Dan(NM)

11 minutes ago, Cal_Cobra said:

That's got to be a rarity in New Mexico, congrats!

I've only dug a handful of reales, their a lot of fun to dig!  I have my eye on an escudo next

Thank you, my buddy and I have not heard of anyone else digging one in New Mexico, but who knows. Back in the day a couple of gold coins of came out of here, so we are on high alert ?

Still hunting the 1850's fort site that we started hunting around the first of the year and I was able to dig a few keepers. I started the morning using the CTX, but within 30 minutes, headed to the car to put her away. There's a time and place for the 3030, but, this place isn't it. Wandered around for a little while trying to get in tune, so I decided to hunt in between a couple of trees in an area we haven't put much pressure on. I stayed in that one area for about 7 hours and dug an unusual amount of epaulette debris today. I managed to score my first R button along with a Dragoon and a plain Eagle cuff. Targets were plentiful, so, we'll be back to give this spot a good working over. Towards the end of the day I dug a toasted copper coin that was banging 28-30, which after a little cleaning at home, it looks to be a mid 1800's Mexican 1/4 reale. This makes the fourth one to come out of here so far.

My settings on the 800 were:

Park 1

11" coil

Sens 22

Recovery 4

Iron bias 0

2-Tone

Tone break -9 to +8

Auto GB

No Disc

6 hours ago, Flowdog said:

Dan, Thanks once again for your latest display of interesting precious history. Also for the altered tactics which located them. There is a lesson for me to learn. 

Curious to know the approx TID range of the pictured items. And how distinct or otherwise the both tones sound near +8 break or on the margin? How fine a line, or, how much cushion do you believe you are you getting audio-wise for your intended targets? 

Your posts make this relic hunting is exciting. 

You gonna go all in and do west to east and south to north hunts? Keep the streak alive!

 

 

Thank you,  everything in the picture hit between 10-21, the small pistol ball hit at 10 solid, with the GC button coming in at 20-21.   Sometime a piece of large tin foil will bleed over from 8-9 I'll get a mixed low tone high tone while sweeping over the target.  The tone pitch is 1 from -9 to +8 and 25 from 9-40, I do this to keep me from having to listen to 5 different tones. I'm focused on a repeatable tone regardless of the VDI, if it's in my range, I'm digging it anyway. It keeps  it nice and simple for me, my buddy hunts in 5 tones and cannot stand running his machine the way I do and vise-versa. That's the beauty of the NOX!!!

22 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Dan, does this mean you accept +9 and above and (mentally) reject anything below that?  Or do you give yourself the option of digging sometimes when less than +9?  Just curious -- I've never hunted a US Civil War site.

That coat button in particular is a beaut.  Again, don't know much about CW relics but I have a feeling this is fairly rare.

The GC button, to me, is just a beautiful button, my buddy had found two, so I was determined to get me one  ?  

On my tone break, from -9 to +8 the tone pitch is set at 1, the lowest pitch possible. From +9 to 40, the tone pitch is 25, I'm listening for any repeatable hit.  The true relic hunters dig it all, I simply don't have the time nor the patience for that. I've dug from 0 up at the beginning and didn't dig anything but slaw, tin foil, bits and pieces of iron, nothing but trash.

I was able to get back to the CW site today and was able to pick up a couple of first's for me from this place. The Great Coat button and the A button have eluded me since I started hunting the place. Finally the button god had mercy and bestowed it's graces upon me twice. I was hunting an area that I had gone over before, but, this time I went east to west instead of north to south. All the targets were a dig me, no doubt about it hits( I suck) just flat missed them. The bottom button is a 1 piece and looks older than the others, I cannot tell if there's anything on it or not.

My settings were....

Nox 800

Park 2

Recovery 5

Iron bias 2

Sens 19

Auto GB

No disc

2 Tones

Tone break from-9 to +8

11" coil

I love tear outs, you did fantastic, way to go!!

Congrats, that's how it's done!!!

Try using a single frequency instead of multi....I've had to do this in a couple of spots while working in town.

37 minutes ago, aygore said:

Congrats Dan!

I've tried to use 2 tones setting in the field, but it is harder than it sounds.

I am so used to 5 & 50 tones that while using 2 tones I can't really tell what is underneath the coil. Everything sounds like a silver coin.

 

 

Lol.... I understand where your coming from. I set mine up this way at this location, because if I get a repeatable tone, I'm going to dig it. I have my first tone break pitch set at 1, my other tone break pitch is set at 25. For me, when I'm on an 8 to 10 hour hunt, I don't have that mental fatigue from listening to more than a two tones.  My hunting partner, he can't stand running two tones.

7 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Maybe in a few centuries, but you're safe until then.  ?  Thanks for posting your settings, too.

Is that larger button silver?  Very nice looking after you cleaned it.

 

Thank you ?   The larger button is brass,  it's the lighting.

10 minutes ago, steveg said:

Outstanding, Dan!  Nice finds, overall, but you KNOW I love that Seated half-dime!

Steve.      Thanks  Steve....Lol, you and me both brother!!

