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A friend of mine lost her gold ring playing softball. It was a family heirloom and she thinks it flew off when she threw a softball. We are sitting 2 weeks since the loss and the field has limited access so it’s unlikely that anyone has detected since the loss. We have a general idea of where on the field it was lost. I have a 600 and have only used it a few times in my yard. Are there any recommendations as to which program to run and tweaks that will allow me to cover the field quicker and hone in on a woman’s gold engagement-style ring? I also have a Fisher f2 and f44 with a lot of hours. So I guess the other question is would I be better off falling back on my f44? (But the Equinox is just so fun!) Thanks in advance, Dave

For mineralized soil relic hunting with Equinox I am hearing a few common themes emerging (my thoughts in parenthesis): Most seem to be building around Park 2 (I will also experiment with Field 2 and Gold 2. Sticking with the "2's" because they favor mid conductors or strike a balance between mid and high conductor detectability or favor hot soil conditions (Gold 2).) Field 1 seems to be popular in the UK. At least perform an Auto or Manual GB (am wondering myself about the effectiveness of tracking). GB will help with performance since mineralized ground will likely have a ground phase reading other than the default and the mineralization allows the GB algorithm something to grab onto give you a good GB setting. Don't overdo sensitivity. If you can run stable at 22 that's fine. No need to push it much higher than the default 20 setting. Hunt with recovery speed 6 to 8 (high end of 800 settings). Lower settings in mineralized soil increase ground noise, affecting signal-to-noise ratio and detracting from the ability to detect deeper targets countering the flawed claim that "slower is deeper". Minimize iron bias if you want to maximize ability to unmask non ferrous amongst thick ferrous junk. Drawback is propensity for non ferrous signal component falsing from the iron. These can be checked with the AM button. Upping iron bias to 3 or 4 (800 settings) in sparse iron situaions is ok as you run a much lower risk of encountering a masked target. This is definitely a YMMV area and experimentation is encouraged for your particular site conditions. Search in AM or without discrimination (AM gives you one touch access to turn disc off/on, so more convenient IMO to hunt with a iron disc'd out and punch AM button when necessary). Listen for both ferrous and non-ferrous hits and try to center the coil on target to determine ferrous-nonferrous symmetry (donut) for dig decision or dig it all if you are so inclined. Non-symmetric behavior and inability to find a non-ferrous tone and ID sweet spot are good indicators of trash or nails. But remember when relic hunting there are several desirable, relatively big non-ferrous artifacts worth recovering including sword blades, knives, bayonets, spurs, horse tack, cooking implements and ordnance. EQX should hit fairly deep even in mineralized soil and can give you some key additional info if you carefully interrogate the target. Tones: I have seen anything from 2 to 50 tones recommended and numerous tone break recommendations so post your custom tone setups and why. I am sure I missed a lot, especially custom tone setups which are more personal preference based versus performance based, so please add your tips, wisdom, and experiences to the thread. Thanks Shout out to Steve H, Daniel TN, Skate, Mtwolf2270, SteveG, Cal Cobra, Mitchel (mn90403) and all others I failed to mention (my apologies) blazing the Equinox relic trail.

Gentlemen; What USB microscope and what power do you recommend? I need nothing fancy just for looking at some coins, rocks and mineral specimens.

Lets say you have been a working person for 20+ years and contributing to the growth of our fine country. You are not rich by any means, but if need be you could find a way to get a good metal detector or two (just like most folks on here reading this). Heck, even after hunting season, you could sell a couple guns? NOT... You get invited by an old friend on a 1 week vacation Prospecting Trip to detect for gold. Yes, the trip of a lifetime for some and just another fun adventure for a few. You are told there are dredge tailing piles, hard rock ore dumps and also the potential to hunt both alluvial eluvial placers. Do you know these terms and the kind of gold generally associated with them? Which detector would you take and why? There is no wrong answer and please lets not attack anyone, brand or model.

