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Or am I the only one who loves to clean up and hoard their brass relic finds, especially old buckles and horse tack. I dunno, but I love to get these old relics shiny again, just to appreciate their quality and craftsmanship. If you have a collection like me, post some pics.... I would love to see what’s out there. These are just some of mine from South Oz.

No, not my retirement -- that happened three years ago. I'm talking about the Minelab Equinox 800, and it's not going on mothballs since it will at least be my IB/VLF backup and probably take the lead when I need a small(er) coil -- Western ghost towning and nugget hunting. My 2022 year was good, relative to previous years, in terms of normalized finds (finds per hour of detecting) but I didn't get out park, school, and permission detecting nearly as much as previously -- only 106.5 hours compared to over 200 hours in each of the previous five (288 hours and 311 hours being my best years for sheer hours in the local 'fields'). I don't count my Western ghost town and nugget hunting in these totals. I've done a bit better this year and expect the rate to pick up considerably.... Since early January I've been preparing for the Manticore arrival by checking out some of my previously detected sites and in some cases varying coils and settings to start "thinking outside the box". My last two hunts are good examples of that. For both I dropped the recovery speed to 3 (based upon some things abenson posted regarding his Manticore). Yesterday I switched from my stock 11" coil (what I use 90% of the time) to the Coiltek Nox 5"x10" and chose a particularly aluminum trashy site to work on my separation skills. Other search settings are Park 1, 5 tones, Iron Bias F2=0, all VDI channels open ("all metal" in Minelab parlance). I use two other modes for target investigation. For possible USA 5 cent 'nickel' coins that aren't too weak signalwise I use Field 2, full tones, recovery speed = 6. For iffy possible deep coins (which might be falsing iron) I investigate with Gold 1, recovery speed = 5. A mental change I decided to make for both of these hunts was to investigate VDI 19 partial tones -- i.e. if the target hits 19 at all, even if that's not the centroid, I'm digging. As you'll see that made a huge difference. Typically I require 20 or above for most coins and 12-13 for specifically nickels. During the first hunt I thought I was detecting an area I had previously hunted, but afterwards was unsure of that. In the first 5 minutes I dug a clad quarter and a 95% copper Memorial cent, neither a recent drop so I should have found these earlier IF I had gotten my coil over them. Moving forward in the direction I should have hunted before I got an odd signal with VDI varrying between 16 and 19, mostly in those lower VDI channels. I checked with Field 2 out of curiosity and saw consistent 16-17 (in only one direction; the Park 1 signals were from multiple directions). The strength indicator in Park 1 was 3 bars -- that's typically about 5 inches deep for a small coin in my local sites. My expectation was a badly deteriorated Zinc Memorial (aka 'Stinkin Zincoln') since although those start out fresh at 21, as the galvanic action takes its course it will drop without limit, given enough years in the ground. At the expected 4-5 inch depth I recovered what looked like a cent, but it was a full disk and I could see some green coloring. Could it be? A few squirts from the water bottle revealed not what I had expected but what I had hoped -- an Indian Head Cent. But why such a low VDI? I set it on the plug before replacing that and ran the coil over it, getting a consistent 20. Hmmm. After replacing the plug I swung over that and got a soft but noticeable iron tone. Likely a small nail was quite close to the IHC and pulled down the VDI in the process. If the coin was on edge, or nearly so, that also might have contributed to the low VDI. Now for a report on yesterday's session. As mentioned I decided to give the Coiltek Nox 5"x10" a workout in a picnic area with lots of aluminum trash. As you'll see I didn't restrict all of my hunting to the trashiest spots, but I figured the 5x10 would be better at separation, and it did seem to be quite good at that. Even with my restriction to 12-13 VDI's for nickel hunting I still dug a lot of pulltabs, especially the (broken off) beavertails. Some larger pulltabs were dug in the corroded Zincoln zone. When I was making my way between picnic tables I got a strong 12-13 in Park 1 and verified a solid 12 in Field 2. Park 1 showed 2 bars so I was thinking a fairly modern, shallow nickel. Well, I was partly right -- it was a shallow nickel -- about 3" depth. But in trying to ID it with careful water bathing I couldn't get any indication of Thomas Jefferson, his monument, nor even an Indian nor Buffalo. It was well worn and finally I saw Lady Liberty's head. Now that's a good find and a good sign. Not more than 1 meter away I heard a mostly 19 VDI with only about 2 bar strength, indicating likely a ~2-3 inch deep Zincoln. Note I was again in an area I thought I had deteted previously. I didn't notice any extremely nearby trash targets, either, but out came the nicest IHC I've ever found! And this one kept its VDI of 19 even out of the ground. I recalled finding an IHC about 10-15 meters from here in late 2020, also about 3 inches deep, with the Tesoro Vaquero and its 5"x9" DD coil (stock on the Super Trac). I now realize this is a hot spot I need to return to. It's become typical here for people to show their trash, and although I'm not promising to do that in the future, here is yesterday's collection: Everything on the right is aluminum; the Stinkin Zincolns are in the middle and to the left of that are the other metals. (OK, one recent drop clad dime and three 95% copper Memorial cents aren't really trash.) Next are the good finds from these two hunts, all but the lower left hand Indian is from yesterday: Centered is the Liberty Head ('V-') nickel with date 1908. Lower left is a 1900 IHC in not very good shape. Lower right is my best ever IHC, conditionwise -- an 1899. Upper left is a toasty 1917 with mintmark, but I can't tell if it's -D or -S. And upper right is a seriously acid degraded 1931 plain (so Philadelphia mint) Lincoln. Coincidentally I mentioned in a thread of CPT_Ghostlight's (when he showed a 1932-D Lincoln in nice condition) that those three early great depression years of 1931-33 show low mintages or no mintages in all denomination USA coins. This 1931 plain is the highest mintage of any USA coin in that three year time period -- 19.4 million. Starting in 1934 and forward to today, only two Lincoln Cents date+mm minted for circulation have lower mintages than this 1931 -- 1938-S (15.2 million) and 1939-D (also 15.2 million). The 1938-D is close at 20.0 million. Even in nice condition this 1931 would not be worth more than about $1. None of the other four coins in the photo are low mintage dates (relative to their peers). So what led to me finding these coins in previously detected sites. 1) You've got to get the coil over 'em. In most cases above I doubt I did. 2) Sometimes my mental discrimination of VDI's is too strict. I may have been over either or both of these IHC's but blew them off from the combination of low VDI and strong signal (implying shallow depth). I hate digging Zincolns and they are usually shallow and can easily fall into the high teen VDI's. Glad I didn't avoid digging these two faux Zincolns. Oh, bonus image 👍 :

