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Hi all - ive been hitting the beach hard over the past 5 days and have some great finds to share. All with the Deus 2 with the standard beach sensetive settings. The finds: One 1945 wheatie One 1945 silver quarter Two silver dimes One 1950 german coin One buffalo nickel with no date One silver bracelet One junker-ish earring Three beat up junker rings Two fidget spinner rings (fresh drops) One Stainless ring w some sort of opal One 14k - 1/20 ring w 3 fake diamonds (fooled me!) One 14k gold ring w 10 small diamonds One 10k black hills gold ring one 10k baby's ring (my favorite) Definitely one of my most exciting few days yet!

Yesterday I went for a nugget hunt and before I could get to my spot I saw this snake in the road. It wasn't moving in the early morning chill so I got closer to see if it had been hit by a car. No, it was just sunning itself but I didn't want to leave it there so I got a stick. It needed to be moved and I would pick it up if I had to. This is a harmless gopher snake I think. It had no rattles and is not poisonous from my experience. It moved on its own. I didn't know if it could make it up the side of the road but as you can see no problem! All that was left were the tracks.

I managed to get in a short coin and relic hunt today with the Equinox 900. I was at a high altitude 1880s site in the Colorado Central Rockies. I really wasn't expecting much but I will definitely be returning to this site again. It was a site with a clearly marked stone foundation. The ground was loaded with both iron trash and extreme iron mineralization. The harmonica reeds and the 45-90 Winchester Repeating Arms WCF shell casing were near the surface and were easy pickings. The other targets were deep enough to have extremely jumpy target IDs. This was not the Equinox 900's fault. I blame it on extreme mineralization and tons of iron trash. The 1876 seated silver dime was barely giving a non-ferrous response 5" deep but it gave enough for me to go after it. The 1886 V nickel did not give a nickel ID until I had removed about 4 inches of dirt. I dug plenty of other 1880s trash. If you see something you recognize in this photo besides the things I mentioned, don't hesitate to chime in. I am not much of a relic person. I was using the Equinox 900 with 6" coil in Park 2 Multi, with -9 to 99 accepted, DP tones, sensitivity 20, iron bias 0, recovery speed 5.

This is a good Q&A on the GPX 6000 for those considering one, Nenad was a field tester for it and knows what he's talking about. I found what he has said in his Q&A here very agreeable. https://phasetechnical.com.au/minelab-gpx6000-gold-detector-qa/ I like that he makes the case for the various detectors and honestly talks about their strong and weak points. Now the GPX has it's known issues resolved it really is a good detector and I really like mine, as is the GPX 4500/5000 he also talks about and of course the GPZ 7000 is great, and in my mind the best there is.

I've really been surprised there has not been as much discussion about the Manticore as I thought there would be since it came out. That is much other than the ability to find one initially. I don't know how hard they are to get presently. Have they not sold that many I wonder? I'm doing what I consider great with mine. I'm far from a detector expert, but have detected long enough with Minelab detectors, and especially the Equinox to understand the Manticore decently well. I'm pretty sure it bridges the gap between say the CTX and Equinox. The Manticore's upgraded EMI mitigation as others have said really sets it apart. I have used AT-HC most of the time, and I personally think it's better than Park1 on the Equinox for silver. I have pulled silver from places I thought there was none left. Places that I had really worn out with the 800. Not like one silver, but several in one hunt. Five this past weekend from a park. The only reason I made the 45 minute drive was because weekend before last I had a 4 silver hunt from another site I was pretty sure I'd be wasting my time at. I ran the Equinox at both these places on the ragged edge settings wise. Park1, F2-0, Horseshoe on, Recovery 3-4, and Sensitivity as high as I could stay stable. I run the Manticore the same way basically AT-HC, lowered Ferrous-Limits, no discrimination/horseshoe on, Recovery 3-4, and only like 22-23 sensitivity. The crazy thing is mostly the silver I dug was not like really iffy. It was straight up I think I need to dig that for sure. A few were that's silver no doubt about it. One particular Merc I dug last Saturday was in horrible trash, but when I hit it I was stopped in my tracks. It was really tight not a lot of wiggle room. It was about 6"-7" inches deep, but I could circle it getting dime numbers a the way around despite there being trash pretty close by. I have also noticed I have no problem calling silver dimes and quarters for the most part. Silver just on average I.D.'s higher than clad in my dirt. I always thought silver rung up higher on the Equinox did too, but to me the Manticore seems to do it more often. It makes it a bit more easy to tell. For instance silver dimes seem to hit 83-84 for me. Silver quarters 90-92. Half dollars 94+. Anyway the more I use the Manticore the more impressed I am with it.

