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  1. “As proven today, the finding of military ordnance from the Civil War is not uncommon in Maryland, and these devices pose the same threat as the day they were initially manufactured,” the fire marshal’s office said. People are encouraged to report such discoveries to the authorities and remember that even vintage artifacts can be deadly. In 2008, a man who collected Civil War relics died after a cannonball he was attempting to restore exploded.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bomb-squad-detonates-civil-war-cannonball-found-maryland-n1262276
    5 points
  2. I normally don't dig for bottles but when my Brother-In-Law told me about all the glass they were seeing at this site, I decided to go take a look. The site dates from and the bottle we were digging are from 1850's to about 1900. Nothing real valuable came out but there were some real heartbreakers (broken bottles) like log cabin bitters, California bitters and a few others. We also recovered marbles, coins and tokens, but nothing real exciting to mention specifically. We used a trenching method to recover the bottles. There was about 8-10 inches of topsoil then a layer of trash that extended down to about 3 feet deep. We would dig about a 3 foot by 3 foot hole straight down and then start trenching and backfilling as we went. Between the 4 people that were there I would guess we recovered about 150 bottles. I will say I'm feeling it this morning after digging about 9 hours over the weekend. Hope to get back there again next weekend and I'll post my finds of that trip next week. Pictured below are the bottles I recovered.
    5 points
  3. PART SIX: Here are the results of another round of soaking in the Whink solution and using baking soda and steam cleaner. Specimen A still has a lot of the host rock to remove, Specimen B has some host rock embedded in between the wires of gold, Specimen C has a tiny amount which the photograph does not show and Specimen D needs no further cleaning. At this point going forward using the Whink solution is not going to have the results I like to achieve. Next step I will use Muriatic acid with another round of baking soda and steam cleaner. I will post photographs of the final results of the last cleaning.
    5 points
  4. "this year, do not know exactly when, hopefully sooner than later" "close to testing stage" "confident this will be a good machine" "simultaneous multifrequency, but also many single frequencies" "in the Simplex housing, but this is not a multi Simplex, but something new" "coil will be completely different from Simplex" "some upper shaft differences" "lower shaft will be carbon fiber" "user replaceable, changeable battery; field swappable" "not going to be priced as low as Simplex, but will be competitively priced versus the competition (Equinox)"
    5 points
  5. This is serious stuff for sure, I didn't know Sam White(the man who died in 2008) personally but I do know several of his friends, and as stated in the article about his death he was a pro at disarming and restoring these CW cannonballs and was the man in the N.E. USA to go too if you found one, it just goes to show even the experts can make a mistake. When these cannon balls were new it was still dangerous to disarm one but it was much easier, all you had to do was carefully remove the fuse with a special tool and then remove the black powder. But after these cannon balls have been in the ground for over 100 years the fuse is so corroded that is no longer an option, the only way to remove the black powder is to drill a hole to remove the black powder, that as you can imagine is very dangerous, one little spark or over heating the metal leads to the powder igniting, which is what most think that happened to Sam on that tragic day he lost his life. Sam drilled the cannon balls with a drill press in his garage and has done well over a 1000 with no issues, but the odds ran out on him on that day he lost his life. There's one other guy I know of who does this as well and I think that maybe Steve H. knows him as well...Steve Phillips of SSD (Southern Skin Divers Supplies) in Alabama, Steve is a long time collector of CW artifacts and has an extensive collection most of if not all he has found himself while diving and metal detecting in Alabama, he's also a long, long time Nome gold dredger, which is where Steve H. may know him from. http://ssdsupply.com/ Steve disarms these cannon balls using a "remote controlled" drill press he designed himself and in small shed out in the middle of a large field so if the cannon ball does explode while he's drilling it(which I don't believe has ever happened to him) no one get injured or dies. That all being said it best to not even touch one if you happen across one, call the local police immediately!!
    5 points
  6. For beginning users, this video will help you learn navigation of your MDT instrument panel quick. HH! Aaron
    4 points
  7. Used a few handheld pinpointers over the years, above one for last few years is the best by far for me. Shown in backpack mounted where tis out of way for most digs but when required for deep digs is handy and saves a lot of digging big wide holes for the big coil digs.
    4 points
  8. Welcome to this forum Sapper091!!!. Minelab has three coils for the Equinox. Coiltek has also released three coils for the Equinox that were produced with Minelab's permission. No other currently existing coils will work with the Equinox. I seriously doubt that Minelab would sanction any other third party coils and would sue the heck out of anyone that tried to release one.
    3 points
  9. Always remember to bring plenty of water when the ground is dry as a bone. Once you have the item out of the ground and hole filled in add a little water to help everything seal properly. That way it is less likely to kill the grass in a nice area of the park. Good luck and happy hunting
    3 points
  10. Thanks for any help or direction you can give. The knife is wood on one side and celluloid (maybe) on the other. The spike is from the same field as the other iron piece I found. I couldn't help but hear Gary D.'s voice say something about a decking spike off a Spanish galleon.😁 I am now digging the deep iron in the area these came from. The other signals are either masked or most are gone due to being dug. Thanks again for your wisdom.
    3 points
  11. Agree X 2 VicR. I think it is a quality control issue as I have a Pro-Find 35, use it often with the Equinox and have also used it with friends' GPZs and don't have an issue with it. It works perfectly pretty much every time. And to be honest, I don't actually even know how to change the sensitivity or use the discrimination feature - just turn it on, beep/beep and it works. I've even used it multiple times underwater in the river - no issues. I think others are getting units that have manufacturing faults with them. "It works perfectly pretty much every time". The one caveat - I have had one place where my 35 would sound off frequently all around the hole but this was highly mineralised ground and not a product fault - just a limitation due to mineralisation that most detectors have. If people have issues with their Pro Find I'd suggest returning it.