Field Test: Garrett Axiom By Bill Paxton For those of you who are frequent readers of Western and Eastern Treasures, you may recall back in December of 2021 I did a field test on the Garrett 24K Goldmaster metal detector. An excellent VLF gold machine, the 24K was Garrett’s rebranding of the White’s 24K Goldmaster and a perfect legacy choice to honor the White’s brand that they had acquired in October of 2020. Since the 24K Goldmaster was not a Garrett-developed product, I was very curious as to what Garrett had in the works for 2022. While their competitors were literally leapfrogging each other in the hobby market, Garret was curiously quiet. What were they up to I wondered? A new detector based on the Multi-Flex technology they had introduced in the Apex? Maybe a new water machine? The months ticked by. Still Garrett was quiet. Then came October 5, 2022. That was the day that Garrett revealed to the metal detecting community that their company was all in when it came to one thing. Gold. The 24K Goldmaster was a precursor of things to come. Or to be more specific, one amazing thing to come. The Garrett Axiom. A complete from the ground up redesign of pure pulse induction technology in a package unlike anything that had ever been seen before in the gold prospecting niche of our hobby. Gone were the bulky rigs that required harnesses to swing them and car-size batteries to supply power. No more annoying nobs and confusing settings. What Garrett delivered was a genuinely new and yes, I’m going to say it, exciting metal detector. The first pictures of the Axiom looked like something out of the space age. This was a detector that I wanted to try out and I’m not even a gold prospector. When Steve Moore, the Director of Marketing for Garrett, emailed me and asked if I would like to try one out I couldn’t type the word “YES!” fast enough. Let me pause here briefly and give you a bit of a spoiler alert regarding this field test. As you can tell from the introduction I’ve written above, the Axiom got me pretty revved up even before I held one in my hand. I have used it in the gold fields and at the beach and it flat out delivers. This metal detector is a game changer and I’m genuinely excited to share this field test with our loyal readers. With that being said, let’s get to the field test. The Garrett Axiom The Garrett Axiom There is a great deal to cover on the Axiom beginning with its design. As you can see from the photos, when I describe the Axiom as looking like “something out of the space age” I wasn’t kidding. I’ve used PI detectors for many years, primarily to hunt saltwater beaches because of their inherent ability to deal with high mineralization and find targets at extreme depth. They did, and do, work but at a cost. Due to their often bulky designs, they can beat you up physically. Walking on a beach for several hours with one of those beasts takes its toll and the fatigue factor inevitably shortens your hunts. The Axiom completely negates that negative aspect by its well-balanced and relatively lightweight design. It comes in at roughly 4.5 lbs. depending on the coil you select and features a lightweight internal lithium battery encased in a molded plastic case. An open flexible and very comfortable arm cuff is mounted on the rear of the detector and can be adjusted if required. The hand grip is easy to grasp and topped by a control box modeled after the Apex. A slick carbon fiber shaft that uses innovative stem clamps for adjustment connects to a variety of lightweight coils. All of this means just one thing: you can swing this detector for hours and not suffer for it in the least. One more thing. When you are transporting the Axiom, or if you wish to shrink it down to hunt in close quarters, it easily collapses to a remarkable 25”. The stem clams work as promised and save you the hassle of pushing in those annoying little spring buttons every time that you adjust the shaft. The Axiom Package The Axiom Package Garrett provides a very impressive package of accessories with the Axiom. Along with the detector and searchcoil (this can vary by the package selected), you get: Axiom Booster Pack Soft Carry Case Quick Start Guide Warranty Card USB Charging Cable Wall Charger and Adaptors A set of MS-3 Wireless Headphones with charging cable (Yes, you get Z-Lynk with the Axiom!) A small gripe is that a copy of the full owner’s manual is only available online. I really like a printed copy for reference and wish that one was included. Axiom Coils Garrett offers a large selection of coils for the Axiom: 11” X 7” Mono AND DD 13” X 11” Mono AND DD 16” X 14” Mono AND DD Okay, you are probably thinking that the above listing of DD coils for the Axiom are typos. I can assure you they are not. Yes, Garrett has chosen to offer DD coils for the Axiom. For many PI purists this may be heresy since Mono coils have been the standard for PI detectors for many years. However, I can tell you that the DD coils are a great way to go. My test unit came with a 13” X 11” DD coil, along with Mono coils in the other two sizes. Unlike the Mono coils, which are hotter on the edges, the DD coils react to a target like a typical DD coil and are hotter toward the middle of the coil. I personally loved this because I hunt 100% of the time with DD coils on my other detectors and it made for a very easy and intuitive switchover to the Axiom. In comparing it to the mono coils I found no loss in either depth or sensitivity and the DD coil is now my coil of choice. I would not discount a DD if you are looking into purchasing an Axiom. Axiom Power Okay, say this with me. “Ahhhh.” That is what you will say when you pick up an Axiom and see that there is not any bulky battery to deal with. The detector is powered by what Garrett describes as a “2X LIFE” built-in, high-capacity lithium-ion battery that will run 16 hours on a full charge. I can confirm that the battery is exceptional in terms of holding a charge. While I didn’t hunt for 16 hours straight, I did numerous back-to-back hunts totaling over 10 hours each time and the detector always had two bars remaining on the charge indicator. For those of you who just want to play it safe, a separate booster pack battery powered by 8 – AA batteries is included that will supply an additional six hours of hunting time. Axiom Display Panel When Garrett introduced its first multi-frequency metal, the Apex, it featured a brand-new control box design that users instantly embraced. I was very happy to see that Garrett chose to utilize this same design for the Axiom. The display screen features fifteen different elements in a neatly uncluttered arrangement: Signal Strength Indicator Iron Check Mode Frequency Scan Tone Audio Type Sensitivity Battery Level Speed Ground Track Backlight Wireless Headphones Ground Balance Arrows Ground Balance Indicator Ground Balance Values These display elements will be discussed in detail where relevant later in this field test. Axiom Controls Axiom Controls As with the Apex, the six controls on the display box are located in a unique, user friendly “thumb wheel” pattern below the display. All operations and adjustments to the Axiom are easily accomplished by moving your thumb from left to right in order to press the appropriate button. The controls are: 1. Power ON/OFF and Operate a. Used to turn the Axiom on and off. Pressing and holding this button for five seconds restores factory settings. This button also can be tapped to exit the MENU settings. 2. Volume Plus/Minus Buttons a. Used to increase/decrease volume. 3. Sensitivity Plus/Minus Buttons a. Used for two functions. i. To adjust the sensitivity of the detector. ii. To adjust detector settings within the Menu settings. 4. Menu/Iron Check a. Used for two functions: i. Used to access Menu settings. ii. Engaging Iron Check function by pressing and holding this button. b. Ground Balance i. Press and hold this button to ground balance the detector. 5. Threshold Plus/Minus Buttons a. Really handy to increase or decrease the threshold on the fly as opposed to have to go into some sort of annoying settings menu. 6. Ground Balance a. A “hold and bob the coil” button for ground balancing the Axiom. With all the aforementioned features and controls you might think that the Axiom is a complicated detector to run. On the contrary, Garrett really took its time in designing the Axiom to both offer many features AND be easy to operate. After spending many hours in the field with my Axiom I can attest to this. Axiom Functions and Settings Accessing the various functions and settings is extremely intuitive. · How many times have you owned a detector that needed a factory reset and you couldn’t figure out how to do it? Not with Axiom. Press and hold the Power button for five seconds. Listen for a double beep. Done. · Frequency Scan o EMI is a constant enemy a detectorist must battle so frequency scan is a must with today’s modern metal detectors. The Axiom uses a unique system to locate the quietest operating frequency. To perform a Frequency Scan, just push the menu button until FREQSCAN is highlighted, then press the plus button. The Axion scans through 100 frequencies, rechecks the best five and automatically selects the best one. All of this in 45 seconds. This worked flawlessly for me in the field. · Detection Modes o In my humble opinion this is the Axiom’s finest feature. The Axiom provides four search mode operations, each optimized for specific types of detecting. 