Here is the video of the hike in and the whole process of getting my gold. Thanks everyone.

mine just arrived.........in the past i have used many CF outfits, BUT this package is the absolute BEST i have ever had any dealing with............truly outstanding workmanship in EVER respect........Thank You Steve

Good for you!---You might have saved its life doing that.----We're in their territory out there--not the other way around.----They are another one of Gods creatures & they have to live someplace.

June 5 2002 We were all up early this morning. Jacob was all wound up about getting heavy equipment on the mine at last. And the timing was good because some of that big heat that jacob had been talking about was supposed to be starting. I was having morning coffee with the crew when Jacob came out of his camper with a bottle of Bushmills and poured a generous serving into everyone’s coffee cup. We had a good breakfast and waited for the deliveries. Vern stayed at camp while the rest of us drove down to the main road. First to arrive was the old skid steer and the two pumps. It had tracks and the motor seemed willing to work. We put the pumps in the bucket of the steer and Jim drove it up to the digsite. After a wait of what seemed like forever but was actually late morning the trommel arrived. It was mounted on an off road trailer. We hooked it up to my truck and I pulled it up to the mine site. Then we got to work setting up our new operation. It was like Christmas had come in June for us. Everyone was excited to get everything set up just right. We worked until dark and finally had everything set up like we wanted but it was too late to do a test run and we were all exhausted. The temperature during the late afternoon had climbed into the mid 90’s and we were all feeling it. We buttoned up the last details and walked over to camp and had cold beer and hamburgers. It had been a very good day for our crew. TO BE CONTINUED ................

That’ll be Joe (OBN) maxing out his credit card 🤣

A friend took me to one of his spots in NJ he’s been finding seated silver dimes and quarters at. I dug my first gold coin an 1876 young head shield back 1/2 sovereign in excellent condition and 1854 1877 seated quarters the 77 is cc. Still learning the manticore but it’s starting to click. Good luck everyone. Thanks John

I agree with Zincoln. That 1886 is pretty rare and although the photo doesn't show its detail (and no reverse) I'm going to say it grades at least VG and quite possibly F. Could be a 3 figure coin assuming the discoloration doesn't detract too much.... As was typical back then, except for the first year of issue very few of the early years escaped circulation and subsequently a lot of wear. I think that is true of the 1886 adding to its 3.33 million (fairly low) mintage to its value today. My mom had an 1886 in her collection that was really trashed. I recall in a book I read (don't remember which) the author said to look for ghost towns that were present during a particular time period that had scarce-to-rare coins. His example was a mountain ghost town (I think maybe also in Colorado) that only existed a few years but bracketted 1877 and thus the key date Indian Head Cent. The other thing going along with that is the condition of the coins, with not many years get worn down. If the ghost town you were in fits that concept could there be the even rarer (and 2-3x valued) 1885 just waiting for your detector to beep? Fun to contemplate!

(I'm reposting this in the Meet And Greet because I mistakenly posted this as a reply to a topic as opposed to introducing myself) Hello everyone, This is the first time I've joined a forum, and the first time I've posted anything. I appreciate the expertise of all the forum members as my most of my knowledge of metal detectors has come from this forum. One of the most common questions that a newbie asks is "what is the best metal detector for (fill in the blank)?". Of course, a veteran detectorist realizes that a knowledge of how different types of detectors operate must be gained before an educated decision can be made. A basic knowledge of electronics is required, and ones knowledge increases incrementally as one gets familiar with the operation of a detector. With time one begins to understand what detectors will work for the type of detecting one is doing. There is a lot to know to become an expert. It requires a dedication , passion and a thirst for knowledge. My main interest is gold prospecting so most of my focus is on detectors that are for this. I still have a lot more to learn, but I feel much more comfortable now that I know what I know. The good thing is the more you know, the better equipped you are to teach others which is the best part. Thanks Steve for creating this forum and doing your part to keep prospecting alive!

