Lacky

This is why I end up giving up on prospecting. I come back to it every 10 years or so and try all over again to figure out the claim maps, all the regulations and laws concerning recreational mining, etc. When I do think maybe I have a spot figured out and go up in the hills I worry the whole time that I got something wrong or I'm not where I think I am. I don't go up in the mountains so I can worry and stress so I end up chucking all the stuff back in the closet and take up some other hobby. If the goal is to kill recreational mining as a hobby everyone involved has done a great job. Obviously I've reached the point of frustration again. That's the main reason I'm focusing on jewelry, at least I can figure out the rules in that pursuit. I also have a couple possible nugget spots picked out. As far as I can tell it's BLM and has no placer claims. I'll probably go up eventually, and I'll worry the whole time I missed something and am pissing off someone.

Really liked that one

Do read the article Steve linked, it's really good, but the short answer is no, as a first detector there isn't anything you will really miss if you don't need the gold mode. Most of the customization options the 800 has that the 600 doesn't are most useful (it seems to me anyway) in making the equinox "sound" (respond) more like what a person is already used to. You aren't used to anything yet, so you will be fine learning the standard equinox sounds without changing anything. The wireless headphones are nice, but you can buy wireless aptx low latency headphones (that's what you want to get) for around $60. I went through the same decision last month. I live in a gold area so I got the 800. If I didn't I would have been fine with the 600. Hope that helps

We would have all our water containers lined on the inside with gold though. I'm kinda liking that!

Really interesting GB. I thought he had just not wanted to clean it until I looked closer after your comment. Is it weird I would be almost just as excited to find an original time period counterfeit?

Also I have been out a fair amount and it has gone well, including a silver ring so far. Honestly I'm having more trouble getting the stuff out of the ground than I am finding it. Most digging is hard on the hands. That's one reason I'm gearing up for water hunting, along with leaving 90% of the competition behind as soon as you get your feet wet it seems. I'm probably going to end up prospecting some though, as that desire always creeps back in.

Thanks Gerry. It would be so much easier if the city would just put that somewhere. I did LOTS of searching and nothing comes up on the Boise city gov sites. At least in the future when people search they will see your post and know the answer, but it shouldn't be that hard to follow the rules.

Inspiring. Those go back about as far as you can go out here.

Thinking about it, I do have a question for you Gerry. Is the permit system in Boise still enforced, and if so how do you get it. All I can find is an article from 7 or 8 years ago talking about an 85 yo lady that was in charge. Her website is no longer active though. If they actually wanted us to have a permit you would think they would say somewhere how to actually get it. I just decided at this point it's such a mess I could get any citations thrown out and ignored it and just follow the rules. I'd do it if it is still an actual thing though.

That's very reasonable, and thanks.

Yeah, I've seen the classes on your site for many years. I'm a bit of a loner, and you don't show prices so I've always assumed expensive. The rye patch one has always been tempting though.

After reading all the headphone threads I was expecting everything to be hard. I decided to try today anyway and plugged my regular ear buds (bob marleys) into the nox 800 and they worked fine, no external speaker, sound in both ears. Then I tried cheap ones we buy in packs of 4 for $10 for spares and those worked fine too. Now my plan for waterproof headphones is to just buy cheap waterproof ear buds. I also found some m12 cable connectors that I think will seal up over the earbud jack for a waterproof and secure conection to the back of the nox. I have to order and try that though. That wasn't at all what I was expecting after reading all the posts so I though I should mention it. Steve

Thanks, I appreciate the advise. One idea I have is looking at old maps I figured out which dirt forest service roads are the old stage routes, which have been around since the 40's, etc. Would detecting likely resting or camping spots along those roads be the kind of spot your talking about. Does it sound like a decent idea? I don't have detecting friends to bounce ideas off so you guys get to hear my ramblings.

Park 1 and the sensitivity down at 17, I think because of power lines close by. Everything else factory.

Went on my first actual hunt today (well, I guess yesterday, I stay up late!). I feel like I set it up well, a cutout for putting in a playground in the old part of town with about 2 feet of soil stripped off. The part I miss judged was how hard the soil was. It was like digging concrete. I would have needed a 10 pound pickaxe to get through it. I'd get targets at 6 inches and couldn't get 2 inches after 5 min. I dug some old shell casings (old military base 120 to 70 years ago) so I think the theory was ok at least. I ended up just looking for silver coin signals figuring if I was going to kill myself digging that stuff it would be worth it, even though I would have trashed them. I got a fair number of signals but none very repeatable. I'd get a 30's amongst other signals, then nothing, then 3 or 4 swings later over it I'd get another. Never could recover any of them. So my question is where those even real or should they be pretty repeatable if real? My turn up hands did motivate me to call the state park everyone swims at to ask if they allow metal detecting and got a solid yes on weekdays. Easy digging in sand is in my future!

Yeah, my plan is actually to target that range. I'm hoping my resolve will hold up. It sure didn't in my yard! (It isn't one of my proposed hot spots either though)

Yeah the noise cancel takes care of the air chatter, the rest was targets in the ground. LOTS of targets in the ground. If I really had my heart set on searching my yard I would notch out 8-15 to maintain sanity. Or at least quiet down that zone. I can see why you guys talk about can slaw so much now. I'm sure not going to dig all that up!

Yeah been playing today and its getting better. I think a lot of my chatter problem may actually be targets. I started digging some today and there is LOTS of aluminium in my yard. Looks like my house had aluminium siding at one point, cause there are pieces of it all over. If you go over 5 to a dozen pieces of aluminium with every swing it sounds pretty unstable, but I'm pretty sure it's just actual targets.

Yeah I did noise cancel, but had to look up how to do it. I've read almost every thread in the essentials thread. I've watched dozens of videos. I read Andy's book. The problem was as soon as I turned it on I couldn't remember any of it hardly. Really I think it was just a bit of performance anxiety type stuff. I just need to get out and practice. LOTS different than that tasoro lol.

Well my 800 came today. Didn't come till after 4, so by the time it was charged and assembled I just played around in the yard some. This is gonna take awhile. I'm going to have to have the manual handy for some time. Fortunately knocking down the sensitivity is kind of a cure all to kill the random chatter. Note I'm not claiming it is the best or correct cure, but it did work. It's gonna take some time to figure out all its saying. Until I got it to calm down some I felt like I was in a room full of r2d2's. It was more overwhelming than I expected, fun though. There is a street cutout in an old area I was hoping it would get here before it got covered. Now I'm thinking that might be a bit more public than I'm ready for. I think I'm gonna be spending the next few days in my backyard with the manual in one hand and the Nox in the other. Good times

So true. The fact that there is so much to learn and so much adjustability though has motivated me to study it all far more than I did the tesoro. I had some fun adventures with it but I never really mastered it.

Just wanted to thank you guys. I have learned SO much the last couple weeks from this site! My equinox 800 is arriving Thursday. It will be my first detector since I bought a lobo supertraq about 20 years ago.