still work? Thanks for adding input. Joe D - Or anyone else who may know. Has the cost of those small GPS Tracking things become relatively inexpensive yet? Yes I keep a 2nd pair of non metal boots in my truck.

How about one of those little GPS locators, glued on your bright yellow handle! And throw a spare set of shoes under a seat! It would be worth not getting stung by a cactus, or some angry critter! 👍👍

I'm a sand scrubber myself so I like using a coil cover even If it does add a little weight...Here's what I use to keep sand/water from penetrating under the coil cover, just run a small bead of this stuff along the open edges and let it cure...

Like Lucky, Crown is on my menu.

Best be carrying some survival gear in your backpack! Trust me, no one likes body recovery! It gives the finder PTSD! 👍👍

In any of the modes you are listening for narrow responses with clean "sides". Just easier to hear in mute. cjc

Good story Gerry. I've read (skimmed) all the answers and this is the first one I read that said anything about the 7000 GPS. I use it to find my car sometimes! I used it in Australia. All those trees look alike! How? When you turn it on it shows where you started on your tracks. You keep it on you can 'back track' with ease (find the pick) and even take some shortcuts if you know the direction that pesky car is parked behind a hill. I sometimes rely on it too much to never be lost but there is a problem. When you turn off the 7000 for a break or reset you now lose your tracks for that session. Unless you set a way point for your car you have now lost your starting point and I must use my old, confused logic to get me back. Mitchel

I find marine epoxy to hold up beyond well. Once coated, maybe a slight touch-up yearly. I should add that I am a coil scrubber. My coil stays glued to the beach.

Great hunt and fantastic find on the bracelet, hope that you find the other half in the future.

Slim, Thanks for the report. Which coast are you on? Trying to get a handle on where these machines are ending up. Thanks, GaryC/Oregon Coast

Generally iron buttons are late 1800's to present, but iron was always available and was probably used earlier as well. Most Civil War era and earlier civilian buttons were brass, pewter or tombac. Undergarment and buttons to jeans were generally brass or iron. I'm not sure how many posts you need before you can link a video. Others that have done so can tell you better on that issue.

…one of the reasons I put all sorts of tape with garish, loud colors on mine. It's really helped when I walk away from it.

Who would want that idiot as an advisor?

It's all about speed and efficiency. Use a Bigfoot or Cleansweep coil if they are not prohibited by hunt rules. Some hunts won't allow them as they are deemed to offer an unfair advantage. Which pretty much tells you the story on how well they work for scalping shallow targets.

For electrolysis, I use a model train transformer and watch it carefully. Less power than the battery charger shown above, adjustable and yet I still need to watch to make sure I'm not loosing the silver too.

I agree that electrolysis would probably do the job but I would proceed with caution. That could be a valuable coin being that it is set in gold. I agree with JoeD and would probably have a capable jeweler involved.

I would use electrolysis. Just keep an eye on it, so you don't go too long. Here is a silver I cleaned a few months ago. I don't usually clean any of it, but this one stirred my imagination. Just used a small battery charger.

Especially when it comes to Tesoros, they are like Timex watches, they just keep on ticking. If it works, use it. No reason to mess with a Tesoro unless you really need to.

I want the Impact or at least the Anfibio features in a Simplex light weight package/form factor. I can live without the internal cable routing if it saves on weight. Great writeup on a detector that is kind of getting lost in the shuffle with the subsequent Kruzer/Anfibio/Simplex launches.