mh9162013

How long did it take for the Impulse to go from rumor to being sold to the general public? Was quite some time, wasn't it? So there's still hope that the rumor you're referring to is still true (I'm being half serious, half flippant).

You are correct. I mentioned the 24K because I was using Garrett as an example of how a company might release a new VLF machine, but then soon after, release a SMF machine. But that didn't make much sense, so I edited my post, but then it made less sense. 🙄

If true, that would be a very interesting strategy. Maybe the two machine are designed to do different things? Or perhaps the "VLF" machine was already released with the 24K.

When I had my 540, I noticed that iron nails or other similarly sized objects would sometimes ring up as coins. This was especially evident when the soil was damp/wet after a recent rain. I also hunted in highly mineralized clay/soil. And I noticed that sometimes, the 540 would read a deep target (8+ inches) in the 30s, but when digging, there would be nothing by mineralized clay.

I did a little more digging (research) and of the parks I hunt, some areas are somewhat new (past 20 or so years) and some are much older...perhaps 40+ years old. I may have time to go back to one of the parks tomorrow before the hurricane arrives and I'll try to focus on the older areas. My typical approach to is start shallow in public parks: I'll set my AT Max at a 1, 2 or 3 sensitivity (out of eight), then go from there. I do this to go for the "low hanging fruit," ie targets that don't require much digging to get and will likely provide solid signals. One reason this works out is b/c these parks are pretty coin heavy - think about 10-15 coins (clad) per hour using this hunting method. I also go by sound. I set my AT Max in either Coins mode or Custom. If the latter, it'll only register (for the most part) signals that are Zincolns or higher. But because I set my sensitivity so low, often I'll get a high tone, but no VDI. Only when I hear a high tone, then bump the sensitivity to 5 or more, that I get a VDI. If necessary, I'll go into All Metal mode to get more information about my target. So yeah, no looking at my screen for help. I enjoy silent hunting, then only when I find something do I want to hear something. I know I'm missing some potential targets like this, especially deep silvers, I reckon. But since I try to avoid digging deep in public parks, it works out. I also wonder if I might enjoy the Tesoros a bit more in that regard. I do miss my Vanquish 540 sometimes (although I still have the 340). But each of these machines have their benefits and tradeoffs...

There are some parks around me that aren't heavily hunted (or hunted at all), and I think they're similar to the kind of place you just hunted. But they're fairly new, probably having been established in the past 20 years or so. I hate digging and hate it even more when in a public park. So when I get a possible coin target at 8+ inches, I'm generally inclined NOT to dig it...unless I think there's a good chance it's silver. But if you're finding silver that shallow, that is very reassuring to me. Of course, I know a lot goes into how deep an old coin might be and our variables are going to be very different. But at least I know it's possible to find silver in a public park that's shallower than 6 inches.

I think the real challenge would be accomplishing the heat sink while maintaining the Equinox' water proofness.

I meant to ask: how deep would you say those silvers were?

Nicely done! 😎

I considered buying a Safari. I heard it was a great detector. However, for the price, I wasn't willing to accept its limitations.

Thanks Monte! I think right now, I'll focus on getting the 5x8 coil (unless I find some fantastic deal on the 4.5 hockey puck).

Thanks for your insight, Jeff. Question: Would you recommend the smaller concentric coil (6.5x9) over the 4.5 hockey puck for hunting really trashy sites assuming the primary goal is finding coins? I think no matter what "specialty" coil(s) I get, I'm going to get the 5x8.

So if I went back to the construction site, which coil would you recommend I use? The 6x9 concentric or something else?

I think I see what you're getting at. Let me use some examples to see if I'm understanding you correctly. Scenario 1: an iron target next to a silver coin and you're using a DD coil - if the coil and metal detector don't have the ability to separate the coin from the iron, the iron will mask the coin. If in zero discrimination mode, you'll hear iron. If in discrimination mode to only hear/see silver coins, you'll hear/see nothing at all. Scenario 2: an iron target next to a silver coin and you're using a concentric coil - if the coil and metal detector don't have the ability to separate the coin from the iron, the iron and coin targets will "average out." So If in zero discrimination mode, you'll hear a tone or see a VDI that indicates a mid-conductor (give or take).