I guess 12 detectors in my cart is a little excessive……Metal detectors does strange things to some people…….they are things you can feel and touch whereas a credit card statement is just numbers on a screen 😜😜

How about a probe that would act like a coil and show the VDI on the controller screen and give the audio tone of the target. Hey I had one of those Sunray DX-1 probes on my old DFX back in the day that did exactly that except it wasn't wireless. 😉

I'm just out enjoying the great weather hunting with mine. No real complaints except I wish they had the small coil available.

I stumbled across this video and thought what a cool idea, you could put on some workman type clothes and wander around the beaches even during high traffic times collecting all the recent drops and act as if you're just a worker cleaning the beach 😛 In some places this type of thing would be quite successful, and a bonus is you really are cleaning the beach, you'd have a lot of rubbish to dump at the end of your scooping session. I wonder where to buy these things, they even seem to make them with wheels, although I think I like the one in the video better than the one with wheels. https://www.cleansands.com/store/p40/SAND_CLEANING_TOOL_-_Production_Starting_Soon.html

Came across this site looking for a battery pack. Hoping to retire soon. Spent some time climbing on mine piles and looking for float copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula. I am still swinging a White MXT, also have a White 5900 Di Pro.

Been lurking for a while so I figured it was time to join. I have been retired for about a year and have been spending a couple hours a day detecting. I am fortunate to live in an area with lots of turn of the century logging camps and abandon coal mines so I have been doing lots of relic hunting. I am swinging an Equinox 600 and 900 with a Garrett carrot and a Whites TRX pinpointers.

Sonoran gopher snake. good guy. Glad you saved him, hope he gives you luck.

around five hundred’ish…..

Just 62% ! I have to give him 75% !!

Thanks Zincoln and Chuck for reminding me about the possible value of the 1886 V Nickel I was lucky enough to find. I knew there were two main V Nickel key mint dates somewhere in the back of my brain when I noticed the date. I was more excited by the 1876 Seated dime at the time but ignorance really is bliss sometimes.

Well, two of my claim partners and I headed up to obe if our claims to see how close we could get to it with the UTV's. We made it all the way in to it. We had to hike about a quarter mile of the last stretch as we always have to but we made it. Still a lot of snow in our dig area but the four of us made it work. I picked up in the spot I stopped last fall and since I could start at the face of the bank, I decided to move rocks on the surface and cut and dig straight down through the grass. I worked my way towards the bedrock and my hard work was rewarded with five nuggets. My hole was about four feet by three feet and right around three feet deep. It is very hard to see the accurate depth in the pictures. It was very muddy at first but then I broke through the wet layer and it became a little dryer. Three pieces of iron and five nuggets. Not bad. The first nugget weighed 1.39 g and all total 2.35 g. Not a bad day as this gold is selling for $100 a gram. Video will be coming very soon.

Welcome aboard Zaj ! Lurking is so limited. Glad you have come out from the dark side. Tell us about some of the goodies you've been finding and/or ask any questions that have been bugging you. Participation adds a huge amount to what you can learn here !

Good day from South Africa. I use a Nokta makro Anfibio Multi and a Nokta pulse dive pin pointer.

Hawkeye - After I sold Reese the NF 12x7 and hearing other customers talk about how great it was, I had to keep one myself on the last batch and get out with it. I was using the NF 12x7 Mono. However, I can't claim it's all success of the coil, even though it's a great coil, my friend is running just the stock 11" Mono and he picked up a small handful also. Rob

Looks like 4 machines sold in 5 days. Only 12 more to go. Maybe the Unlimited is finally next after 6 years of waiting.

Simon, I doubt the coil would work on both, assuming their frequencies are different, unless the freq of one is a harmonic of the freq on the other. Having never owned either, I have no idea. I know the freq of the GK is in the neighborhood of 65hz. I sorta would like to come into a GK, at some point in the future, so I'm glad they'll keep making them. Jim

Keeping things clean?Now there is a novel idea! Why didn't I think of that?

After getting the 6000 I rarely use a VLF for gold anymore, unless it's really trashy and even then it's debatable as to whether it's even worth it. But I'm with Jeff. Using the 800, 900 or Manticore in default gold modes in Nevada or Arizona is an audio nightmare. ON the 800 I would usually drop my iron bias to zero, recovery to 4 and reject target ID's -9 thru -6 then it was doable. But even then a nugget smaller than a 10th of a gram practically has to be sitting on top of the ground to hear it. Even half grammers are hard to hear at a few inches.

