On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 10:41 AM, Mike Hillis said:

I highly recommend this book by Clive Clynick.  http://www.clivesgoldpage.com/

“DFX Gold Methods: Finding Gold Jewelry with the White’s DFX “E” Series TM Metal Detector”

While he writes to the DFX, the information is valuable for the inland jewelry hunter no matter what machine you use.

There is also this one, which is very good but I like the DFX one better...

Gold and Silver: Understanding Beach, Shore and Inland Metal Detecting Sites”

This is better than just telling you where to look as it puts you in the right mentality for gold hunting.

HH
Mike

Shoot.....almost forget this one......

The Gold Jewelry Hunter’s Handbook: Finding Lost Gold at Beach, Park and Shoreline Metal Detecting Sites

Remembering a lot of your posted finds over many years I can see you had a definite edge. Thanks for the link Mike

That would be a once in a life time trip. 

Best to start with the stock park program.  Try not to make adjustments until you have some time with this machine.

Simple Detecting Exercise Before attempting to find real targets, it is important to understand how to interpret the audio and visual signals of the detector.

Nail or Screw Pull-Tab Tiny Coin Fine Gold Ring Large Coin Small Coin Heavy Silver Chain

1. Gather a collection of different metal objects, e.g. various coins, gold and silver jewelry, a nail, a pull-tab, a brass button and aluminum foil.

2. Take the detector outdoors, away from known sources of electromagnetic interferences (EMI) and metal objects.

3. Lay the objects in a line, sufficiently spaced apart to allow the coil to pass between them.

4. Sweep the coil across the test targets one at a time. Observe the Detect Screen and listen to the sounds of the detector as it passes over each object. The Detect Screen and audio response will give you detailed information about the Target ID.
Don’t worry if the detector is not producing a sound over the nail — this is because the detector begins in the default Park Mode Profile 1, which rejects signals from common trash targets, including ferrous targets.
If you are getting signals from a clear patch of ground, there could be buried metal objects. Try finding a different area.
 
You may like to make a record of the Target IDs for each of your targets.

When you go detecting, always carry a 'test target' with you, e.g. a coin, which is similar to the targets you are looking for.
Bury it at around 4 – 6 inches within your detecting location and adjust your EQUINOX settings until the desired response is heard over the test target.
This way you are guaranteed to detect the same types of targets if they are there. Remember to dig up your test target after you are finished!

With the demand so high I don't think anyone can give you, even an approximate answer.

Got to go hunting with a local Historical Society manager and dug this belt buckle at over a foot deep at an old home site dated to 1850.  Don't think it's quite that old but thought I'd share.  Got to use the Fisher Pro-Arc for the first time.  The area is nothing but a cloud of nails to hunt around, but the machine performed quite well.

Awesome, you look very confident.   Treasures are waiting.  Keep us posted

Those don't come very often.

Awesome, awesome, awesome................

Looking forward to all the finds and excitement that will be posted here.

I guess I have a ritual when it comes to a new detector, right or wrong it’s just what I typically do.

Prior to receiving a new machine I usually study, not just read the manual.  Sometimes it might be a couple times before I have a fairly clear understanding as to what each function/setting does.

When it arrives, of course I assemble and install new batteries if it’s not a rechargeable unit, else plug in and charge according to recommendations.

Next will be the test bench where I’ll check several different coins and jewelry items, just to see what each sounds like along with their TID.

Then off to the test garden, which is very exciting for me because of the age factor on the buried items.  10+ years has revealed a lot of important information from the many detectors used in this area.   Some have done well and others just outright failed to perform even close.  I might add, even the most expensive machines were not the top performers which was quite shocking at times. 

Please note: the test garden, even though it’s been undisturbed for 10+ years, it’s not a full proof way of testing, but it will give a good indication of what might be expected on an actual site.

That's great

You're spot on Johnny

5 hours ago, Mike Hillis said:

NuggetBuddy,

If I could only have one metal detector to 'do it all'  I would pick the new F75 LTD with DST.  Reason being that it CAN do it all, do it simply,  and do it well.    It is feature rich enough, powerful enough, and sensitive enough for all tasks you set for it to do.   It has a very good selection of search loops and its a proven performer.   

It only has one user requirement.   You have to learn the F75's sweep speed.    

Check it out.

HH
Mike

 

Agree on all points Mike.  That is why the F75 LTD /DST is my go to detector for coin shooting and relic hunting.   Yes, to slow and you loose depth. 

Wow, that is awesome to me.  Never found one in the wild, but I did buy a few bags of dirt several years ago and found a few pickers and flakes.  Awesome.

Welcome, glad to have you on board.

