RickUK

Although i live and detecting here in the UK,it was exceptionally interesting reading your indepth report on your visit....must admit i rather enjoyed reading that and also the images that you posted....quality review Steve.

Have found a few gold staters over the years including full and quarter ones,the main ones being the Whaddon chase version from 55bc,when these are dug out it really gets your heart pumping with all the excitment that it brings,must admit i did find that small piece of gold interesting and wondering if it was something that has come of a larger item caused by plough damage,i would have spent hours methodically doing that area as something could have been nice found in that location.

A great read and really enjoyed your vacation adventure.

8 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Hi Rick,

I think you hit on an important item - physical capability. While depth is all fine and dandy, we are not talking double the depth or anything crazy like that. Going to a larger coil at best you usually just get that extra inch. That being the case I like a coil I can swing for 8 hours without killing myself. I personally really like the 14" x 9" form factor as a good compromise between depth, weight, and ground coverage. The 15" x 12" Commander mono was a very good performer back in the day but some of these new coil windings may have an edge that negates the size difference. Not having used the newest coils myself I can only suggest what I would do myself - a half day of comparative coil testing. I can't imagine there being much difference at all between the 12" round and the 14" x 9" as regards performance so it really just comes down to which coil you prefer to swing.

My old 14" x 9" Nugget Finder helped me score a 6.5 ounce gold nugget so you can see why I might be fond of the coil! 

 

Steve,some tremendous information,think i will stay with my Coiltek,its the only coil that really suits my sites,as the coil is foam filled it really is ultra lightweight,as i dont use it everyday i even use it without the coil cover on like all my coils and suprising how heavy a cover can be especially on a very large coil.....cannot exactly quote the weight as i have never weighed one but my large 20'' Jimmy Sierra coil coil cover weighs alot and i can only swing that setup using a GPX full harness and the amazing hipstick,but i can swing the Coiltek 14x9 mono coil all day.

Thanks again for your input,will be using the 14x9 coil this coming weekend on a very old pasture site.

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I would not expect a 8” x 12” coil to be as deep as a 12” round coil.

Steve,i own and use a 14x9 Coiltek mono coil on my TDI Pro the main reason being that is ultra lightweight and i do suffer from a wrist problems,hence the main reason i use it,i also have the stock 12'' DF coil that comes with the TDI but not used it very much,so do you think the stock coil would give me slightly more depth ??

Another coil which i also have and will be using over the coming winter months also on the TDI is the 15x12 Commander mono coil,albeit it is heavier than the other 2 coils but being physically bigger i would have thought that the 15x12 should be deeper out of the 3 that i have mentioned.......i do have much bigger coils but those would be predominately use on very special occasions say on deep pasture for large artifacts and hoards.

Your input would be most welcome

The subject on how fast or slow a find sinks in the ground has been covered many many times over the years,so many things too take int account,folks have tried to answer the question scientifically,but in my mind with so many variables its basically impossibly to give a reliable answer.

My perspective is that i dont try and get stressed out try to work out the impossible,but from my perspective and from years of detecting in the UK the older finds can be down deep,especially on real ancient roman/saxon and celtic sites pasture etc,of course the classic reason why you can/will find deep coins and artifacts is the fact that of course here in the UK and Europa as well,we did not have banks or other safe house institutions,as everything was basically hidden in the ground,this is the sole main reason we find hoards.

Normal everyday detectors that have say a 10-11'' coil size on can only go down so far depth wise,but when hoards or other artifacts had been buried for safe keeping in time of turmoil,items had been buried usually at arms length of a person laying flat on the ground,this is usually from previous finds are about the 18-24'' depth range,which is of course just out of range of a normal VLF machine.

Hence this is the main reason its advisable to have some form of a deep detector this could be either a VLF or Pulse machine and once again with a bigger than normal coil size,i use a few such as the TDI Pro with upto 20'' coils and also the mighty Nexus MP with large coils as well,of course by using such large coils you will gain extra depth and ground coverage,but the down side is that you start loosing the sensitivity on smaller finds,but you can get a coil size say 15'' that will not only go deep but still give you some sensitivity on single coins etc as well.

Depth on 'man made items' and the sink rate on them in my mind is nearly impossibly to give a exact answer,this is why i dont try and figure out scientifically why.This is of course just my way of thinking on this subject from my experience here in the UK,of course gold nuggets in other countries are not man made and also can come up at any depth......interesting subject for sure.

26 minutes ago, tboykin said:

This is a hand-made TDI coil by the gentleman in the picture. He sells them in Brazil only.

