It all seems to me that you buy one if you like the 'sound' of it.  If that sound (the hype AND the tones) is pleasing to your ears and gives you lots of feedback then you will have fun and find goodies.

I'm not going to take away my detecting time trying to figure out how to save one or two hundred dollars or even more on the purchase of a metal detector.  My 'float' on doing this is just not that tight.

57 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

I thank all of you who have said nice things about my grandfather and only hope that I can fill his shoes for his last adventure on the Civil War hunt. He truly wanted to get that done and now it is on my shoulders to finish the hunt for him.

Thank you all for your kind words,

Caleb

Caleb,

You just enjoy the trip and the people as much as possible.  What you 'find' will be in the total experience and not be measured by what comes out of the ground at the end of a detector coil.

I'm sure at times you will feel 'directed' by things you remember your grandfather saying.  That will always be with you.  He wanted it that way.  He'll be with you this hunt and others to follow.  Share his thoughts and yours with others and your rewards will be greater.

Mitchel

I saw the depiction and 'random' enforcement of the licensing system at Ballarat's Sovereign Hill.  Now I can understand the beginning a bit more and see its cost to society.  The fees were unevenly applied.  The Red Coats were feared in most quarters.

Due to the nature and circumstance of those who went to Australia it has fed a colorful history.  

Perhaps the others listed from the library in NSW did not demonstrate the gold they found to be 'payable.'

13 hours ago, Allen in MT said:

Anybody still hunting Franconia with results? been a lot of years since I was there. Lots of 30 & 50 cal bullets.

There are still lots of little irons on the north side.  I've found gold but never a meteorite on the south side.

Job well done!  

You got one of the coins?

Mitchel

Idaho is the place it seems!

History stands corrected: Smith, not Hargraves, first to discover gold in NSW

https://www.smh.com.au/national/history-stands-corrected-smith-not-hargraves-first-to-discover-gold-in-nsw-20200902-p55rtr.html

13 hours ago, PeterInSa said:

Good Trip mn, well done, don't know about detecting in the moonlight in mid 80's though, in Oz I would be wary of not seeing a Joe Blake ( snake) and standing on it.

It was near 70 at dawn and of course there is no humidity.  I wear a light to keep from stepping on a snake but at the end of the summer much of their food is gone and the rattlers are in a hole to survive.

15 hours ago, beatup said:

Well done on the nugget and the move Rick

You know Rick, Reno is just your first step on your way to Wyoming!  ?

1 hour ago, GB_Amateur said:

I assumed Troy ounces (ozt).

Thanks for the chronicle.  You're getting pretty good at these!  And I'm glad to read that the nighttime moon is good for something.  When out looking for astronomical objects it's sure an experience killer.

Yes, the moon washed out the sky to all other objects.  The last time I was out there was to see the comet and that was a moonless sky.

The OZT is a different measure.  This 't' is just a weight unit I can't find.  On my scale it just has more decimal points.

Does anyone know what the 't' weight is?

Fred Mason asked me many times 'Where did you park?'  haha

He loved detecting parking lots.

Tim was always out of 'likes' every day.  His comments and information will be missed by many.  Now I know he was trying to take nothing with him.  He wanted to leave it here.  He wanted us to have it all and share it with him.

Mitchel

Does the Wayback have a full copy of Everything at the time they save it?  I don't know what it takes a picture of and what it leaves out of the information it 'preserves.'

If it was as good as the website then every website would let the Wayback host its history for free!

Clay,

Your 'save' of this site deserves a thread of its own.  Bill and Linda's is a classic just like an old treasure map.  It is a good research site.

Thank you and I hope your save increases the exposure of My Land Matters and causes others with historic content on their sites to save it before they dump it.  A few years back many of my early prospecting and beach reports were dumped.

Content is king.  Look at Google.  They save it all.

Mitchel

It is now available here:

http://www.mylandmatters.org/Library/Bill_and_Linda/

On 8/24/2020 at 11:31 PM, RickUK said:

A terrific write up,i bought a 15'' coil but just found it not a pleasant experience using it due to the weight on my right wrist,so it had too go.Have been using the 6'' coil mainly during the stubble time after harvest.But the 11'' coil could well be going back on the detector.

Currently running the latest version software although not seen a great amount of improvement yet,but as i use it more then that could well have been a good move.

The Equinox although have had it for over 12-14 months i am basically having a love/hate relationship with it,wont part with it as some of my permissions require multi freq but its not the main everyday use detector as i had originally thought it would become.

What is your 'go to' detector?  

I have some places at the beach where I still like the CTX 3030 with 17" coil and a hip stick.  That makes it weightless.

I use the 15" on the Equinox without the arm strap now.  I make sure I don't 'cock' my wrist or elbow which means I keep the shaft short.  I could see getting a little harness and bungee for it and using it with a bigger 'swing' on some days.

On 8/14/2020 at 7:46 AM, GB_Amateur said:

Good report, Mitchel.  I'm impressed that the 15" can find those very small pieces.

Concerning the Kennedy Half (also my HS graduation year, BTW), do you think it's a recent drop?  I almost never see Kennedy Halves in circulation any more, and it's been that way for at least 3 decades.  But the condition doesn't look like it's seen much of the saltwater.  Or was this in a high-and-dry part of the beach?  The condition indicates it's not a souvenir/memento that someone carried in pocket or purse for a long time (meaning many years) since that would have caused more wear.  Have you thought about how long it's been where you found it?

I didn't see this question until today for some reason.  I'm baffled by it showing up where I found it in the wet tide area.  It was totally unexpected and I really can't explain it.  I've never found one in this area before.  I hope it wasn't a stolen coin that happened to get away from the person that lost it.  The area where I found it is frequented by all nighters.

You know the 'girdle' is so small and the 'flat edge' is tiny also.  It kinda picks up light like a prism to help you see it.

Compass,

Thanks for making me look.  It had never occurred to me that is where they certify them.  I looked closely and in the first couple of turns I saw the little 'ghost' number.  It was difficult to keep in focus and I couldn't really read it but it was/is engraved on the edge of the diamond!  What a small edge to begin with.

I didn't think this particular diamond would be marked.  I have a computer microscope I should try to read it and then see if there is a guide that values by what I read.

Mitchel

Well, SG 20 could probably work.  It just happens to cost more than my boots!

I do have a diamond tester and this tester heats up in the proper way so I'm saying it is a diamond and will take it to someone professional to give me details about clarity, cut, carat and color.

I've hunted for diamonds in Arkansas.  That is a fun trip.