Hahaha I thought it was my old age lol. A pair of slip joint pliers and mine comes right off !!! Hand tighten plier loosen !!! No problem with the threads.

Hello everyone, This is the first time I've joined a forum, and the first time I've posted anything. I appreciate the expertise of all the forum members as my most of my knowledge of metal detectors has come from this forum. One of the most common questions that a newbie asks is "what is the best metal detector for (fill in the blank)?". Of course, a veteran detectorist realizes that a knowledge of how different types of detectors operate must be gained before an educated decision can be made. A basic knowledge of electronics is required, and ones knowledge increases incrementally as one gets familiar with the operation of a detector. With time one begins to understand what detectors will work for the type of detecting one is doing. There is a lot to know to become an expert. It requires a dedication , passion and a thirst for knowledge. My main interest is gold prospecting so most of my focus is on detectors that are for this. I still have a lot more to learn, but I feel much more comfortable now that I know what I know. The good thing is the more you know, the better equipped you are to teach others which is the best part. Thanks Steve for creating this forum and doing your part to keep prospecting alive!

Yea, it's a fair bit different here, someone can only have a VLF and still do quite well. It may not look it from the hole in the photo but the nugget was down just over the depth of the Carrot. I was using the Nox in this spot with the 11" coil to cover ground well and using it to block out hot rocks as the GPX 4500 I also had at the time was really struggling with them, or I should say I was really struggling to use the GPX because of all the hot rocks 🙂 I did quite well this day and got a few, the previous couple of visits to the spot with the 4500 I was skunked and spent my days digging hot rocks. In hindsight I should have tried a DD coil on it rather than the 14x9" EVO I was using. I haven't even had my GPZ there, nor my 24k or Manticore obviously. Might have to go again soon before too much snow hits. 1.2 grams.

The video maker made a point to test these detectors in their default prospecting modes and ruled out using the Equinox and Manticore with the horseshoe button ON and all target IDs accepted. Using the Equinox 800 in default Gold 1 means iron bias is on 6, recovery speed is also on 6 and ground balance tracking is ON. With the horseshoe button pressed, all targets accepted and iron bias on 6.........that is an unholy iron audio mess even here where I use the Equinox 800 for gold prospecting. Reducing iron bias to zero really helps here. So does slightly lowering recovery speed, turning tracking ground balance OFF and setting up Gold 1 or Gold 2 Multi with target ID -9 and +40 rejected. I can always hit the horseshoe button when I want to hear everything. If I just hunted with the default discrimination pattern that rejects the iron target IDs, every smaller sub gram non ferrous target would have broken up audio if they were deeper than 2 or 3 inches. I assume roughly the same is true for the Manticore. I hope people don't complain about the big coils. That is all that is available for the Manticore right now. GPX 6000 really does make these VLFs almost obsolete for most smaller gold prospecting. However, if you only have $800 to $1000 US or a bit less, the Equinox 800 and 900 are really good. They aren't 4 times worse than the $4400 US GPX 6000 at least in Jenko's testing.

That key date 1886V is in fantastic condition. That definitely made the trip worthwhile. Not something you often see!

...I save that appointment. Open mind is the first option that should appear in the configuration menu of any detector! When I started in this there were no screens, no VDI... and small findings came out even so. There were no forums either and nobody taught you anything...Rare was the day in which he coincided with some other detectorist. But all that changed. Now we are "a few" on the same beach. Each one with a better team and always the same ones in the same places... Typical expression: There is nothing, no Gold... Get out of your comfort zone!!! Try new beaches, new programs, another settings. If you always do the same, you will get similar results. I detect on the beach, I do it at night and I do it alone (less diving)... It is the only way to continue learning. If you are changing equipment every six months, if you only want to copy the configuration that they just told you, you are finished. Next summer you won't be on the beach anymore. If the wind bothers you, and the water is very cold... then I will arrive and the jewelry will be mine. That's Silver has come out of the new X-Terra Pro in about 70 hours. There is no tourism yet, why do you go out in winter, some colleagues ask me... Open Mind.