1. Fine Mode · The preferred search mode of the Axiom, Fine Mode offers the best sensitivity to all sized targets ranging from fine gold to large items. Fine Mode can be susceptible to ground minerals, hot rocks and salt water. 2. Normal Mode · An excellent choice if noise issues are encountered when in Fine Mode. Normal mode provides good sensitivity to most targets but can be less effective on fine gold. 3. Large Mode · For use when focusing on large targets. This mode also reduces susceptibility to hot rocks and highly mineralized ground. 4. Salt Mode · Designed to allow for use of the Axiom in wet salt environments like ocean beaches. As an avid beach hunter, I was particularly interested in how this mode performed. It delivered excellent stability even in high concentrations of black sand. o Accessing the modes was a sinch. Just press the MENU button until the word “MODE” is highlighted. Then press the “PLUS” or “MINUS“ buttons to select the mode. · Volume and Threshold Adjustment o Not much to say here. Super easy to adjust with the PLUS/MINUS buttons. · Tone and Audio Options o Another area where the Axiom shines. Via the Menu button, the user can change the audio pitch and select from two different types of audio. 1. Tone Adjustment · Pushing the Menu button until TONE is selected followed by pressing the +/- buttons allows for scrolling through 100 available tone shifts. o This feature allows the operator to pick a tone that best fits their preferences or hearing ability · Only active with VCO audio (Audio 01) o Audio type 1. The Axiom has two different and very unique audio types, Audio 00 (PWM) and Audio 01 (VCO, also default). These can be accessed by pressing the Menu button followed by the +/- buttons. Both provide continuous audio that responds proportionally to a target’s signal strength allowing the operator to judge a target’s size, depth and shape. · Audio 00 (PWM) o In PWM audio, audio pitch is fixed at either high or low and only the target’s volume increases with signal strength. Preferred by users who like an active, coarse audio response. 1. Audio 01 (VCO Audio) o The preferred mode of most users (including yours truly). Target volume and audio increase proportionately with signal strength and is a real asset in locating faint targets by changes in audio pitch. o Target Signal 1. The Axiom features a Target Signal Strength Indicator at the top of the display. Utilizing a bargraph, the indicator will display high tones proportionally toward the right of center and low tones similarly toward the left of center. · Backlight o The backlight can be activated and adjusted via the Menu button by highlighting the backlight icon. o The backlight automatically activates when scrolling through the menu, a very handy feature. · Speed o A crucial adjustment for your hunting, made easy by the Axiom’s defined speeds of SLOW, MED(IUM) and FAST. This adjustment determines coil sweep speed and also target recovery speed (often referred to as “reactivity). o As with every adjustment on the Axiom, the Menu button gets you to the Speed Settings. The operator needs to pay strict attention to choosing the proper setting in order to ensure the Axiom performs at its best. 1. SLOW · While the manual suggests using the MED setting for general purpose hunting my preference was the SLOW speed. This setting was the most stable of all three and provided excellent depth and sensitivity. However, it is vital that the user sweep slowly. I always ask the question of fast sweepers “what’s your hurry?” In the case of the Axiom, go slow and you will be rewarded. 2. MED(IUM) · The default setting and a good general-purpose selection for most users. It provides good sensitivity and depth and requires a moderate sweep speed. 3. FAST · This speed boosts reactivity to increase target separation but that comes at a cost. EMI and noise chatter can increase making it more difficult to hear faint targets. · Sensitivity o Unlike most metal detectors, the Axiom offers what I would refer to as “sensitivity on steroids.’ While many metal detectors can be run hot at max sensitivity, the Axiom for the most part cannot. Prior to its release, the previous maximum sensitivity of “8” was boosted significantly to allow certain skilled operators in unique hunting situations to push performance to the maximum. The previous maximum sensitivity now is the number 4 selection. For almost all users (including this field tester), 4 provides more than enough power to obtain excellent results from the Axiom and should not be exceeded for general hunting. · Ground Balance o The Axiom features a very sophisticated ground balancing system that is covered in detail in the manual. While offering standard options like manual ground balance and ground tracking, the Axiom has taken ground balancing to another level with several innovations not previously seen on PI metal detectors: 1. Dual ground balance values displayed with both ground tracking on AND off. · This is a terrific visual reference to monitor ground conditions. 2. Ground Balance Window Feature · After ten seconds of ground balancing, the Ground Balance Window activates and allows the operator to eliminate both mineralized soil AND a hot rock. Pumping over the soil and scanning over the hot rock will eliminate both responses (or make them much smaller). · Iron Check o One of the coolest innovations included in the Axiom. Iron check, which only works with DD coils, will generate an iron “buzz” that is easily recognized. To activate this feature just hold down the Iron Check button until it double beeps. Then scan and listen to the buzz. o While this feature worked best on shallow targets, I found it to be a huge asset for both gold prospecting and beach hunting. If I had a deep, small target all I had to do was activate Iron Check and then scan the pile to see if it was iron or not. This was a real time saver and I used it a lot in my testing. · Quickstart and Owner’s Manual o A Quickstart guide is included with that Axiom. The owner’s manual, which is very well written, is only available as a downloadable pdf. · Other references. o Once again Garrett smartly brought in renowned gold hunter Steve Hershbach to host a series of “how-to” videos explaining the Axiom and its use in great detail. Steve’s easy-going manner and excellent on camera skills, combined with his in-depth knowledge of electronic prospecting, make these videos a must see for anyone contemplating the purchase of an Axiom. I found myself going back to them many times and even after learning the Axiom found they served as a huge, free database of knowledge that made me a more skilled operator of the detector. And now on to the field test… Field Test Historically PI detectors have been at their best when it comes to gold prospecting and saltwater beach hunting. These were the two areas that I focused on for my field testing. But before we get to that, let me comment on one aspect of the Axiom that deserves more than just a passing reference. What is that aspect? Its design. I don’t mean anything specific because to focus on just one feature would be unfair. This detector is flat out one of the best designed metal detectors that I have ever had the pleasure of using. The more that I use it the more I appreciate the time that Garrett put into its design. Notice I said “more that I use it.” Having been a field tester of metal detectors for over two decades I can tell you that this is not always the case. I have never tested what I would call a “bad” detector, but on occasion certain detectors take a toll on you just to use them. For example, the grip angle is wrong. Or the balance is off. Or the menus are confusing. Not with the Axiom. Its performance was excellent as you will see shortly. But what really continues to make my day is that the Axiom is just an easy and enjoyable detector to hunt with. Now let’s get to that field test. In the Gold Fields Living in Los Angeles it is difficult to prospect for gold regardless of your method. Getting to areas to look for gold that isn’t in the form of jewelry is especially difficult, although there are certain places where you might have success that are relatively nearby. However, in my mind I wanted to really prospect for gold with the Axiom so I decided to focus on a place you might have heard of: the Mojave Desert. A few hours’ drive from Los Angeles, this massive area holds many gold claims and a ton of history. Through