F350Platinum

Thanks LC, Sadly the crops have not been harvested on most of my sites, and those that have been cleared have an inordinate amount of stubble. 🤬 I'm praying for tilling or Bush Hogging at worst, so I don't have to use the 9". 😀 No more camping trips are on the schedule for this year, economy as it is. It's going to get cold fast anyway. So, for the moment I'm stuck with local beaches and King tides. 🤪 hope there are still some deep finds there.

Good to know someone, but it's best to go right to the top. 🤔 All campgrounds have a General Manager, some an assistant. I've been in a situation where The AGM gave me permission, and the GM accosted me later. It worked out ok, but if you have permission from the King, no one can touch you. 👑

Thanks RVP, looking forward to that. 👍 Campgrounds are awesome places to hunt, you just have to allay their fears of you making the place look like a groundhog invasion. Show them your diggin' gear, make sure they know you leave no trace, and make 'em say no more than once. 😁 Mentioning you know another detectorist that found live ammo next to a fire pit might help, 😏 and do tell them that you'll clean the sharp metal up. Also a verbal contract that you will not hold them liable for you is still a binding contract

Thanks Doc, I'm definitely not a shill for XP, but hey, if they want me to be I'm in. 🤣 I'm certainly not one of the more accomplished detectorists on this forum, but I do get out a lot and try crazy stuff. I've been seeing an uptick in members getting the 13x11", and also see quite a bit of surprise and happiness with it. If I'm responsible for that it works for me. 🙂 I like the pace you can walk and the speed you can swing the coil. The D2 is way faster than any of my other stuff (admittedly not much stuff) to acquire a target and report it correctly, V1.1 was a good update and IMHO V2 is even better, I'm sure they didn't list everything they did in the changelog. 🤔 once the WS-6 gets V2 Special you really can't tell it from the remote if programmed the same, where in the past there were settings missing. SteveG's D2 offering is outstanding, I have two of his detector rods and 2 scoop handles. I have listed some things that could be improved but have no idea how he would do it. It's the perfect compliment to the 13. Do get some spare bolts tho, and keep them with ya. 😏 I was one of the first to get the 13, but that's because I put my name on a waiting list early with Serious Detecting, like 5 minutes after they posted it. 😁 I hope I'm as lucky with the shorter elliptical. 🍀 I wouldn't kick it out of bed if it were a 12x5 either. 🤣

That must be some resort beach! High rent place 🤔 Always impressed by your finds, do you have competition?

Thanks Colonel, I'm stating the obvious with varying reactivity, but I was very pleased with other results. I like the 13x11" coil for just about everything. Lower audio response is pretty good in two scenarios, land hunting with an EMI presence, and simply the lower it is it lends a perception of depth (0-3). EMI gets heavily amplified at higher levels. I tried everything and it was the only setting that made a big difference in reducing EMI at its worst. Using high AR when there is no EMI will really make deep targets sound off, and very deep targets are faint, but accurately identified. Using the MI-6 as a depth gauge helped a lot in the fine grassy spots, but I could tell at an AR setting of 3 that a target was too deep to get with a probe. It's a balance for sure. 🤔

That. Is. Awesome. 👍🥳 You're lucky to be able to get a good deal on XP stuff, many are coming over to the dark side these days... 😎

The few times I've done it, getting stuff out from under/around rocks or pier lumber was not fun. 😵 I also dig iron on a small beach I go to to get it out of the way, and at the larger one I'll dig it if it's shallow, usually those bits are sharp. 👍 Nice hunt, at least you got some silver. 🏆

Welcome! We're on opposite sides of the USA but have similar history. My first detector was an Ace 400 I bought almost 4 years ago after a roof replacement, I was disappointed with it and bought an Equinox 600, did very well and now I also use the Deus 2. I'm similarly hooked and can't leave the poor Deus alone. 😀 The 600 is now relegated to specialized status. I live in one of the oldest colonized parts of the USA, so I get a lot of really old relics during that season. As old as we immigrants could lose. 😏😎 I retired 3 years ago and can't say enough good about the health benefits of metal detecting, but it does bring some pain 🤣 The gain is worth it. Hope you will not be afraid to dive in and post some finds and observations. Best of luck to you out there.