    3 points
  12. No complaints about either the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT or Fisher F-Pulse. Both are great, but the Garrett is probably the easier for most people. The F-Pulse is easier to get lost in the menu settings, but also tougher, less tip wear. I tend to grab the F-Pulse as it also handles high mineral ground better, plus I like that it uses AA batteries instead of 9V. In either case I rarely use a pinpointer while nugget detecting. I always have one around though, as they can be useful for deep trash targets more than gold. Off center nails are my most recovered target, not nuggets. I’m only pulling it out for hold if the nugget sounds very large and is in bottom of narrow hole in hard digging ground. Then the pinpointers helps insure I don’t hit a trophy nugget with my pick. All detectors - turn on pinpointer first, then turn detector on nearby and noise cancel. Never lost a pinpointer but use no special tricks in doing so. I just hate losing $100 bills enough that it does not happen. Fisher F-Pulse and Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
    3 points
  13. Ok my first post....go easy on me Is it possible to use other brands/makes of coils on my Equinox 800?
    2 points
  14. We got permission to hunt a park that use to be a Girl Scout camp from the 1920's to the 1990's when it closed down.The head caretaker of the park is a great guy and gave us the green light to detect there.We gave him a few scout relics which he would put in the park museum and he was very grateful for are finds.He told us that one capsule was found but a old farmer said a other one was still missing and gave us the area it could be in.It is probably from the 30's or 40's.I think the one is in a museum around here and we hope to see what it is made of.Have any of you heard of other Scout capsules and what could be in them ?I hope they are detectable.If not we could still stumble on to some silver coins or rings for a consolation prize. If found we will give the capsule to the caretaker to be put in a museum.
    2 points
  15. That's $1,000,000 worth of good luck! Found this unusual token at a park this week. Can't find a lot of information on this token.
    2 points
  16. Good news, I have eventually received my Apex back from the European Garrett support ... 🙂 My seller ( Bruno at Lutece detection in Paris ) told me that the pb ( false signals etc see above ) came from a faulty coil . So I received my Apex with a brand new Viper coil , plus a 5X8 Ripper coil that Bruno asked me to test. I decided to restart the tests from the beginning with the static tests on my tests boxes / different targets at different depths. The results were good for both coils , but I decided to try first the Ripper in the field , because I have been very impressed by its light weight ( 330g instead of 400g for the Viper ) and I like light machines ... And also because in france we often detect in iron infested sites , the Viper is a little too big for that and for me the Ripper has the perfect size for searching small/very small coils in nail beds .. So I went to one of my favorite testing locations , a wood near a small town . The soil there is infested with iron trash dating from the medieval up to modern times. A very good place for testing machines in a very difficult iron trashed environment. I will give more details in a new thread , but to summarize the Apex + Ripper have done an excellent job 🙂 . First the Apex has an excellent iron filtering , it was almost silent on the nail bed , just beeping on the good targets , very impressive . The Apex is also very fast , it is much more reactive than a Vanquish or even an Equinox . The signals on targets are very sharp and accurate , perhaps a little too sharp btw , but it is just a matter of getting used to the audio I think . Also the wireless headphones MS3 Zlynk are excellent , no latency and very reliable. For info I used the MF mode during all this test No treasure found during this short outing, mainly 1st WW rubbish , but again I have been very impressed by the Apex with the ripper coil. Clearly at Garretts they have designed/tested the Apex to work on high iron trash environments., as stated in their Apex marketing brochure. And it looks like they have done a very good job ... Just a few things that I do not like , for example the shaft which is clearly outdated Now I need to confirm all this and detect more hours with the Apex to check that everything is ok , no more falsing etc , I will detail all this in the new dedicated thread ... A few pics below , the Apex with a Quest X5 , the Viper and the Ripper coils , the Apex + Ripper weight , and the wood ..
    2 points
  17. Same here Cuda, Sorry to hear.. and maybe the first I've heard with this issue. Maybe the headphones? ..the power cable?..or a leak? Leaks seem to work like that... "it was fine the last time but now...it no longer works" . Anyway, they have a great machine if it's working correct .... Quality control .... is the issue. Keep us informed,, Thanks
    2 points
  18. Welcome to the forum - nice little nugget If I was going to Southeast Alaska, I would take the Gold Monster before the GPX 5000. The gold in the region is generally very small, and in general it’s hard rock country, not placer. Glacial terrain, high mineral coastal belt. The mineralization calls for a PI, but a GPX 5000, no matter what coil, will never match a good VLF on small gold. A GPX 5000, I would get either an 8” Commander Mono, or Nugget Finder 6x8 Sadie Coil, and try to run Sensitive Extra The problem with small gold is you need a hot detector. But a hot detector struggles with bad ground and hot rocks. It’s a balancing act. Sensitive Extra may be too hot for your area, so use Fine Gold instead. It can handle the hottest ground, but it misses more gold than Sensitive Extra. And the fact is neither setting on a GPX 5000 will be good on the smallest gold, that a Gold Monster can easily hit. Frankly, I’d go SDC 2300 before GPX 5000 for your region. With an eye on the new GPX 6000. But for working with what you have, I’d grab Gold Monster first. If the ground defeats it, then GPX 5000 with Sadie coil. Glacial terrain offers complex challenges for metal detecting, with gold almost anywhere or nowhere. Glaciers are like bulldozers, mixing and making a mess of everything. Placers are very new, generally lean. Learn about things like moraines and eskers, and study where water flows around existing glaciers for clues. Gold placers can exist in lateral moraines halfway up valley walls. Like I say, use your imagination, and put the coil over everything. Good luck! Glaciers and Gold
    2 points
  19. All unexploded ordinance (UXO) disarming operations I’ve seen used a automatic or remotely controlled saw, drill, or a disruptor device to disarm shells, in addition to sandbagging. They can be quite simple devices too- one team used a standard miter saw with a cable and overhead pulley to lift and lower the blade remotely. I am surprised to read that guy didn’t do this correctly with the civil war shells he was disarming. How sad! Steve’s warning is definitely one to be heeded! One issue in our area are the scrappers that trespass onto the desert proving grounds to collect old brass- several have tried cutting it up at home and popping it by accident. Darwinian selection usually weeds them out from the gene pool pretty quickly.
