RickUK

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.

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

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 ??

Enjoyed the video,just a quick question which 15x12 Commando coil did you use was it a DD or Mono ?? i use the same coil but only a Mono on my TDI Pro,does work very well.

That was absolutely brilliant,really enjoyed that video,can see the need for a tough 4x4,thanks for showing the video

Dont question him,just take the money and pick the machine up and hit the road before he changes his mind,bargain of the century i would think.

What is it like pinpointing wise with those long narrow coils ??? it is still right in the middle of the coil or is it harder pinointing with them.

A wise move in my opinion,should have been done a few years back,but as the old saying goes 'better late than never',using the MJ folded coils that was a great decision as i have never liked the stock DF coils that came with my Pro,infact i have only use mine for about sub 60 minutes. The 2 coils that i use the most is a MJ folded mono but the next size down i think its a 10x6 or something like that and its really deadly on small items,but my everyday use is the 14x9 Coiltek Mono coil,the reason i like this its so light being foam filled and can swing this rig around all day long. Glad that Whites have been listening and taken some action as i feel in the last 3-4 years after being a loyal Whites fan for many many years they have been in my mind going down the same route as Tesoro and resting on ones laurels from the past.I am afraid that they still need to come out with something new as the gap between them and other brands 'that' have bought out totally new machines has widened and by a massive margin. Whites you certainly get my vote on this latest incarnation of the TDI,all you need to basically do is address the battery life issue.

As i am mainly after old coinage that is mainly silver or gold the pinpoint probe is very important too me as i dont want to damage these potentially rare coins,so my main everyday use probe is the Garrett pinpointer,i also have a Whites Bullseye as a reliable backup and a DX-1 inline probe on my DFX possibly my best probe but alas its only tethered to the one machine alas thats its downfall. Also i have and occasionally use is the Uniprobe headphone/pinpointer all in one,expensive setup because it came over from the US son incurred high postage and other import taxes but i do you that mainly when artifact/hoard hunting as because its Pulse based it does offer extra depth. But for every day use the original black Garrett does everything reliable as i am after,its vitally important when coin/artifact hunting that you are precise when digging the coin out so as not too damage it.Not like the nugget hunters who use massive axe based implements

For me if i had just one machine to choose for most of my UK permission coin hunts it would be the Deus without any doubt,its about as good as it gets on our silver hammered coins and for the most part all our coinage. But the machine that has provided me with my best coins has been the T2 and surprisingly enough with the small coil,this combination has found me 3 celtic gold staters 55bc and a George111 full Guinea. But if i had just one machine it would be the Deus,the most popular detector here in the UK for many years.

I can only speak for when i am hunting for rings and general jewellery here in the UK,for the most part as i live inland so far from the beaches that are traditionally the places for gold rings and jewellery in general it not often that i do beach detecting,so most of mine is done inland and specifically leisure locations as i find those are the best places. One of my favourite locations is near a river crossing or ford going back well nearly 2000 years,so not only do you find coinage from folks who have dropped them while travelling through the ford but also roman votive offering to the water gods,and rest assured one can find some nice roman coins. But the main reason i hunt this specific area is during the hot summer months its a haven for young mums who bring the young kids down to the shallow river mainly to paddle and catch tiddlers with nets etc,but usually the young mums have grannies old lumps of high class ice that have been handed down through the family,and as we are all aware that cold water makes the fingers shrink and unfortunately sometimes these rings do fall off and never seen again until someone comes along with a metal detector that is. I prefer using a small coil setup and this can be either a VLF or PI machine and as the water is only about 8'' maximum finds can be easily found,surprisingly enough one machine that you would not expect to work well is the Compadre,but when fitted with the small 4'' coil its a deadly combination.Another machine i also have been using and mainly in the hunt for fine gold rings/jewellery is the TDI Pro with a 9x5 folded mono.Both these combinations work well and have recovered some nice finds from just this one small location in recent years. Roll on the hot summer days again and that is mainly because the crops are still in full growth here till harvest time,at least it allow me to still carry on detecting.Of course this is only how i do this type of detecting and it may differ from other folks who hunt gold rings/jewellery inland.

I also received a PM and like yourself i also could not work out in the translation side of things,of course the GoPro option would have been the most popular option as its a very established brand name but comes with it a heavy price tag when if you look around on Ebay you can get similar cameras that do the exact same thing as the 'GoPro' version but for about half the price.This is exactly what i did and also got a complete set of mounting equipment to mount the camera in various ways. That is possibly the only option that i can suggest from between the translation.

Must admit i am not sure what you are saying on this camera thread,only thing i can suggest is what someone else has mentioned is you are trying too use a 'GoPro' or similar camera,but they cannot be linked to your detector.Can you explain a little better what you mean,gut feeling tells me its a communication break down between 2 languages.