Againstmywill

Recently, I moved out of state. Before leaving, a friend buried 5 roles of quarters in a grass playground area for me to find. He thought I would enjoy because I metal detect. I chose my 800 vs. ET due to the weight. He drew a rough treasure map and I started to search. I was unable to find anything that resembled a quarter signal. He then pointed out the areas, and I detected the rolls only after being shown the exact area. They came in exactly as the video shows. I would never have dug them by the tone or id numbers. It's not that there are rolls of quarters buried all around, but if there were, I would never dig them. I have not tested using my ET or G2, so I'm not sure if other detectors react the same way.

7 hours ago, NAGANT said:

Cool find! looks like a smith ( Otis A. Smith Company ) from i can search. The new model was steel frame, yours looks like brass?

Here is the link for more info:

https://www.gunsamerica.com/962546477/Otis-A-Smith-NEW-MODEL-Pocket-Pistol-32-RF-Nickel-w-Gambler-SHADOW-BOX.htm

Stopped at a friend's house for a night's stay, and his wife saw that I had brought a metal detector along on our way to move to FL. She mentioned that her husband had lost his wedding ring about 6 years ago while spreading mulch in the front yard. He had his son look one time, but he was using a cheap detector I guess. I tried swinging for about 15 minutes in the flower bed, but there was an iron border that was not playing nicely with detecting. I even got down on my hands and knees and just used my pinpointer to no avail. So, why not try the well-manicured lawn! I had the sensitivity lowered to about 12, and there were no signals when in the grass. I guess that's why the consistent ID of 15 stood out so much. After digging a small plug, the ring popped out on the first hole. I wish I was videoing his reaction... priceless. He had just gotten done saying to my wife that he would give me $200 if I found it. He actually cut me a check for $200, but I left it with him when we left. I told him to keep it as a token of thanks for letting me detect along the way to FL on our move. That's 2 gold rings that have ID'd at 15 for me, the usual number for pull tabs. 

And now it's back on the hand of the owner...

9 hours ago, SittingElf said:

The ArchMage headphones controls are well located, and they work well, but are not raised and palpable without knowing exactly where they are while wearing the headphones. Not that big a deal, but raised buttons would have been a better design.

Try a dot of hot glue on the buttons to make them easier to "see" with your fingers. 

2 hours ago, NCtoad said:

Very nice of you to return it.  On my very first outing with my 800 I found a 14.6g 10k Gardner Webb University class ring at my son's soccer field.  It was the third target dug and rang up 20-21.  With the help of google I found the owner and he worked at the community college next to the soccer field.  I returned it to him the following week at the same soccer field and then dug a nice silver pendant.  BTW, do you always dig 3-4's?  I hardly ever dig #'s that low as they're usually foil gum wrappers or very small pieces of can slaw.  

I pass many signals in that number range because they are not very robust and lack the "full" sound of a quality target. I'm sure I have passed up gold rings, but I have been listening for strong sounds down in that number range just for that reason. This ring gave a "dig me" sound vs. the other junk that lives in the lower numbers. I have found close to a dozen men's gold rings, but not a women's ring with stone. Hence, I've really been focusing on those lower numbers to check that off the bucket list.

Got to give the ring to the mother of the person, today. She will send it off shortly. She said her son was not expecting to ever see it again and the fact that it was found completely blew him away. Fun to return it and see his mom's face.

How wide is it? Is the hanger portion made of iron?

Flbchbm--Thanks for the information and taking the time to post it. I will have to try the "W" pattern and see how that works. I'll be on the Gulf side, so the waves should not be too bad. Only about a month until the move, and then the learning begins!

Checked mine and all appears OK for now. Thanks for the heads-up for a possible spot for failure in the future.

I was to an older site, that likely contained homes at one point, that was being stripped of sod for a community garden. I was on speed 8 and it sounded like a machine gun with all the iron and bits of junk in the ground. I was able to find 2 wheats, one Army button, a Swiss Army knife and enough modern pennies that I don't have to worry about zinc deficiency any time soon. One of the items I found was a coin (I think) that looks Chinese or Japanese. If anyone has an idea, it would be very helpful. It is very thin and appears to be made of copper, as it is fairly bendable. There are no marks on the reverse. Park 1, 50 tones, mostly speed 7, and tracking on.