Recently picked up by MCAS on a AZ military base (SAR crew-member posing with, "Tweaker-Tool" GPX.)

Hasn't been as nice late winter weather as last year, but 50 F (10 C) is definitely MD'ing weather, particularly if it's not real windy and better yet if the sun is shining, as it was for me yesterday. Only got out for ~3 hours, maybe more time today.... I've been thinking about where I'll go first when the Eqx arrives, and the park hunt I chose was related to that. It has (past and present) yielded a bit of everything, including trash. (I do have a much trashier site but I'd like to break in the Eqx a bit slowly -- rather I'd like to learn to walk with it before I try to run.) Rather than to try and clean out this area (that would take days with all the iron) I decided to leave the really iffy targets, particularly the ones that could be strongly masked. I was more/less going to hunt like the typical cherry picker coin hunter -- the type of MD'ist that I am pretty sure went through this site before my arrival. I decided to hunt a part of the park I've never searched before (and that's not difficult to do because it's a decent sized park and I hunt slowly). I do think other(s) have hunted here before, but probably not for about 15 or 20 years based upon the modern coins (clad and Lincoln Memorials) I've found. And there's always hope they missed some oldies -- I've found a few. Running the Fisher F75 with 7x11in^2 DD coil in DE(default) discrimination process, minimum discrimination threshold, 4H tones ('H' means nickel zone reads high with its coinage brethren), gain of 60 (out of 99). A couple hours into my three hour window, after getting the typical (few) clad and Memorials plus quite a bit of junk, such as ring-and-beavertail pulltabs and old rusty crown caps, I got a quite variable TID centered halfway between zinc and copper pennies. My experience (and from what I've read by others), the F75 doesn't give the sharpest or most consistent TID unless the object is A) uniform in shape such as a coin, B) reasonably close to the surface, say within 4 inches, C) sitting horizontally, D) well away from trash, particularly iron, and E) read with a consistent coil swing. But what is between the two compositions of modern pennies? Large can slaw is the first thing that comes to mind. For example, on this same hunt I found a horizontally oriented 12 oz aluminum drink can lid (missing both the square tab and the punchout disc) buried maybe 3 inches deep which was a steady 64-65. Of course that was a very strong signal. This one, although strong, was not nearly as consistent. A large piece of aluminum can with ragged edges cause by the evil lawn mower goblin? No way I'm skipping this. OK, enough of the dramatic buildup -- below is what I found. There is a '925' on the clasp. I'd rather find six common date silver Roosies but there's still about the same amount of silver in this as those. Pretty good start to the month of March.

Hello all. I have a bit of a strange question which may or may not belong in the detecting section ... Recently I ran across a hardrock mine (this is in the western United States by the way) in which there were several drifts cut into the mountain above each other (assuming I have my terminology correct). Outside of each of the horizontal shafts were two piles of ore (with quartz and visible gold in some of it). One pile always seemed to have been classified or crushed to less than an inch while the other pile (usually much larger-approx 15' high) was 3-4 inches in size. It was in the larger pile that I typically saw the small gold. This was obviously an old operation and there were many hundereds of old rusted out cans outside of the mine at the bottom of the mountain. I was wondering if anyone could describe (in general) the typical operation the old timers would run to extract their gold which typically results in two piles nearby each horizontal shaft? These piles are hundreds of feet up on the hillside. In this case it seems like they have left a lot of gold. I am sure I could crush and pan a lot of ore but I am primarily interested in detecting these piles for the slightly larger stuff that may have missed their well trained eyes. But to properly metal detect such piles, I would like to get an idea of the basic steps these miners were taking with these piles. I appreciate any input.

