Chase Goldman

Things are starting to peter out for the season. Need a good spring plowing But still managed a few keepers including a 1901 V nickle, minie balls, and a couple flat buttons (red background below) . Orx still getting it done... This site has been an amazing find in itself. My finds over the past several visits. Most recovered using Deus/Orx, but that large Eagle Plate, some of the silvers, coppers, buttons, brass and bullets were also recovered with my trusty Equinox (I'd say a little less than 20% of the total finds shown). Deus/Orx seems to tolerate the iron, mineralization, and aluminum junk better (foil is much more spread out from brass on Orx, TID wise) so that has been my go to lately as the site has gotten more stingy. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Nice digs. Keep clearing out that trash, and more should emerge.

So it is funny you posted this , Steve, as the last time I was out with the Simplex I was thinking it would be great to have the Equinox in the Simplex package. So when Nokta finally delivers on a simultaneous multifrequency detector, my wish might be granted. I must say that despite the similarities to Equinox, I really prefer the ergonomics of the Simplex configuration both in terms of the handle design and navigation of the modes and settings (for example you can go back and forth between modes on the Simplex, whereas on the Equinox, you can only cycle through modes in one direction). If Equinox adopted a fwd/reverse approach to switching modes and switch the user profile and frequency buttons, I would be ecstatic. Otherwise, the Equinox is ok. However, I really like the Simplex handle design. It is not constrained by having the battery compartment in the handle, therefore, it has a more natural pistol-like grip (though the battery capacity is fairly small compared to Equinox at 2300 mAh vs. 5000 mAh for the Equinox.

Besides the treasure trove of information and expertise here, that is why I said earlier in the thread that this is the greatest forum in the world.

Well said. I really want FT to get back in the game. But a niche detector may not be the answer even though I DO want to see Impulse come to market, if only to see if the Impulse designers can follow up with a viable "terrestrial" focused detector for nuggets or relics.

Nox, I sympathize with your disappointment and impatience, but the real world from an experienced engineering and business perspective is a little more complicated than that. See my interjections above. Yes a lot of it is speculation, but informed speculation based on what has been posted here by folks like Rick Kempf who are closer to the project and my own personal knowledge regarding the realities of delivering tech gear to a demanding customer.

Not saying we shouldn't lobby for it at all and not express our enthusiasm for Impulse, all I am saying is its a business (just like you said earlier, Steve) so folks should keep a realistic view of their perceived influence on FT. I think a huge value of this forum, and perhaps of greater importance, is having that direct access to the design team and potentially being able to influence some of the design decisions.

This may seem like a significant interest to a garage outfit like Tarsacci (no offense intended, but a few hunded niche detectors units sold), but to FT, the interest of 20 or so hard core detectorists is hardly a blip on the radar screen. As mentioned before, this is a nice evolutionary step in refining the targeted implemetation of EXISTING technology (there is no actual basic technology breakthrough here). And for a niche application (salt water jewelry hunting) in a specialized hobby, with little to no industrial or military crossover capability. So the lack of versatility, despite awesome specialized capability, coupled with possible mass manufacting difficulties and international regulatory compliance requirements issues make this a VERY risky proposition for FT. It will get released when ready and cajoling from the sidelines of a forum are not going to move the needle at all, sad to say, despite the fact that this is the best MD forum in the world.

Actually, the more pertinent question is how both Union and Confederate civil war military artifacts are showing up in a nondescript corn field up on a hill in the middle of a small, rural Pennsylvania town 30 miles from the nearest known major Civil War engagement and north of the Mason-Dixon line. The non-military artifacts we have recovered like the hundreds of coins ranging from the mid-1700's all the way up to modern clad and just about everything in between including Spanish and Mexican silver, early 19th century US silver, and early mid-19th century US and Mexican gold coins, 19th and 20th century buried coin caches in glass jars, gold and silver rings, spoons, apothecary weights, colonial era tombac flat buttons, crotal bells, zippo lighters, modern bullets, and aluminum cans all reflect the normal comings and goings of a vibrant small, rural colonial Pennsylvania town and the various long gone home and business structures that likely stood near a probable center of commerce and a number of homes with great views of the surrounding countryside. This is where the archaeological detective work aspect of metal detecting (which I enjoy) comes into play as we have speculated on how those CW items got there. It is probably not a battle engagement site but a likely picket/observation post that both armies probably utilized due to the tactical advantage of the terrain. It was gentle sloping high ground with road access (the road likely existing since colonial times) ready access to water and enabled the occupants to observe the nearby major railroad stop without being observed themselves. It is possible that before and after Gettysburg, the local area was regularly guarded by Union troops, likely cavalry based on the military artifacts found (carbine bullets, military Eagle "R" and "C" buttons typically worn by cavalry) and it is also possible that Confederate cavalry raids by units from JEB Stuart's Confederate Cavalry Division "visited" the town, and the area is near a known retreat path for Confederate infantry divisions following the battle of Gettysburg (which might explain the "I" button). Very few fired CW bullets and glass have been recovered CW artifacts are concentrated in relatively small area of the property. Nearby "surveys" of neighboring farms have yielded no civil war stuff. This indicates that it was likely neither an engagement site nor a long term encampment (encampment sites would have a lot more period trash and even fired bullets as units typically set up firing ranges at long term encampment sites for target practice). The variety of possible finds is why I refer to this site as a metal detectorist's amusement park as you can find just about anything of interest to most detectorists here including some rare CW military cartridge box and belt plates and buttons for both Confederate and Union troops. I love getting invited to this site and have to have something really pressing in "real life" to turn down the rare invitation to visit. So, in summary, we know how the Merc got there (just like any other lost coin like the SLQ I recovered at the previous visit), it is a mystery how the civil war stuff got there, but we have a pretty good idea why and how. The site resides on a plowed field, so we are just going to enjoy it as long as the farmer keeps moving long buried targets up nearer the surface with the plow and disc. HTH

1944

Welcome to the forum. Where are you planning to detect (park, field, woods) and for what type of targets (relics, coins, jewelry)? I ask because a big shovel isn't exactly the right tool for parks (typically a screwdriver or at most a small hand digger is appropriate to keep from damaging the turf). In thick wooded areas, a root cutter type shovel head is a better tool than a grave digger. Plowed field a small hand shovel may be all you need unless the targets are deep. Check out the digging tools at this site for a start. I would suggest a decent hand tool and a Piranha type shovel as a start. Kind of partial to D handles vs. T handles, but the Piranha was my first serious detecting shovel. The key to a shovel is mass to help move the dirt and a sharp blade. HTH

So are you getting an audio tone near targets or is the thing just Dead on Arrival? If it is can be powered up and seems to be working but just not vibrating, try a factory reset by holding the power button down for an extended period per the quick start instructions. If that doesn't work, call ML customer service. PS if Steve doesn't move this thread, you might want to try posting this in the general Minelab forum to get more views, as this forum is specifically for the Equinox metal detector. HTH

Great finds, congrats.

On the flip side, Jeff, despite the jumpy IDs, Orx does normalize target IDs from the white HF coils, while Deus does not and I find that helpful for high conductors. Just another Orx advantage. Anyway, still loving that Orx. Hit the same site again, and while not a banner day like last time, it was still a worthwhile hunt with some decent keepers.

Well the Block "I" cleaned up nicely. Went back to the same site yesterday, and while not as spectacular as last week, a decent day nevertheless. Still giving that Orx a workout.