On 4/14/2018 at 9:55 AM, SittingElf said:

I bought this scoop which arrived today from Amazon. Very robust welds and can be used as a hand scoop or as a foot digger. 1/4" hex holes. $85.
Bought a 46" shovel handle at HD for $12,  trimmed it down a bit to fit, and installed. 
Going to test it in an hour on a beach. It will save my back and knees!

 

So, anything to share about what you thought of the scoop? I'll soon be in the market for one and the one you bought is on the list of possibilities as well as a size up from this one. Thanks

Park 1 in the grass at a local school built in late 90's. The rings were each about 2-3 inches down, except the mustache ring which was deep in the grass on the surface of the dirt. 

I detected a school very close to my home that I have hit extensively in the past and have always wanted to pull a gold ring from it. It has been 9 years that I have detected it without success using an AT Pro, Teknetics G2, an MXT, and an E-Trac. I was out for one and a half hours today. Tracking was on, 50 tone, 23 sensitivity, and 7 for speed. The ring on the left is silver but the stones are fake. The Moon is also silver. The ring to the right of that is gold. The two other rings are junk. The charm bracelet is also junk. I found the rings among very heavily foiled junk. The silver ring came in at a 24, the gold ring came in at 16. As you can see, I did not dig much trash. The Rings were easy to tell that they were something different than the trash around them due to their numbers sticking out as different from the trash and pennies. My first hunt with the machine was March 10. Average for me was about one gold ring every 6 months or so. This machine ups my average! 

Ed, I finally looked up the SRARC and found out they meet 2.5 miles from my new home. I will have to join when I finally move. Thanks for the information.

This represents about 8 hours of detecting. I hit some places that I've hit hard in the past. There's one 14K gold ring with what I believe are fake diamonds, but I will be getting them tested. It didn't work on my cheap Amazon tester, so I'm hoping it's just a cheap tester. There are two silver rings and one unknown ring as it has no markings. The necklace is silver and rang up between 22 and 23. The gold band rang up as a 9- 10. The silvers rang up about 22. I was using Park One, recovery speed 7, ground balanced and tracking on. I would say I now have about 20 hours on the machine total.

The BT headphones work without dropping out, so I will give ML a call and see what they say. Thanks

I have used the wireless receiver in my left front t-shirt pocket with nothing else over it. I have drops when I swing to the right side. No, before you wonder, I am not 500 lbs. I would love to put in my right pocket, but there is not a pocket on my right side. Seems to me that it would be good if the detector would work on both side of my body with the wireless. I would clip it on my belt, but the point of the device is to minimize wires tangling other things. I will have to experiment more.

I went out today for an hour and a half at a local elementary school that was built in the 90's. I have hunted this school extensively in the past with a Teknetics G2 and E-trac. The finds were becoming very few and far between. I might find a dollar or two in a few hours. It was very easy to pick out quarters and dollar coins with the 800. There is so much trash at the school that I can see why I missed a lot with the other machines. This machine is able to see through and find the good among the bad. The jewelry pieces came in around 18 or 19. I was running multi-frequency, speed 7, tracking, and Park 1 with sensitivity at 21. Total change was $7.15. 

Mine also has some play in the lower shaft. I looked at the inside of the cam lock and saw that the small portion that contacts the lower shaft when tightened does not contact enough to prevent wobble. I marked the lower shaft at the collar of the cam with the detector at the height I like. I then wrapped Teflon tape (10-15 turns) around the lower shaft where the pressure is exerted by the cam lock. It took away all play and it is very tight now. I don't tend to shorten my detector for transport or storage, so it is not a big deal for me. However, I am happy to hear about the excellent customer service provided by Minelab to MPL; I trust it would be the same for me if I should want to send it in should my fix not work so well.

I called Minelab and asked about just having the middle rod shipped to me instead of sending it in. I was told that, per management, the whole detector needs to be returned. The shipping, to and from the facility, is paid for. I will send it in when I know I won't be detecting for a few days.

Delivered this morning. Lots of work to do and tons of snow on the ground...detectorist's worst nightmare.

6 hours ago, Againstmywill said:

Email from Kellyco this morning that said a delivery is on the way. The tracking from FedEx showed it was shipped last Friday and is due for delivery today.

It was changed to tomorrow due to the weather. however, it appears that it is actually in the local facility. Just in time for the big snow we  got! Been warm and dry all winter...until now. Irony

Email from Kellyco this morning that said a delivery is on the way. The tracking from FedEx showed it was shipped last Friday and is due for delivery today.