a fellow detectorist I was able to gain access to a mining claim that was known to still be producing gold. Six buddies and I piled into two pickup trucks and we headed out to the desert to make our fortune on a clear Friday morning. Our detecting site, high up in the Mojave Desert Mountains The site we came upon was several miles up in the hills and showed clear evidence of mining activity. Tiling piles were everywhere. We parked and unloaded out detectors. FYI, I had the only pulse machine; my buddies had both multi-frequency units and VLF’s. After having studied Steve Herschbach’s videos the night before (thank you again, Steve!) I felt pretty confident in my ability to run the Axiom so off I went into the land of tailings. Getting started with the Axiom was a breeze: Power up. Adjust threshold - I preferred a barely audible threshold although at times I went with a negative value to run totally silent. In both cases good targets rang through clear and solid. Ground Balance Run Frequency Scan Pair MS-3 Wireless Headphones (optional) - Being out by myself I liked using the speaker but if noise is an issue the MS-3 Wireless Headphones are excellent. Select Detection Mode - I ran Fine Mode exclusively and was very impressed with its sensitivity to all sizes of targets. In the area I was hunting there was no need to utilize either Normal or Large Mode. Go! Over the course of the next six hours, I covered a lot of ground with the Axiom. Targets were few but when there was something there, large or small, the Axiom found it. I really liked the Iron Reject feature in that it allowed me to locate and ignore several tiny ferrous targets in the pile once they were removed from the hole. Having never prospected for gold with a metal detector for this long a period of time I was grateful for the Axiom’s user-friendly design. The main reason? Gold prospecting is hard work! The constant digging in rock hard ground with a pickaxe kicked my butt. The author working a hillside with the Garrett Axiom For those of you who aren’t PI users, there is an audio adjustment that you have to make when using a PI in order to recognize targets. I would strongly urge you to test targets at home before going out in the field. Thankfully I did this and therefore was able for the most part to locate targets easily. Using the DD coil really helped and I was able to use my VLF skills to center and pinpoint targets with very little difficulty. The Axiom found targets of various sizes that included shell casings, bullets, wire, iron junk (ID’d easily by Iron Reject when in the pile), everything but gold. As those of you who prospect for gold know all too well, gold is tough to find and on this day I did not come home with any. The Axiom will find even the tiniest piece of gold as was evidenced by several microscopic bits of wire that hit hard with good, solid repeatable signals. The Axiom was sensitive to both large and very small targets in the heavily worked area. The irony of the day was that one of our party did find gold and he was the only guy who did not use a metal detector. He filled up two large buckets with dirt to take home and pan out and yes, he had gold in his pan when he was all finished. At the Ocean Beach As an avid beach hunter living in Southern California I was really anxious to see how the Axiom performed in a salt environment. Until the advent of multi-frequency detectors, PI’s ruled when it came to depth and performance at ocean beaches. Nowadays you don’t see a lot of PI’s at the beach but they do still have their place when the mineralization is high and causes problems for conventional detectors. There are still PI purists who will argue that a PI can beat any detector for pure depth and they may be right. I had no intention of reopening that debate. All I wanted to do was see if the Axiom could serve as a beach hunting detector. The Axiom was rock solid at ocean beaches and delivered exceptional depth on targets. A long-buried silver ring with an onyx stone was found with the Axiom after a recent storm. The verdict: yes, it can. Thanks to the SALT mode, a beach hunter can easily navigate “the wet” as we call it and punch right through troublesome black sand. In my hunts at the beach I was very pleased with how smoothly the Axiom ran. I could push the sensitivity up to “6” before I had to deal with any falsing. Targets were recovered at impressive depths of well over a foot. Being a PI, some of these were deep garbage but others were coins. That is the compromise you make when hunting with a PI. My best find was a very old, large silver ring, found at a depth of about 6” in a pocket of black sand. The Axiom hit it with no problem. I might add that the Axiom’s relatively light weight and excellent ergonomics made for easy, fatigue-free hunting, something that I have not found to be true of other bulky PI’s that I have used in the past. Another type of beach gold hunting is one that few detectorists explore, that being microgold hunting. For those of you who aren’t familiar with micro-gold hunting, it involves searching for those tiny pieces of gold that VLF metal detectors can’t find. Items like earring backs, thin chains, gold fillings, etc. Gold detectors can be used with good success when searching for microgold due to their ability to find tiny pieces of gold. This type of hunting must be done on the dry since the salt content of the wet sand will wreak havoc with these types of detectors. It requires a great deal of patience since the dry sand holds many types of small bits of metal that conventional VLF’s will not find. It is not for everyone. However, if you elect to try this type of hunting then the Axiom is a superb choice thanks to its FINE MODE. Be sure to bring your Garrett Pinpointer along because you will need it. The Axiom will hit on microscopic pieces of metal like aluminum that you will not see easily with the naked eye. I did a several hour microgold hunt at a local ocean beach and was amazed at how many small targets the Axiom located. If it had been my lucky day, I’m certain some of them would have been gold. Summary, Due to unforeseen circumstances that I will get to in a moment, I was able to spend a much longer period of time using the Axiom than normal. While its gold prospecting abilities have been well documented by many users since its release, there has not been as much focus on the detector as a general use machine, in particular at saltwater beaches where PI’s historically have always performed well. Being a beach hunter, these extra few months gave me multiple opportunities to use the Axion “in the salt” as the saying goes. Generally, I have avoided using a PI as my go-to beach detector because they can be a pain in the neck to use due to their weight, confusing adjustments (for me at least) and the requirement that you have to dig too much garbage. Not that I haven’t tried almost all of them and really tried to love them, or at least like them. The Axiom changed that for me. It is the first PI that I have ever used that was fun to hunt with and performed and felt like a normal metal detector to me. Each time I used it I came to appreciate its brilliantly designed. As a gold prospecting PI I don’t think you can match its performance and value. For saltwater beaches I found it to be a match for any detector that I encountered during my hunts, including all of the latest and greatest multi-frequency machines. If you are looking for a powerhouse saltwater beach detector don’t write of the Axiom as being just a gold prospecting detector. It is a whole lot more. I cannot recommend it more highly as a multi-use metal detector. You can learn more about the Axiom here: https://garrett.com/sport/axiom. Now let’s get to those unforeseen circumstances. This field test was requested by Garrett Electronics and was slated to be published in the January 2023 issue of Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine. I was due to deliver it for publication when the news was released that the magazine was closing its doors for good at the end of 2022. Despite all the work I had put into testing the Axiom and writing up my field test article, it just didn’t seem right for me to keep the unit. I contacted Steve Moore, Director of Marketing for Garrett Electronics, to arrange for the return of the Axiom. To my pleasant surprise, Steve insisted that I hold on to the Axiom and finish my field test in the hope we could find another method of publishing it. Enter Steve Herschbach of DetectorProspector.com Steve said he would gladly publish this field test. He also added that it would be an honor to have it be the last field test written for Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine. To say I was flattered would be an understatement. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this field test of the Garrett Axiom, the last field test written for Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine.

