GB_Amateur

That's a good start. If it's 10 or higher you really narrow down the possibilities. There are zillions of metals in the 7-9 range and Murphy's Law says it will be in that range. Also, 'cutting' a small groove with a triangular file might show the untarnished color of the natural metal. It's easy to identify copper (possibly not pure but alloyed) that way.

How true. I was planning on writing a review but after the first time through it I realized I wouldn't be able to do that fairly without a couple more readings. Your excellent writeup (and now many more hours using the Eqx) inspire me reread it now.

Great haul! You just never know what you'll find. If we hit a HR every time out it wouldn't be nearly as fun when we come across a site like this. Another beautiful Walker..., can hardly wait to find mine. Thanks for showing the dates on the Wheaties. A little fuzzy -- what is the far left one on row 2 and the far right on row 3? (I'm hoping 1933-D and 1931-S respectively. Think positive!)

Factory default is 20. Gain (on detectors which aren't idiot-proofed) is a fickle friend. The highest gain levels can bring unintended effects. That doesn't make it bad nor wrong, but you need to be aware that things may perform differently and particularly unexpectedly. I'm curious to read what happens when you crank the gain back up to 25.... 😜

Excellent finds! (Still haven't found a dated Buffalo.😢) My IH's are green like yours, but only one has cleaned up that nicely. Did you do anything besides soak these? Can't wait to get my 6" coil. About how deep were those coins?

I'd take a silver half over a bag of modern quarters any day.

That's the typical high conductor zone for the Fisher Gold Bug Pro. US 5c 'nickel' -- a relatively low conductor -- hits at ~58 on the Pro, and 12-13 on the Minelab Equinox. The 70's and 80's numbers you're getting with NZ coins is where our copper, silver, and clad coins hit on the Pro. (Those are anywhere from mid-20's to mid-30's on the Equinox.) It definitely seems like something is amiss with your Equinox with the jumpy signals and the low TID readings for highly conductive coins. What gain are you running with these air tests?

(Sinclair already mentioned to possibility of steel reinforcing.) If there is a concrete subfloor there could be magnetite or other magnetic / highly mineralized / iron oxide component to that. You didn't say if your detector was quiet when held still -- the tipoff to whether you're picking up EMI or not. I'm assuming the answer is "quiet when not in motion."

That's high for a typical women's ring, but not suprising given how much metal was in it. Good thing you didn't discriminate too tightly! Did you happen to check and see if the purity was marked inside? Hope you didn't drink that bourbon in one sitting. I bet JW would share it with you.... That's typical for these junk targets, in my experience. There are multiple variables that determine stability. Shape is a big factor. Nearby targets is another. As far as the range of good TID's, there is no easy cutoff. Small high quality conductors (espeically platinum) can read quite low, near the iron zone. Large silver items quite high, possibly even wrapping around to iron. Setting the target range for digging is an art/skill itself. Coins hold a tighter line because of their consistent size and composition, but even with them there can be variations due to things like target orientation, how much wear has occurred while in circulation, and how much corrosion has resulted from being the ground for a long time. The really experienced coin hunters develop an ear for the quality of sounds, which can be even more revealing than the target ID's. Like most things, it takes a lot of time and effort to reach the top of the game. Great work and good for you being so helpful to your neighbors!

Welcome, Sasquatch! I assume (with a nick like that) you don't like to get your picture taken. 😁 You're on the right track. You might try digging some of the inconsistent signals to see what they are, even if that just emphasizes what you don't want to dig in the future. In my experience not all inconsistent signals are bad targets. Presumably you are running in "all metal" (horseshoe button toggle) since default discrimination eliminates ferrous signals. Why not pick a couple of those magnetic rocks off the driveway and see where they ID (if you haven't done that already)?

You guys are killing me, finding Walkers! I got a good 33 TID reading yesterday and optimistically said to myself "here's mine." Turned out to be a chunk of copper (not sure what it was used for). Keep up the successful hunting and report back more details (settings, depth) when you get a chance. But I too would be out there hunting instead of sitting here writing if the situation was reversed.

Wow! I vote for Steve H. to add this post to the compendium of Equinox tips. My favorite quote of all (but it was a difficult choice) is: IMO, target masking is still the bane of coin and relic hunting. The Equinox has made significant strides in the right direction, but the problem isn't solved yet. Keep working, detector engineers! I have to give my 'honorable mention' award to one more quote: Detectors are going to respond preferentially to the strongest target in the field of view. Sometimes that target is so strong that it masks desirable targets. This has been true since Adam and Eve started using metal detectors, and it's still true today even with these lightning fast recovery speeds. It's not just large iron and aluminum cans that are the culprits. Sometimes modern coins mask the older, deeper coins. I hate Zincolns but I recover them just in case they are hiding the stuff I really want.

To tie your two posts/comments together, Dave J. also played a major roll (chief designer?) of the Fisher F5. 35+ years in the business and his trophy case of successful designs is difficult to ponder. No doubt he has had help along the way. First Texas had a crack staff even before Carl was hired. If there were a Hall of Fame in detector designs Dave would be at the top of the inaugural class.

This just shows it happens to the best of 'em. I'm betting against two in a row.

https://www.minelab.com/__files/f/326548/4901-0249-1 Inst. Manual, EQUINOX 600 800 EN.pdf On page 52 there is a graphic similar to your EXCEPT for the Iron Bias it's only a factor of 2 (similar to the recovery speed conversion which you have shown correctly and is on page 51 of the manual) -- that is: 600 value 0 is equivalent to 800 value 0 600 value 1 is equivalent to 800 value 2 600 value 2 is equivalent to 800 value 4 600 value 3 is equivalent to 800 value 6 And yes, there is no higher Iron Bias setting on the 600 even though the 800 goes all the way up to 9. Good mnemonic: both Iron Bias scale and Recovery Speed Scale on the 600 is a factor of 0.5 times the equivalent value of the 800.