F350Platinum

40 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

Thanks. it is a really good beach machine when you find your beaches settings. You're in VA and it is a great relic machine for your iron rich dirt as well. Many relic hunters have found a lot of deep Civil War relics with the GPX. I can live with losing some of my machines, but not the GPX.

True, for sure I've heard other parts of VA are iron rich, but you can go in fields here and not even hear a peep. Seriously, nothing! The only time I find lots of iron is where a house stood, they don't clean them up well. 🙂 The rest of the time it's horseshoes and plow parts.

Going to hit the beach some time this week, probably when it warms up a bit more.

Wow that GPX is incredible. Even your "junk" is cool. Nice shootout!

Welcome, Ben. 

I retired, bought an Equinox as an upgrade to my Ace 400, and have dug hundreds of interesting artifacts and coins in a very short time. We look forward to your exploits and photos!

I hope you live in or near history like I do, it's much easier on a retiree. My health has much improved due to this hobby. There is a lot less lead in the farms around my house 😀

Welcome! We look forward to your exploits and photos. 

Yikes, most of that stone looks like the gravel in my driveway. Maybe you could revise it a bit with only the most interesting specimens?

You should also post in meet and greet to tell us a bit about yourself first. 🙂 That is general forum protocol.

Hey Glenn,

Just to put my money where my mouth is 😀 I just put this together today. 1mm Snake chain, bezel for a Mercury Dime, and of course the only other American silver coin I've found so far in my area than a Trime which they don't make a bezel for. This will be for good luck at the beach.

I wish the coin wasn't stained but here we are. 🙄 Didn't want to get too aggressive on it.

Nice stuff! Takes me back. Those are some great bottles, I can feel the elation with every find. Hard work!

Here ya go on the railroad spike:

https://www.sizes.com/tools/spikes_railroad.htm

It's a 3 1/2 inch.

Not sure about the knife, could have been repaired.

5 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

The gold modes have saved me when the EMI was too much for the EQ. But not having them is not a deal breaker. The machine set up with the stock settings is the way to go for a while, until you get used to digging deep targets. Dig, dig and dig even if the target says it's junk. That is how you learn. The random holes were just that, random.... sort of. 😄  I knew there were a lot of targets in this small section and I knew that they were deep and I knew that the machines were struggling to hear them, so I just dug a 15"x15" hole about 10"deep. Then used the pinpointer to see if anything registered. I also used the Equinox in pinpoint to see if there was anything way deeper than 10". Most times I would get 1-2 targets, some coins, some iron. Other times I get zero. I always buried the holes back up and made sure they were packed solid. Don't want to lose permission to hunt. The negative numbers are a common thing that happens to machines when they reach their limit on a deep target. Also when they are interfered with by EMI or very challenging soil compositions. At this spot both EMI and layered black sand, made targets that should read 26 read 12 or some that were deeper were classified as iron at -8. When I saw -8, I knew that a couple of more scoops would make that iron turn to non iron.  The gold modes to some people can be annoying with a zip zip sound instead of the usual signal you get.

That is interesting! I wonder now how much I have been missing in the farms because of the deep negative numbers. 🤔 Probably a good thing, there will be more for me this fall.

Rest assured I will dig everything where I'm going. High potential for historic items in one place. Just not sure about large holes... I don't think there will be black sand.

I've never had a problem with EMI. The only time I have ever heard it here is when I am over a buried power line, that is common here. Kind of a good thing! I keep my cellphone in my back pocket and only hear it when I am taking a photo of my find.

Thanks for your replies! You have a great toolbox there.

I'll be testing these at the beach very soon:

https://www.amazon.com/Headphones-AUKEY-Bluetooth-Water-Resistance-Commuting/dp/B07GBVCZZX/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?

Initial test was good, just not as good as full headphones. They are a bit tinnier but last for a long time. They will stay on your ears with the strong loops, and you do have the option of leaving them loose to hear ambient sounds but the sound is better the deeper they are inserted. They are IPX-6 water resistant. They pair fairly easily.

Beware of any ear phones/buds that are not Aptx-LL. If you do not see the B+ connection on your Equinox when they are connected you are going to have issues with only hearing half the tones on locating a target, and/or your target location could be way off due to latency. If it wasn't for this forum I would not know this!

I bought them to avoid "white ear syndrome" when I get a tan. 😀 Otherwise I would use my BT-80s.

