F350Platinum

14 minutes ago, palzynski said:

Two days ago we went out for a militaria outing with my cousin on a 1stWW German camp.

Incredible finds, palzynski. While I don't envy your area being the place of war, the recovery of artifacts of many eras is quite impressive. From the Romans to the French Revolution to WW1 is something I cannot imagine 🤯 A thousand or more years of history. Congratulations to you and your cousin.

I'm glad Tekkna is working well for you, going back there more would probably be a good thing 🤔 

I am enjoying using the WS6 more now, I'll be posting some interesting stuff soon. 🙂

Wow JCR,

That is quite the opportunity, and a real learning experience regarding depth. Sure fits in with all theory and speculation!

Hope you can get more out of it. 🍀

9 hours ago, Tyler said:

Are the carbon fiber shafts all the great for the equinox? What’s the greatest advantage?

Yes, Steve's Detector Rods stevesdetectorrods.com are excellent. Detect-Ed shafts are ok, you can get them various places, and Anderson shafts.

Advantages to Steve's are the cam lock system, stiffness, and weight. 

7 hours ago, Lost Scout said:

Had to go to Boise today so picked up a pair of JLab studio pros on sale. I'll compare with the minelab sound quality.

Looked them up, and they are not APTX-LL. If you connect them via Bluetooth and don't see  B+ in the top right, the latency will make targets appear in the wrong place, unless you are attaching a transceiver to the 800.

If you have to have over ear headphones there are others listed on this site that will work.

4 hours ago, Lost Scout said:

And I need new head phones. Mine has stoped pairing with the detector so I had to use the wired up method. 

If you want a great cheap pair of headphones, check these out:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08QRQMLVY

Right now they are $34. They are great when it gets warmer, very loud for on - ear headphones. Been using them for a long time with my Equinox.

Nice hunt Mark, 

It's interesting to read accounts from others who try other programs and have success in a heavily hunted area. Congrats on the silver and older coins.

Nice hunt LS,

A new permission is always a blast. 👍 When you start finding buttons and horse tack decorations, a lot of which look like furniture tacks, you're in the area where they mounted/dismounted. Nearby there should be a spot where they brought food and drink for outdoor picnics. There should be hotspots at each end and along the track, but not too close as it would have been dangerous. 

That looks like a working farm, I hope there is no electric fence.

🍀

12 hours ago, DWerk said:

I am still having very low vol when in pinpoint when on speaker. Seems to be ok on ws6 attached to my headphones. Time still a problem.. Working on it, trying to reset time, remember to recheck when I do any changes,

I have the low pinpoint volume problem on all 4 of my devices, two remotes and two WS6 pucks.

Both of my RCs have the time issue but it is infrequent. Happens more when I'm doing a lot of program switching.

Here's the vicious loop: 

https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/metal-detecting-and-permits/

And we have the DWR, police with SUVs, handcuffs and guns, we see them all the time, I know people who ended up cleaning the roads for violations (community service):

https://dwr.virginia.gov/conservation-police/

They even do undercover arrests. Not just for hunting and fishing. You have to look for "DGIF" to find old accounts, they changed their name, a moving target.

I believe that the webpage exists because people ask, it says so. 👍 But it's also there because people detect without asking. Ratios aren't available.

Here's an interesting publication from the Archaeologists worth a look: 

https://www.archeologyva.org/PDF/HICKS-TIMECRIME.pdf

I love how they call it "time crime". Cue the show tunes.

Isn't it putting the cart before the horse to assert that it's because people ask, when the laws and regulations came because people did it in the first place?

I believe that history should come to light, envy is the worst sin.

Apology to the OP.  🙂

Hey Tom,

I agree that this is a discussion, not some ornery or polar stance I've taken. 

Heck I went to a VA State Park, and was told by the ranger who I had to ask for a permit (VA State law) to metal detect the beach, the Ranger told me I had to ask DCR, a state agency that gave the rangers the authority to grant such permits. 🙄 I wrote them and got a boiler plate reply including the law except - conveniently - the part about granting permits. I'm definitely not a fan of even bothering now with that sort of ignorance. 🤪

It would have been nice if they did grant it, that beach is so loaded with discarded fishing gear they won't let anyone go swimming. 😵

Yes, my situations regarding farmers are all about private property, but I do consider those who detected their farms without permission are lucky to not have records or had surgery. This place hasn't changed much in 300 years. And one bad apple will spoil the whole bunch. There are stories... 🤐

I'm just a little confused about your stance that the majority of people who cause new laws and other hindrances are those that ask permission, is that right? 🤔. Have not Tomb Raiders and other nefarious critters always existed? More recently, there appear to be more people that "just do it", and leave holes and damage. Those are the new hordes. There are "self-appointed authorities" everywhere now too.

