ColonelDan

Another interesting button we found was one from the War of 1812. That's a script "I" for infantry. My research indicated that such buttons were re-issued from surplus 1812 vintage stock to the soldiers of the Seminole war period.

17 minutes ago, FloridaSon said:

Excellent artifacts Col. Dan! Were you Using your beach three tones settings?

These were found pre-EQX.  The team and I were using CTX 3030s and Excalibers.  My CTX was set to 2 tones, open screen and optimized for relics.  When relic hunting, I always use all metal and dig everything...iron artifacts are valued too.  😉

Steve and Clive,  Since Florida beach hunting is my life, I’ll add the view from my foxhole to this interesting discussion.  

Without rehashing the good points brought up by both Steve and Clive, I’ll just say that I’ve used both large coils and the stock coil searching our beaches and the surf.  In the end, I now use the stock coils exclusively.  Yes, the larger coil covers more ground with each swing but with less ease of use and reduced sensitivity as I’ve seen.  As Steve says, the EQX was tuned for the 11” coil and I believe I’ve proven that...at least to myself.
 I know other well accomplished detectorists use the large coils on the beach and in the surf and with some success.  To each his own, but for me, I prefer the enhanced sensitivity on low conductors the 11” coil seems to give me...as I always say however, that’s just the view (and preference) from my foxhole.

Good job to both Clive and Steve.  Salute!!

Thank you Clive. 

6 hours ago, relicmeister said:

What I like is coming up with simple solutions yourself ( like colonel dans) not every thing has to be purchased, although for some it’s easier to just order something somebody was motivated enough to offer as a hobbyist/ entrepreneur. 

  My solution was a 1/2” diameter silicone tube that wraps around the handle and is held by an 8” long zip tie.  Many easy solutions for this   

I very much like your solution!  I'll give that a try tomorrow.  It's obvious to me that yours will be better than mine in water for sure and would serve the same purpose all around.

Good job!!!  👍

I love clever ideas like this Sure Grip that makes detecting life easier. 

This is what I did before I saw the Sure Grip.  I cut a swimming noodle to a convenient thickness, cut a slit in it so I could simply slip it around the top of the handle.  It buffers the control box from weighing on my hand and stays on with no problem.  It's nice and comfy but easily removed when cleaning my EQX.  The Sure Grip however would be better when submerged in water.

1 hour ago, dewcon4414 said:

That’s thinking outside the box.    In the water where I hunt I wonder if cause the cover to expand away from the coil creating drag?  I say that because that what a CTX cover does.  Those braces come away and acts like a Ritter.  
 

I never go without a cover for two reasons 1... i wear the out quickly scrubbing the coil on the sand.  2.... those coils aren’t cheap.

I personally haven’t experienced any expansion or undue drag in the water as you describe. 

Yes, a sand scoop is essential and a finds pouch is a "very nice to have" item.  I've yet to detect in Hawaii but here are some general thoughts regarding beach hunting:  Before you go, do the update 2.0 and use the F2 Iron Bias feature and then test a few targets you're most likely to find so you're familiar with what your EQX is telling you regarding a variety of those targets--coins, gold and silver jewelry. 

When you get to the beach, select Beach 1 mode and do a noise cancel first then ground balance.  You'll most likely run into some very unfriendly sand conditions so you'll have to "dial in" the EQX to run as stable as possible.  The relationship between recovery speed, the F2 setting and sensitivity will be key.  Start by using Beach 1 on the dry and damp sand and Beach 2 on the wet sand and surf.  Observe where the most people are on the beach...towel line, walk line, activity centers and about knee deep in the surf at low tide.  Look for cuts in the sand where the surf has eroded the beach, low areas and ripples.  Hit those areas with your coil low, level and slow.  Grid the area to cover the area as thoroughly as possible.  When you hit a target, I suggest you spiral around it to see if you have a coin line or other valuable targets in that same area.  Good targets like gold tend to sink to similar depths.  If you hit lead sinkers, stay in that area...its a good sign that gold is lurking nearby.

I'm sure others, especially those who have hunted Hawaii, will add their thoughts,  The folks on this forum are very friendly and eagerly willing to help! 

Good luck

2 hours ago, flakmagnet said:

That's an interesting approach to a consistent beach-hunting problem.

Do you have any opinions about just running the coil without the cover? I have tried that on many hunts and find it works quite well with no damage to the coil.

 A hunting buddy of mine does that and with no apparent issues...thus far.  However, since I hunt exclusively and frequently on beaches, I've seen sand wear down any surface with ease and fairly quickly so I've always avoided swinging a naked coil on the beach--just my personal preference.  If it works for you, go for it. As I always say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  😉

I've read a number of threads on the best way to cover and protect the coil and there's been a lot of good ideas for sure!