    2 points
  20. To me, the most important part of Dilek's video was her clearly stating that the new Nokta Makro simultaneous multi frequency detector is being built to be a direct competitor of the Equinox. She also made it clear without naming names that Nokta Makro does not consider the unnamed Garrett APEX as a viable competitor for the new Nokta Makro SMF detector. I hope Nokta Makro is right in their assessment of their new SMF detector. That would be great for a more competitive market and for us most of all. I have always been extremely impressed with Nokta Makro's detectors. I don't currently own one but I have owned five of them in the past and they are outstanding.........just not as outstanding where I detect as the two detectors she discussed in the video without mentioning names (Equinox and Deus). So, do I save a little money and buy the Nokta Makro SMF or get a personal loan/sell a car/dip into my retirement/or sell all of my personal belongings (except my detectors) for the GPX 6000?
    2 points
  21. Here ya go on the railroad spike: https://www.sizes.com/tools/spikes_railroad.htm It's a 3 1/2 inch. Not sure about the knife, could have been repaired.
    2 points
  22. Also, it seems that simply looking for increasing concentrations of silver in nuggets is the XRF equivalent of panning up a hill until you find the source. If you start finding a line where every nugget is increasing in silver concentration, then it may be a good bet that the source is or was at one time located somewhere up that line/direction.
    2 points
  23. I am careful to look after our rights, and so prefer not to detect grassy areas when bone dry. Too much risk of turf damage. So I actually like the rare rains in my area, and hit the parks hard when the turf is moist. Easier digs, and less likely to leave dead spots. As far as time, I am rabid about avoiding people, so a rain storm helps me more than hurts. Early, late, whenever.... my main goal is to avoid eyeballs, and I generally leave when more than a few show up. I do not like at all being watched when I'm doing any kind of urban metal detecting.
    2 points
  24. Even though there are obvious limitations with anayzing audio signals from detectors, there are definitely implications that could benefit the hearing impared in this hobby. I'm about chest deep into this now and working on some possible useable solutions. As I make initial builds and testing, I will post my observations. I will also post all of the instructions and list of parts and where to find them so that anyone can make it or help in the progression of this idea. I'm also trying to keep the builds as simple and cost effective as possible so everyone can to do this if they want to.
    2 points
  25. Try the Commander 11” DD coil with the Coil/RX switch set to Mono, in conjunction with the Fine Gold timing; you will effectively have an 11” x 6” pseudo-monoloop, where the left half of the coil is hot, and will be even more sensitive than the Commander 11” mono or the 12” x 8” Goldstalker, with the added benefit of being able to handle mineralized ground better than a straight mono coil. Better yet, try it with a Commander 10” x 5” DD coil.
    2 points
  26. Which metal detectors have the most reliable target ID numbers? Target ID is a function of depth - the deeper the target, the more difficult it is to get a clean target ID as the ground signal interferes. Other items directly adjacent to the desired target can also cause inaccurate numbers. The more conductive the item, the higher the resulting ID number, but also the larger the item the higher the number. Silver is more conductive than gold, so a gold item will give a lower number than the same size silver item. But a very large gold item can give a higher number than a small silver item, so numbers do not identify types of metal. Gold and aluminum read the same and vary in size so to dig one you dig the other. Only mass produced items like coins produce numbers that are more or less the same over the years but a zinc penny will read lower than a copper penny due to the change in composition. In general iron or ferrous targets produce negative numbers or low numbers. Aluminum, gold, and US nickels produce mid-range numbers. And most other US coins produce high numbers. Other countries coins, like Canadian coins with ferrous content, can read all over the place. The scale applied varies according to manufacturer so the number produced by each detector will vary according to the scale used. The 0-100 range for non-ferrous targets is most common but there are others. Minelab employs a dual number system on a 2D scale with thousands of possible numbers, but they are now normalizing the results produced to conform more closely to the linear scale used by other manufacturers. White's Visual Discrimination Identification (VDI) Scale Increasing ground mineralization has a huge effect on the ability to get a good target ID. Ground mineralization is nearly always from iron mineralization, and this tends to make weak targets, whether very small targets or very deep targets, misidentify. The target numbers get dragged lower, and many non-ferrous targets will eventually be identified as iron if buried deep enough. Small non-ferrous readings and iron readings actually overlap. That is why any discrimination at all is particularly risky for gold nugget hunters. If you want target ID numbers to settle down, lower sensitivity and practice consistent coil control. The target number will often vary depending on how well the target is centered and how fast the coil moves. Perfect ground balance is critical to accurate target id. Outside issues factor in. Electrical interference is a common cause of jumpy target id numbers. In general small coils will often deliver sharper, more consistent target id returns. Higher sensitivity settings lead to jumpier numbers as the detectors become less stable at higher levels. The interference from the ground signal increases and interference from outside electrical sources also increases, leading to less stable numbers. Higher frequency detectors are inherently more sensitive and are jumpier. So lean lower frequency for more solid results. Multi frequency detectors act like low frequency detectors and tend to have more solid target numbers due to the ability to analyze a target with different frequencies. Another issue is the number of target categories, or ID segments, or VDIs, or notches, or bins (all names for the