Wow. That needs to be put on a chain, not in a pocket, you'll lose it. 😀 What size is the token? You can get coin holders for just about any size and put 'em on a snake chain. They're called coin bezels.

https://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Silver-Dollar-Bezel-Screw/dp/B0018AWKZO/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=coin+bezel&qid=1616932876&sr=8-10

27 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

 I ran gold 1 mode. 

some dimes read -8 up to +15, out of the hole they bounced from 18 to 26 to 35.

Thanks! That's going to be interesting to me my first time on the beach. Part of the area I'll be hunting may contain some history as well as coins/jewelry but I have a 600, so no gold modes. 🤔 The negative numbers are intriguing. When you say random hole, do you just stop and dig or does something give you a clue, like multiple ID's on a sweep? I've done that before when the Equinox throws a symphony at me, and as I recall I haven't regretted doing it. How different are the gold modes?

I am sure I'll dig it all but some finesse may help. 

Man that GPX is a monster! Great haul.

Any idea what you found with the Equinox vs. the GPX?

Nice finds. I wonder if Pilgrim Lanes still exists 😀 Barber dime is definitely above average!

I've had solid IDs on lots of aluminum but that was a great call. Cool stuff!

12 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

You were right in my back yard. I'm just a couple towns over from it and only been to Brimfield flea market once or twice. 😄 I avoid it due to the fact that I would always find something to buy. My house can't take any more weight! Don't be sad that responses don't happen quickly. You never know when people will read your post or if they even see it at all. Time is always limited and I sometimes read posts for the first time that were months old. As for advice on beach hunting..... you've had some good advice already, so I will try and not repeat much. For me, all of my detecting life, I have always relied on two things: 1) My inner voice that says go there, no matter how improbable the area may be. 2) On a beach I dig it all, unless there are some newly exposed areas. In that case I use a discriminator to get the easy targets. Most of the last 8 or 9 hunts, I dug everything. If you are healthy enough, use it as exercise. If you are not healthy enough, use a discriminator and dig wisely. But either way use beach detecting to enjoy yourself. I never tell myself I have to find gold or silver. I wish it, but don't put any pressure on myself. But when I do find it, I get really, really focused 😬      😄

Went to Brimfield every year for a long time. Only lived about 10 miles away when I went rural. Made a lot of money dealing in old cameras for fun. I took my wife there a few years back, she got a $15,000 mink coat for $75. At least that was the appraisal.

When I find silver and it's been rare, I get really happy. Buttons have always made my day. I also have that inner voice that has paid off quite a few times! 

In any new place I will dig it all until I memorize the tone patterns. Probably should dig it all even then. Don't much dig iron but anything above 1. 😀 Good tip again! I look forward to what you post.

I'm healthy enough to need MORE exercise.🙄

Right now I'm outside and a couple of F16s are having a mock dogfight. The sky ain't rural. 🤪

What Kac said! 😎

I called before I dug. The Equinox picks up my underground power lines quite well, bit it helps to have them come out and paint.

Yes I'm geting some info for myself, but I hope this will become a sort of reference, so I won't talk much about my buddies from Austria that have my back. 😀 It was a pleasure and an honor to have met and hunted with Chase.

I was kinda sad at first because no one responded but it's really great to have y'all weighing in.

10 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

Beaches in the wet sand are about the energy that was there in the previous 12 hours or so.  Try to look at a site that will tell you if there were big waves or frequent smaller waves before you get there.  Hunt beaches that have had a big parking lot in the past or now.  Chase did a good job with his post.

I pretty much went 'all in' on this thread and don't have any more to add without learning a specific beach which takes feet on the sand.  There is no substitute.

 

I think I may have stumbled on this thread a while back. Thanks so much for the refresh, and your advice is comprehensive and solid. 🙂 Parking lots and weather are other great considerations, this island has beaches to the north, south, and east. Huge parking lot at two of them. There are a couple of places I'm deliberately not mentioning and I hope to learn of more. 😈

24 minutes ago, kac said:

I live on the outskirts of the city, not really that bad. They have done a lot of cleanup around here. Still some iffy spots but those don't have any grassy areas to dig anyways. Few years back I wanted to detect an area that was an old RR station that was since torn down only to find a homeless camp in the area. Had to be on guard.