I'm a little leery of encouraging people to do stuff until they get thrown out, that's bad press too, isn't it?

The OP asked for rules/laws, I gave them what they asked for. 🙂 

One more parable if you will:

When I was in Turkey with the Army, we were on break after it was over at a Turkish resort on the Black Sea, a couple of guys in my unit spotted a watch in the water, and they borrowed a fishing pole to get it out. They returned the pole and were walking away with the watch, before they got back they were arrested by the police, not for retrieving the watch, but for not giving it to the man they borrowed the pole from. Cost the unit a pile of hush money to get them out.

You have to be aware of customs and laws no matter where you go.

14 minutes ago, Rattlehead said:

Nice finds Bob! I’ve been playing around with the Tekkna program for about a week with varying success. It was able to sniff out some small pieces of brass at one of my heavily hunted iron blanketed sites. Still need to spend more time with it.

Thanks! I'm still really a fan of using Relic, and with Tekkna find my success varied as well. For sure I dig lots of NF trash with it, not so much with Relic.

Relic has improved a lot with V2, I wasn't on V1.1 for long enough to know whether it was improved then.

I can do just as well with my version of Relic, but it does tend to be trifling in heavy trash, so I'm glad to have a more subtle alternative. 🙂

22 hours ago, Tom_in_CA said:

I can give case-examples of this psychology at various levels of govt.  Where, when we trace back to origins, it is EXACTLY this.   So I have no doubt that the same psychology happens on larger country wide scales.  

Tom, I wondered how long it would take you to jump on a topic like this. 🤔

While I am a supporter of dissent, and sort of agree with you regarding asking "authorities" about metal detecting, I have a few scenarios for you. I've read your opinion on one of the forums I listed above:

First one was when I stopped into the Tybee Island Police department to ask about metal detecting on the beaches. I had "heard" it was ok, but was so new to detecting I wanted to make sure of all the locations it was acceptable. They were very kind and told me it was any beach as the beaches are island property.

Well as expected some self-appointed "beach monitor" called the police on me, and I watched the police woman radio in to the HQ from afar, and the angry face on the woman who wanted to ruin my vacation when the cop shrugged at the woman and left. 🤣 She never approached me. 

One thing for sure where I live, if you just decide to hit a place where you think "no one will care" or get told by a third party "oh, I don't think they will mind", just about anything can happen to you, from getting arrested for trespassing, to a butt full of buckshot, or worse. Ever run into an angry Hunt Club? I've found that while farmers may leave you alone if you detect without permission, your name will get around and someone could well object in any manner above. Is it worth the risk to "skunk" someone with valid permission?

There are towns in Virginia whose police will arrest you and confiscate your gear if they merely see you walking around with a detector, even if you're not currently using it. Williamsburg, with all its history, is a prime example.

Here's my last scenario:

A portion of one of my permissions is part of a National Wildlife Refuge. While it is a farm for the most part, and the owner said "just go there, I own it", I have seen state Wildlife Officers driving by, who have the same authority as police and possibly more. I don't think I'd like to stand a federal trial for detecting there despite any lofty ideals, or with permission of a person who didn't understand the possible consequences.

Consider also that if vast hordes of detectorists adopt your stance, it would also be cause for detecting to be banned. Quite frankly that has incurred more damage than asking ever will.

I think every detectorist should at least know some of the ground rules to avoid the other side of the coin, and always be mindful and respectful of property that they don't own.

25 minutes ago, CPT_GhostLight said:

Hey ,Bob, way to go! 😎

 

Hey Cap! 👍

Glad to see ya back here, one of your pals put up a notice about your situation, I could not be more thrilled to hear from you. 🙂 🥳

I've had one hell of a year so far, and really missed ya.

Hope all is well. 🤞

2 hours ago, rvpopeye said:

👍 , just👍 

I'm waiting for white to be green+brown again.😎

Thanks RVP,

The only thing that is good about the weather here is that it's cold enough to keep the bugs from hatching out. March in April (high winds) is just not pleasant, no matter the thermometer reading. 🙄

I read somewhere that there is some media in the Propointer AT that aids with "rattle" when it vibrates. 🤔

3 hours ago, ColonelDan said:

Another nice outing.  That rider button and coins are interesting “finds of the day” 

Good job soldier…..🫡

Thanks Colonel, 

It was another 7 mile hike over almost 8 hours, but I only searched about 3 acres in one spot. There are other productive places I could have gone but didn't want to spoil future hunts, it may be a full season before I can get back there, next crop will be corn.