9 hours ago, Tnsharpshooter said:

Here’s some info.  Seems is backed up too in this thread by another person.  Cheers

http://metaldetectingasforum.com/showthread.php?t=260542

Thank you sir, exactly what I looking for!!

6 hours ago, Flowdog said:

Hello Dan, and again, congratulations on your finds. Your pictures of the pecan orchards are as nice as the description you wrote previously. Comparing your settings, your latest settings were slightly different: faster recovery (6 vs 4); narrowed disc (-9 to 9 vs -9 to 10). You were still able to run 23 sensitivity. Did you find the changes helpful overall?  Interested in your general assessment because you have a unique site and have varied your approach, albeit slightly.

Thanks for your posting.

Curtis

Thank you Curtis!

I was running recovery speed at 4 for some extra depth the last time just to test it out. We normally run it 6 because of the unreal amount of debris here. I hit a spot that was extra noisy and bumped it back up. I changed my disc because I got tired of chasing lead balls and bits of percussion caps.  Some days you just have more patience to handle more hits, today wasn't one of those days ?

Who here has dug one, if so, what mode were you in and do you remember what the VDI was? Also, does anyone have one you could do an air test in park 1.  My buddy and I are hunting an area that is old enough to possibly have one lurking about. I understand my soil, the orientation, etc will affect VDI's, I just need a baseline to start with, thanks.

I was able to get back to my 1850's site early this morning for an all day hunt. First half of the day was slow, only a couple of trouser buttons, a percussion cap and some lead. The latter half of the day finally started to get a bit more exciting with 4 buttons, more percussion caps and some misc, pieces of flat brass debris and more lead.

Running my Nox as follows.

11" coil

2-tones

recovery 6

iron bias 0

tone break at -9 to +9

sens 23

Park 1

38 minutes ago, NSC said:

Us Aussies have even been known to use Jackhammers (run by petrol compressor) to get our targets ?

 

 

LOL.. I remember a video years back where guys were using blasting caps or dynamite to blast thru the ground ?

38 minutes ago, Flowdog said:

Hi Dan,

Beautiful display you have posted - again. ?

I am curious about the average depth you are finding these relics? Also, if you might share a brief summary of the site conditions and the settings you use to meet the challenges.

I hope your streak stays strong.

Curtis

Thank you Curtis. Here's a description of the site followed by my settings.

This place is different from most, it's on private land and in the middle of a pecan orchard. There's only a very small area that's original, maybe an 80x80 spot, that's where the breast plate came from 9" deep. The rest they dug the dirt and terraced the landscape to water the trees. No dirt was removed according to the owner, just moved around to form berms and low spots for the trees. It seems like all the aluminum somehow ended up 12-18" deep lol, most of the items are 4-7" deep, sometimes more shallow. The dirt is desert sand, but, for some reason contaminated with iron, of course!!

The trees are providing a nice shady spot to hunt for the most part, yesterday, almost everything I dug came from the low spots where the trees are planted, but, quite a few items have been found on the mounds. There doesn't seem to be much mineralization or EMI  interference because I was running my sens at 23 most of the day and recovery speed at 4. My plan is to go back and open my 800 up from -9 to +5, run my recovery speed at 5-6, park 2 and sens at 24.

These are my setting:

Park 1

No disc

Recovery speed 4

Ground balance  0

Iron bias  0

2 tones

Tone break -9 to +10

Volume on tone break at 6 and  25 for my accepted range

Sens 23

11" coil

8 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

The brass U.S. plate stamps are similar on the belt and box plates so without the backing, it's anyone's guess.  I've seen pictures with very faint/delicate script "I"'s or anchors on those pre-war eagle shield buttons.  Great finds!

Thanks for the info!!

15 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Dan - if the lead backing on the U.S. plate is intact and there are wire loops, then the plate is a cartridge box (flap) plate.  If the back has a hook and two "puppy paw" feet, then it is a belt plate.  Either way, something I am still trying to scratch off my bucket list, though I did snag an Eagle Breast Plate that fastens to the cartridge box strap at a site last year.  

Also, the Dragoon Eagle (Eagle "D") is very nice but that pre-Civil War Eagle shield button is really interesting.  Can you make out any letter on the shield?  Possible War of 1812 vintage button.  Nice.

The US oval is extremely thin, no lead backing or signs that is was attached in any way at all. I also dug an Eagle breast plate from this site a couple of months ago. Back in the 80's and 90's a dozen or so belt plates came from this location, I know there's gotta be one more ?

 I checked the button up close, nothing on the shield, we've dug buttons from here that go back to the 1820's and 1830's

4 minutes ago, steveg said:

Dan -- TREMENDOUS digs!!! SUPERB!

Steve

Thank you Steve, I had a great weekend digging.

13 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Ah, I saw the crimps when I zoomed in.  Yeah, that would be fun to deal with, lol.  But hard work did pay off.  Great saves.  Was that a cartridge box plate?

Thank you.  I'm a new comer to this type of hunting, so, your guess is as good as mine. Several guys have commented about it being that, I don't have a positive ID yet.

7 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Nice keepers, esp the plate and those buttons.  Lot's of dropped live ammo in that trash...wow

Those are spent blank casings, they used to do reenactments here in the day. They are a major pita ?