F350Platinum

Newer diamonds have laser etched identifying marks, even serial numbers. I went to Jared. 🤣 If you don't know the joke that's a big jewelry store in VA. They told us how they do it. But yeah, it's pretty hard to tell. Moissanites are like a 9.5 on the hardness scale, diamonds are a 10.

I'll take a shot at #2 and 3 above Dig, yes there is a certain type of "synthetic" diamond called a Moissanite that will "fool" this type of cheap diamond tester, I have a similar tester to yours. My wife has some of these lab created diamonds so I can use them for control along with the real one she gave me in my wedding ring, and hers of course. At least CZ's, rhinestones, and Swarovski stuff will test as not diamonds. It's also kind of tough to miss the metal next to a really tiny stone which can give you inaccurate results. I've found that when in doubt I'll visit a jeweler, some are intrigued by detectorist finds and will often evaluate something for free. Of course it doesn't hurt to snag a charm or some trinket for your wife while you're there 😏

Now that's getting out there and getting some. 😃 Great finds! Must be the luck o' the new CF with some laser focus. Outstanding. Glad you're back big time!

I'm a little puzzled because of this statement, others have made excellent suggestions for some in-ear devices, but if you're concerned with situational awareness, on-ear headphones have worked well for me. If I put anything in or over my ears, I cannot hear external noise enough. I've written some bone conduction companies hoping they would add Aptx-LL to one of their products, and they never did. At present the only bone conduction headphones that give perfect awareness are wired and made specifically for the Deus 2. 😀 These headphones are cheap and light, the battery lasts 20 hours, and they can be as loud as you want them to be, additionally the audio quality is more than acceptable. I've been using them on many detectors, but they pair directly with the Equinox and are fully Aptx-LL. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08QRQMLVY Even without the wrap they are comfortable and easy to use. They have bass boost and large buttons. For $40, to me these are unbeatable, and you can use a small tx/rx box on any other detector that has either a 1/4 or 1/8 inch jack for wired headphones. I've worn them in the rain without incident, and they have allowed me to hear my surroundings very well, sometimes in dangerous circumstances. I have also used them in 95 degree weather often and find them comfortable.

Welcome to the forum. 🙂 In Virginia the Deus 2 is pretty much the king of detectors, and I guess it's partially due to the fact that it's hard to get ones' hands on a Manticore. 😀 The Equinox seems pretty prevalent on the beaches but that may change. But seriously, if you're retiring and going to be able to get out a lot, getting the lightest detector there is will certainly aid in your ability to stay out there longer. I'm pretty sure the D2 has the widest range of options for detecting as well. It was designed from the get-go to be extremely versatile. I'm probably not your best authority but I have had great success with both the Deus 2 and the Equinox 600, I find I prefer the D2 because it is more likely to clearly identify targets where I am. My environment is non-mineralized and kind of like shooting fish in a barrel, if something is under the coil it's pretty much a done deal in most of my permissions. I've seen posts of ghost town and desert hunting from other members, and certainly they will be along with their equally valuable viewpoints but should you need the machine to be very waterproof for any reason you can be confident with the Deus 2 as well. On the downside it is quite an investment and does have, like any other similar machine, a pretty steep learning curve. I wish you the best of luck with any choice you make. 🙂

Nice assortment of relics and coins! 👍 Love finding the old stuff. Your choice of detectors is great too. Did you get one or both in Mechanicsville at Cold Harbor? Welcome to the forum. 🙂 I'm up in the Northern Neck and have made similar finds. I have the 600 and the D2 and have done equally well with both. That's one heck of a spectacle buckle tho, 🤔 never got one that big and whole.

That's a simple question, mine loses one of the segments in about 4-5 hours, so I'd have ~6-8 hours left. This is in a modified General program. In over 7 hours I'm down to one segment usually, but at that point it's time to quit.

Wasn't implying ilegal, and yeah, I was asking if someone might have hunted out some more stuff that brought the wheats out. I can understand that might be misconstrued. Whatever works! 🙂 👍 Sometimes I take an antihistamine that keeps me alert somewhat.

Gotta couple issues myself NC, Reynaud's and a pacemaker from all the fun I had when I was younger. 😏 I'm 63. There are workarounds for just about everything, most days I can stay out all day hunting, but temps of low 30s and AFib stop me sometimes. Can't speak for mind-altering substances, but could someone have got some stuff out the way for you? 🤔 Also sometimes I find lots of things in the fringes of my hunt areas. 👍 Then I realize I was hunting the fringe areas 🤣

You can just edit your post, I do it all the time. 🤣 Great hunt, great job cleaning up but sorry you lost the stone. 😪 What does the ring say? And welcome to the forum! 👍

I like that phrase, "land of nada". 🤣 You must have seen the "NO" signs there. Got a few up my way too. 😁 I'm about 2 hours from VA Beach. It's a big beach. Not as expensive to stay at as Myrtle Beach, which is a bit longer. Headed there soon myself. Found a resort on the "Bargain" end that charges very little for RV's.