Thanks VL, Again those monster trucks were really deep, a disturbing trend 🤔 I've hunted this campground many times in the last 3 years, and always think I've cleaned it out. 🤣 I did look back and this is a record over previous hunts. I'm either pushing or well over 1,000 coins from this place, some old but the majority are 1960-present. There's a pretty fast sink rate, I get state quarters at 6" or more rather often. At lower depths they're mostly 70s-80s. What I love about the Deus 2 is that a clad quarter is a 92/93 even at 10"+, and a clad dime is 88-89. Hot Wheels and monster trucks are 95-97, probably where a silver half dollar would register. I'd rather have one of those. 😁 Quite a shock. I'm not afraid to ask anywhere I go, if they're gonna say no I'll make them say it a few times. 😏 I've only been held out on once. Here's a photo of my return, the corn is past due here, and I hope they Bush Hog or till. Can't wait to get back to it.

Thanks! I used the 600 for a couple hours and found nothing different, and really not much else at all. It was kinda sad really. 😅 It just felt... not as good or snappy. It was useless save for 15kHz in the EMI spots, and yeah, the IDs are all over the place. The quick processing and 1-3 spread IDs with the D2 are quite spectacular.

Thanks, wish I got some precious metal but they're raking the sand lots and beach now. I'm surprised I didn't find more jewelry in the entertainment field, there were hundreds there on Saturday, and I made sure I was first there in the morning, maybe a nighthawk? 😀 or no one lost any jewelry. 😵 Most of the coins were sub-surface, very few fresh drops save for Zincolns which I skipped. This was much I missed detecting in previous years, I looked back. I'm one of the few who detects campgrounds, nearly all posts with that word are mine 🤣 D2 with V2 and the 13" is a marked improvement. You'd be amazed at how light it is. I asked a few of the field staff what they thought, and they said they couldn't find any damage. 👍 And yes, sore muscles were cured with magnesium and Celebrex. 😏 Some cider vinegar would have also helped if I brought any 🤔

🤣 it's always been a Find/minute campground, but I didn't expect this many in such a short time. Almost $40, about $10 a day.

Heh now I look closer it could also be an upside down 87. 🤣 I found a couple other relics, an ID tag and an old Zippo, but I can't find either, must have tossed them. 🤷‍♂️

Thanks Cap'n, I have been remiss. 😀 The pennies are one 1992 celebration Canadian penny, and a 1934 wheat. The third object is a four hole brass button. It has the number "18" stamped on it, an odd relic-ish find. 🤔

You've probably already seen my recent post at a campground, 337 coins in 4 days. I was mostly using the D2 and MI-6 pointer with the 13x11" coil and my "Hoover" program based on Beach Sensitive. There were a lot of sand spots, but the extra controls Beach sensitive offers (Salt sensitivity and Magnetic Accept/Reject), combined with full tones in High Square is so good everywhere there was no need to use anything else. Here is my other post: This was the largest amount of coins I've ever found at a campground, the 13" hit on chains, rings, and even bits so tiny they may have fallen out of my pouch through the mesh. A few things really jumped out to me this trip, not only is the 13x11" coil fabulous, but I came back with tricks to better separation and EMI mitigation. First the coil. I was able to use it next to tot lot equipment, under park benches and everywhere one wouldn't think it would be usable at all. I also found it was no worse than the 9" coil regarding EMI, and there was a lot of it, underground power, audio lines, cell boosters, Wi-Fi, park low voltage lighting, you name it. The 13" is good at separation initially, but varying reactivity was key. Most of the time I was able to use .5, but sometimes it got machine-gun, so I switched to 2 reactivity and slowed down. I'm amazed at the D2's ability to retrieve target info at any speed. 👍 Last is EMI. I found that varying Audio Response from 6 down to 3 pushed EMI to the background so it was barely audible, and good targets stood out plainly. Try it. You will lose depth but you can turn sensitivity up to compensate, I ran sensitivity as low as 87 most of the time and still hit stuff 8-12" down. If you're not in trashy spots keep your AR high and sensitivity low. Additionally I was using GB tracking with no ill effect. Obviously this is all dependent on your conditions, but where I am this works a treat. I found my program to be the same on both the D2 and WS6, making them interchangeable, just the coil size.