same thing) that a detector offers. For instance here are the number of possible target id categories or segments each detector below offers: Fisher CZ-3D = 7 Garrett Ace 250 = 12 Minelab X-Terra 305 = 12 Minelab X-Terra 505 = 19 Minelab X-Terra 705 = 28 Minelab Equinox 800 = 50 Minelab Manticore, Fisher F75 and many other models = 99 White's MXT and many other models = 190 Minelab CTX 3030 = 1750 Fewer target categories means more possible items get lumped together under a single reading, but that the reading is more stable. Many detectors will tell you the difference between a dime and a quarter. The Fisher CZ assumes you want to dig both so puts them under one segment along with most other coins. People who use detectors with many target numbers usually just watch the numbers jump around and mentally average the results. Some high end detectors can actually do this averaging for you! But I think there is something to be said for owning a detector that simplifies things and offers less possible numbers to start with. The old Fisher CZ method still appeals to me, especially for coin detecting. So do detectors like the Garrett Ace 250 or Minelab X-Terra 505 for the same reason. The problem is that as people strive to dig deeper targets or smaller targets the numbers will always get less reliable. But if you want to have a quiet performing metal detecting with solid, reliable target numbers look more for coin type detectors running at lower frequencies under 10 kHz or at multiple frequencies and possibly consider getting a detector with fewer possible target segments. And with any detector no matter what just back that sensitivity setting off and you will get more reliable target numbers. ads by Amazon... Detectors often use tones to identify targets and often use far fewer tones than indicated by the possible visual target id numbers. The X-Terra 705 for instance can use 28 tones, one for each segment. However, most people find this too busy, and so simple tone schemes of two, three, or four tones may be selected. I think it is instructive that many people often end up ignoring screen readings and hunting by ear, using just a few tones. This ends up just being an ultra basic target id system much like the simpler units offer. Reality is that most people do not need or care about huge numbers of target numbers. For many just three ranges suffice, low tone for iron, mid tone for most gold items, and high tone for most US coins. The meter could do the same thing, but for marketing purposes more is better and so we get sold on detectors with hundreds of possible target ID numbers. Perhaps this is a digital representation of an old analog meter with its nearly infinite range of response but the reality is we do not need that level of differentiation to make a simple dig or no dig decision. Finally, a picture often says it all. Below we have a shot of the White's M6 meter. I like it because the decal below illustrates a lot. You see the possible numerical range of -95 to 95 laid out in the middle. Over it is the simplified iron/gold/silver range. Note the slants where they overlap to indicate the readings really do overlap. Then you get the probable target icons. -95 is noted as "hot rock" because many do read there. The M6 can generate 7 tones depending on the target category. I have added red lines to the image to show where these tones sit in relation to the scale. It breaks down as follows: -95 = 57 Hz (Very Low) Hot Rock -94 to -6 = 128 Hz (Low) Iron Junk -5 to 7 = 145 Hz (Med Low) Gold Earrings, Chains - Foil 8 to 26 = 182 Hz (Medium) Women's Gold Rings/Nickel - Small Pull Tabs 27 to 49 = 259 Hz (Med Hi) Men's Gold Rings - Large Pull Tabs 50 to 70 = 411 Hz (High) Zinc Penny/Indian Head Penny - Screw Caps 71 to 95 = 900 Hz (Very High) Copper Penny/Dime/Quarter/Dollar Note that the screen reading of +14 is noted as being a nickel or ring but it can also be the "beaver tail" part of an aluminum pull tab or the aluminum ring that holds an eraser on a pencil, among other things. The best book ever written on the subject of discrimination is "Taking A Closer Look At Metal Detector Discrimination" by Robert C. Brockett. It is out of print but if you find a copy grab it, assuming the topic interests you. Always remember - when in doubt, dig it out! Your eyes are the best target ID method available.
    1 point
  27. I did go yesterday but, nothing good. It was hot and the ground was much drier. I will hit it again next weekend.
    1 point
  28. In part 2 of the interview, we hear more details about the nugget and how it was found. Enjoy!
    1 point
  29. Pots inside the housing on the board are for tuning the detectors frequency, discrim, rough ground balance, amplitude, and then there are the volume, fine ground balance, external discrim, sensitivity and threshold on the panel. The ST has a momentary push button on the handle a think for resetting the GB. I think it can be used in auto or manual GB by setting a switch on the panel too. If the photo posted of the circuit board is of a ST, I see 9 pots, and no one has a schematic of that detector or has found one and posted it that I know of, so I can't say exactly what each one does. The photo doesn't show any masking with text to indicate component specifics as to what pots are for whatever function. The only way I know of to do that would be to identify each IC and track down the tech sheets on them to figure out what purpose they serve in the circuitry, very hard to do specifically. Reverse engineering the detector board would take a long time and a lot of detailed work. Since Tesoro has gone away, I suppose it is possible to find someone that has worked for them or on them and has a schematic which would answer most of all questions. As it has been stated, to mess with them will render the detector useless which is why most of the time they have some type of glue placed on them to keep them from being adjusted, adjustment requires an Osciliscope and knowing the specifications of the detectors frequency and other specifications.
    1 point
  30. I've followed 3 or 4 videos from her and other posts. What I like is her straight up , no BS approach. I can respect her saying "sometime this year." She hasn't been wrong yet. Unlike others , who say " maybe in April , then , maybe in July". Just stringing you along with the BS. Anyways , I'm looking forward to this detector when it does come out. I've never owned a Nokta before. Would like to give it a chance.
