New To Beach Metal Detecting With 800

[midalake]

2 hours ago, Gary985112 said:

Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold?

With all detectors there is no way to tell the difference by ear of a pull tab and a piece of gold.
Some detectors will put pull tabs at a certain number. In my area pull tabs come in at 14 on the Equinox, they will bounce a little on numbers depending on depth and amount of time in the ocean. 

If my conditions set-up with small waves I get many pull tabs to come into the wash zone. On those days I skip solid 14's. But luckily this might only happen once a month. So, after some time on the machine, you might be able to skip a few. Gold can TID on your Equinox from 1 to 22.
 

My own personal style is not to get hung-up on numbers. With modern multi-frequency detectors my goal is to remove all non-ferrous targets from the beach. So if I think a target is non-ferrous>it is coming out! 

 

[F350Platinum]

4 hours ago, Gary985112 said:

Thanks for the info! I will keep digging for sure ?

Just a question if you dont mind. Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold? Or is the overlap so close that it is impossible to tell even with experience? I will keep reading and heading out ?

You answered you own question. ? I have a friend who also has an 800 (I have a 600) who says "if you're not digging foil you're not finding gold". He has been doing this for many more years than me. This applies to small gold, thin gold, chains and the like. It isn't just pull tabs.?

With experience (repetition, perseverance) you may be able to distinguish certain items from the good stuff over time, but even the best get fooled. I'm pretty sure the hardcore people dig it all most of the time.

There are detectors that give you some more visual distinction, but they're a lot more expensive.

I'm relatively new to detecting, a little over 2 years. I only go to the beaches a few times a year, and I didn't find any gold rings for the first year. I have also found as much gold in fields and farms as I found on the beach!

Keep at it, enjoy your time out, lower your expectations and learn to laugh when you get fooled, or skunked! ? ?

[Dan(NM)]

This is the price I have to pay looking for gold at freshwater swimming areas here in Texas. I dig everything from 0 up.  I've dug gold from 1 all the way to 25, so, I dig a pouch full of trash every outing.

[midalake]

14 hours ago, Dan(NM) said:

This is the price I have to pay looking for gold at freshwater swimming areas here in Texas.

Your price for admission in Texas is too much for me Dan.......?

[Badger-NH]

The answer to your question is No. You will never be able to tell the difference between gold and aluminum by sound. No one can walk away from a pulltab and be sure it's not gold.

[Dan(NM)]

9 hours ago, midalake said:

Your price for admission in Texas is too much for me Dan.......?

It must be for the other hunters here too lol

[Gary985112]

On 1/2/2023 at 5:30 AM, F350Platinum said:

You answered you own question. ? I have a friend who also has an 800 (I have a 600) who says "if you're not digging foil you're not finding gold". He has been doing this for many more years than me. This applies to small gold, thin gold, chains and the like. It isn't just pull tabs.?

With experience (repetition, perseverance) you may be able to distinguish certain items from the good stuff over time, but even the best get fooled. I'm pretty sure the hardcore people dig it all most of the time.

There are detectors that give you some more visual distinction, but they're a lot more expensive.

I'm relatively new to detecting, a little over 2 years. I only go to the beaches a few times a year, and I didn't find any gold rings for the first year. I have also found as much gold in fields and farms as I found on the beach!

Keep at it, enjoy your time out, lower your expectations and learn to laugh when you get fooled, or skunked! ? ?

Thanks for the info ? I'll keep at it! I definitely cleaned the beach of trash today. Haha 

[FloridaSon]

On 1/2/2023 at 2:23 AM, Gary985112 said:

Will I eventually be able to hear the difference between can tops (pull tabs), and something of value? Like gold?

Gold ring often = pull tabs on central Florida beaches where I hunt. I hit 12 possible gold “13” signals in a row. The fifteenth I almost passed up, being tired. Dug it anyway and it was an approx 200+ year old carved design 14kt ring. 

Note: this is at my beach, other areas and things will vary.Your soil and EMI may make the vdi number diff. Figure your number for pull tabs. I have found any nonferrous metal formed into a ring and the NOX screams ring; pull tab, rivet, esp stainless steel washers or fishing gear.

take a nickel, dime, penny and pull tab with you each trip to test. Try it in wet and dry sand. Flat and on edge (sweep direction of an on-edge coin varies with sweep direction).

turn your phone off or at least on airplane in a back pocket as far from coil as possible.

move slow, overlap swings. If you find something you like, make tight spirals around it. You may find another or several similar density near. The ocean sorts into ‘lines’ and circular ‘coin holes’. Find a few older coins along the surf, look back once in a while and see if your filled holes kind of ‘line up’.

keep doing what you are doing. We all did.

it will begin to get very familiar.

all the best.

 

[Gary985112]

16 hours ago, FloridaSon said:

Gold ring often = pull tabs on central Florida beaches where I hunt. I hit 12 possible gold “13” signals in a row. The fifteenth I almost passed up, being tired. Dug it anyway and it was an approx 200+ year old carved design 14kt ring. 

Note: this is at my beach, other areas and things will vary.Your soil and EMI may make the vdi number diff. Figure your number for pull tabs. I have found any nonferrous metal formed into a ring and the NOX screams ring; pull tab, rivet, esp stainless steel washers or fishing gear.

take a nickel, dime, penny and pull tab with you each trip to test. Try it in wet and dry sand. Flat and on edge (sweep direction of an on-edge coin varies with sweep direction).

turn your phone off or at least on airplane in a back pocket as far from coil as possible.

move slow, overlap swings. If you find something you like, make tight spirals around it. You may find another or several similar density near. The ocean sorts into ‘lines’ and circular ‘coin holes’. Find a few older coins along the surf, look back once in a while and see if your filled holes kind of ‘line up’.

keep doing what you are doing. We all did.

it will begin to get very familiar.

all the best.

 

Thanks very much, very good tips. I appreciate it. I will continue to put the time in that's for sure! Very great advice and thanks my friend.