Tom,thanks for the information,its basically the same size from the looks of it as my Coiltek 14x9 and my Commander coil,thanks agin

On 3/3/2018 at 4:48 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

 

 

I am aware that this is old post,but what grabs my attention more than anything is what is the coil that is on the TDI sl ?? is that a new coil under development or a after market coil ?? i use a similar looking one the 15x12 Commander mono coil on my TDI Pro.But does anyone have any information about the TDI sl coil that is in the picture please ??

Regis,terrific find me old mate,must admit i also use the Snake coil on my UK Vaquero,really does a tremendous job pulling decent finds out of trashy sites,well done and detecting is becoming harder here every week because of all the fields have crops in at the moment,so doubt that i will get out again till the combines start cutting again.

5 minutes ago, PG-Prospecting said:

I use LIDAR all the time here in Virginia to be able to see all the old mine sites.  It gives you the ability to see where the old timers were focusing their workings.  That way you can focus on specific areas once you get out in the field.  Lets you maximize your time in the field.   

 

I can make them using the available data online for most the east coast and parts of the west including the Lake Tahoe area of California.  It looks like lots more will become available to the public over the next few years.  It just the matter of finding all the data and having/knowing how to use the right programs to turn it into something useful.  

 

It is a fantastic tool that all prospectors should use.  I've found a few undocumented gold mines/prospects in my area using it.  

I use Lidar alot here in the UK for when i do research on a new permission,its improving all the time,provides a fantastic amount of additional information on activity on older sites,another additional tool that i have also experimented with is a quad copter,anything that gives you some extra help on a site is always welcome.

5 hours ago, 1515Art said:

Rick, about two years ago I drove my old Mercedes ml into a snow drift up a dirt road in the Sierra on purpose and got stuck. First I tried just a straight pull with the 4K winch, but the car didn't hardly budge (flat ground)  I have a recovery snatch block that doubled the pull to 8k and that pulled me from the snow no issue although I have no real way to measure how much pull I'm getting from the little jump starter. The 9k winch on the front of the jeep is a whole different league compaired to the atv winch. A set of jumper cables will power the winch off the car battery also I've done that too. But the ability to take the little winch with the portable power on a hike is useful. One day I pulled two big rotten trees and a big boulder out of a giant hole the old timers left behind and still had power to use it farther up the hill to expose new ground under a couple of down trees, however your charger may be different capacity, good luck with however it works. 

I hear exactly what you are saying,of course a dedicated front winch mounted on a purpose built winch bumper is the proper tool for the job and of course its wired direct into the main harness,thats the way forward especially if you do alot of off roading or miles away from any form of help,so thats is your insurance that it will get you out of almost all difficult situations.

But for the most part on my permissions or my detecting sites on farmland in general here in the UK as yet i have never got stuck that requires a real heavy hitter winch setup,in my mind it would be a massive amount of money sitting on the front end of the truck that would maybe used once or if at all,so this is the reason that i went down the route of a temp recovery winch with the snatch block,i do have a plug in lead plug like what the use on forklift truck chargers so i can use the winch direct from the vehicles power source.But if the truck battery goes flat and i am unable too start the engine,i could/can still if need be use the temporary power supply and temp winch with the snatch block.

So if the occasion ever did occur,which as yet its never happened then at least i could have a 'very good chance' of getting out of a stuck situation.With the snatch block method that i use it doubles the pulling power of a winch but reduces the speed of the line retrieval,but line retrieval speed is not a issue as such its the pulling power,also the added beauty is that if/when i was too sell my 4x4 then i could transfer it over to another truck.So although its not the ideal 100% setup it does work and as long as one is aware of the limits of the setup then use it accordingly.

12 hours ago, 1515Art said:

I've been carrying a unit from Walmart for a few years now it has light, air pump, USB and jump start, the thing was about 50 bucks and has worked great and I've saved a few people grief out on the road including myself. It will also give me quite a few pulls with the 4K portable winch, comes in handy moving tree trunks and rocks as well as a back-up to the winch on the front of my jeep.

Must admit i have both a heavy duty battery pack as well as a portable electric winch as well and snatch block,which i carry in a box,although i have never used it but when you mentioned about using it as a temporary recovery winch and it has the power to drive the winch then its going back into the boot of my truck for that odd occasion that i may need it.

On its own i think the pull is about 2000lbs but with the snatch block it doubles it,thanks for a terrific idea

Mike,a terrific article and and very apt at the moment,i have a very shallow river very near me and this has been a magnet for travellers for well over a 1000 years,this has not only a ford crossing which for the most part was the main way of crossing the river but 300 years ago a humpback bridge was built so this allowed more modern forms of transport ie horse and carts etc.

