Geologyhound

Only place in my life I’ve ever seen the central bulge of the Milky Way - camping out in Rabbit Basin. A long way from city lights…

The older I get the more I’m convinced the less I know. I’m a geologist but I have never heard of gogottes before. So, nice post there Jasong! If it is some sort of gogotte, the density is puzzling. Those should be made of silica sand and calcium carbonate. That should not be that heavy. Heb, any chance you could do an Archimedes density test on it? Fill a basin with water clear full, immerse the object, measure the volume of water that overflows, weigh the object and calculate the density. Can you get a close-up of the matrix of the rock? Does it appear sandy or is it crystalline but too small make out the crystal size? Yes, a close-up of the crystal would be interesting too.

Born in the valley, raised in Coos County, OSU grad (go Beavers!), married and moved to Ohio. Still have a bunch of Madras thunder eggs and Rabbit Basin sun stones as well as some Holly blue. So, I still have a bit of Oregon with me.😁

Welcome back from a White’s XLT now an XP Deus 2 user!

Nice! The only 1909S I ever found was at an old school on the southern Oregon coast. It wasn’t in very good condition either…

Were these all found in the same location? I concur most of them look like slag or clinker. The green banded one without lots of air bubbles looks like some jasper I have in the back shed.

Someone in a different forum sent me a picture of a pump organ reed. That is exactly what it looks like. Thanks! The knife grip is plastic. I was guessing at mid 1900s. Looks like there was a small oval plate affixed to one of the grips. But only a fragment of the plate is still present. I guess I need to start a bucket of “possible” Civil War items. 😁 Anybody know what range a Civil War bullet would ring up for the D2?

This site has been in continuous use since the Civil War so there is a variety of ages to the items which can be found. The most interesting items are the button back, the old pocket watch, and the old pocket knife. The knife, the piece of rolled up scrap lead, and the belt buckle (modern style?) was found by my son on his first outing with my old detector. The lead and button back were in the “splash“ area of square nails from an old stockade. But, the 1957 penny was in the same general vicinity. There are no markings on the button back that I can see. So I am guessing it is probably not military but I would appreciate any input if it looks familiar to anyone. With a magnifying glass, I can make out fragments of a couple small letters on the back of the pocket watch - not enough to decipher. It looks like it was made to open. Not sure of the metal. It feels a little on the heavy side. The back might be brass. I am thinking the front might be steel. It rang up a solid 95 in a fire pit with blobs of aluminum, an old power saw blade, and tons of iron. So the whole watch was covered in a layer of black. There may be remnants of silver plate. I am guessing this is relatively recent? Not sure what the aluminum caps are. There is a crimp side to them like they were attached to a cardboard tube. This is the second shotgun shell (Western Super X number 12 paper case) I have found here. The rifle casing is FA 36 (Frankford Arsenal 1936). There is also one item which has a thin metal “flap“. I don’t know if this was some part of a music box? Thanks for looking and any help you can offer regarding some of the random items above.

When you say it has some sort of quartz embedded, do you mean it looks like it has sand fused onto it, or do you mean light transmits through it like an agate? There are several things that come to mind. Determining which is correct would be difficult without seeing the stone in person. The surface looks almost like pahoehoe (a kind of lava flow with a billowy or ropey surface). But, I would not expect that on both sides. The shape of it could be a sort of volcanic spatter bomb. However, those usually have air pockets. I concur with Ddancer that the surface morphology does appear roughly akin to some agates. But, you can also get some interesting surface textures with hematite nodules and ironstone nodules as VicR suggested. Since you said it is heavy, this makes me think it may be a nodule. If you scrape one edge of the broken part on a piece of unglazed porcelain and it leaves a red streak, then it is hematite. If the streak is more yellowy brown, then it could be limonite (a hydrated iron oxide). If it scratches the porcelain and doesn’t leave color behind, then it is a silicate (e.g. agate). Something to consider – the French did set off several nuclear devices in the Sahara when they were developing nuclear weapons. I understand they were lava blobs and fused sand blobs found, but I haven’t seen pictures. It does not look like any of the nuclear fused glass discovered after the American nuclear tests. Were you, by any chance, anywhere near where the nuclear testing was conducted? Whatever it turns out to be, it certainly appears striking and I certainly would’ve picked it up! Of course, if it’s radioactive I would then also drop it. 😄