Are you saying that a concentric coil can handle trashier sites better than a DD coil? Or are you saying that a concentric coil can handle good targets mixed in with iron targets better, even when the iron trash is located close to the good targets that might otherwise get masked out?

Sounds like that coil might be great for me. I like to hunt tot lots and areas with lots of trash and potentially shallow targets. When I get a permission, I usually avoid digging deep. Even when there's no risk of damage to lawns or yards, I have limited time to hunt and it's usually not worth the added effort and time to dig for a deep target...at least that's my thought process and hunting strategy.

If you had the 5x8 on your AT Max and you could choose from b/w the stock 8.5x11 or a third party large coil, like the NEL Storm, which would you choose and why? And if the 4.5 inch hockey puck isn't designed for trashy ground, what's it good for?

You can also contact Garrett and after giving them your serial number, ask them if it's a legit unit or not.

I got in a few hours of hunting at an interesting permission this weekend. It's the construction site for an expansion to my local library. They already cleared out much of the top 6" of dirt, trees and shrubs. So all that's left are a few inches or rocks/rubble and sand, then highly mineralized clay underneath. Oh, and trash. Lots of trash. There's so much trash, it's impossible to ground balance in that area. So the approach I took was going into custom mode and notching out anything that was 68 (or so) and below. Basically, I was looking for coins (except nickels). I noticed that I'd often get a lot of short high tone "chirps" that I could not get to repeat, or could only repeat once or twice. I guessed that my detector was getting a "high VDI" target, but due to the trash and the size of my coil (stock 8.5x11), it was struggling to separate the "target" from the trash I had notched out. I also had sensitivity around 3 or 4, although boosted it to 6 or 8 to get a better read on a potential target if I thought I might have something. I did this because at least 6 inches of the top ground material had been moved into large piles or taken away by dump trucks. So I figured if there's anything good in the ground, it wouldn't be deeper than 6 inches or so. And if there's anything good that's deeper than that, I didn't want to spend the effort to dig it. I was digging in ground that was so soft and muddy due to heavy rains, I was sinking into the ground worse than wet sand. All that being said, here's the reason for this post: It's my understanding that I would have had a much easier time sifting through this construction site for coins if I had a smaller coil. The top 2 contenders for me right now are the 5x8 Garrett and the 4 inch Garrett hockey puck. Is my understanding correct? And if so, what would you all recommend if I could only pick just one of those coils? Or would you recommend both...or a different one? Also, another reason I'm thinking about a smaller coil is to reduce the weight of my machine. My current thinking is to get the 5x8 and use that full time, with the hockey puck on occasion. Then I sell the 8.5x11. And in the rare cases I need full depth AND there's little trash, I buy a NEL Storm or something along those lines. I'm considering the smaller coil b/c this isn't the first time I've received a permission to hunt a promising location that's filled with a lot of trash. Thanks ahead!

Welcome!

"Malicious compliance" Love it!

I hear ya. Whenever I hunt a private permission, I always try to go out of my way to pick up any loose trash that might be in or on their yard. When I show them my finds, I also make sure they can see the trash I picked up. Not to get brownie points, but to leave a good impression and "pay it back" so to speak. I also always offer to show them my finds. I don't offer to give it back to them, but if they ask to keep it, I let them (of course). (Un)fortunately, of the permissions I've gotten so far, the best/most I've found are a few clad coins. So there's never been a potential issue of any disagreement over who keeps what. But you can sometimes get a "feel" for what a property owner will expect or demand when you find something. I have one neighbor that I may get a permission from very soon since I got him interested in the hobby and he's asked me to come over and help him with his new machine. But I've talked to him before and I get the strong feeling that if I found anything in his yard, he would expect to keep it.

Whatever happens, good luck!

The legal hassle isn't even the worst part. The worst part is the uncertainty. No matter how ironclad a contract is, there's always a chance it doesn't stand up in court. Maybe it's because you get a rogue judge. Perhaps there's some technicality that not even a $1,500-an-hour attorney from Cravath would have been able to catch. Either way, there's still a tremendous amount of uncertainty. The whole point of a contract is to reduce uncertainty. But in the context of metal detecting, they often don't provide the reassurance that most people think they will provide.

I think that's what I'm going to have to do with my brother-in-law (and other people I get permission from, too). The brother-in-law situation is different b/c of the distinct possibility of a significant find(s).