Popular Post Bob S. Posted January 31 Popular Post Share Posted January 31 Ground around here recently is pretty frozen solid right now. Having your metal detecting season cut short will do strange things to a person... I purchased an expensive top-of-the-line detector to spend a couple of days with re-hunting fields I previously searched 14 years exclusively... With detectors costing nearly four times less. It's like competing with yourself to see if anything is left and to prove if more money really does it any better. The new detector was very well made, powerfully capable and even had a feature that impressed me greatly, but could it "out find" my relatively inexpensive companion of the last 5 years? Oddly, it lacked some of the comfortable attributes and ergonomics that you get to know and depend on in the field. If we could find the perfect detector for all of us, would we stop buying metal detectors? First day out with the new detector was quite fruitful, despite aggressive wind, slightly frozen ground, and repetitive snow squalls. I had to literally stand on my spade to punch through the first inch of "grass covered frozen chocolate" to reach softer dirt. I searched only areas were I know I spent a lot of time on in the past, just in case the weather got worse and finally put a real end to my season. First target registered at 8" deep with iron indications coinciding in the display... It was a thin, slightly domed and oxidized flat button with a backmark indicating British origin, possibly 1800-1810. Next target, only a few feet away, was a broken brass spoon tip at about the same depth and TID indication. "Wow, how did I miss these?" was now playing endlessly in my head. Next I moved to a place of high EMI levels that would test the boast of greater EMI suppression advertising. The detector automatically quieted the interference for me, but I had to reduce the receiver sensitivity to get even more quiet operation. My third target came to light as an 1847 Braided Hair Large Cent around 6" deep. Seemed like I was on fire with new finds! Not long after that a .69 cal. fired musket ball was extracted. In fairness to previous outings, this was an area I barely wanted to bother with using my low cost SMF detector in the beginning. I had too many other productive, easier places to hunt first and test the newer technology. The next, and final target of the day, was located in the partial shade of leafless trees. Bang! Another signal right away indicating "66" at 8" down, now shaking my head in disbelief! Again I stood on my spade, but this time I nearly fell over as the steel wouldn't pierce the ground here. I had to literally hammer the frozen ground with my spade. Just under the surface I could see a 1" tree root, if I didn't need things more delightful! Right then it started to snow and all I could think about was how this area produced some nice early Indian Heads in the past... Could it be one more I missed?... I had pounded this area in nice weather! I was genuinely frustrated that I had to leave a promising target in the ground and wait for the proof I was after. Yet, I thought what a great chance for my older detector to prove itself, so I would return when it warmed up a bit. A few days later I got that chance and I couldn't stand the childish suspense any longer. This time I came prepared with a big rubber mallet and a sharp old wood-handled chisel. You're probably thinking, "Why the rubber hubcap hammer?" If I accidentally missed the wood chisel, I had a greater chance of not seeing my hand fracture in little pieces... It was indeed that cold. 🙂 Good thing was I made a mental note of the approximate spot beside two of the many trees. Though now the ground was covered with fresh snow. If "old faithful" couldn't respond to the target, it would be a win for the expensive detector and I would never know what was at the bottom of the hole until Spring! Swoosh! Through the snow the searchcoil went as I frantically scanned the area... I'm not hearing it! Only little iron grunts! Then it announced itself loudly, with a translated TID of "79-80" on my "old pal", yet still reading 8" deep. I pinpointed double quick and my bare knees inside only jeans hit the frozen ground over the new snow. First order of business was a section of 1" diameter root, out it came easier than the frozen ground at least. I spent 20 minutes on my knees hammering and chiseling away little chunks of frozen dirt until the chisel struck something... Thinking, Oh no! I just destroyed a rare Indian Head or something more valuable!... The ground was frozen down to the target... Instead it was a newly creased 1961 Lincoln "MEMORIAL" cent! I paused, looked up and grinned as I "vibrated" from the cold wind. All I could hear in my mind from my "old pal" was... "See, you doubted me, now I get the last laugh!" 