Well, decided to hit the park where I've pulled around 20 IHC, wheats, buff an barbers this past 2 weeks. Decided it was time for a bigger 11" coil on the Deus to see what I've been missing. Best finds that I'd missed before were 2 buffs at an honest 7-8 inches. The deepest was absolutely standing on edge and had a nail 3 inches away. Was pretty impressed to hit that coin. (27, 29s) Pulled another 6 early wheats. Nothing deeper than 6", but all very scratchy signals (could have been pull tabs, a bent nail, or deep foil). No wonder they've remained all these years. Too bad the 1914 is missing a D! (13s, 14, 19s, 20, 28s, 37s)

The librarian from the school contacted me today and apologized for not getting back to me sooner. I told her the fact that she was out last week with COVID was a plenty good excuse. She identified the ring owner. I headed to google. I found 4 supposed phone numbers for a lady with that name and the right age. I was skeptical but thought I'd call them and eliminate them. A lady answered the first number. I asked her if she were the woman who graduated from that high school in 1974. She answered in the affirmative. I then asked, "When did you lose your class ring?" She said, "Over 40 years ago." Anyway, I will ship it to a very happy lady tomorrow.

Found many ozs with the 6000, are on the way to doing so with the Axiom. I can only say either will be AOK if you master, the 6000s an auto machine, the Axiom a manual machine thus the 6000 is easier for a newchum to master or someone that prefers auto, but if you like manual control, no chipped coils go the Axiom.

