Tiftaaft

That is an impressive month Tom... Well done you! ~Tim

Very sad news.  ~Tim

Good Comments CD.  I am interested to give the 3 tone a try...

or maybe a 5 bin/3 tone hybrid:

Conductivity        VDI Range      Tone

Low                           -9 to 0               1

Small Gold               1 to 11             12

Nickel                      12 to 13            25

Large Gold              14 to 19            12  (or maybe moving the high range to 17 per Alluminati's comment)

High                            20+                 25  (and making this 18+ per comment above)

The one reason I have been doing most of my hunting in 50 tone is a personal preference to my own ear.  I don't care for the sound the 5 tone makes when a target bounces across tone breaks... I prefer the blended sound of the 50 tone... but I'm always willing to try new things :).  Thanks for the suggestions through your thread. 

HH

Tim.

44 minutes ago, Luis said:

I wonder if Steve is testing it?

more likely... "tested it"  :)

24 minutes ago, SnohomishDigger said:

Yes, Barbers are hard to come by around here. My only other Barber is a 1905 quarter  I found a few months ago.

Our history is pretty young - at least as far as coins and other man-made metal objects go. Although, your area should have some pretty cool history to find.

I have found a V Nickel, my only barber, and that was with the CTX... still searching for my first Equinox Barber.  Lot's of competition in the area, and a lot of nice finds I hear about...  I keep plugging away (pun intended). Looking forward to hearing about more of your finds through the forum.  HH.  Tim

Nice finds SD - looks like you are in my neck of the woods (WA state).  Barbers are tough to come by up here... congrats!!

~Tim.

I was able to get out for a short hunt Saturday with both my old firmware 600 and new firmware 800.  I ran Park 1, Sens 20, Recovery 6 (3 on the 600), IB 2 (1 on the 600) - 50 tones. 

I chose a site that had given me a few silvers and several wheats in the past, a 1940's elementary school.  Finds have been in keeping with the age of the school.. 40's - 60's coins (and newer).  I made my rounds armed with the 800 and 10 plastic soccer cones (borrowed from my kids :)), and marked diggable tones.

I then followed my same path with the 600, my digger and my pin-pointer. 

Most of the targets were similar it tone and id... ground was fairly hard packed due to a long dry summer and lots of clay in the ground, and the targets were mostly in the 4"-6" range.  2 targets in particular were iffy enough with the 600 that I wouldn't have stopped to dig them.  I left those targets marked, and returned for the 800 to verify, which it did verify the diggable tone on both.  I re-powered my 600 to cross check yet again... and with effort, I was able to narrow and slow my swing enough, as well as alter my angle of approach to get a tone that was diggable, but it took work.  The two coins that I ultimately dug are at the bottom of the picture.  Both in the 5"-6" range, and the silver was on an angle. 

This was by no means an exhaustive experiment... but I am convinced I would have left both targets in the ground had I been swinging only the 600 that day.  All the other pennies were memorials, and most were copper in the 1960's and 1970's range.  I did dig a few zinc tones for reference, but those were shallow.  For what it is worth.

So, to answer the thread question... I am sticking with the new firmware on my 800.  More tests to follow.

~Tim

9 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

Good points.  You know what would be a great test, is if the Equinox was able to hold both firmware versions at once, and allow one to load either one.  Then you could do some nice A/B comparisons.  Suppose you could accomplish the same thing by bringing your laptop to the field and simply flip between the two firmware versions.  

The best thing is that it seems like Minelab is listening to it's customers, and they actually released a new firmware update, which as we all know they weren't known to do in the past.  Hopefully this firmware upgrade will be one of many to come that can add positive tweaks and bug fixes in the future!  

I left my 600 on the original firmware for just this reason.  Because it took me so long to finally get the 800, I have logged more hours on the 600, so I have a pretty good feel for it and trust the settings.... I updated my 800, and now I can do side by side comparisons between the two firmware versions.  Now I just need some time and a few deep targets to test on.  I am all about the field hunt rather than backyard testing...  so the ability to reach for the other machine (or even carry them at the same time due to the light weight) while in the field, makes me even more happy I chose to buy both.  HEH (Happy Equinox Hunting) All! ~Tim.

14 hours ago, steveg said:

Totally agree with Steve and Chase.  While I'm not much of a beach hunter, if I were in your shoes, and strictly a beach hunter, I'd be saving that money for the 12x15.  Now, if you plan to hunt some trashy dirt sites, that's a WHOLE other story...

Steve

Agree with the comments above.  The stock coil separates so well, the 6" would be reserved for only the trashiest of trash sites and in small confined areas (having owned the 6" for all my previous machines as personal reference...).  But the 15's and 17's I have owned usually share equal time with the stock 11's.  The 15" is the one I'm anxious to hunt with - and the coil that is tailor-made for beach hunting.. 

