BchPatrol

18 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

Before I repost from another thread I have to say here that I hunt on the beach with all metal and a 15" coil in Beach 1 at 23 just about all the time.  My FE2=0.  I have turned up my volume on iron to 10 or sometimes more so I can hear the deep, faint targets.  When I dig some of them on some of my beaches they go from negative to positive and they have been gold on enough occasions that I get Excited at deep, negative numbers.  

Simon and I have written about the negative numbers many times and we both find good targets by digging them when you know they are there.  You have to dig everything first.

This is what I said in the jewelry thread 'A Lot Of Numbers':

•  
• Posted August 23

As a beach hunter I dig just about everything from a -6 up in an area until I find out it is not worth digging it.  I sometimes skip a -2 because it is a hair pin.  The -5s sometimes fool me lately because they are tent stakes.  The 0s and 1s can be foil bottle seals or ketchup foils but they can also be something good.  I get tired or sometimes forget a 14 is a pull tab but they can be real too.  Then the clad, corroded pennies can be anywhere from 15-25 on my beaches.  They take more interrogation.  If I'm working a patch which has quarters, dimes, pennies and jewelry I will sometimes skip a solid 20 to dig something more valuable if the tide is coming in or I just don't have enough time or energy for a penny.  That becomes evident at the end of a session of 3-5 hours.

I use a 15" Coiltek and I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm not sure about running at 23 though as stability starts to suffer around 20. I usually dig everything that gives me a repeatable tone. Sometimes I question my sanity when digging yet another 2,3,or 4 but they are usually close to the top and easy to dig/find. I would prefer to know that I'm after a stake while digging it. It's a bit of a bummer to start digging for a 25 and see a damn stake come out of the 3d scoop.

8 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

High iron bias settings may stop them from falsing and may not. It is also debatable how the iron bias settings effect targets bigger than coins/crown bottle caps……

Thanks Jeff. I'll keep in mind that I'm truly experimenting here. 

6 minutes ago, midalake said:

In beach 2, horseshoe on, IB 6, Recovery 6, these tent stakes will double ring. They should also give  a minus vdi.  Even if they are galvanized it should not be different.  

Put a few on the ground and practice. 

So one other thing I should mention.  Coil control is important. So is centering the target.  Impossible to center any type of target at depth unless you are in horseshoe mode. 

Once centered, move the coil slow enough so that iron can react off both sides of the coil. If you burn the coil, you might only get one ring.  

OK. I'll practice a bit tonight and then give it a try tomorrow morning. I've been working with beach 1 but I can adjust beach 2 and try it.

3 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Try a magnet. If they are mostly aluminum, no amount of high iron bias settings will help.

I just checked a couple of them and they are highly magnetic.

1 minute ago, Jeff McClendon said:

So those tent stakes are steel or aluminum or some mixture of both?

I'm not much of a metallurgist but I'd say they are a mix. They are the normal freebies that come with a cheap sun shade/canopy.

Thanks Jeff. One of the beaches I hunt has the normal amount of bottle caps but it has a lot of tent stakes. I came home with ten last trip. I am trying to minimize the hassle from them. I had to turn F2 up to 8 the other day and trying to find the best combo of settings.

I have a question about the use of F2. The manual states that F2 is "best used in all-metal mode with iron tones available". What exactly does that mean? Pressing the horseshoe seems to be "all-metal" mode to me as it turns all of the disc indicators on regardless of accept/reject settings. I don't want to do that as I have a couple of non-ferrous IDs turned off that I would like to keep that way (1 and 2). I do have all of the iron IDs turned on though using A/R. Does that satisfy the requirements for "iron tones available or do I really need to be in all-metal(horseshoe mode)?

Sorry for the rather wordy question.

I have been experimenting with IB as well. I have found that I have to turn F2 up to 8 to stop falsing on tent stakes. I'd prefer to run it lower and I may end up turning it back down since I usually dig them anyway. I think I prefer knowing that I'm digging a stake and not something desirable . Not sure.

I have all four of the books listed by maxxkatt. Andy's book clarifies the owners manual in a few places. Clive's books gave me a better understanding about how the 800 functions. It also explained how the settings interacted with each other and affected the operation. 

I've been using the Coiltek 15" on my Nox on the beach all summer. It felt a little heavy when I first put it on. I didn't notice it after a couple trips. I use a Steve's Detector rod with counterweight and it balances the additional weight nicely.

19 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

Would you have a link to the video?

 

9 minutes ago, Joe D. said:

    As much as I like the Nox, and their warranty service, they really need to market it as waterproof on land, and not in water! That would be more of a "truth" in advertising! And maybe tweek the price!  JMO👍👍

Or change the spec to water resistant.

I received my $10 buds and they work fine for me. Latency is pretty difficult to measure but I tossed a quarter on the ground and swung at it pretty quickly. The delay seems acceptable to me and I don't think it will hamper my skills. The pitch is high and crisp. These will be very capable as backup. Thanks for the heads up @F350Platinum.

33 minutes ago, F350Platinum said:

You can also get a set of these but they're not on sale. $135, Aptx-LL. 3 colors!

 

 

Those would look better on you. 😁

Hey @F350Platinum. Thanks for the heads up. I ordered a set of the $10 buds. At that price they will make a great spare set to leave in the truck. I'll see how they perform. 

1 hour ago, midalake said:

 

To make a long story short. In salt water there is no comparing the two systems. Tracking GB mode is the way to hunt.  The Equinox can be very chatty on the beach out of this mode. 

I agree with the Tracking mode. It is the quietest GB setting for me in the wet sand.

Maybe some of that high UK price is due to the VAT?

I'm using Jeff Herke's arm cuff. It is sturdy and comfortable.

http://www.stevesdetectorrods.com/product.php?id=EQACC-05

Wow! Congrats on a great haul.