I have an 1898 topo and a period diagram of the area. But better than that, the owner had a high quality layout and legend of the camp itself. That combined with the topo (which matches nicely), and I have a very good idea of where all the buildings were located and their use. My scouting confirmed two buildings. I about froze my tail off, and didn’t pin the others down yet. It has been hunted in the past, but not for years per the owner. The guy that came through in the past found a CW belt buckle on a nearby property and some bullets and a crushed canteen - also on nearby properties. The bullets were all at the same depth. Apparently, sentries had no safe/easy way of unloading the guns after guard duty, and would discharge them into the ground. So the bullet depths were not a function of burial over time so much as the power of the rifle and round. The canteen had been apparently intentionally crushed by a wagon wheel. Apparently, parts of the camp could get marshy to the point that the tent stakes would not hold, and they would stake the tents through the crushed canteen - sort of a stake footer.

The crown is about the right size for the Haitian Phoenix, but the bird shape looks wrong from the ones I can find. The wings are about the right shape for some US Marine buttons I have seen, but there is no globe (let alone the crown issue...). Hopefully someone can figure it out.

Oh, the container is actually intact but jammed shut. The logo/drawing on the surface looks like a couple of palm trees, two pyramids, and what might be a human figure with a headdress (Mayan?).

The shotgun shell is a western super X number 12 paper case circa 1927 to 1964. I won’t swear to it, but I think the fork says TOBY. If so, that would be FW & WE Oates circa 1877 as per the Trademarks on Base-Metal Tableware catalog at sha.org. I don’t have calipers but the casing looks like 11 mm. When I am in the thick of the nails, I keep getting a random unclipped good tone - generally at the end of a swing. Try as I might, I can’t find it again. I figure it’s probably just a matter of too many targets averaging out wrong, which is why I try to keep my swings short in the machine gun iron. But this seems to happen frequently - well, at least frequently for the few times I’ve been out with the D2. I assume this is normal for the D2? If I don’t find any good targets in a couple spots, I may get industrious and clean out a couple test patches of nails. Given the history and maps, there has to be something good there, and anybody who might have come through with an older detector had to of missed something with that many nails.

Normally, I’m more of a coin and jewelry type guy, but when given the opportunity to hunt a CW Union camp, I’ll take it! The place has been in use continually since the Civil War as residential/farmland. So I am sure there is a mix of ages to the stuff which can be found. The live round is stamped FA 43 which should be Frankford Arsenal in Pennsylvania. This looks like a pistol round to me, and from what I have found, the 43 should be the date (1943). Any ideas on the caliber or type? The badge/tag has a little green patina. The pins are the only magnetic part. If I stare until I go cross eyed I think there used to be lettering on the top, bottom and middle. But I can’t make anything out. I would think if it is modern mass-produced, the two ends would be roughly symmetrical. But they’re not. With no details I’m guessing it’s going to be pretty impossible to ID. But does this look like anything anybody has found from the Civil War? The big ring and the jewelry ring may be brass because they are both weathering black. Alas, there was no stone in the ring. Just six prongs. There is a hole underneath the prongs for light refraction, so I figured it must’ve had a real stone. The bigger brass ring (hoop) was made from a flat piece of metal bent around to form a tube and then bent to form a ring. Looks like there is a punch point through one end and the rest of the hoop beyond the punch point has broken off. I figure it’s probably garbage, but thought I would post it here first, as artifacts are not my bag. The smaller shark tooth shaped thing is lead. I see no connection point for a line. It is painted black. If I scribble on it with a number two pencil, and then wipe off the graphite, I leave a small groove. So it may be older, unhardened, lead. But the lack of a lot of powdery whitish surface oxidation makes me think it might be newer. Any ideas? Also found a bent fork, a possible hinged medicine container, part of a harmonica, and a couple 1950’s wheats along with a couple modern coins. Found one square nail in a hole with another target. Judging by the racket, I could dig a couple 5 gallon buckets of square nails at this site if I wanted to. Thanks F350Platinum and Rattlehead! I used Relic Reaper when the nails weren’t to dense and Silver Slayer otherwise. This is a new permission and I just scouted it last weekend. There is a lot left to cover (and learn) and I will keep you posted! Thanks for looking!