    1 point
  31. Ok, last one. This is on solid gold nuggets. Unfortunately, I tried every single calibration and when I zap a nugget the gold lines seem to overwhelm the copper. I have to assume some of these nuggets have a small percentage of copper in them at least? But it isn't showing up no matter what I do or try. I zapped a solid copper nugget and it read 100% copper, so it's detecting copper fine. So, if I want to look at solid nuggets, I probably need to have a calibration that can ID copper in high Au% matrix. Or alternatively, I suppose some of these might just not have trace copper? Anything I send to the refiner is always a ton of stuff melted together so I'm not exactly sure the assay composition of individual nuggets. Mining is limited to 75% gold concentration, so I went with precious metals package, also wanted to see if any platinum, palladium, etc were present, so any quartz (Si) will not show up here is about the only caveat. This is far less interesting to me since there aren't any real mysteries here to solve, but there are a few and some things to learn from it. But I did want to see if there were any hidden platinum group metals in any of these nuggets. A bit of rhodium or platinum here and there could add up quick! And I honestly have no idea if PGM's can be found alloyed in nuggets or not. Here are nuggets I tested: Sample A: 10 grams, Quartzsite slug & Sample B: 7 gram Quartzsite tangle w/small quartz grain inclusion Hmm, not much interesting happening in Quartzsite. Just some very pure gold with few inclusions. I've always suspected the nuggets here were high purity, and it's why I don't sell these ones in my 10% under spot bulk lots. A has more indication of travel than B does. The general theory is that nuggets enrich in gold at the surface with travel and weather, and you can see nugget A with more travel is exhibiting potential silver depletion at surface. Sample C, GB 7 grams with many angular pyrite casts & Sample D: GB 36 gram slug GB nuggets commonly have a black coating or inclusions that are resistant to acids. I have assumed they were manganese but a geologist looked under a microscope and told me he thought they might be cryptocrystalline versions of iron oxides, and that the crystalline structure of the oxide is preventing the acids from reacting vigorously. So, I can finally figure this mystery out. C has almost no indication of travel and many sharp, angular edges indicating pyrite or similar was once included but has weathered out. D is a large slug exhibiting signs of transport, and this piece is also older than sample C as it was found embedded into solid caliche about 6" deep in a layer of paleo gravels that I estimate are at least 800,000 to 1.5 million years older than the gravels which sample C was found within. So it seems the geologist was right! The black, acid resistant inclusions are in fact iron based, and not manganese based as I had assumed. Also, as with the Quartzsite nuggets, here in GB the nuggets displaying the most transport seem to be enriched in gold at the surface, and silver has decreased with weathering and transport. Sample E: octahedral crystalline NV nugget, Sample F: typical crystalline NV nugget, Sample G: NV paleoplacer nugget Sample E has several octahedral "grapes on a vine" (it's easier to see in person) and had distinct chevron patterns on the back. It was found on bedrock in a wash in Northern Nevada. It displays minor signs of transport. Sample F was found about 4ft downhill from a hardrock pocket of crystalline gold I discovered on a hillside and shows no signs of transport. Sample G was found very close to sample E on bedrock, but on an uplifted portion of bedrock and exhibits heavy levels of transport, and I am sure is a remnant from an uplifted paleoplacer even though the gravels have eroded away and left no evidence except occasional scattered quartzsite or granitic cobbles. All 3 nuggets came from within a 10 mile radius. There is an immediate correlation again, as with Q and GB nuggets, between gold enrichment on surface and evidence of transport. The inclusion of iron in these nuggets makes me wonder if the XRF is pulling over some copper results and interpreting them as iron. But I'm unsure with a control nugget with a known measurement to compare with. Looking at the results, I'm even more sure now that Nugget G, the hypothesized paleoplacer nugget, actually comes from a paleoplacer that has simply eroded away. Transport alone is likely not enough to account for the much higher concentration of gold in this nugget, and it's likely it came from another area altogether, especially since it appears to lack Sn (tin). Though, the inclusion of iron makes me think it might not have travelled as far as I thought (the Sierras or maybe Idaho), but instead might have a more localized source within a radius of 50 miles or so within NNV itself. Nuggets E and F both came from a decent distance apart, but the inclusion of Sn seems to indicate they came from the same mineralizing event. So - these results are enough to give me a good idea of exactly how to use this XRF for prospecting this specific area of NNV for gold though. I'll be zapping soil with an eye for Sn as a potential pathfinder. And looking at more nuggets along the way to try to find more correlations or clues, as well as analyzing the rocks themselves where I've found pockets and looking at what accessory elements are in them, and using those as soil pathfinder elements as well. And this is how I plan to personally use this XRF for gold prospecting this summer in NNV. Thanks for reading, congrats to anyone who made it through these walls of text.
    1 point
  32. I used the old Minelab 15 pin pointer for many years with no issues and converted to the 35 mid last year. The 35 is much more powerful and works every time for me using a 9 volt rechargeable battery. With both i turn on away from anything metallic and the ground, waiting for the single ping balanced signal before using - if you dont get the single ping balance signal the pin pointer will not work even though the light is on. - if the 35 is picking up ground minerals and buzzing on everything i just dial down the sensitivity a notch or two and it then works fine - much like you do on a detector when you are getting too much interference. I found that it is too easy to accidentally press the sensitivity adjustment buttons while using in a hole - sounds like you have hit on a target. As with most detectors the more you use it the more you get use to it. I immediately noticed the 35 has made locating targets faster for me compared to the Minelab 15 because it locates targets at a greater distance. Its interesting how peoples experiences of the same product can be so diverse. Some peoples experiences of the 35 sound like its a complete dud - i wonder if this is a quality control issue for Minelab?
    1 point
  33. Here's another that has a different reverse, it doesn't say it gives a $1,000,000 worth of luck but "take me for luck", I think this one maybe an original one from the depression era as it does look to be older to me. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1930S-Great-Depression-Aint-Hell-To-Be-Poor-Good-Luck-Token/384031502150?_trkparms=aid%3D1110018%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPLISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818142838%26meid%3D8b1b76c454ec43ca83e9a84672b44ded%26pid%3D101197%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D303791383481%26itm%3D384031502150%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DItemStripV101HighAdFee&_trksid=p2047675.c101197.m1850
    1 point
  34. The gold modes have saved me when the EMI was too much for the EQ. But not having them is not a deal breaker. The machine set up with the stock settings is the way to go for a while, until you get used to digging deep targets. Dig, dig and dig even if the target says it's junk. That is how you learn. The random holes were just that, random.... sort of. 😄 I knew there were a lot of targets in this small section and I knew that they were deep and I knew that the machines were struggling to hear them, so I just dug a 15"x15" hole about 10"deep. Then used the pinpointer to see if anything registered. I also used the Equinox in pinpoint to see if there was anything way deeper than 10". Most times I would get 1-2 targets, some coins, some iron. Other times I get zero. I always buried the holes back up and made sure they were packed solid. Don't want to lose permission to hunt. The negative numbers are a common thing that happens to machines when they reach their limit on a deep target. Also when they are interfered with by EMI or very challenging soil compositions. At this spot both EMI and layered black sand, made targets that should read 26 read 12 or some that were deeper were classified as iron at -8. When I saw -8, I knew that a couple of more scoops would make that iron turn to non iron. The gold modes to some people can be annoying with a zip zip sound instead of the usual signal you get.