Ok, been teasing this for a couple of days now, so here it is. 😀 I haven't been to this campground in a year, last time I came back with around 200 coins and a gold ring. Sad I didn't get any gold this year, but what a hunt! I dig a lot of trash at this place as a favor to them, mostly nasty sharp iron and bottle caps in the sandy spots where many go barefoot. There is a beach at a pond, 3 tot lots, a volleyball court, a "Gaga" ball court, and a bocce court, all with beach sand. This is a typical dump after hunting. I pretty much knew what everything was when I dug it. Yes, the Deus 2 is that accurate. 🤔 It's a huge campground with about 1,000 spaces for RVs, most are seasonal or permanent, but there are still plenty for transient camping fans. I went for a rally my RV Dealer sponsored, one of the few that gives back to their customers. There were seminars, raffles, events, and prizes galore. Also a huge discount on camping, so we stayed 2 extra days for a total of 4 full days. As usual I asked permission to hunt, and they gave it willingly. I leave no trace whether digging or probing, so I don't get turned down. Discipline is everything in detecting, from caring for your gear to caring for your permissions. I brought my Deus 2, the WS6 Master, and my Equinox 600, intending to test them all, and use them where they shine. Honestly I did the most with the D2 and the 13" coil, that combo allowed me to quickly move through a particular area and get the heck out before people wanted to use it. I got up at 6am every day and got out there by 7. Well here we go. I'll look back on previous hunts here but I think the D2 really was the tool to use there with it's accurate IDs and extreme depth. Lots of the coins were dug at 8" or more, there weren't many fresh drops leaving me to think others are grabbing the surface finds. In 4 days of hunting a few hours a day I ended up with 337 coins! I'm pretty sure this is a new record for me. $26 in quarters alone. I had to stack them to get them to fit the photo! For digging tools I used my Predator Barracuda, a composite trowel for off center or deeper retrieval and fast pinpointing, and @kac's fabulous Park Probe. I used the shovel anywhere the grass was just a mix of common grasses, and the probe in the groomed areas where there was golf course creeping bentgrass. I don't think there will be any complaints! I could have dug plugs but anything that the MI-6 reported as deep I left there. In the photo above I also got 3 rings and a chain, all junk. One coin I got in the pond almost gave me a heart attack, I think others have found these and had the same reaction: It's a lot "golder" than it looks, the eagle and stars made me gasp. It's even kinda heavy. Turned it over and saw this: "No Cash Value". 🤬 Things that make you say 🤬. I'll post observations in the D2 forum, suffice it to say that the 9" XP coil was fine, but my trusty old Equinox 600 just could not compare. I learned a few things about dealing with EMI and trashy areas I used my beach "Hoover" program on the D2 for all my hunts, it was quite an eye opener. 😏 If I had asked to hunt the campsites I would have come back with twice as many coins or more, but I would have had to stay longer!

You won't regret it, Cap'n. 🥳 I also hope @MFF18B gets one!

Thanks Cap'n, approaching or maybe surpassed my previous coin records here, it's insane. Still have one more day! 🤣 I'm almost getting tired of digging coins. 😏 I originally thought after buying my D2 with the 9" that the 11" and 13" would be too heavy. It did not take long to not be. Remember that the SteveG CF/11x13" combo is lighter than the 600 with the 10x5. Also easier on the hand. 🙂 i pretty much find all targets in the center now. Reactivity manages separation very well, and Audio Response can be a huge EMI mitigation tool. I'll have more info soon!