I called the XP America’s number and initially got a message that they had been sold and the phone system was temporally not being answered. I called back several days later, reached a nice lady, and explained the situation about the cracked cap. They said it was a known issue, and sent me a new cap. I didn’t have to provide purchase documentation. That is good, because every time I have tried to register my unit, the website tells me that mailing list is no longer active.

I’m sure I’m one of the newer members here. But as you might be able to deduce from my handle, the rock and mineral section is one of the reasons I joined. From beach combing as a kid, I’ve always loved rocks and lapidary. If questions/answers here can kindle a life interest in a couple truly curious people, I am willing to put up with a lack of a polite response from some drive-by posters.

Thank you! A lot to digest here. Coming from the Spectrum XLT, I figure the audio response setting is similar to the XLT’s pre-amp gain. But, the preamp gain setting tended to make the detector unstable with medium to high settings. This does not seem to be the case with the D2, at least with the low to medium audio response settings with which I have been tinkering. Square pitch seems a lot more like the XLT’s tones. I think what I will do is do is set up two custom programs side-by-side with the same tone settings - one PWM, and one square. I have read multiple times that an experienced user can hear the sharp edges of can slaw with PWM, and I would love to dig less of that!

Tones and audio options seem to be the most confusing part of the D2. The XP manual needs to take a couple extra pages to explain the options and especially the interactions between tone options and audio options. If I am understanding this correctly, then I think I might have the tone section figured out. Full tones = Pitch change according to TID, but no volume change. Multi tones essentially like Full tones but you get to select how many tone bins and the range of TIDs to which the pitch applies. Pitch tones = pitch and volume of signal varies according to target size and depth. But, here is where I get more confused. How do these tone options interact with the audio type? For example, as per the XP manual, square and pitch theoretically wouldn’t be compatible because as per the square explanation, the harmonics don’t vary with the signal amplitude - only the volume changes. But, pitch says the tone and pitch varies with signal strength. Likewise, if the volume is stable for full or multi tones regardless of target strength, then how does that react with square since the volume should change based on depth or size? For PWM, is it just essentially the opposite of square? The tone varies with the signal strength to give an indication of depth or size whereas with square the volume changes? And again, how would that react with the Full/multi/pitch tone options? It really appears like there may be six audio options (PWM and square with the three discrimination-tone sub-options of full, multi, and pitch). However I did notice that none of the stock programs utilize PWM with pitch, although the machine will let me select those together for a custom program. Are these audio/tone options just a matter of taste, or in what situation would each of these options be most beneficial? With all these options, I am still trying to figure out what I am hearing and why. I keep shuffling between programs trying to discern differences every time I find a decent target. But, I’m digging more can slaw and tinfoil wads than with my 30-year old detector (yes, it was time for an upgrade). 😏 I expected a dig-everything phase with a new detector. But, if I can understand what’s going on with the interactions between tones and audio settings, I might be able to shorten the length of that phase... Anybody can dig a strong repeatable well focused 94 - it’s understanding all of the nuances and interactions that make the difference on everything else, and I want to understand those nuances! If a response to this subject is too complex for a post, and there is an aftermarket handbook you can point me towards which addresses this subject, that would be great. Thank you again for any light you can shed on the situation!

Hello all! I am a bit new to the D2 here. I have a couple questions regarding tone settings. In the menu system, it appears that multi tones are different from pitch tones. If you set up four tones (with the low tone corresponding to the discrimination setting), and leave it at four tones when you save the program, will that act differently than pitch tones? Conversely, if you set up your tone bins and switch back to pitch tones to save that program, will you still get the same tone bins while hunting? Along the same lines, when you set up your tone bins, there is no gap for the notched out areas. I am guessing that when hunting, any tone in a notched out area will be suppressed. But does that work differently between multi tones and pitch tones - if there is a difference? Thanks!