    1 point
  35. Think of when people who frequent parks are active: 1) hikers, runners, and dog walkers: before work in the morning; after work in the evening. 2) young people getting in fun and exercise: after school, and particularly in the cool months since it's warmer in the afternoon. 3) people on lunch break just trying to find a hiding spot or escape from the rat race. It's kind of like when is the best time to go shopping. 9-11 and 2-4 seem to be less busy. But even at busy times you can detect in less the busy parts of parks. I (being retired) like to hit the parks during the week and the schools on weekends. In fact I'm getting ready to go to a school shortly! As far as weather, the worse the weather the less people that will be in the park. Even cold (but still above freezing), cloudy, and windy days are decent for detecting (possibly preferred) but not for fair-weather 'athletes'. Regarding digging, I prefer the slopes and hilltops (which drain quickly) in the first day or two after a rain. And plugging before a rain is the optimal time if your climate or the time of year is such that such activity might lead to damage. Right now here in my part of the Midwest it's not much of an issue since the ground is still moist and we get rains frequently from now until the summer heat season.
    1 point
  36. When I hunted a local park I would go there on Sunday in the morning or afternoon.
    1 point
  37. P.... we tested mixed and AM the other day at the beach in wet sand with the 12" coil. We wanted to take advantage of both and AM and disc.... but we also want to ensure it was as deep as AM in mixed mode. It was... for the depth and targets we were testing. I dont use disc except to reverse disc. Its just to solid of a tone.... i like a more drawed out tone that AM gives me.... that bang and more pops than false tones. It depending on if your headphones are using speakers or pizzos as to how much modulation you may get. AM in most machines gives a better size and depth modulation..... thus why it may seem like a weaker signal. Its much like the old Explorers ..... i maxed out the gain so all targets sounded the same in trash so those weak signals didnt get lost or filtered out. In open areas i used less gain giving me a little depth modulation on targets. The 12" coil initially for me had more chatter near the surf. The way i had been adjusting the standard coil didnt work...... that was moving the SB higher. What i found was in some cases moving it down cleared it right up. If Aarons post on small aluminum is correct then .... moving the SB lower on this coil may make it more sensitive to some smaller gold. Ive been real pleased with the depth of the targets ive been digging as well of the coverage..... and no i wont be taking it off either.
    1 point
  38. I really got beat up over some of the things i thought the machine needed to improve on before the production model comes out. A few of those were fixed...... the battery was a huge one to me.... and still seems to be less than expected with Joe being able to do what they couldnt/wouldnt. I was kind of hoping for a 9" coil as well. Im still not certain we will see the machine in July as some have predicted. But hopefully you will get first choice on one Steve.
    1 point
  39. If I were you, I'd cash in on that 😄 Ask for silver, gold and military relics 😉 Never seen one like that before. Looks rather new from the patina. maybe a game piece?
    1 point
  40. For me it depends on what park I'm hunting and what time of year. Some of my parks get a lot of people in the warmer month's, so I usually try to go early and leave by 9:00am. In the cooler months I pretty much roll in around 11:00am and hunt the rest of the day. It will take a little time to get all of your parks schedules figured out. One thing I do is check and see if the park has an online calendar to see if they have scheduled events for the month. Nobody wants to start hunting and find out a soccer game is starting on the field your in. As for the rainy day hunts I just don't bother unless it's a one time only hunt. I'm not a big fan of digging mud and getting soaked.
    1 point
  41. I got my 800 early into its release. At just under a year of having it, I experienced headphone failure almost exactly how you describe. I tried everything with no success. I called Minelab and they sent me new headphones under warranty. If I remember right, they did work corded with the Wm08. I have been using Apple AirPods and like them for general detecting. Good luck
    1 point
  42. Reset never hurts, though it may not work in this case. Still, here it is. Owners manual page 56-57: ML 80 Factory Reset Factory Reset will return the headphones to factory presets, and will unpair all paired wireless devices. 1. Turn the headphones off. 2. Press and hold the Multi-Function button for approximately 10 seconds, until the headphones beep twice and the Status LED flashes pink. 3. Release the button. The headphones will now be in pairing mode with the LED indicator flashing blue and red.
    1 point
  43. These work pretty well for keeping track of pinpointers, $10. It auto retracts 4ft so keeps the pinpointer up high at the top of the backpack shoulder strap for running bigger coils, but long enough to get into 2+ft deep holes when kneeling down and digging. Strap is kevlar, hasn't broken on me after 3 years of field use, I just bought another one last week to put on a new pinpointer. Janitor tech for the win.
    1 point
  44. Sandi, I sincerely hope you find the help you need... But it isn't coming from me this time around. I learned my lesson from the last time you told a version of this sad story and I went out of my way to help. When it was all said and done and based on other examples of how you operate as documented by your posts on this forum, I ended up just feeling foolish.