Definitely not the only one. I keep the ornate and interesting items, and scrap the rest. Bunch of barrel taps that i find really interesting. I start with acid magic, then on to a wire wheel on the grinder or the dremel.

If you did a proper ground balance (over a clean, target free area pump up and down till the audio response from the ground is barely noticeable), and a frequency scan you should have a stable detector. The window ground balance is for incorporating a hot rock into what you want eliminated. After a proper frequency scan and ground balance, if you are still getting too much chatter from your detector you need to check what detector mode you are using (normal is default), that your sensitivity is 4 or less, and adjust your threshold until you get the background hum where you want it (to include going negative if needed)…..and then adjust those settings as needed over a good test target. The Axiom can operate easily with other machines near it, as long as that frequency scan is done properly. Above all else check this forum for guides to using the Axiom, there are videos and basic instructions that will get you where you want to be.

We all have humble opinions on this and experiences. Nobody is right or wrong. I'll stick with what I've learned in my 50 yrs of detecting (30 of that gold) and use ID and Discrimination detectors when needed. I'll never dig every signal at each site I hunt as some sites, I won't live that long. You want to dig every signal, have at it. Never wear blinders and think one way is the best for all situations. Just because one is successful does not mean they are the best. I'll start a post on this in a week or so as it will provide some free education. Here in the NW states our gold season will be opening up in a couple months. It's an important enough post that it does needs it's own and not run behind this original thread. I'm not saying my way is the best. I'm saying you do what works for you and I'll do what works for me. I assure everyone reading this. You hunt some of my sites and you will either die trying to prove your point or you'll get educated and learn. I'll never dig every signal....and I know I'll miss occasional gold...and I am at peace with that. But again, I'll never dig every signal.

The ship(ment) has arrived. Thanks, Gerry! 🤩

May 17 2002 Part Five We sat quietly and watched the two men walking around the area between the creek and camp. I couldn’t believe the situation I was in. I had my gun drawn and was sitting next to an 85 year old man with a loaded Thompson machine gun. After what seemed like an eternity we watched the two strangers talking with each other. They were too far away for us to hear anything. Then they slowly made their way back up the mountain. Jacob said they were casing the camp for a possible robbery. I told him we couldn’t jump to that conclusion and needed to take it easy. Jacob wanted to follow them but I talked him out of it. It was dark and the terrain was not good. All I needed was for him to take a fall and break something. I told him to stay put and I would see if I could trail them for a while and see where they were going. I would give him three blinks of my flashlight followed by three more when I was coming back down the mountain so he would know it was me. That, I hoped, would keep me from being shot. I thought about waking the others but decided against it. As the two strangers drifted up the mountain and out of sight I started up the mountain behind them. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

Yes VL... I have a scrap bin as well that I sort and cash out all the lead, ally and uninteresting brass when it adds up. I couldn’t scrap beauties like this buckle...could be fully repurposed.

Well, I'm not confident my wife is on the same side as you on that one. When I told her I got a new detector she said "what, another one?!" Then continued "how many do you have??" When I stammered and said I wasn't sure she said "See what I mean!!"

June 17 1950 We suffered a partial collapse of the drift yesterday and are re timbering one section. There was no danger to the crew. The assays have faded once again to poor. I still have the option to do two more raises into the quartz zone if needed. The investor we have is leaving this decision up to me but is in this venture for the same reason we are, which is a sizable strike. That, I believe, will only occur on a drop zone of the bedrock which remains elusive. TO BE CONTINUED ..............

I'm a computer buff. Are you saying that my shirt with the Atari logo, and my "Wang Computers" shirt, implies vanity? 😁

Clever artwork. From what I know, logos are more for advertising to non-owners than those who have already purchased. When it comes to vanity, I'd rather wear something with an old product / defunct company logo myself, e.g. White's. I think at least some of the recent Minelab headphones (with the logo) were simply a 3rd party product that ML paid to put the logo on and then sell with jacked up price. Several people did an end-around and bought that manufacturer's identical product to save the juice (and maybe to flip off Minelab? 😉).

Beautiful day today, started out a bit chilly but warmed up to 62, little to no wind. Decided to go to my oldest farm permission, I wanted to finish up around a "staff" house, and maybe just poke around a bit to see what random stuff I could find. I never made it to the farmhouse in the distance. 😀 As soon as I got in the field I turned and walked along a hedgerow and a bit into the field, and pretty much got everything I dug today in that area. Guess it was a little hotspot, there was a road running through the farm that was on the 1910 Topographic map, I think the "staff" waited in this area to be picked up for the day, and perhaps a vendor came through. There are bits of iron and stuff everywhere in about a half acre, any good signal is a good find. First thing I hit was this large heavy brass Star, it appears to have been attached to something by 4 clips on the back which are broken, but the star is complete. To show how big it is, here it is next to one of the two 1902 IHPs I dug today: I might try to shine it up using Tarn-X or Brasso or something, it's pretty awesome. Got some buckle parts and a 1900 V nickel in pretty good shape: I don't usually get one that I can read the date on. Went up to where the house was and searched around, didn't find anything but the foundation that had been pushed into the woods. A pile of cinder blocks and concrete, none of these houses are very big. There is another in the property but is owned by someone else, so it's off limits. This was a very large plantation, probably one of the oldest in the region. Decided to go somewhere else, went along the woodline until I got to this little clearing where I got my "thank you for coming" gift from the field. Got a solid 91, and unearthed this pretty minty 1934 Mercury dime. My silver count is off the charts (for me) this year. I was very careful to spray it with distilled water instead of brushing it or rubbing it off. Here's the total haul, lots of brass bits and a couple of small buttons including a Tombac and a small two piece. I'm pretty sure the spoon bowl is aluminum, but would be thrilled if it isn't. Only a handful of trash, I did get a large block of lead, but I didn't photograph it. I have no idea why a pink capacitor was in this ancient field, but there are always surprises. 😀

Discrimination is very important in certain areas and without it, you're left wasting energy and time digging trash. I'll pay for discrimination and lighter weight. Knowing how and when to use it is key.