Welcome aboard from SW Ohio (formerly southern Oregon coast)!

I am used to a threshold hum, and everything that gets discriminated out causes the hum to disappear. With the D2 threshold I am getting more of a Morse code rapidfire beep than a steady hum. The threshold still drops out from time to time which I assume is what is discriminated out. I am also getting a lot of lower pitch bweeps and bwoops. I am thinking those are targets which were notched out? Yes, I hate the notion of missing a gold ring. Granted they are few and far between, but they are what I remember most about detecting with my XLT. But for learning (especially if I’m going to be digging larger deeper holes than I have historically done), I figure digging a few less targets/hour temporarily (until I can get more comfortable with the D2) is acceptable. I’ll then branch out to other programs/settings after a bit more field time. F350Platinum, I have heard a lot of good things about your Relic Reaper program, and I have some sites where I would eventually love to test it. But, in the vein of walking before running, I think I will get a bit more time on the D2 before actually trying it. From some of the other posts I have seen, I understand you don’t want the settings published, and that is fine by me. If anyone asks, I will refer them to you. So yes, I would be very grateful if you would PM it to me. Out of curiosity, is that starburst a military badge of some sort? Thank you all for your advice and input!

First hunt with the D2 at some old residential properties. I experimented with some of the stock programs, but spent most of the time in Rattlehead’s Silver Slayer. The pitch tones are more like what I am used to with my Spectrum XLT. I have some more learning to do on the nuances. I dug to 14 inches for an electrical outlet cover plate, and over 12 inches for a crushed pop can a couple times. I abandoned another hole at 17 inches (signal around 92-95 and still dead centered) when my Pinpointer still couldn’t pick up a target and the gravel was a big pain. I figured it was not a coin at that point. I dug a number of pieces of aluminum flashing. I wish I could figure out how to ignore those. I am certain I missed several of these targets with my old detector. One had a bulldog clamp over the top of it, and couple others were under a bunch of wire. One of the nickels was actually on edge between two bricks on a step. No silver, but not a bad afternoon. Three wheats - 1914, 1942 and 1944. Unfortunately the 1914 is a P, and the 1944 is not steel. The ring is a corroded kid’s ring. The interesting finds were the paramount star Gary Cooper popsicle medal, and the Health-O Representative good luck piece. Both of these finds are from the 1930s. Don’t know if you can see it on the picture, but before WW2 the swastika was considered a good luck symbol...

Does the back have anything on it, perhaps fragments of text? Or is it just flat? Is there anything around the rim which may indicate a loop for a chain was ever attached?

Well it arrived! Both the remote and puck were on version 0.6. I managed to get the remote updated but the puck was more difficult. It kept jumping to the volume screen. Then both buttons on the left would act as minus and both buttons on the right would act as plus. Is this normal? I don’t know how many times I turned the puck off and back on before I was finally able to get to the update screen. It took a while, but I finally have everything paired and updated, charged and assembled with one exception. It looks like the cap on the MI six was overtightened at the factory, as I noticed the cap was cracked right after I removed it from the box. I tried to remove the cap to see the charge port, but it won’t budge. The dealer hasn’t emailed my receipt yet, and I understand I cannot register it without proof of purchase. And I can’t get it replaced until I can register it and file a warranty claim. So I guess I will need to use my old White’s Bullseye for a while longer. ☹️ At least I can take the detector out tomorrow...

Tracking says mine is out for delivery and should arrive by 7 PM tonight! I downloaded a copy of the Excel Deus 2 program log spreadsheet in anticipation (big thank you to Brad Plohman). I converted that to the current version of Excel and formatted it to print double sided on 11 x 17 paper. Now I have all the factory programs on one side and all the save slots on the back side of the paper. This should make a good field reference to help me figure out how different settings affect target response in the field.