I thought I'd add mine for those who primarily hunt sandy beaches like I do.

Over the years, I've tried several ways to keep sand out since a build up between the coil and cover could and will result in a degree of false signals/chatter. What I finally determined was that sand is the "cleverest" of all elements with which I've had to contend.  It can and does get into everything. No matter how well I thought I'd sealed the cover onto the coil, sand still managed to get in there...granted not much but my thinking is that if it's not supposed to be there, I want it outta there.  And the one time I tried sealing the cover, it was he** to get the cover off!  Conclusion; Sand will always get in but with most methods of sealing the cover, there's no way for it to get out!

I decided to find a way to give those clever grains of sand a way out.  I came up with this solution about 5 or 6 years ago and it's worked well for me on my Florida beaches.  I simply drilled holes in the cover which allows the water to rinse out the sand while still protecting my coil from bumps and scrapes.   After searching the dry and wet sand, a few swipes in the surf and the sand is rinsed away.  When I get home and remove the cover, there is only a very few isolated grains between the coil and cover...not nearly enough to cause me any trouble whatsoever. 

Works for me but your mileage may vary and I'm always open to better ideas.

Note:  I drill the holes from the inside out so there are no ridges on the inside which would inhibit efficient draining.

Just one method from my sandy foxhole.....

Great post Steve!  Thanks.....

Good job Chase!  👌🏻

49 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

My interpretation of your calculation is a bit different.  I would say:  "Given what we do find, there's sure a lot of treasure out there!"  And it follows that we'll never get it all, so keep looking.

 

I totally agree!

Even if you shrink the size of the beach to 300 ft wide by 1 mile long ( normal for Daytona, Cocoa and St Pete) you're still looking at 19,008,000 sq inches.

Now let's say through effective beach reading skills you focus on the towel line, wet sand and shallow surf.  And let's say that reduces your actual search area by 50%.  You're still looking at 9,504,000 square inches compared to the 95 sq inches in your 11" coil and you're still searching for that elusive 1 sq inch target!  😝

Pretty daunting eh?  😁

In my signature, I wrote that our challenge is : Big Beach, Little Coil, Tiny Targets.

Just as an amusing exercise, I thought I'd see what that looks like in terms of square inches.

1 square mile of beach = 4,014,490,000 square inches

Standard 11 inch coil = 95 square inches

a good target = 1 square inch...maybe

Given that reality, I think it's amazing we find what we do! Of course you can reduce that beach area with careful beach reading skills but you get the point!

Big Beach, Little Coil, Tiny Targets.😁

“Do you use these covers to protect from saltwater spray?”

Yes, Protection from salt spray and sand.

Allow me to suggest one more caution about full covers that I learned the hard way. 

Last June, I took my EQX to the Florida Keys and it was HOT!!!.  I had a protective cover over the control box and after a short while, my EQX started to malfunction.  The display went crazy and the buttons didn't work properly.  I removed the cover, allowed the EQX to cool down and everything returned to normal operation. 

At that time, I made a "wild guess" that the cover, which covered up the speaker/vent holes in the back, may be preventing the EQX from "breathing properly."  Again, just a guess at that point.  I cut out part of the cover exposing the holes to the air and have not had a problem since and I hunt on Florida beaches year round.

If this cover you describe is a full silicon cover and your hunting in hot weather, you may, and I say may, experience the same malfunction.

I'd be very cautious were I you but that's just the view from my foxhole...Good luck.

I hunt the dry sand in AM.  I found disc works best in wet and surf.

I use PP and have had no adverse effects in iron but again, that’s on the beach and we don’t have as much iron trash as on land.  Our trash is mostly bottle caps, can slaw, pull tabs, and aluminum by far. Sometimes we have iron trash but it’s the above that gives us the most trouble.

I bury the sticks together about 2 inches apart.  This time, the ring and cap were at the same depth...about 6 inches deep.

My test is always done in the mode I’ll be using.  In this case, Beach 1 and 2.

Just clarify, I hunted in All Metal on the dry sand and disc in the wet and surf.  Most times in the dry on many other beaches, I can run 18-22 sensitivity.  This weekend I adjusted the sensitivity to suit the local conditions...as I always do in order to smooth out the EQX operation and reported those settings in my OP.  As I reported, there was also more than average EMI in that area at the time.

I hunted in All Metal...as I always do. F2 was designed for All Metal and that's what I use on our beaches anyway.  I may use Disc in the wet and surf if conditions call for it.   I also use 0 threshold....again, just personal preference.