Tim

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 8:11 PM, steveg said:

Tim --

Good to see you back, and ready to do some hunting!

Steve

Thanks Steve!  I'm looking forward to catching up on your summer successes.

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 4:42 AM, GB_Amateur said:

I was wondering what happened to you, Tim.  I had visions of much worse fates, such as: just lost interest.  ?

Welcome back!  Good luck reading all the threads you've missed.

Thanks GBA!  Much to my wife's dismay... my interest has not waivered.  haha. 

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 6:12 AM, Andy2640 said:

Howdy Tim,

 

With open arms we say "Welcome back! ...... and .......GOOD ON YOU BUDDY"!!

 

May the finds god bless your path, heart and spirit!   Failing that, find a good field and keep your fingers crossed.

 

Mine will be crossed for us all  ? 

Thanks Andy!

13 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Any detecting day is a good day.

+1 on CG's comment.  

I tend to set my hunt expectations in reverse.  It isn't about what exactly I find first... that is the icing on the detecting cake... sometimes there is a little less icing than other days.  But what I learn about my detector (whichever one I happen to be using that day), and how well I choose to listen to said detector on that day.  And what I learn about the specific location I am hunting (ground conditions, target types, trash ratio etc). Sometimes it ends with a pocket of trash and zincolns. Other times a little silver, rarely, but on occasion some gold.  But as long as I learned something about me, my machine, and the ground... success.  

Tim

Greetings again everyone!  I am sorry to say I have been away from the forum and detecting for the last several months... and I have missed both tremendously.  I am gearing up to embark on a breakneck re-immersion into detecting with my 800 and 600... it has been a long dry summer (literally and figuratively). 

I just discovered today that Minelab has come out with an update (to tell you how far removed I have been...  :( ), and I have been reading through the posts.. I am anxious to load the update and see how the changes feel, though it has been so long, I may have to teach myself how to detect again  LOL. 

Looking forward to reconnecting with you all as I catch up on a couple months of forum posts, and hopefully sharing some nice finds in the process. \

Tim

Late to the party, but I agree with noticing the lag.  I have tried aftermarket and the minelab LL, and there is enough of a lag that I went back to wired.  I blame my swing speed.  Using LL, I hear the targets, and then can narrow and slow my swing speed to get the target location... so I wouldn't say it causes me to miss a target... it just takes me longer to pinpoint it for extraction.  So my preference is the immediate feedback of wired phones. 

Now, when there is an option to hear my pinpointer in my LL phones, I might have a reason to put up with the latency.  ;)  Tim.

18 hours ago, MarksB said:

I want to detect in 50 tones, i hear you get the best feel for what the target is with the 50 tones.

It is all in what your ear likes.  I prefer the sound of 50 tone (or even 2 tone) over 5 tone... the way the in-between targets (the ones bouncing from one tone section to the other and back) is not pleasing to my ear... in 50 tone, the tone variance is not as large, so it creates a smoother and pleasant tone, and I can better separate a desired target from a non-desired target... but that is just ME.. My friend prefers the 5 tone (as does Tom in his note above and others).  The beauty of it is..... we have the ability to choose which one we like better :).  Good luck MarksB!  Tim.

I am interested to hear how you address the loose cam Steve.  I have the same issue with my 800 I received last week.  My 600 is rock solid, the 800 has significant play.  I would like to sure it up myself rather than having to send it in.  Thanks 

Tim

Great report Steve!  Those are some awesome data points for those of us hunting with the Equinox.  I would be interested to know how the equinox would have sounded using a faster recovery.. having just received my 800, I am experimenting with with 5 and 7 (since I got somewhat a feel for the 6 recovery equivalent on the 600).  I have found this as well, the Equinox has been giving me a more stable ID at depths where my other machines start to get squirrelly.  And... nice find btw!  A buff and a indian in the same small area is pretty awesome!!  Tim.

20 hours ago, Norm S said:

I have both the 800 and 600 and the 600 does equally well as the 800. I love them both

Thanks Norm, I have my 800 charged and ready for action.  Now all I need is a break in the workload and a break in the weather.  :)

17 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Nice silver half dollar!  Haven't seen any 'finds' posts from you lately, Tim, and was wondering if you found an new hobby. 

Thanks GBA!  No new hobby for me - just been sidetracked with work and family.  That and spending too much time at my 'quest for silver' school with no luck.  My wife said she is going to sneak down and plant a silver Rosie there so I can stop obsessing  haha. ;)

14 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Tim - I could make some crack about the sun shining off Ben's chrome dome, but I'll just congratulate you on the silver saves, instead.

Thanks Chase!  I can say from first hand knowledge that Bald is Beautiful ;)

~Tim.

3 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Some people may think having two Equinox is nuts, but for what I had wrapped up in a CTX with three accessory coils I can own a couple Equinox and all the coils and still put over $1000 back in my pocket.