Colonel Dan's Detector Rack Anyone who is into metal detecting knows what its like to pack your vehicle for a day in the field or at the beach. This is what my SUV looked like...and that was on a very organized day! Two detectors, a shovel, a sand scoop, equipment bag and cooler Not much room left for Miss Mary's suitcase or art equipment when she goes along. Not much usable space for anything else really except for a small area behind the passenger seat. I'm sure everyone has their own version of this load plan but you know the deal. There had to be a better way. I experimented with different ideas that worked to some level of success but none that fit the primary Cavalry Principle of KISS. I wanted a system that was portable, i.e. easily and quickly installed in and removed from my SUV. It had to be solid and stable with some heft so my detectors could ride safe and sound without tipping over or sliding around back there. Secure vertical stacking seemed to be the solution for me. The question was how to do it. I thought about several things I could build or re-purpose and finally settled on an unused truck gun rack. It was solidly built for my intended purpose, had rubber protection on the hooks to prevent damaging the detectors and had pre-drilled holes I could use for mounting it on a vertical frame. I decided to use 2x4s: easy to build with enough weight and heft to provide stability for my detectors. I built a frame that was 20” in height, 24” in width with feet 8” long which prevents tipping over or sliding around when fully loaded with equipment. Padding on the back helps protect the sidewalls of my SUV and a layer on the feet adds an additional level of prevention against slipping. My detectors finally have a safe place to ride—they're happy campers! And my load plan now looks like this. Much more available space for Miss Mary to use any way she likes! Life is good!

I recently bought a Gold Monster 1000. I have a pair of Gray Ghost head phones that I love that have 1/4 in. plug. I've tried 3 different 1/4 by 1/8 adaptors and the gray ghost hphones work good but the internal speaker still works, It won't cancel out the speaker on the detector. The hphones that came with it work fine but I hear better in one ear than the other so I need to use my gray ghost with a volume control on each side. have any of you had this problem.

Hey all, been detecting for about 8 years now and i dont have a go to metal detector dealer that i know of in my area, ive just always bought my equipment from places like kellyco, im sold on buying an equinox but will wait until the dust settles abit before doing so, all of this talk about cabelas and local dealers and where and why not to buy from whomever made me really want to give my money to the small guy even more but, i really dont know of any local dealers out here near me i live in south east indiana not far from louisville kentucky, anybody out there know of any dealers closer to this area especially ones who have great service if needed after my purchase.

My wife wants a macro zoom for her Nikon..... I want to make sure we get one that will take good close up pics of gold/coins, etc. How about posting a good pic and telling what you used to take it? Finding gold is neat.... being able to show it is good too.

Would hate to see a person's detector get stolen.

The last time I was out west to prospect was around Prescott Valley, Arizona on Rose creek. I could not figger out why I was out of breath just carrying a few tools and a Tesoro Lobo detector around? I had to stop every 50 feet and try to catch my breath. And I am not a smoker either. Just some asthma and allergy issues. Had the same issue around Rich Hill area. Well, then I noticed elevation signs about 4000 and 5000 foot altitudes. Hmm, having lived around Chicago now for almost 40 years and a bit of asthma as well, maybe that's the issue since we are at 500 feet above sea level.? So, how do I get my lungs up to speed when on vacations to gold country and the elevations ? Is there a reason why gold and minerals tend to be at higher elevations vs low ones? -Tom V.

We all convinced our wives we needed the Equinox because if we didn't get one we'd never find another thing with our current detectors because they are old technology. We also forgot to tell her how much the Equinox cost. Not that it's over priced it's just that we didn't tell her. Valentines day is coming up and that means, roses, chocolates and a nice dinner..Lets say total cost for that day is $200 unless you're like me and live 10 minutes from 8 casinos then the cost is more. Now the wife thinks ok he knows he has to be nice every Valentines day so he can't count that as doing something special.. My wife has been unusually quiet about the Equinox until last night. I was informed we are taking a lil trip for a week.. Ya'll know that cost more than an Equinox. Preliminary cost $800+ for hotel, $600+ for meals and $300+ for gas not counting the clothes and other junk she buys.. I am guessing that I will drop $2000 before it's over.