Same here, Carolina, I won't be without my MI-6 and an occasional quirk is not going to change my mind. If it doesn't connect (which is rare now), I just turn it off and on again and it's all good. 😎

So, I went back to a club claim that had been pounded for years with virtually all detectors imaginable, including countless times with the GPZ 7000, and that was essentially left for dead. It was a beautiful day, around 60 degrees but with fairly strong winds. There was not a soul out there, something that made the majestic landscape even more impressive. I decided to use my GPX 6000 with the NF 12 x 7 and to do some slow scanning of an area where I recovered quite some gold over the years (mostly by using the GPZ). My settings were: Auto +, normal, threshold on, with ML headset. I was pleasantly surprised how stable the machine was with these settings, something I would not have expected in this area. I should mention that I did the audio fix as well, which I now believe contributes for sure to the overall improved stability of the detector, even when just using BT. One of my first targets was a thin flat piece that was obviously pounded by the force of moving mass including lava rocks. Always nice to see it at first all dirty in the scoop, a feeling of joy that never seems to go away, doesn’t matter how many nuggets you have found before, small or large. After some "spit cleaning", the shiny yellow came out. I am actually surprised that this nugget was not picked up previously. I would certainly expect that most detectors would have been able to see it, also considering that it was fairly shallow, about 2-3 inch deep. So, the day started good, and I continued to scan the close vicinity around my initial find. One thing that I noticed was how incredible sensitive the machine is, something that I was of course aware of having used the 6000 quite a bit, but that again came to my attention. One challenge is that the whole area is littered with bird shots, and I must have recovered at least 20-30 within just a few hours. This is clearly less of a problem with the GPZ 7000, even when run at full bore. I then decided to change tactics and once a target was heard to remove about 1 inch of surface material with my Hermit pick (one end with wide blade), and to only recover if the target would then still be there. This actually worked quite well, and my next “piece” was a super small, tiny flake at about 2-3-inch depth. The flake was so tiny that it was almost impossible to pick it up with the fingers, and of course it did not register on the scale. But the fact that the 6000/NF12 x7 picked it up with a clear high/low signal at about 2-3-inch depth is truly remarkable, and shows once more the power of the 6000, combined with the excellent performance of the NF 12x7 coil. Would the 11-inch stock or the Coiltek 9-round have picked it up, perhaps. But I did not make a cross comparison of all three coils, as I wanted to focus on detecting. But I really have to say I am super impressed by the NF12x7. It is highly sensitive, not a bit less than the 11 stock, but with a more balanced response signal, smoother and it also appears more stable. All targets that I recovered that day were high/low signals, with only some hot rocks or areas of high mineralization giving a low/hi response. I picked up two more pieces, always by using the “1-inch scrape/discard technique”, something that really worked well for me and that I can recommend using for bird shot infested areas. Can you see the one in the next pic? 😊 I picked up four in total that afternoon, and I am sure there is more on this claim, considering that I only focused on a small area around my initial nugget and thoroughly scanned only in the close vicinity. Overall, a great day in the desert. There is something magic about being out there, and every time I come back from it I feel I have been on a meditative retreat. Finding gold is an added bonus to me, and even without any I enjoy my trips every time! Here is the general area where I hang out. Go get some. 😉 So long, guys! GC

Hey Reese, Great to see you are back home, away from this Arizona heat .... LOL A few guys purchased GPX 6000 and were hoping to see you in Gold Basin, but I told them I thought you bailed out for the season. Believe it or not, you got me fired up a few months back to get back out with the GPX 6000, so I did. I rounded up 197 nuggets in 5 trips, will post some pictures, but wanted to make sure I cleaned the spot up first 🙂 Wishing you much success in Montana this season. God Bless, Rob

Hello, my name is Mark. I'm from Pittsburgh, Pa. I started md'ing with an AT Pro in 2015. Moved to an Etrac then an Equinox 800 when they came out in Feb. of 2018. I currently use a 900 that I purchased in mid-December of 22. My main interests are coinshooting, jewelry, tokens and small relics in yards and parks. I have followed the forum for a while now and enjoy its content and the discussions that go on here. I look forward to participating in some of them. Thanks for having me aboard. Mark

All detectors are sold except for the Garrett ATX deep seeker and the Minelab Gpx6000.