    1 point
  45. 40% deepeeeeeeeeeeeer
    1 point
  46. PART FIVE: The gold specimens have been soaking in the Whink solution for around two weeks. To speed up the process I will be using baking soda and the steam cleaner. You will use a large amount of baking soda. I usually buy it at Wal-Mart, the last bag I bought was a 12 lb. bag and cost around $9.00. The baking soda is used to neutralize the acid and helps remove the host rock. The gold specimens that are being cleaned have shale as a host rock with limonite and other small amount of minerals that might be included. Shale and limonite is porous and soaking the gold specimens in the Whink solution for a period of time allows some of it to be absorb. There is no precise amount of baking soda I use for this next step. I normally fill about a half inch in a bottom of a container and mix it with water. I then take a gold specimen and drop it in the baking soda and then there will be a intense reaction which causes the shale, limonite and other minerals to break away from the gold. Depending on how much of the Whink solution was absorbed you will have a reaction with the baking soda for a little to a longer period of time. I usually change out the baking soda mixed water two to three times until there is no visible reaction with the gold specimen. The next step is using a steam cleaner and applying steam to the gold specimen. The steam cleaner generates about 212 degrees of steam and around 45 lbs of pressure. Using the steam cleaner removes some of the host rock and other minerals that has been weakened by the Whink solution. The results can differ from one gold specimen to another. If the result is not what you wanting to achieve, then the next step is another round soaking in Whink or acid of your choice and then repeat the process with the baking soda and steam cleaner. Also carefully using dental picks to help remove the host rock and other minerals can be used, but use them with extreme caution. Using Whink, baking soda and steam cleaner on these gold specimens especially the wire gold specimens I can achieve good results with minimal loss of gold and structure to gold specimen. Here are the before (specimens that were soaking in Whink) and after (using baking soda and steam cleaner) pictures: Gold specimens after soaking in Whink solution. Gold specimens after using baking soda and steam cleaner. Area that is circled is the loss of gold from the cleaning process so far. Specimen D needs no further cleaning. Part six I will show the results of another round of soaking in the Whink solution and using the baking soda and steam cleaner.
    1 point
  47. Ring # 5 with the AQ. This ring was at least 12" in the packed mud and it has been down there for a very long time. It was barely auditable. The ring did not have any gold markings but tested as 14k. I would NOT have hit this with the NOX. I was running the machine hot. Settings were: Sensitivity=7, Delay=8, ATS=5, ALL METAL. I went slower than usual to keep the chatter down for the setting above. The location is where I have found rings in the past
    1 point
  48. I have seen it said a few times now that the new Fisher Impulse AQ has "no holes". This started as a very specific mention on the part of the designer, and now has been expanded into a range of assumptions that do not match how I view the subject. First, what is a "hole?" The classic definition originated around ground balancing pulse induction metal detectors. The first and most simple ground balance method is a basic subtraction. Determine where the ground is reading with the detector, then provide a control to subtract that signal. Many people do not realize that ground signals and gold nugget signals within normal range are basically infinite and overlap 100%. This is due to the nature of natural gold nuggets, which occur in endless variety as far as size, shape, and composition. When added to the ground, they mix and blend with the ground signal, and in one way can be considered a naturally occurring component of a ground signal. There is one simple rule you must keep in mind that makes all discussions of a "hole" simple. For every potential ground signal that exists, there is also a corresponding gold signal. The ground balance control is just a special discrimination control. When you eliminate any one type of ground signal or hot rock, you automatically eliminate any gold signals that are identical to those ground and hot rock signals. The nature of the electronics involved is not 100% in that the ground balance rejection point is not perfectly sharp edged, but covers a small range. Within this rejected ground range, you have the most intense rejection effect at the setting itself. However, items that fall close to the setting, while not eliminated, are weakened, and deliver less than normal depth. The effect is similar to that seen when black holes are diagrammed, and targets that are unintentionally eliminated because they fall into this range are said to "fall into the hole." The classic metal detector ground balance "hole" This can also be seen with many VLF detectors. Take a detector with a manual ground balance control, and grab a coin. Air test the coin depth, while running the ground balance control to both extremes. Depending on the coin or target you test, like a gold ring, you will usually find that the depth varies with the ground balance setting. On a simple ground balance detector with a single ground balance "channel" the effect is quite pronounced. On the White's TDI the ground balance setting is normally around 8. This also corresponds with nuggets weighing approximately 1/4 ounce, though again, because of the natural variation of gold nuggets, the range is actually very large, and based on the time constant of the nugget, not any particular weight. Any nugget that reads at the setting of 8 is essentially eliminated. Nuggets that fall near to the setting have greatly weakened responses. Minelab first addressed this issue with detectors that have two ground balance "channels". Channels have historically referred to detectors that have two separate ground balance "channels" but people are now misusing the term to refer to detectors that are returning dual audio results that can be separated into "channels." This is not the same thing. A dual channel PI has two ground balance sample points that are being compared. The Minelab SD 2100 has a switch that lets one chose one or the other or both ground balance channels. One favors long time constant targets (large nuggets) and the other short time constant targets (small nuggets). The ground result is roughly the same on either channel. By comparing and combining results from the two channels, emphasizing the one with the strongest nugget signal, the "hole" is largely eliminated. This was the major advance and secret to Minelab PI MPS "multi-period sensing" detector technology. The "timings" developed over time were progressively sophisticated comparisons of multiple channel results intended to address specific ground and hot rock situations. No matter what though, the hole never goes away entirely. If you eliminate a certain hot rock, you lose gold that reads like that hot rock. People who set for and are willing to dig what others consider ground and hot rock noises, find targets with PI detectors that others miss. It's one of the secrets of the pros. At a minimum, on Minelab detectors, hunting with a different timing will reveal gold missed with another timing. To sum up, a hole in metal detector terms is what occurs when a good item is unintentionally rejected when some undesired item is rejected or discriminated. This usually refers to good items lost due to the ground balance setting, but can include any items accidentally rejected due to a detector eliminating some undesired target or range of targets. And that brings us to the new Fisher Impulse AQ and the claim of "no holes." As in all marketing claims, yes.... and no. Alexandre Tartar has be quite firm since day one in emphasizing that the AQ is specifically designed to find gold ring range targets to the exclusion of