Simple Detecting Exercise Before attempting to find real targets, it is important to understand how to interpret the audio and visual signals of the detector. Nail or Screw Pull-Tab Tiny Coin Fine Gold Ring Large Coin Small Coin Heavy Silver Chain 1. Gather a collection of different metal objects, e.g. various coins, gold and silver jewelry, a nail, a pull-tab, a brass button and aluminum foil. 2. Take the detector outdoors, away from known sources of electromagnetic interferences (EMI) and metal objects. 3. Lay the objects in a line, sufficiently spaced apart to allow the coil to pass between them. 4. Sweep the coil across the test targets one at a time. Observe the Detect Screen and listen to the sounds of the detector as it passes over each object. The Detect Screen and audio response will give you detailed information about the Target ID. Don’t worry if the detector is not producing a sound over the nail — this is because the detector begins in the default Park Mode Profile 1, which rejects signals from common trash targets, including ferrous targets. If you are getting signals from a clear patch of ground, there could be buried metal objects. Try finding a different area. You may like to make a record of the Target IDs for each of your targets. When you go detecting, always carry a 'test target' with you, e.g. a coin, which is similar to the targets you are looking for. Bury it at around 4 – 6 inches within your detecting location and adjust your EQUINOX settings until the desired response is heard over the test target. This way you are guaranteed to detect the same types of targets if they are there. Remember to dig up your test target after you are finished!

Spending time at Steve's website peaked an interest I hadn't had previously. I want to find a nugget with a detector! I am on the waiting list for the ML EQ 800 and have seen the small nuggets are that the detector is capable of finding! The questions: I live in in Northeast Ohio, I have seen videos picking up dust high-banking. Will I find nuggets here? If not and I want to be a casual (once in a couple years) prospector and travel abroad should I join a club? As you can probably tell I am not too terribly serious about it, but it would be something fun to do with my children from time to time. Hopefully by the time I die I have a small collection to pass on to them to visualize the time we spent together! Thanks for your time!

Do Hip and or Complete Knee replacements screw with metal detectors of any make or model ? Of course I'm talking about being out in wild while using one.

No gem and mineral show near me so I need help. The closest rock club is two hours south. I go beach combing a couple times a week if the weather and tides are good. I look and find agates, sea glass, seal bones and driftwood. But I also find things I can not identify like the rock in my photo. I found it on the beach. It looks like obsidian with clear and green inclusions. It is as big as a goose egg. Everything looks like glass slag but I do not know of any glass factory north of me. (I am 20 miles south of Oregon) I would think if is was slag more pieces would also be seen, even very tiny. Any ideas?

If I remember correctly, around this time during the new year is when you share your thoughts about new detectors that may be hitting the market. I mean come on !! It is the first week in February and nothing from you. I know it has been slow with new detectors lately....nothing from Nokta or White's. Even with some of the other premiere metal detector manufacturers like Minelab....not a peep from you or anyone else. OK.....Sorry Steve I just had to do it....HAAAAAA HAAAAA....I think we could all use a little humor right now

Hello I want to record with the camera in case of metal detection with detector I can find these cameras thank you very much??

Hello there For example I am using a pi detector and I heard a sound I thought deeply, how can I decide whether it is real or sound or mineral? thank you

I dug this the other day at a site that is 80-100+ years old in terms of when it last had houses on it. It's around 6" tall and I think it's brass. It looks familiar enough that I should know what it is but I can't figure it out. Any help appreciated. It has a threaded end on the bottom and an ornamental cap on the top. Thanks Skate

any thoughts on a river named the river of gold by the spanish in 1622 .....today panning yielding 1 gram a yard ........heard many stories but after a thousand years of gold hunting what could be left in the area ???????

https://www.minelab.com/usa/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk?fts=Authors&fAuthors=235644

my name is Rasheed From Saudi Arabia Help How to recognize Places of nuggets of gold Are there indicators given to see the probability of a gold Do Long Range Detector Location Useful for detecting nuggets Is there a company or engineer with a website to help determine the availability of gold? Do you know a company or location for maps or remote sensing to locate gold