What makes this specific site interesting is that because the water is shallow and has a sandy bank on both side of the river,its like a magnet for children with say fishing nets and building sand castles,of course when kids come down with mums too play in the river,the young mums usually have grannies old victorian gold rings on her finger which as a general rule have quality lumps of ice in the settings,and we are all aware what happens with fingers and rings when fingers get wet the rings fall off into the water and for the most part they will never find them again.

Over recent years i have offered my services in recovering these types of jewellery usually suggesting if i find them they make a small donation to a local cancer charity.Have never taken any reward money although it is offered i dont get a buzz out of that,but i do get a buzz out of hunting for this type of jewellery.Detectors that i use can be both VLF and Pulse,as the water is very shallow ie only about 6-8'' maximum a older Tesoro with a small 4'' coil works wonders on gold ring size items and has of course superb discrimination into the bargain,but if its a small item like a small chain with a clasp or a charm on it then i use a Pulse with a very small coil,of late this has been a TDI Pro with a small folded mono coil on.One secret weapon which is also one i use is possibly the least expensive detector going and that is the Tesoro Compadre mine has the little 4'' coil on it and is deadly on small fine gold jewellery.

Its a public holiday here in the UK on monday and as the weather is really good over the long weekend this inturn will bring the mums and kids again out playing in the river,so i am expecting a possible call mid week asking for some help recovering a ring or some other form of jewellery.

Mike a terrific article and only just seen it,this is how i locate potential high value rings and jewellery,it gives me a big buzz when i find it again and hand it back too the owner who will hand it down the family line again.

You have missed out in my opinion the most important piece of information and that is your budget !! no point in asking for some suggestions if the machines are over your budget.Are you taking about ultra cheap Pulse machines or reasonable top brand one ??

I have 3 of them and rate them alot,terrific build quality and all work well for the various detecting situations that i use them for.In my opinion possibly the best aftermarket coils going and in some cases perform better than the factory made one for the machines.

5 hours ago, kiwijw said:

But it hasn't got a tow bar. 

JW 

It has actually,its a detachable one i dont use it much for towing but it does not take long too fit back on,it's designed that way so you only use it when required

I use one of these as my detecting trucks,3.0ltr turbo diesel that has been remapped with power upto about 260-270bhp,pulls like a train.

Stayed up and listened too the show,enjoyed it,must admit i also dont like most of the other forums these days due to politics etc,excuse the pun it was a down too earth interview.

Must admit i am really looking forward too listening in on this one,will be in the early hours for us here in the UK,but if i do miss it you can listen in again.

Here in the UK about 20 years ago the Government told us all about the benefits of using diesel fuel as it was more eco-friendly and it was cleaner than what petrol was,so over the years sales of petrol based cars dropped like a lead balloon and sales of diesel cars rocketed,then after everyone had bought diesel they started 'waltzing' the price up at the pump,this then became one of the Government revenue earners and basically we had all been lied too.

Then about 2-3 years ago reports started surfacing that actually diesel pollution was actually worst than petrol,so sales of diesel based car have dropped down by well over 50% and sales of petrol car are on the rise again,then another bomb shell has evolved over the last 12 months,that here in the UK that as from 2040 sales of both petrol and diesel cars will be outlawed and i guess all vehicles will be electric.

Lucky enough i doubt that i will be still driving in 2040,so thats the fuel situation here in the UK,currently at the moment big diesel powered 4x4 vehicles are heavily frowned upon and they are gradually ramping up taxes on these cars with i guess the long term intention of 'driving them off the road' excuse the pun but that is what they are doing.

Just my prospective of a large UK diesel powered 4x4 owner

In theory,this is a terrific project but has many many problems that you will come up against,weight issue is one of the biggest problems,also the depth capability of current detecting technology and that is the problem the depth,the way i am thinking you are looking to go with this project is fly a drone or what ever method you finally decide upon above a minefield and use the capabilities of the latest detecting technology.

And that is the problem,even say Pulse of any other platform that is current available or in development 'wont' give you the depth that you are hankering after,as the depth is just not currently available,even if you look at say what is currently the deepest machine going and we think the GPX will fit the bill,then this is when the project falls apart again,as although the GPX or infact any other machine could be used,the capabilities of your drone just wont be able to not only lift it,but it would also hover nearly at ground level to get even a few inches depth.So hence this project would be dead in it current format.

You can bet the big boys that have deep pockets in military defence and weaponry would be working on this type of project,but they have not only deep pocket possibly running into million rather than a project on say a $1000 budget but also develop the software needed even if its even feasible.Military Ariel drones that are used just for visual  observations can of course be much smaller because of the advancement in camera size and hence this is why we see drones used for personal use as well as military exercises as well,the main draw back with your project is the weight and the depth of current detecting technology and that  i feel just is not available at the moment,we have been stuck in a depth rut for years with hobby detecting.