🙂 It was a little tough getting back up afterwards! All that to teach me a little lesson... Coming back another warmer day with my older SMF detector to the same EMI torture, I was able to switch to a selected single frequency with a modified channel. It actually ran quieter than the new detector, but with no new finds being made with either detector. In reality, yes, the new detector made good finds in heavily hunted areas, but it did so over unusually flattened vegetative conditions at depths both detectors are capable of. The older detector made even greater finds in the past to its credit. So why did I spend the money? It allowed me to test something I've never had the time nor funds previously to do... Do you really get all you pay for with respect to a higher price? That day made me realize I already have the perfect detector for me... Lightweight, simple to navigate, well-built, highly visible display without eyeglasses in bright sunlight, control buttons I can feel and operate with thicker gloves on, reliable warm wireless headphones with a wireless pinpointer, and deep ground performance in the soil I call home... Good enough for the type of metal detecting I love to do... Being thankful for what I already have. 19 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIG5050 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 You really worked hard for that memorial cent, Bob! But we never know exactly what the target is until we dig it up. Nice write up. I have the exact same feeling regarding machines, and have been in similar scenarios. For kicks, I have pitted the lower cost Garrett SMF machine about the same vintage as yours, and a higher end SMF machine purchased in the spring of 2022. Four and a half years ago, at a couple of in-town lots dating back into the late 1800's, each approx 100 x 66', I pulled a couple of hundred coins ranging from clad to silver along with pieces of jewelry and rings; most of these with the Garrett machine. So many good targets, that my son, who has hunted these same sites with me while visiting, was surprised that these sites were still giving them up two years later. Using the lower cost machine, sometimes it required a little more patience and diligence to find the desirable targets amongst the trash and iron nails and stuff. Sometimes it required switching to a single frequency and alternate channel to mitigate EMI typical in the city. Like your story above, I found a few more desirable targets with the higher end machine when the iron and trash were somewhat heavier or the targets became scarce. Maybe because of the higher end machine's faster recovery speed, other active filtering of junk targets, or better sensitivity. But I still enjoy the the lower cost machine because of it's ease of use and ergonomics. I carry both machines in the back of the car, reaching for the simpler of the two machines when going on a new site, or just for a change up for that detecting session. For me, both machines have the light weight, ergonomics, wireless headphones, and their place in my detecting toolbox. Having Reynauds in my hands and feet, I can hardly wait until the cold weather and frozen ground are gone so I can get back at it. 2 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290319 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodge Scent Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Bob that is just one more reason why Memorial cents are universally hated. 😉 I admire your resolve to get back out there with the hammer and chisel. I have left good sounding targets in the ground until there was a real thaw. That LC is in good shape with plenty of sharpness. 2 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290326 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob S. Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Thanks guys! That section of the field is usually wet during the Spring and Summer months. Lots of ground water content and no doubt why the ground was frozen solid at that depth. About 10 feet away from this spot I found an 1864 Lincoln campaign button/pin buried at about the same depth. As you can imagine, I naturally thought I had an early Indian Head or something else in the same time strata. Worse yet was striking it with a chisel before I knew! Not as easy as digging in the soft dirt. Well, at least this Memorial was solid copper and not zinc! 🙂 Rather interesting a fairly modern coin would be to that level you see. Targets in this once large crop field are pretty well scattered about and deep, so intense reactivity levels are not needed or desired for the most part. I think my deepest coin so far has been oddly a 1920 Standing Liberty Quarter at 11" deep. My deepest relic has been a large plow horse shoe at 27" deep. I knew it was iron and deep, but I couldn't believe my armpit was at ground level when my finger tips just touched it, seriously. It was very difficult to remove. Most of the Large Cents found here have only been in the 4-6" depth range. Yes, that 1847 Braided Hair was likely dropped shortly after mintage... Good candidate for electrolysis cleaning. The real interest in this outing was to prove a low-cost, simple SMF detector was able to detect something found by detector costing 4 times more. My best silver finds in this field have been an 1866 Liberty Seated Half-Dollar and a near mint 1876 Liberty Seated Quarter. Large cents have been as old as Draped Bust. In contrast, in other areas where the soil is more rock laden and wooded, I have found Large Cents nearly on the surface! I've learned over many years that what really makes the best finds is a little known researched huntsite, not so much the detector. 4 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290344 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob S. Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 On 2/4/2025 at 2:33 PM, DIG5050 said: For kicks, I have pitted the lower cost Garrett SMF machine about the same vintage as yours, and a higher end SMF machine purchased in the spring of 2022. Two days ago, under the throws of boredom, I surfed the Garrett web site. Since my 2020 "Fav" is two years out of warranty and I want a backup, I took advantage of Garrett's Direct Buy coupon sale that ended yesterday to an already discounted offering. Since my career has been in graphic design, I'm rather sensitive to loud colors so I'd rather have my detector look like the ground I'm hunting. I also wanted to get the Raider coil for a little more coverage and depth in open fields. And, there's always free accessories to make the deal a little sweeter! Look what I got for $375... I guess you could say, "I blinged my ride!" 