Now that I have my new Legend and still waiting for spring to show up for some serious field time. I have the Legend Pro package and was amazed on a full-blown accessories package. One of the best bangs for your Buck! I see the legend is getting a face lift and nice to know they finally figured out the LG30 as it will be the stock coil and making some changes and upgrades. The round 11" coil is well built but is a boat anchor. The Legend is a Beast and very impressed with its performance and trimming off some weight will be nice. I like to point out a few quirks. Which Nokta could be improved on. The 6-inch coil is great hunter for trashy areas, but the shaft bracket is located at the rear of coil and makes the coil awkward. the angle while setting down to dig has a tendency to roll if on uneven ground. And search angle position is always making adjustment to level it out. If centered bracket, it would be much more friendly user without constant adjustments. It's great that Nokta offers a wide selection of coils and one size they don't offer for the LEGEND is the 8.5" DD: but available for the Simplex! Yes, it round and overall, it is one size that still has advantages in moderate trash and has the punch on deeper targets. I am wishing that Nokta would consider making this coil for Legend. Ya another tool but is one size that would have it place in my arsenal and all those diehards. I would like to say; THANK YOU to Andy Sabisch for his Legend Handbook. Well done, Andy. And great to see Nokta is not setting idol and moving forward and constantly improving and making changes were needed. Best in Hunting ALLAN CANNON

I've not had any other NEL coil besides the Tornado. The SuperFly is much thinner and lighter than it for sure. On my T2, it air tests a minie at 18 inches in all metal BP mode activated, and 16ish inches with regular all metal. In ground, in my 2 bar dirt at home, I don't have anything buried in my test garden that is beyond what it can hit and also correctly ID. I like this coil size because now days, every detector out there is coming standard with the same size coil and that makes it easy to do comparisons. The dirt I found the dropped minie in (in the picture) was NOT 2 bar dirt. It was actually 4 bars and creeping into the real hot dirt zone. The Manticore and Deus 2 were very chirpy there and I had to back them off to get them to smooth out. Same with the T2...but at 70 sensitivity, I was still digging stuff deeper than my pinpointer is long. The dirt there has been "turned" or back filled in some spots. I got a sweet 70s signal that was right at 12 inches down and pinpointing right in the bottom of the hole. I would have bet $100 it was going to be a deep minie ball. Nope. Screw cap to a liquor bottle. 😄 I'm fixin' to go hit a spot on our property that my dad cleared out with his Bobcat. I noticed he kicked up old brick and blue feather rim china in an area clearing out scrub brush and stuff. The little 8x6 SEF is about to get a work out...and maybe the 5" round coil too.

Interesting times for sure. Nokta has played a big part in changing the playing field to users benefit. Now, where is that bad dirt Relic hunting PI I am waiting for?

Just a thought did you try a noise cancel with the other detectors close by? What settings did you try? Sounds like interference. I would like to know, I haven't been out yet, just trying at home with lots of EMI but can still get the machine quiet, but only on sens. 2 can still pick up a very small target 0.056gr. Any higher sens. and machine becomes unstable due to the high EMI. This is with the Mono coil. I went down the road away from the houses to a skate park to give the machine a try. Well! I could not quieten the machine down at all, not a chance on my small test bit, the coil didn't like the ground at all no matter what I did. Then I had a look around, there was some sort of tower up on the hill, streetlights with underground power and cameras! So went 200meters down the road, the nearest houses about 200meters away. And machine ran beautifully on sens. up to 5/6. And I thought that there was something wrong with the machine at the other spot. Re the headphones I did find if I looked over my right shoulder they would drop out for some reason? Not sure where the transmitter is in the Axiom or wear the receiver is in the headphones, so got to have another look at that.

Glad I was able to get one to you before Summer is over. Others may not be so lucky? If I see you selling it on eBay for $2000+ I'll wish all your deep digs to be lead sinkers for the rest of your life. Thanks for allowing me to earn your business again.

New is a matter of perspective. From this old timers perspective nothing here is new except the bang for the buck. The only way any of these machines can be drastically better than the other is if somebody really screws up when making one. It’s like asking which computer runs Microsoft Word better. Anyone that can’t build a decent single frequency detector needs to get out of the business and so it’s purely about which one offers the most features you want for the best price. Finally, we are seeing genuine competition in the industry, and I expect it to only get more fierce. Good times ahead for buyers of new detectors. Bad times for those holding onto old machines thinking they will do anything but plummet in value.

Hey Guys, I'm not sure, but it seems every since COVID many manufactures haven't recovered 100%. Whether it's chip shortages, lack of work force or whatever, just seems like it's much harder to get really anything anymore. Nugget Finder coils are no exception, many have been waiting for the 6000 coils since last year, with only small batches trickling in. Anyone looking for Nugget Finder coils, we would love to do business with you. We do have a priority list for the new GPX 6000 coils, so the sooner you get your name on it, the sooner you will be able to get one. I always recommend dealing with your local or favorite dealer. Rob

Thanks! The "Reaper" program is really working out for me. 🙂 I think Chase found a similar star shaped object close to where I got that one. Most of this was in a small area very close to an old road that no longer exists. We pretty much walked all around it, I just blundered into the spot 🤪 hope I blunder more here! Gotta get that Farm Hunting 101 article going, still putting it together in my head. 😀 A few of the farms I have under my belt have old roads, just have to get to them.

