GB_Amateur

(I cut out your questions, to combine your declarations for effect, and added emphasis.) You're covered for beach & water hunting with the Excal II. You're covered for coins and relics with the V3i. The only thing you're missing is a detector for small gold (here I'm assuming the V3i and Excal II do well for gold other than the really small stuff). So my question is: are you going to be hunting for tiny gold? If not I don't see an obvious reason why other, newer IB/VLF detectors on the market will get you much.

Good to hear about that coil -- I've always wondered. After reading Phrunt's positive experience with his Detech 13" Ultimate I picked up a used one (I assume the new model -- it's black) for my Fisher F75 and so far have been really pleased with it. Amazingly lightweight for such a large coil. While we're on the aftermarket coil subject, anyone like the Nel Sharpshooter (Cors Fortune) 5.5" x 9.5"?

I'd brag about it. 😃 Where did it show up conductivity-wise, in the foil range? Clearly you know how to swing that Tejon. I assume you mean 'Easy Stow' headphones: https://www.amazon.com/Garrett-Metal-Detectors-Easy-Headphones/dp/B0037OS7GU A related story: I broke the headband on my favorite headphones, the White's Prostars. It turns out many detector headphone manufacturers use the same or very similar headband. I had a $100 pair (no reason to name the brand) which I decided to canabalize to repair the Prostars. Later I noticed that the Garrett MS-2's (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Garrett-MS-2-Headphones-Land-Use/323158128139?hash=item4b3db9b60b:g:zoUAAOSwSz1asRP~) used the same headband and cost around $30. So I bought those planning on canabalizing them to repair the $100 set. When I tried them out first I realized they sounded better and fit just as well as the ones I was going to fix! They are now my backup (to the Prostars).

Welcome to the forefront, Jerry! Sounds like you've got some promising hunting ground and a more than capable detector. Life is good; go for the gusto!

I'll start out with a disclaimer: I don't have a Garrett AT Pro and have never used one. I'm sure it's a good detector as it has a lot of happy users. (Interpretation: I'm not a detector disser.) I do have a Minelab Eqx 800. Although the AT Pro did better in this test, not only does the setup cover a limited part of phase space (coplanar targets with fixed separation, not in the ground, coils swung directly over the objects), but why did he choose Beach 2 mode and those settings? There is such a huge choice of settings for the Eqx. Just showing us one arbitrary set and trying to draw a (negative) conclusion is meaningless. Maybe the AT Pro is better for this kind of masking situation. But the video hasn't shown that. It's shown that for settings A on the AT Pro and settings B on the Eqx that the AT Pro performs better here. This is the reason I don't even bother watching detector comparison videos. There are so many minefields, including/especially the bias of the detectorist.

Nice! Looks like the ground you hunted is nice and green. Is that from sprinklers or have you had a wet September? I found a curb strip yesterday I definitely will hit, but it's been so dry here I would make a real mess digging. I hope when I get around to it that I'll have as good of results as you.

The trash in National Forest campsites is particularly noticeable and annoying. Glass, cans, paper,.... You can see it without digging and if you dare turn on your detector to hope to find a few coins you really get an ear full. But these sites are frequented by lots more than just detectorists/prospectors. What get's my goat the worst are the target practice idiots shooting up anything in site and leaving their shells laying on top of the ground. At a GPAA claim in the NF outside of Idaho Springs, CO, I was finding plastic pigeons (disks). For the most part the GPAA claims I've been on are pretty well taken care of, with a few exceptions, of course. Northern Nevada deserts have some unfilled holes, usually large&deep as if either the excavator was PO'ed he didn't find anything or too tired to fill it back in. Not making excuses for them. I fill theirs in as much as I can without spending too much of my time doing their cleanup. One surprising postive experience I had in one of the mountain towns outside of Denver. I was detecting a city park finding old coins a few ring-and-beavertail pulltabs, and old rusty crown caps. I found almost no square tabs nor fresh c-caps. I suppose it could be park employees going around cleaning up but I suspect that in this particular area people are more respectful of shared land. Not enough of that in this world, that's for sure.

Just be careful. There are much worse things than having your personal property stolen/destroyed. You're obviously not dealing with anyone with a conscience/morals/respect for others.

Thanks for the report! Sounds like you really enjoyed your California visit. Two specimens and 1.2 g from gravity methods is a nice haul for a few days in the field. I agree with Phrunt -- 1.2 g panning is a lot. It looks chunky enough that I'm thinking some of those pieces might set off the Equinox, and likely (as you've concluded) you were in the right place to find some larger pieces with the two detectors you had in your possession. Wish you could have stayed longer. Oh, and if you still want more square nails, come visit me. I have a couple old sites I'd like you to clean up. 😁

Don't forget to point out all the dogs that have died this summer from swimming in algae. Get the dog lovers riled up and you'll see some action.

I agree, and I hope it doesn't come off that I'm complaining about the Equinox TID. My other detectors don't lock onto the TID, either. Maybe some are a bit tighter -- I haven' t really studied it closely. But I'm digging everything above 23 and usually 19-23 (Zincoln zone) as well. There do seem to be a lot of targets that come in right around nickel but, again, if 50% (or more) 12-13's I'm digging it.

You need to come try your Equinox in my test garden (but I realize it's a pretty long drive 😁). Deeper means less TID stability. My interpretation is that it's my soil mineralization (3 bars out of 7 Fe3O4 on Fisher Gold Bug Pro, 0.1% to 0.3% Fe3O4 on Fisher F75). For example, on a 7" deep silver dime the TID can vary (in a jumpy way, changing with each half swing) from 21 to 35. (Air test 26-28.) That's with 11" coil in Park 1, Recovery Speed = 5, Gain = 20, Iron Bias = 0, both 5 tones and 50 tones. By comparison, at 4" depth it's tighter but still not locked in -- TID range 25-30. All these are with coil centered on target (since it's test garden I know where the coin is). I also hold out the possibility that there's a variation between actual detectors (manufacture 'tolerance') although I realize some have poo-pooed that. Another reason for you to bring your detector to my test garden.

I'm confused. The 10 inch deep dime was with what configuration? Same question for the 8 inch deep dime.

25 minutes in the backyard and two excellent coin finds! You've made a lot of progress since you first posted here. Glad to have helped but obviously you've learned how to learn on your own. Nothing like a good find to bolster the confidence (and the enthusiasm). Hope your wife doesn't mind your yard looking like a mine field. Tell her it's those damn moles. 😁

The various detector manufacturers have different policies when it comes to distributing information on upcoming products. First Texas corporate appears to keep it quiet and strongly encourages its departments and employees to do the same. Occasionally something leaks out but there seems to be some correction (that is, subsequent silence) when that happens. The bottom line is that you can't buy a promise so might as well sit tight. If you're considering buying a competitive product already on the market, well, then you have a decision to make. C'est la vie!