I only bought the 11" because the 11x13" wasn't available, and was one of the first to have it. Had my bid in for it early, and jumped as soon as it came in. The 11" never really gelled with me, the 13" has been on my detector since. 🤔 I simply can't say enough good about the 13", particularly the ability to cover more area. Simply changing reactivity on the fly can help a lot, bump it up a bit when it gets trashy. As I write I'm at a campground that I've hunted for the last 3 years, and I'm still digging find-per-minute-ish coins, many of them at least 8-10" deep, going to do a recap post. In a little less than 9 hours so far I've dug around 200. I've been using the 9" with the WS6 as well, but the 13" is making the place seem new. This campground dates back to the 70s, so there's nothing really old. I originally dug a few wheats and got a 1945 Roosevelt last year at this time, can't remember what coil I was using. It's been a year since I've been here. V2 is really getting solid, I'll have some suggestions on EMI mitigation and such when I post, as there is a lot of it in some spots here. It might be silly but I'm still using my beach sensitive program even in the open field! There is a beach and a lot of beach sand lots for various activities, this place is big. I did bring my Equinox as well, may throw that in the mix. Big party tonight, may find some drops tomorrow. Y'all know I'm a fan of the "biggun" anyway 🙄

I have the 9", 11", and 13x11". I bought the 11" because the 13x11 was not out. A week later one became available and I bought it. I'm glad I did. I have not taken the 13x11" coil off my Deus 2 since I got it for the most part. Now that the WS6 can have almost all the same settings as the D2 remote, the 9" resides permanently on my original XP shaft with the WS6, and the 13" on my SteveG CF shaft with the D2 remote. Most of the year I have the waveguides attached, but take them off when I'm going to be in the field. I use the 13" everywhere, the beach and fields and campgrounds I hunt. I've used it in the water but prefer the 9" for that, and I have rigged up a waveguide to the WS6. If I plan on going submerged in water I'll use the 13". I agree with Jeff that the pinpoint isn't all that great, but by X'ing with the coil I can pretty much nail the target, if off center it is either iron or aluminum. The 9" is faster for retrieval but the 13" goes a bit deeper and covers more ground quickly. Its ability to find even small targets is fine. About the only thing it isn't great in is field stubble, but neither is the 11". I did some comparisons between all 3, and also weighed them against my Equinox 600 with a 10x5" coil. The SteveG rig with the 13" is just a bit lighter! The WS6 Master setup is insanely light. It only took a short time to get used to the 13", but I recommend a carbon fiber shaft to use it with. Get spare bolts, you will break them occasionally. I keep them in my finds bag. The coil's off center mount is not optimum for stability. I tried centering devices but broke more bolts. It will flop a bit, but I'm so used to it now it's no big deal. I do not regret buying the 13x11 at all, and really don't regret buying the 11", but it's kinda a "case queen". I keep it charged and bring it on trips in case something goes wrong with one of the other 2.

Great find, SS. 👍 would like to have seen the "before" pic. I don't dig much iron but I'll take a look at that rust remover. Thanks!

Photo of the face is on a professional website, guy from a university in Florida, yet the detector location is Arizona. 🤔

There wasn't much beach erosion, but my beach program functioned well using it in the WS6 Master update. Low tide was higher than the highest tide I've seen here, I stepped off the bottom step right into the wash. Imagine a 4 foot surge above this. 😬 Yesterday I would have stepped in the water 4 feet higher with 3-5 foot waves above that. Bottom step of the stairs indicated about a foot of sand moved away from it, this step was nearly level with the beach last week. Didn't get to do much but I did find some stuff, one piece of iron and these two toasted copper memorials: Both were pretty deep under 6" of water and one was under a rock. The WS6 acted like the remote, pretty much no difference with the same settings. I was happy with finding them, and everything worked well except that pinpoint on the WS6 wasn't very loud. The headphones were turned up all the way with audio at 9, and I could barely hear pinpoint when I turned it on. I don't use it much anyway but that was odd.

Heh, yeah, a 4' storm surge might not be a big deal some places but my little beach would be completely inundated to the rip rap (large rock wall) with 5' waves on top of it. 😀 When I had large boats I had to get them out of the covered marina slip and tie them outside to keep them from being crushed when the Potomac comes a-calling. 😬 Once had to do it at 11pm in 70mph winds, Arrrrr! 🤣 River rose 3 feet in no time. I "land yacht" now. 😏 Gets me to better beaches. I'll be checking on my beach early, no worries there, but after the rain and surge subside. Won't throw myself on the good graces of the local sea rescue or the Coast Guard. 😁