I lived in the Northeast (New England) most of my life, in cities and suburbs. No stranger to the danger! 😀 Guess it's worse now 🤔 I went rural in the 90s, never regretted it or looked back. I'm still in a rural area, the only thing I have to watch out for here is wildlife and loose dogs. Most of the dogs are friendly. Our county laws are specific, your life is the most important. It's a great place to live so far.

My takeaway from New England was 'eyes in the back of my head'. 😀 I do miss Brimfield Flea market tho.

42 minutes ago, kac said:

Good article on Kellyco. They do mention hunting shady areas. Haven't seen those on my beaches and only shady areas we got here I won't detect because I could get robbed or shot!

Let's say "Reciprocity" is a good thing. 😉 Georgia is a great state to visit. I'd be more worried in places I used to live than I do now. I only go to shores from VA south.

Sorry you have to deal with that. 😵

13 hours ago, Tom Slick said:

Here's mine. Snap on what ever size socket you want. The socket pictured weighs 16 oz. I don't use it as I like the way my "S" rod mod. swings.

Brilliant! If you need more weight and have a beat up socket you could fill it with lead.

I second your great backyard and lawn. 🙂

1 minute ago, Joe D. said:

Chase,

  You pretty much said everything I would say! Not bad for a occasional beach hunter!! Thanks for saving my thumb energy!

   F350,

       All I will add to what Chase said is, as long as you define where it's legal to hunt, you should be in good shape! Here, we are mostly restricted to between the dune line/high tide line, and the low tide line! 

   Beware of hazardous sealife in the water, if you are able to hunt there! 

Good hunting!!👍👍

   

Thanks Joe! Again spot on.

First thing I'm going to do is visit the island Sheriff's department. They are close by, and I've found in the past that they are very nice people. They may even know of a few places I haven't considered! I imagine it would be a good idea to get the ground rules from the enforcers. If I can even get "near" one of the forts... 🤔

I am an avid beach fisherman so I know what to watch for but you bring up a very good point. I got some water shoes. 😀 I've seen some pretty nasty jellyfish, anemones, small sharks and rays in my time, even water snakes. Something spiked my foot once in OBX that caused a nasty infection.

7 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

 

Not a very experienced beach guy, relics are my thing, but I have picked up a thing or two...

Most bling is lost in the water when rings slip off suddenly cold fingers or jewelry gets torn off by wave action.  You can choose to either hunt in the active surf past the break or after the break (exhausting with the wave action and hydrodynamic coil drag, look out for holes and tether all your gear to you) or follow the tide out to sea (in other words start your session an hour or two before morning or evening low tide and move out with the tide line).  Look for erosion cuts and low spots in the wet sand.  Gold and heavier coins sink to the hard pan/shell gravel layer, so the less loose sand, the better.  Zig zag and look for target patterns.. If you start hitting a line or cluster of deep quarters (or actual rings) you know you are in the right spot, grid or spiral out from that clstur spot or follow the line until it peter's out and double back.  If you are banging on deep nickels, you know your machine is tuned to hit deep gold too.  Use pinpoint target footprint tracing to rule out shallow, large junk targets such as beer cans or aluminum tent stakes that can ring high.

On dry sand, work the "towel line", pedestrian access area (where people drop stuff jostling with their belongings or footwear or beach concession areas for more recent drops, especially clad, that tend to get vacuumed up quicker by the local regular detectorists.

HTH

Thanks Chase. Great stuff!

I set up this query because I noticed a few people have been looking for advice in random posts. Couldn't find another where someone asked specifically, so if I could get some of the heavy hitters involved it would be beneficial to inexperienced "detector users" 😀 like me. Going to the shore a lot this year, and will be river hunting when I get back.

@KellycoDetectors has a great article on their site, hope they don't mind me linking to it here:

https://www.kellycodetectors.com/pages/metal-detecting-on-the-beach/

Your tip on nickels is just the 'gold' I'm looking for, and I hope it spurs others to chime in. 🙂

My limitation for beach detecting will be time. I can only spend early morning hours due to family activity unless I can herd all the cats to the beach! Planning on bringing a backup detector and gear (Ace400) if anyone else in the family is interested.

It's easy enough to get the feel for digging from videos, but not the approach and tweaks that might ensure better hunting.

Nice coin! First American silver I found was a 1917 Mercury dime. 😀 It's still the only American silver coin I've found. My backyard produced some colonial buttons, and the front gave me some clad from when my house was built. It was a great place to practice.

Edit: Oops, forgot the Trime I dug. 😀