Thanks VL, I pretty much plan to leave all this to the counties, hopefully my wishes will be honored. I've got some pretty good records of where I found it all, legally of course 🙂 Farm hunting is quickly coming to an end this year, gotta get going on finding some more yards to hunt and get ready to go to the beaches.

I like this post by Coiltek on Facebook, and figured I'd put it here for those that don't use Facebook, it's really nice to see the team behind the coils. Here is their post: Something you may not know is that we're an independent family-owned business – and all our products are produced and quality checked by our dedicated close-knit team in South Australia. So while we have a valued collaborative relationship with detector manufacturers, we are 100% independent and committed to bringing you the performance and quality you've come to expect from Coiltek. Trevor is a good boss, hiding up the back there not wanting to steal the limelight 🙂 You can tell the good sellers, the Nox and 6000 coils!

But, but, but…. where would the forum be were it not for hair splitting?!

Dang it anyways! While doing my final back-panning in my clean-up pan, I discovered a little hungry bead of mercury which ate up some of my flour gold from todays dig. Oh well, at least my ball of mercury amalgam is growing in size. Anyhow, my buddy and I went out to do a little prospecting. I used the mini California drop riffle sluice, and he used his mini Le'Trap. Going to sleep well tonite. \

Did a water hunt yesterday and found this tiny 1 gram 14K ring. It was on the limits of being detected with ID's jumping around, barely audible, and some negative numbers mixed in. Just what I have been reading about how very deep targets can give confusing signals. But there was just "something" in the audio response that said dig me. I was very careful pinpointing where the target was before digging, and it was 3 scoops deep, dug in a very tight hole. Really pleased with the depth.

Just arrived today sporting the V 1.05 version. Slapped it together right away and quite satisfied overall. My LG 24 will follow tomorrow. As I got a terrific deal I sprang for a control cover , the one with colored buttons. Not to be cynical but I intend to keep it tip top for possible sale if I choose to, as In should I have my eye on something else. My main swing is the Deus 2 with 9” w/ WS6 master, and 11” w/ remote. The legend gives me an elliptical coil and the 6”- plus it’s always ready to dunk in the water if I get the opportunity. So how does V 1.05 stack up against subsequent upgrades? I must say I dread the update process. Does anyone know if I can use my chrome book , or is that a negative? First things first, I need to familiarize myself with the menu and settings. After a really mild winter, the weather has turned colder with more snow, but I should still be able to give it a run this weekend. Cheers

An awesome review and mini manual Bill - great work! Thanks for choosing the forum as a way to make sure the effort was not in vain.

The X-Terra Pro supports the ML-85 headphones, not the ML-80's. This means its not aptX it's Bluetooth LE, the new Bluetooth the same as the Nox 900 and Manticore. It should in theory work with any Bluetooth LE headphones, just very few are on the market yet being new tech and so far I haven't heard of anyone getting their hands on another brand and trying it. If they will work on generic stuff headphones and especially ear buds will end up quite cheap for it.

Great "last" hunt with the Nox and 10x5 coil, GB, it's a fitting farewell. I know the Manticore will serve you well and there will be 8x6" & 12x15" coils coming out for it so that will be a formidable arsenal for you. Happy Hunting with your new Mandy!

That junk sure looks nice ! Polishing them up on a rainy day sounds like fun ! Putting old found items back into regular use is very satisfying to me. I surface found an ornate brass drawer pull that I'm putting on one of the drawers in the RV . Might have to polish 'er up now....

I recently decided to spend less time on my trivial projects and more time detecting with my sons, so here I am. I have a Minelab Vanquish 540 (first) detector and hope to add a Garrett AT Pro at some point. I don't have many permissions but I'm working on it. I'm in Chocowinity, which is eastern NC.

I really don't save much items like that as I will just toss in a box and when I get enough of it off to the scrap yards. Brass brings in good money. Sorry

Junk has it benefits..........In a worked patch it tells you that they have not got all the targets. In a heavily rusty junk area it tell you that most people have walked away and that beloved old VLF can come out of retirement and get the larger nuggets like it used to get when detecting was in its infancy. When hunting virgin desert areas, it let you know some one has thought the area may have been worth while. Besides not getting a target for hours or days, it wakes you up again, and gets the concentration working at it's peak. But remember junk will beat you some times.

If they would let people back in some of our rivers to dredge just think how much mercury could be removed from them. Chuck

It’s always a good thing knowing you done the right thing returning it when can. Chuck

Gerry..... Looking forward to your future write up.... "IF" they ever do get a decent PI with good disc capabilities in the future (?) that will be BIG, really BIG!

Thats a very nice hunt. Like how 3 bottom coins were tightly grouped in year. I always get a special kick out of V nickels...not sure why!

Welcome from Tn. Good luck to you and your sons. It's a great hobby and even better with family members. HH jim tn

If anything update to 1.09 at the least. I've heard it's the most stable with 1.11 being possibly the final update.

Jacob has a vivid imagination based on his prior experiences years ago. I hope he is 'dead' wrong about the 2 campers motivation!

Great finds! Liberty nickels and IH pennies only 3" deep sounds like my kind of hunting. When I hunt the dirt the older stuff is usually much much deeper.

Possibly not. They obviously think not, and that is why they have never done it.

Good on you. It’s a great feeling to be able to return a lost item. 👍🏼

You don't need to worry, if you have an Axiom your DD coil is the focused core version. https://garrett.com/sport/axiom You may have noticed Steve talking about using the DD coils on his Australia trip and enjoying using them, I think he ended up using them the most from memory. Nobody else except Garrett has done this design from what I can see. I think they've just given a name to the design, a good idea as it seems a really good design and deserves it's own name, it's not a simple DD coil. From Garrett's website, "Garrett Exclusive! Axiom Focused Core (FC) DD Coils This video compares traditional DD and Mono prospecting search coils against the ultra-hot detection of Axiom Focused Core (FC) DD coils. Engineered with a centralized focused core, each Axiom DD search coil exceeds mono coil performance on small gold nuggets. "