Nice looking gear Doggo! 👍 Kinda cool to see the two together like that. 🙂 Looks like SteveG was able to get it down, did you have to shorten or eliminate the positioning pin on the 800? Also like the green snake wrap.

Nice finds! Looks like the 13x11 is working out really well for you. Do you have much competition where you hunt? Also would like to know where on the beach you are finding rings, in the water or what? I'm headed South to a beach this week, I'm bringing the D2 with the 13x11, the 9", and my trusty old Equinox with the 10x5 and 15" elliptical. I've been watching the beach cameras and don't see many/any detecting there, and already have a good idea where the most people congregate. You're really doing a great job with that detector and coil. 🙂

Nice scenery you have there, and good on ya for showing a hunt that sometimes just brings up "stuff". It ain't all wine and roses for sure! 👍 My Relic season pretty much ended here 😪

I think pretty much all of them. I use them in general and beach, beach defaults to it because of the BH-01 bone phones. Accessible (or not) in the expert mode of discrimination I think.

Just so others know, setting discrimination at 0 (00) makes iron false less because the detector is more likely to select a lower tone in full tones. 🙂

It's why I end up using the 13x11" more than the 11". The 9" is great for tight spaces and stubble fields, but the 13" whacks more targets in less time. Separation is pretty good on the 13, of course the 9 is better. I was not too thrilled with the 11" all along, but keep it as a backup.

I don't usually use silencer, but turning 45-90 degrees to a target and sweeping again will usually help. In the fields I'll keep bottle caps at 3, on the beach I might bump it to 5. That is another iron bias control. Running Relic use Disc IAR of 5. Another thing I do (personal preference) is lower discrimination to 00 and use full tones. This mostly eliminates iron from the higher tone bins.

That's awesome, and why I'll dig anything I that throws 90s at me. It's finds like that makes the adrenaline pump. Bet you didn't want to go home. 🤣

That's a beautiful coin by any measure, I find a fair amount of Spanish silver but nothing that big. I'd probably mistake it for shallow big iron, what ID did you get? Congratulations!

I think the word "Gyro" is a misnomer for motion sensor, much like a cellphone has built in to orient the compass. A motion sensor would indeed aid the further development of auto recovery along with detection data, that is the only point I'm making. It is an interesting thought. 🤔

I think the Quest V80 will be on track for that technology coming around, it will have a motion sensor that evaluates your swing speed somehow. 🤔

Overall the 9" is a good start. 👍 May be all you need. My detector store is almost a 2 hour drive one way, but if I'm going to buy a detector, like you, I want to get my hands on it. I will order accessories online. I bought the MI-6 and other coils that way. Looking forward to your exploits with it!

It appears you are leaning towards the Deus 2 now, 🙂👍 I read earlier that you will be searching for relics and coins and going to the beach, not doing any sort of prospecting. My suggestion to you is that because you will be beach searching, the best thing for you to do is get the Deus 2 9" package, and then get the 13x11" coil either with it or later when you are used to the machine. In my opinion the 11" coil does put you in the center of performance, but consider that if you want to have every opportunity to get as much as you can in the least amount of time you should have the smallest and the largest coils possible. You can see in your example video that they change them very fast. I won't comment on why I think that video is misleading, but I can tell you it is. I've been using the 13x11" coil since it arrived in the USA and have to say it seems better than the 11". I have all 3 coils and when there is not a lot of field stubble (soybean and corn stalks), I tend to use the 13" initially but return with the 9" to see if I missed anything, and almost always find I did not. If I use the 9" first I can be pretty certain that if I return with the 13", I will find coins and relics I missed., This is due to better swing overlap more than separation. Do remember that most of your detection comes from the center of the coil. The weight difference between the 13"and the 11" is so little that the only issue then is balance and attachment. You can shorten the shaft to make even the 13" feel light, but it will not feel as firmly attached as the 11", again only slightly. I often travel far from home and make sure to have all 3 with me in case one does not charge enough, but I almost never use the 11". To me there is no advantage the 11" has over the 13", and the 9" is best for tight spaces and water searching. Regardless of any advantage or disadvantage, you should always have at least 2 coils for the Deus 2.

I have the same hole in mine and the same problem, I've popped two bolts so far trying to keep it tight. This is with the SteveG shaft, I don't use it on the standard one. It stays on for a while but then... Pop. 😀 Needless to say I keep extras with me.