Bash

Always do!

Yes indeed.

Just ordered my copy today. Looking forward to gleaning some "nuggets" of information!😉

I wish GB! It's just a 1980 that I scrubbed a bit. 😇

Trust me, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought something along those lines. Visions of Chucky from the movie "Childs Play"!

I'll be taking this to the park in the morning! If it wasn't blowing like 30mph out there, I'd go now!

Thanks Glenn! No makers mark on this one that I can find.

I'll be using the stock 800 coil - haven't purchased the 6" coil (yet). 😆 Near as I can tell from research, these are "in place" tailings. Here's what I found from the State DEQ site: In 1938 the placers again began to bring forth gold as the Porter Brothers Corporation's electric Yuba dredge began to work the flats north of town. From November of 1935 to August 1943 the dredge worked continuously on the flats. In that time 45,000 ounces of gold were recovered from gravel that averaged 18 to 30 cents per cubic yard. A second dredge, the Perry-Schroeder, was active in 1940 and 1941 and its totals included in the total gold recovery. Dredging stopped in 1943 due to the war-time restrictions on gold mining. When this ban was lifted in 1945, the Porter Brothers dredge worked one more season. Total value of the gold from this dredge was reported to be more than $2,500,000 (Lyden 1948). The nice thing is, it's literally a 3 minute drive from the house. Worst case scenario, I dig a lot of trash and enjoy a sunny day outdoors!

Thanks oneguy! Have rake, attaching magnets...

Welcome BigWillie! Best forum for metal detecting on the web. Looking forward to your involvement!

On a hot tip from a city worker that lives across the street, I am going to be looking for gold in a city park that is basically twenty acres of tailings piles. I did some recon, and it doesn't look like anyone in town is doing any digging there at all. The dredge definitely hauled some weight out of here, so It will be interesting to see if there's anything left behind. I'll be using the Equinox. Have read a few of the archive threads on detecting tailings, but if anyone has any advice they would care to impart, this noob would greatly appreciate it!

Thought I’d give a quick update and some photos of the (good) stuff I’ve found so far. I have a little over 40 hours of metal detecting on the Equinox 800. This is the entirety of my metal detecting experience! Thanks to everyone on the forum who has helped guide me. I haven’t included the junk in these photos, but trust me, there is a fair amount! There seems to be less junk dug the more hours I put in though. So far I have found: Currency Two clad quarters Five silver dimes (A Barber, three Mercs, and a Roosevelt) Seven clad dimes Seven Nickels (A V!, two Buffalos, and four Jeffersons) Fifteen Wheat Pennies (Ranging from 1919 to 1957) An old Chinese Coin Jewelry Two enameled pieces (Either broaches or buttons) A Catholic medallion depicting Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and The Sacred Heart of Jesus Tokens A token from an old pool hall Relics A creepy cool stamped metal doll head! Just found this morning at a local park not three blocks from the house! Found the face first, and the back of the head a little deeper. Most of this was found in parking strips in a Helena, MT neighborhood, Except for the doll head… Still looking for that $5 gold piece!

I think it is both. Steve started and maintains the forum with his vision, and that vision has attracted the class of people that frequent DetectorProspector. I'm completely new to detecting, but am not new to forums, and I can honestly say this is one of the most friendly and informative groups I have had the pleasure of participating in. My learning curve would be MUCH steeper without the information provided here. Much thanks to Steve and ALL the contributors for setting this newbie on the right path!

I kind of wanted to go with the 540 because of the Bluetooth capability, but really liked the price point of the 440. It's going to be a detector for friends to use and a backup for me. 👍👍

Hey Dharma, Welcome to the forums! I think you'll find it to be the best resource for detecting on the interwebs. I certainly have! Keep us posted on your detector build!

Thanks! I intend to order it this week! I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the kind words GB! I'm happy with my progress so far. I have about 30 hours of detecting in total, and every time I go out, it seems like I learn something new - whether it's discerning tones better, understanding the VDI more, coil control, or pinpointing etc. I always learn something, and one of the reasons for that is the support and direction I've found on this forum! I'm fortunate to be in an old neighborhood in Helena, MT, which at its peak, had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the US. An affluent gold rush town. There are several houses within a couple of blocks, just on this one street, that were built in the late 1800's. Parking strips just seemed like a natural place to learn, and are proving to be quite prolific, especially now that I am starting to understand what to look for. Anyway, thanks again. Having a blast!

An hour in the parking strip after chores yielded my first Barber dime. Made a noob mistake and scratched the back a little. But hey, I'm a noob! Also got permission from the neighbors across the street to search their strip too! Old neighborhoods with cool neighbors = silver! I gotta say, this is really freaking fun!

Welcome Gary! You've landed in one of the best places on the internet to learn detecting. Lot's of knowledgeable and friendly folks ready to help!

Sweet. Thanks Chase!

Anybody know if the Equinox 800 Bluetooth headphones will work with the Vanquish 540 Bluetooth? Wouldn't mind saving the $$ if they do. 😀

Thanks everyone. Think I'm going with the Vanquish!

Short stint with the Equinox this morning yielded another first for me. She's a little rough, but I like her anyway! 😍

I'm pretty new to the detecting scene, and am having a great deal of fun so far. I have some friends that would like to participate, but they can't really justify buying one, so I was thinking I would get a second detector, so they could join in on the fun. I don't want to spend a lot of money, but still want something that has reasonable capabilities, and could serve as a fun backup machine to my Equinox 800. I've been looking at the Nokta Makro Simplex+. It's within my price point, and seems to be well liked. Suggestions? Alternatives?