Love the big silver!

Agreed Steve.  For many reasons, getting the 600 while waiting for the 800 was one of the smartest things I have ever done. 

At long last (and sometimes not so patiently waiting), my Equinox E800 is scheduled to arrive at my home tonight. 

Unfortunately, I was travelling for work all last week - so I wasn't able to do any hunting, but just before I left town I spent some time at a 1940's school with my E600. 

In all my time detecting, I have found only one Half - a clad Kennedy.  I have had better luck finding various dollar coins.  So when I got a solid 35-36 signal I was expecting a nice sweet piece of bent rusty iron... but to my surprise, I found a beautiful silver rim at 7".  A few steps away, a more broken, but solid 30-31 signal revealed the Washington on edge... and was off center to the pin point by about 4inches - at a depth of 7". 

A part of me hesitates to transition to the E800 after all the success I have had with the E600.  But of course, I am very excited to utilize the additional functionality of the E800.  While my time with the E600 will not be ending (I plan on equipping it with the 6" or 15" coils when they are released, as well as using it for water hunting), if the E800 exceeds my experience with the E600 - that will be INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE based on my experience with the E600 over the past few months. 

HEH (Happy Equinox Hunting) to all.  - Tim.

Awesome Awesome Awesome STEVE!!  That is just incredible!!  And thanks for the detailed write-up of your hunt.  I can hear the excitement you were/are feeling in your words.  1864?!?!?!  wow.  I also love the history you shared with the homeowner.  Happy for your Steve!  Tim.

4 hours ago, Tometusns said:

Tim, were you able to tell if the 52 rosey was on edge? 

Yes, it was angled, maybe at about a 45 degree... I pinpointed it about 3-4 inches off center, that is probably why.  

53 minutes ago, Tometusns said:

6 hours ago, Tiftaaft said:

Tim, I've been using that set up out at municipal park. It wasn't opened until 1938 so I don't worry about missing Indians there. They are usually 19/20,21 it just depends on what the grounds like or I should say has in it. 

I'm no expert for sure so I may need to run iron bias in a different number....?  I've been finding stuff and not digging a bunch of bottle caps but I do dig some. 

  In a good yard I just run it open but the one I was in today and several like it I'l just put down to 17 back in and hunt that way. If I hit something a lot of times I'll hit the all metal button to see what's around it and determine whether I want to dig or not...I usually dig.. lol. 

  I've found that the vdi numbers vary quite a bit but I attribute that to the ground conditions and many times there's junk close to a good target. The last barber I dug hit 20/21 and wasn't very deep. I thought it was probably a zinc but we were in an old yard so I popped out a plug and swept the coil over it the numbers jumped up to the silver dime numbers I said to the friend I was with hmmm this might be interesting and sure enough barber dime. I put it in all metal, swept the plug and the was a bunch of iron in it. I still say if it's repeatable in an old yard better dig it. Oh well,  all I know is I still love noxy and I really believe some of the good stuff I've found was simply because other detectors for whatever reason didn't see it or the operator didn't dig it.

I've seen several guys complaining about rusty nails and I've dug plenty myself but when I dig one the signal is iffy at best and I honestly don't expect it to be good... but with the Equinox on many occasions there has been a good target hiding in with the junk. I think I'm getting better at telling the difference but that'll just take more time. I'll continue to dig a lot of stuff for now until I really get to know the Equinox but feel very confident that if I swing over it noxy will let me know it's there. 

Thanks for the response Tom,

Just today I found a similar odd id target.  I was sweeping a park that has been refreshed since I got the Equinox 600.  I was focusing on digging mid-tones since I had already been over this area with the Equinox... so basically my intent was to clean the ground a little and see if anything interesting popped up.  About 10 steps into the park, I get this 14-15-16 tone but every once in a while it peeps a 27-28... I even got a few 37-38's in my multiple sweeps, but it was repeating in the mid teens.  I got some modulation with the pinpointer, so I knew it was probably 4+"... and fully expected to pull a bent rust nail.  Low and behold, off center in the hole, at about 6"... a '52 Rosie.  So I agree, it is very interesting what the ground/other target conditions can play on the ID's.   I did resweeps the hole, and it was silent, but then, there could have been iron nearby that I was then disc'ing out after breaking up the halo by digging.  But, it gave me a solid enough tone to investigate... and that is what I am enjoying with the Equinox.  Thanks for your info above, more relevant data for the 'ol computer between my ears.  ;)  Tim.

Outstanding Tom!!!  Interesting that you are running IB 3.  And did those Indians come in using your custom settings, or were they below 22?  Tim.

yikes.

6 minutes ago, Cabin Fever said:

I tend to lean to the composition of the coin being the difference  since the early Wheats and Indian Head cents have a lower ID then the later Wheats.. 

That makes sense.