I've been busy with some other detecting lately out in the deserts. I like those nuggets and meteorites. You can kind of target those and know what you'll get. When you go to the beach (just like a park) you can get coins, relics and jewelry. Today's best finds were a couple of rings. The first was a stainless steel ring found after a couple of hours of mostly nothing except those tent stakes. My beaches have been very stingy the last few weeks so I was glad to get it. I slowed down with the 11/800 and began to find 'patch' stuff. I like patches. I grid them and just enjoy having a few targets together rather than long walks always. My clues were that I was out on a pretty low tide and things were seemingly deep for the 11. I'm normally a 15 user but the 11 was on and I didn't expect much and was back to where I started when I got the stainless steel ring. It says 316L and weighs 6.7g. I continued on just above the black sand line and found other coins and stakes and then I heard a faint 'penny' or it could have been. I made it down a full scoop (6") and it was still in the bottom of the hole. A couple of more scoops, around 10" I got it out. It was a nice shine for the early morning. This is a 10K with lots of little diamonds. It weighs 7.8 grams. My first gold ring in quite a while and first one with the 11" in even longer. I'm ready to take the 3030 out this week with the 17" and see if I can renew a liking for it and look at some of my old find points.

I just received my new carbon fiber shaft assembly today from Steve's Detector Rods. You talk about a fine piece of equipment with some excellent workmanship. I'm super impressed and very pleased with my investment. I look forward to getting it out in the field and not having to worry about my $1,600 detector falling over in the dirt and mud :-) Big shout out to Steve for his excellent customer service and his craftsmanship. You can tell a lot of thought went into this beauty.

I decided to hunt the woods of the property where I work. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but the property dates back to the early 1900s as a resort/vacation destination for folks coming up from the lowcountry area of South Carolina to the higher, cooler mountain air of the NC mountains. I was hitting the occasional shotgun headstamp when I came upon an area with a ton of iron signals. The old lock was about 12” deep and was ringing up like a silver half. Also found were two old pocket knives, part of a kerosene lamp, a button (probably from bib coveralls), various shot shell headstamps, a junk ring (probably more modern than the other finds as this area is pretty close to a walking trail), a clad dime and copper memorial. The 1903 dime was found on property about a quarter mile away from the other stuff. I also found a 3 merry widows tin near that dime.

My only experience with what I will assume were Africanized bees happened in 2004 or 2005. I parked my rental car in a wash (don't do that) and headed 'up stream' at LSD (Little San Domingo Wash). I wasn't far up when I had a couple stray bees bop me on the head ... but didn't sting me. What I did notice is that they all headed back in the same direction as I was. It wasn't long when I heard a very low buzzing sound. I walked a little farther being a bit naïve and inquisitive. Soon the buzzing got louder as I stepped up another level of the wash. I could see the hive about 35 to 40 feet away. I could also see a gathering of bees headed in my direction. I turned tail and ran for my car that fortunately was only a short distance away. I jumped in and within a few seconds hundreds of bees were covering my car. I started the engine and high tailed it out of there with the bees slowly blowing off. By the time I got out to Castle Hot Springs Road I think they are all gone. No stings. I think those couple of bees that bopped me on the head went back to the hive and rounded up the troops and then followed the pheremone trail left by the scouts right back to me. Situation made me well aware of bees in the desert.

It would also be nice to locate it on the Go Terrrain app. 😀

Indian head pennies.

Thanks guys. The forum is well past 10 years old now. The major building effort is behind me, and I now am just tuning it to be for the core participating membership. I'm not trying to be the biggest forum or anything like that. The current membership levels are fine, and the kind of members I am interested in won't care a bit about the new restrictions. If people really care and want to genuinely participate with a group of really good people, then 10 posts and 30 days is nothing. Guys like the last one that wanted to grab a file and be gone are just takers, and nobody here will ever miss them. I'm not sure what the future of forums is and I have no grand plans for this one. At this point I'm content to try and keep it humming along with as little oversight as possible on my part. I have zero online presence anywhere but here at this point and honestly am just barely checking in here these days. So if anyone sees things that seem not right please let me know. The key thing is drama. This website is for people that hate drama and if anyone is causing drama please let me know via PM or a report so I can either get them in line, or get rid of them. My thanks to those who have been assisting me in this manner.

LOL...nope, I was thinking of Steve Howard, Steve. My bad.