everything else. In his early writings he says that the AQ does focus on this range, and that in that defined gold ring range there are no holes. This is true. Unfortunately that statement has been extrapolated beyond the original intent. It all depends on how you want to define things. I am going with the definition above "a hole in metal detector terms is what occurs when a good item is unintentionally rejected when some undesired item is rejected or discriminated." Under that definition the Impulse AQ has two holes. They have simply been redefined as not being holes, but being something else. The ground balance control has been hijacked on the AQ and is employed as a discrimination control. Instead of being set to reject a certain ground signal, it is being used to reject a certain target range, specifically many ferrous targets. In the process, most U.S. coins except nickels are also rejected. So we have called the ground balance a disc control, and are attempting to eliminate ferrous items. The unintentional side effect is that many high conductors including most U.S. coins are rejected. Note that if this setting is high enough, heavy large gold rings can be eliminated. The ground balance hole is there, and in a big way. We are going to define it out of existence however by calling it a discrimination control. The Volcanic Mode, by eliminating intense beach mineralization, will have an adverse effect on most targets. It has to. You can't eliminate a ground signal that severe without an unintended adverse effect. The Impulse AQ is also locked into salt rejection mode at all times, even in "all metal" mode. Well, almost all metal mode - I wish there was a switch to shut off the salt rejection. There is still a filter engaged, so this is not a pure pulse mode. The machine is always set to eliminate salt signal. This means that small gold items like thin gold chains, small ear rings, aluminum foil, and small gold nuggets, are also going to be unintentionally eliminated. You catching the drift here? Unintended side effects, trade offs deemed necessary to get a desired end deemed more important. Welcome to metal detecting. So we have another hole in the extreme low end, but we have redefined it as being a preset salt rejection mode. So does the Fisher Impulse AQ have "holes" in the detection pattern? It simply depends how you want to look at it. If you define the only genuine desired range of the detector as being a narrow range focused on gold rings, there are indeed no holes in that particular range. But if you consider the entire range of possible targets that can be found with a metal detector, the AQ is explicitly said to reject at least two target ranges of concern to some detectorists depending on the settings. It always is in salt rejection mode, and so will always miss low conductor targets. Engaging the disc mode will also lose many targets of interest to coin hunters. So are those holes or are they not? You decide. Fisher does not define the term anywhere to my knowledge. It can mean whatever they want it to mean. Leaving it undefined means people just plug in their own assumptions. Frankly, none of this should come as a shock or a surprise to people who have been paying attention. I in fact have already written a long article, the Fisher Impulse AQ Discrimination Explanation, that has put all this out there for anyone with ears to listen. I have concerns that the marketing folks seize on simple catchword phrases, that make nice blurbs for people who don't really understand the technology and the limitations. People read what they want into such statements, and this in turn creates unrealistic expectations. This inevitably blows back when disappointed customers feel they were mislead. Frankly, I have always believed in underselling a product and letting it prove itself. Setting up unrealistic expectations is a setup for failure in my opinion. Keeping expectations realistic results in pleasant surprises and better long term outcomes. My goal here is therefore not to knock the Impulse AQ, but to educate people into having realistic expectations. Will you buy this detector and just go dig rings while digging no junk? No, that is not going to happen. Read the article at the link above. Are there items that the AQ will not detect as an unintentional side effect of eliminating undesired signals. Absolutely. Finally, let's talk the upcoming Fisher Impulse Gold model. The Impulse AQ fails as a gold prospecting detector because the ground balance control is being employed as a discrimination control, and because the detector is locked in salt rejection mode. Obviously the salt rejection needs an ability to be turned off. I'd prefer this as a control so salt mode can be engaged on salt alkali ground in the desert, or for some hot rock rejection. It would be a shame to eliminate it entirely, but that may be their solution. If we had a switch for that on the AQ it would have been nice also for dry beach and fresh water use. In any event, salt rejection must be gone or optional on the Impulse Gold, or all that small gold the machine is designed to find is lost. The disc control has to go back to being a ground balance control. Discrimination capability outside of perhaps a dual tone effect common on ground balancing PI detectors will therefore be unlikely on the Impulse Gold. What also will happen with an adjustable ground balance will be the inevitable hole that follows with such a control, Fisher can minimize the hole as much as possible, but again, you can't reject a certain hot rock without losing the nugget that has the exact same time constant. The ultimate constraint on the kind of gold a PI detector can find has never been pulse delay. There are commercial PI detectors designed to find pin-sized targets. For gold prospecting the constraint is always the ground. If you make a detector with a 1 uS pulse delay, all it will do is light up the ground like the largest target ever found. The key is the ground balance technology employed, and how efficient it is at eliminating ground and hot rocks, plus alkali effects in some areas, while losing as few gold nuggets as possible. There is a point where making the pulse delay short enough basically duplicates what a high frequency VLF does, and it creates all the same problems with ground and hot rocks you get with a high frequency VLF. Short pulse delays and air testing is totally meaningless. The Impulse Gold will have to ground balance effectively, and doing that will bring its performance parameters into line at best, in my opinion, with the limits we have already seen explored for those who are familiar with and have used current available technology. The main low hanging fruit waiting to be picked here is high performance in a light weight, ergonomic, and affordable package. Anyone expecting massive improvements in existing gold prospecting technology probably does not understand the constraints involved, and is likely to be disappointed. My advice? Be realistic and look for a new benchmark for what a gold prospecting detector can do without breaking your wallet or your back, and you are going to be happy with the new Fisher Impulse Gold. That is how all this works folks, time constants. PI detectors know nothing about ground or gold or ferrous or non-ferrous. Conductivity is loosely involved if at all. You can accept targets and reject targets or ground based on their time constant, and for every good target there is a bad target that has an identical time constant, and vice versa. That is the reality of the technology, and getting your head around it is the key to knowing what these detectors can and cannot do. Does the Impulse AQ exhibit any detection “holes?” My answer is define first exactly what you mean when using the term, then apply that to the AQ to get your own answer. UNDERSTANDING THE PI METAL DETECTOR by Reg Sniff For anyone who wants to dispute any of the above, please provide an exact definition of what a “detection hole” is, and how it does or does not apply to the Fisher Impulse AQ.
    1 point
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