When I first learned of the Equinox I felt a strong urgency it was for me.  My hunting buddies stated buying before actual release was not a good idea.   But listening to my feelings I ordered and paid in full for one anyway.  I don't have a clue where I might be on the list, but I was assured that very few people had paid for their machine up front.

Over the past 20 years I’ve had the great pleasure to do many side by side metal detector comparisons.   This can be very time consuming, but with patience and careful study much will be learned.  The desire to have the best machine has always been a driving force for me to test, test, test…

I live in the southwestern part of Virginia where the ground mineralization is very dynamic and ranges from mild to extreme.   Some areas the ground is so bad I’m lucky to get a solid ID at a depth of 5 inches and anything deeper will give an iron response.  

A few years ago I decided to purchase a PI to hunt these sites and found many good targets that were just beyond the detection range of my VLF machines.  Doing VLF comparisons to a PI is not fair playing ground but it will indicate the handicaps (or weaknesses) of the VLF from the beginning.  But the PI will stay around until the day something better is developed.   So I continue to use the best VLF machines I can get my hands on.  I’ll test until I find the machine that does the best for the area I live in then sell the lesser machine.    

To me buying a machine for the sole reason of a comparison can be a very expensive mistake and I can say in years past I’ve made buying decision on other people’s comparisons.  What might be a superior machine in one region might be a total failure in another.  

It has always been very intriguing to see the difference in performance in a machine and how they perform in my ground.  Comparing some machines becomes almost impossible to label a true winner and in those instances I just keep the one I like most.

Thanks for the micro information.  I too know and understand how good the F75 really is.  I think the Gold Kruzer, coin the phrase, might just be your gold ticket.

I will start by providing a little background information prior to the story I was given several years ago by a fellow treasure hunter.  His name was David Linville and he has since passed away.  And before you ask, I have his sister’s permission to use his name in the story. 

We were hunting one day and took a little break for a time because of the heat.  We were discussing treasure hunting in general and the times we had been metal detecting and how he always found more than I did.  All of a sudden he started giving me a story about some of his earlier ancestors that had moved from an undisclosed location.  They had moved to a small rural community named Gutton Park in Max Meadows, Virginia.  They had moved to this particular area hoping to obtain work and income to help during this particular era of the depression.  Jobs were not very numerous so people had to do many different kinds of work.  They had moved to this area hoping to prosper.  Of course, back in the 20s, 30s and 40s a lot of people had to plant gardens and raise livestock such as chickens, pigs…everyone knows the stories of what some of the older people had to do.  As the story went on he was telling me about something that happened with this particular man, he didn’t say if he was his grandfather or his uncle or who, just that they were related.  The gentleman that moved there was noticing one day that there were two horses under a tree, out in the field adjacent to their house that pawed the ground a lot.  Of course anyone that has been around farm animals know that to see a horse do that is not uncommon.  Nobody probably even knows why they do it on occasion.  As the days grew into weeks and more weeks went by he noticed that the horses were at the same place pawing the ground at the same location under the tree.  Curiosity finally overtook him and he decided he would cross the fence and walk down to where the tree was and see just exactly what had the horses so interested in this particular area.  As he crossed the fence the horses moved off to the side and the gentleman goes down and looks around on the ground.  There is no grass.  It is all pawed down to the dirt.  But he saw a glimmer of something shiny.  He looked down and saw what looked like one of the old zinc lids that some of the old timers put on their cans when they would can food.  So he reaches down to pick it up but it didn’t move.    So he takes his pocket knife out and cuts around the rim.  He proceeds to pull on the can lid again but it still wouldn’t move.  So he continues digging until he realized it was attached to a glass jar.  As the story continues, after several more tries he finally gets the jar loose enough to pull out of the ground.  It was a blue mason jar still attached to the lid and it was full of money.  Now as you might very well know any kind of pocket change that was found in the 40s or 50s, buried in a jar was all silver, except maybe for nickels and pennies.  As the story goes on, both David and his brother James confirmed that this particular jar of money was what it took to set this family back into a position to where they could survive without having to struggle. 

What I thought was really interesting, was the fact that this particular cache was found by paying attention to animals, not using a detector.  If the horses hadn’t pawed the ground the jar of money may still be in that same position today. 

The next time you go out hunting it might pay to look around a little.  Pay attention to the surroundings, imagine how life might have been in years past, you might just recover a cache of your own.

Downloaded mine today.  Very well written.

12 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I still have more stuff I am sitting on to post about over the next couple weeks as the Equinox finds its way around the planet to everyone.

Really looking forward to the next installment of findings from you.

great

I will say, in the past 20+ years I have never ordered a new release machine prior to its availability. Never, but this time I did. I am so convienced the EQ will be a success I even ordered and paid in full weeks ago. Life is short, enjoy what you like doing every chance you get.