😍 4 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290441 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIG5050 Posted Friday at 07:56 PM Share Posted Friday at 07:56 PM Bob, you certainly did "bling your ride"! That Apex pictured above sure looks a lot better than the yellow version, like we both have. I blinged my Apex up shortly after I bought it in 2020 with a control box cover that had cammo print. I liked the cover well enough to buy a second cover that is printed in pixelated shapes, so they could be swapped easily when muddy. The cover has a clear vinyl screen that covers the screen and keypad of the Apex to protect it from muddy hands After almost 5 years use, the covers are in great shape and the screen and keypad on the Apex are nearly flawless. Yeah, you do get a bit of glare at times from the vinyl screen when the sun angle is just right, but I can live with that. It sounds like both you and I have Apex's that are very early ones from 2020. When you receive the new one, I would be interested in knowing whether you see any improvement in performance of the new Apex .vs. the older Apex. Given that the firmware version has not been changed, they might have tweaked the PCB design or some components used on the newer version that provides a bit of a performance enhancement. You will get a bit more depth from the Raider coil vs the Viper coil and a bit more clarity in TID of some of the deeper targets. The tradeoff is heavier nose with a bit more weight to swing. But it's not objectionable. Now, to mention that should they ever update the Apex firmware with a few of the features of the Vortex (within the scope of what the LCD screen can support) you will be all set! Enjoy, Bob! 🙂 1 Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290540 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob S. Posted Friday at 11:15 PM Author Share Posted Friday at 11:15 PM 3 hours ago, DIG5050 said: Bob, you certainly did "bling your ride"! That Apex pictured above sure looks a lot better than the yellow version, like we both have. I blinged my Apex up shortly after I bought it in 2020 with a control box cover that had cammo print. I liked the cover well enough to buy a second cover that is printed in pixelated shapes, so they could be swapped easily when muddy. The cover has a clear vinyl screen that covers the screen and keypad of the Apex to protect it from muddy hands After almost 5 years use, the covers are in great shape and the screen and keypad on the Apex are nearly flawless. Yeah, you do get a bit of glare at times from the vinyl screen when the sun angle is just right, but I can live with that. It sounds like both you and I have Apex's that are very early ones from 2020. When you receive the new one, I would be interested in knowing whether you see any improvement in performance of the new Apex .vs. the older Apex. Given that the firmware version has not been changed, they might have tweaked the PCB design or some components used on the newer version that provides a bit of a performance enhancement. You will get a bit more depth from the Raider coil vs the Viper coil and a bit more clarity in TID of some of the deeper targets. The tradeoff is heavier nose with a bit more weight to swing. But it's not objectionable. Now, to mention that should they ever update the Apex firmware with a few of the features of the Vortex (within the scope of what the LCD screen can support) you will be all set! Enjoy, Bob! 🙂 My original Apex never bothered me too much because the yellow portion of the detector was minimal. If it were entirely yellow like the rest of the ACE series, I might have wanted a "helmet" for the control too! This camo version is more to my liking for sure. I don't think the camo version is any different from the stock Apex in circuitry other than the larger Raider coil which I liked on my AT-PRO and AT-MAX. The Viper coil is a real "deep snake" amongst the bushes and trees though. I especially like the Ripper in that environment as well and its lighter weight almost makes the detector an extension of your arm. I believe the last update for the Apex was in Nov. 2021 and it did improve things nicely for me. In truth, it might not need any updates further, but an adjustable reactivity might be good over intense iron. In reality though, the processor speed of the Apex is rather fast as is. For me the level has been a good sweet spot between separation and depth, especially with the Ripper size coil. To the other features of the Vortex vs. the Apex... I've never been a diehard park hunter so bottlecap rejection is not too necessary for me, I personally like Garrett's Iron Audio feature to listen to and ID flat and irregular iron. I also love the Apex modulated pinpointing mode, plainly smooth and comfortable on the ears with the ability to backup ID iron by signal width. I usually hunt with one notch digit of discrimination to enable the Iron Audio feature yet hear most all targets. I like the one composite linear ferrous and conductive range display and the legend above in case I forget some key numerical TID's. It's all reference for making recovery. Like I've said, it been a great detector me. Thanks Dig! P.S. The Valentine's Coupon sale mentioned above was extended. It gave me an extra $66 off an already discounted detector with free items besides. Link to comment https://www.detectorprospector.com/topic/27618-education-with-a-hammer-and-chisel/#findComment-290550 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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