Bash

Welcome! You've certainly come to the right place! For learning, advice, encouragement, analysis, and the occasional gut check, 😉 this forum can't be beat. I just started detecting in March, and with the help of the fine folks on this forum, I am light years ahead of where I would be without it. Looking forward to hearing (and seeing) more about your journey into this wonderful hobby! Best of luck to you! ~Bash

Yep! It's a 55.

Nope, not magnetic in the slightest.

I'll check. I figured since it came out of the ground shiny without any corrosion, it was silver, but I will grab a magnet and see.

Just a little water and baking soda with my fingers.

So I've been getting a lot of clad coins with both the Equinox and the Vanquish 440 in the local parks, but even in the older ones, silver coins have escaped me for a couple of months now. In between thunderstorms this afternoon, I hit the neighbor's parking strip, and in less than ten minutes, I pulled two silvers and a wheatie! My first silver quarter, AND my first Canadian silver. The quarter is pretty trashed, but I'm glad just the same! Felt good to break the slump!

Sweet! I'm in Helena. Might have to check out the CF!

Sorry it took me a while to check this out. Yes indeed it does! Rare earth magnets stick strongly to it. And one section of it appears almost melted.

Sweet! Congratulations! I think it looks just fine the way it is. I like the bit of patina it has.

Welcome, Mark! Looking forward to hearing more from you! ~Bash

Gold futures (and the index futures, and pretty much all non agricultural futures) cease trading on Friday at 4:00pm Central time, and reopen for trading on Sunday at 5:pm Central time. They trade 23 hours a day, 5 days a week. The ag futures adhere to different hours of trading.

I don't have coil supports on mine, but if the stock shaft fits ok with coil supports, then Steve's shafts should also.

Got a full day's swing in today. What a joy! No silver, but lot's of clad. And my shoulder feels great! Well, it feels great for a 63 year old shoulder... Lol!

Welcome Captain! DP is certainly the best source of quality detecting info I've found! Lot's of signal, and very little noise! ~Bash

Hey Jay, Welcome to the forum! Yep, there's a large amount of great information here, and a lot of friendly and knowledgeable folks too. If you can't find what you're looking for by browsing and searching, ask some questions, and I can pretty much guarantee you'll get the answers you seek! My brother is in SC - hoping to get down and visit him this year. ~Bash

I'm sure you will be as impressed as I am! I can't wait to get out for a full session with it.

Welcome to the forum phd_angel! I've only been detecting a little under three months, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but I will attempt to answer your questions. I have the Minelab 440, and I love it! It is my backup detector, but I find it to be very capable in a variety of scenarios. I don't know all the differences between the 340 and 440, but I know a lot of people are impressed with the features of the 340 given its price point. I know bupkis about the Fisher F22, but someone here will. Not all pinpointers are the same, but I would highly recommend NOT buying a copycat. Buy good tools, and you only cry once! I am using a Garrett Pro Pointer AT, and it works well for me. As for question number three, from my limited experience, as I have found interesting relics, or older coins, I have developed a definite interest in history, archaeology, and numismatics. Maybe not out of necessity, but out of genuine interest. Hope this helps a bit, and I know other more experienced folks will chime in. Again welcome to the forum! Looking forward to hearing more from you. ~Bash

A few weeks ago, I started conversing with Steveg (www.stevesdetectorrods.com) about building me a complete carbon fiber shaft replacement with counterweight attachment for my Equinox 800. Well it arrived today, and I thought I would share my impressions. First of all, let me say that the entire process of ordering a shaft from Steve was absolutely wonderful! Extremely thoughtful, articulate, and maybe most importantly, timely communications. From the very first email, I felt I was valued as a customer, and that Steve truly cared not only about me, but about the product he produces as well. The shaft arrived today via priority mail, and was very well packaged. I ordered the bright blue option because, hey, I like blue! The material is stunning, and the workmanship on the shaft is impeccable. Fit and finish are gorgeous. The Equinox weight before disassembly came in at 1354 grams with the stock shaft and stock coil. The stock shaft components on their own weigh 295 grams, while the new carbon fiber shaft weighs 225 grams without the counterbalance. Final weight of the detector with the new shaft sans counterbalance is 1284 grams, for a 70 gram weight reduction. Assembling the Equinox components onto the new shaft was a piece of cake. All the hole locations for mounting the components were perfectly aligned and properly sized, and the cam-lock hardware works flawlessly. The 70 gram difference is very noticeable when swinging the detector, but it really starts to shine when you add the counterbalance attachment. With the stock coil, swinging becomes almost effortless and the balance is such that the coil feels weightless. It really is quite amazing! My shoulder and neck are already thanking me.😍 And there is no wobble or flex in the shaft at all. If you are looking for an upgrade to your Equinox, I can't recommend this enough! And doing business with Steve is truly a joy. My only regret is I don't have another detector to upgrade! When I do, I'll be giving Steve a call! Bash says, run, don't walk, to your computer or phone, and order one for yourself! You won't regret it!

Welcome David! You have certainly arrived at the right place. As a new detectorist, I'd be lost without the pool of knowledge here, and the great advice and encouragement I've received from more experienced members. Best of luck, ~Bash

Welcome Badger! Good to have you along!

That's awesome canoe! Have you had a chance to get out with it? Follow the info Chase gave in his post and you'll be further along than most who first start using the 800. Good luck!

Thanks for the post GB. Since I trade options, I loves me some quantitative analysis!

That cleaned up quite nicely!

I have the same problem with the Vanquish. Might have to implement this or a variation thereof!

Found this Crackerjack Mystery Club coin yesterday with the Vanquish. These were distributed from 1933 to 1934.