So although you have a stunning looking drone and some wonderful ideas on this project,i feel and excuse the pun i dont think this project will ever get 'off the ground',of course i hope i am wrong,but i try and look outside the box,possibly look at using the drone project for another military or peace time requirement or application......that i think could be the way forward with this project,even if the technology was available i doubt personally that anyone in there right mind would provide details free of charge anyway,as the possibility of a huge financial reward from these mine clearing devices could be skies the limit,but we are currently stuck with old technology of a human risking a life on clearing a mine field.

Of course i wish you all the very best in the project,but its a very tough cookie to crack

On 2/27/2018 at 6:11 PM, phrunt said:

I read about the tokens that looked like the coin but the tokens have different writing on them

Thats the writing on the token

This is the writing on the genuine coin

Here is hoping mines the real coin.

http://coinquest.com/cgi-bin/cq/coins?main_coin=5243

 

One of my best coins has been a George111 full gold guinea that i found about 3 years back,it was down about 4'' in stiff barley stubble,most folks had been using stock coil but of course you loose depth as the stubble wont allow you close contact with the ground,i snagged mine with my T2 and the 5'' coil on as that can get in between the stubble rows.......a spade guinea is still a very nice find and not all that common here either in the UK either.

I had a Isuzu Trooper for 18 years from new and finally parted company with it after 250,000 miles,the engine was still running as sweet as the day i got it,bodywork was very good and without doubt the most reliable 4x4 that i have ever owned,possibly a bit agricultural looks wise,but its the reliability that i mainly am after.Fuel wise did about 32mpg from a 2.8 turbo diesel and pull like a train with a heavy trailer behind it.

Next detecting truck i had was a v6 petrol Suzuki Vitara LWB absolutely terrific engine and pulled like a turbine and off road ability was outstanding like the Isuzu had selectable 4x4 so ran on normal tarmac in 2 wheel drive,but by throwing the lever this introduced the front axle and never ever got me bogged down,and rest assured on some really wet farmland it earned its keep,had the Suzuki for about 6-7 years.

Current 4x4 is a top of the range BMW x5 and well over the top luxury wise for a detecting truck if i am honest,but boy do i enjoy driving it,its permanent 4 wheel drive and i guess is more of a 'soft roader' than a 'off roader' this thing has humongous wide tyres that are a fortune too replace,but as they say one does not have pockets in shrouds and i cannot take it with me.Its running a twin turbo diesel and pulls like a train and can get on a long journey about 38mpg which is mind blowing if i am honest out such a big truck,if you use sports mode then although it is ultra quick you can see the fuel evaporating before your eyes.

Prehaps its a age related thing but much prefer my creature comforts these days,although i could sleep easily in the Isuzu and Suzuki the BMW although bigger is not suited as much but i have slept in it a few times. 

I have the UK version of a Vaquero called the Laser Trident 11 Extreme,its basically a Vaq but running on steroids,its produced from new by the UK service and repair agent,one of the advantages with one of the modifications is the ability of not only having the manual GB facility but also having it in fixed GB mode as well.Almost alkl the time i run mine in fixed GB mode,as our ground on my permissions is pretty mild then its perfectly all right in doing so.

Of course if i am on bad ground or require a change over to another coil then the manual GB option is the best way forward,although i have had the machine about a couple of years i guess i rarely use it as i use the Deus more,but its nice and very light and if i just want say a few hours detecting i then can get a tremendous amount of enjoyment by using a decent switch on and go machine,with the 11x8 coil on it and running @18.5khz then its pretty deadly on small hammered coins.

Had noticed the Reidman 18v battery packs for the TDI Pro on Ebay last weekend,and had been thinking along the lines and i stand to be corrected that the slightly higher voltage could be better suited for my larger coils that i use on my Pro.But then if i was too buy one we then i guess start hitting up against the shipping problems from the US to the UK and that is what originally caused the Pro to be stopped production.

As my TDI does work fine as it is and i also have a brand new backup stock battery then not all that worried at the moment,it was the more longer term issue of battery replacement that concerned me more than anything.But the stock Pro batteries do seem to last for many years.

I do run a RNB battery pack in my DFX and IDX Pro and that is a vast improvement over the stock rechargeable Whites batteries,not only lighter but last so much longer in the case of my IDX that goes on for ever it seems,but they always have been frugal on battery power anyway.

Taking the TDI Pro out this sunday onto a new permsission which although not high in minderal content is a very sandy ground,has all the hallmarks of a Saxon site,so taking the big fella and large coil on for the ride.

Wish i lived nearer the coast as i live so far inland,infact near the old pump station site,so its rare for me to go beach detecting,but i plan on doing a few more days this year though.

A good day on the beach,that a fair amount of spendables that you have found,do the banks still take the old pound coins ??