The coins were from previous hunts there, and yes, they were all finds of the day. I think I have personally found over 100 buttons there along with other interesting relics. It's my best permission by far, and was fairly hard won. 🙂 

4 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Nice hunting again 350, and what a set of finds.

How large is the item with the hole and shaft , it looks almost like some old tie-down that I have seen some where.

Should they have a large size hole it could have been used for chain, small hole would be used for rope.

Good luck on finding out what it is for sure.

Thanks VL,

It's hand size, about like a Barber scissor, about 2.5 inches long. The hole is about 1/32" or less and only about a quarter inch from the top to the side diagonally. It has always been in the shape it appears as.

If it was straight I'd think it was a pistol barrel key. 🤔

42 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

Definitely some older fragments there. Anything is possible in that field. Can't wait to see the first coin come from there.

You have seen the first coins coming from here, it's a 500 acre place so there have been quite a few. I wasn't able to get to this side of it until this past season, but some pretty good stuff like this came from there: 

1798 Draped Bust large cent

1724 half Reale cob

Another half Reale cob, just noticed it might be a 1720.

It's been a busy season 😅

What a week, I hardly remember the last time I was out hunting. Been stuck inside by the dual nor'easter we had this week, it's still going. 

On Wednesday an EF1 tornado passed about 2 miles away, the only tornado in Virginia that day. It wrecked some houses and left a few miles of trees down, I could see and hear it from my porch. Yikes. 

Yesterday was supposed to be nice, but the second meandering low just kept throwing rain at us. It finally ended in the afternoon with this:

A double rainbow that ended in the yard.

No pot of gold 🙄

Today again was supposed to be nice, it started out that way anyway. I went to my biggest permission hoping to get some really old stuff.

The cover crop has been killed and the bean stalks were knocked down a bit more, it hasn't been planted yet but soon will be. The rain has held things up.

Today I was exclusively using the Deus 2 WS6 Master with the 11" coil for greater coverage, and my trusty version of Relic. I just bought the Deus "Lite" shaft to use with it, if I use the 9" coil the whole detector weighs 1.8 pounds. 

I have to say I really like the lighter shaft, if feels sturdy and comfortable. I have the 11" on the "CF" lower which is carbon fiber but doesn't look like it. There is no flex that I can feel. 

Got a good amount of really old stuff today, I concentrated on one small area: 

6 buttons, a couple pieces of saddle decoration, and buckle bits of some very old buckles, all sadly broken as usual. 

One of the buttons is fancy with a "whorl"

And this one is probably the most incredible cast Tombac I have ever found: 

I'm not sure whether that is a crop or sword the rider is holding.

If anyone can tell me what this was used for I'd appreciate it, at first I thought it was part of a scissor but it has no joint, and has a hole drilled in one end diagonally to one side.

Maybe some sort of candle lighter that holds a wick?

By the end of the day it got cloudy with a really cold wind blowing. I hope it won't be long until things warm up.

Not much trash as usual with Relic, mostly lead.

It's not going to be too impressive to you folks across the pond, but the first explorer to visit and later settle my part of the USA was Captain John Smith of the UK in 1606. He navigated the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River.

In 1607 he settled Jamestown in a peninsula of Virginia just below mine.

I was in a farm very near the Potomac River last year and dug this half of a 1607 King James I hammered silver sixpence:

Man I was shocked.

I also dug these other items around it, it must have been from a subsequent exploration up the river. 3 buttons, some pewter shards, and a buckle.

I reunited the halves of the buckle this year.

It's possible to find older coins in the USA that were from shipwrecks or dropped by earlier Spanish explorers, but this is probably directly attributable to the first explorers of this area.

I often wonder what happened then. 🤔

Wow, what a great Easter egg. 👍

What detector were you using?

Sometimes the sand just won't sift through the scoop, so I try to keep one with me, and regret it when  I forget it.

It's all about target retrieval time for me.

Nice stuff Swiftsword. Your can cover is from the S.S. Pierce Company of Boston, started in 1831.

The can could have been for tea or cigars, he was a big grocer.

The only half I've ever found was a '43, bravo! Be on the lookout for any Revere silver. 👍 

Terrific tale and finds, JCR. That's a rare feat to get something with that much family juju. 🙂 

Oh, to pay $680 for a new vehicle, especially a Superior Utility Coupe... 🤔

The easiest one is http://historicaerials.com

They have many topographic maps and aerial photos. You can overlay current roads, and see where the old ones were.

CalTopo has some historical topos and Lidar imagery.