Equinox Is Still Delivering Pa Civil War Era Relics

[Chase Goldman]

I am loving my Equinox 800 relic machine (soon to be my Equinox beach machine and my Equinox water machine and also my Equinox park and gold machine).  Hit the PA site I lovingly refer to as the relic hunter's amusement park which has been the site at which I have obtained several firsts and bucket listers including my first CW plate of any kind which I posted a few weeks ago.  I have hunted it the last few times with the Equinox and it sets up well for that machine. 

For relic hunting, I generally favor Field 2 at the default settings.  I have been experimenting also with Park 2.  While the default settings for both are similar, there is definitely a difference in the underlying Multi IQ secret sauce based on the way the targets sound and also the way they hit the targets.  I found Park 2 to hit a little bit harder on higher conductors, but this could just be my imagination.  In this field, I like the Field 2 disc breakpoint at 2 because hot "rocks" in this field (from steam tractor coke tailings) come in at 1 consistently, and the Field 2 breakpoint is 2 vice 9 for Park 2.  This is somewhat of a moot point because I generally run All Metal, but occasionally cut in disc when my brain needs a break and just listen for high tones.  But the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned as to which of those modes I prefer most for relic hunting.

I set up the machine to have the "main" program be Park 2, but with some Iron Bias cut in (3).  I have Field 2 loaded up in the User Profile slot without modification from the defaults.  In this manner I have a setup where I can quickly interrogate a target with or without iron bias with just a press of the User Profile button.  Works great.

I also cut in GB tracking for both modes in this hunt.  The field has mild mineralizaation and Ground Phase variations typically seen in a plowed field with different crops and it worked well.

Well, Equinox delivered once again. Scored a beautiful 1858 Seated Dime (she turns 160 this year, no wonder she is sitting down) and my first Rifleman's Eagle Button ("Eagle R").  Rounded out the hunt with a minie ball, a Williams Type III "cleaner" minie ball (my first Type III), and another Eagle button.  Not shown are a 1936 Wheatie and various tiny non-ferrous odds and ends including lead, brass, and copper fragments.  Pulled some large ferrous objects too as I had the time to chase some iffy signals and did so.  Large, flat iron rings high and forces me to investigate, but in all metal, you can hear the iron grunt too and know you are likely digging some iron and not a masked keeper.  But if you have the time...dig 'em because you never know...

The site really helps, I have had success here with the Deus as well, but no doubt the Equinox can, will, and has delivered the goods and I gain more confidence with it in every successive outing.

HH

[bado1]

Excellent finds, Chase! I've yet to find Seated. A rarity in Az.

I concur with your assessment on the differences (strong points) between Park 2 and Field 2. You put it in to words very well. Park 2 hits the low conductors very hard but still alerts to silver nicely. I want to give David's (TNSS) disc suggestions in Field 2 a try in my iron infested RR spur. Park and Field 2 are my go to modes thus far. Thanks for the detailed write up! 

 

Dean

[strick]

Thanks for the wright up. I still have lots of experimenting to do in Park and Field  modes. Nice Dime. The only seated dime I've ever found was toasted due to high sulfur soil content. Still looking for that nice shiny one. 

strick 

[steveg]

OUTSTANDING job, Chase.  BEAUTIFUL digs!!  I would LOVE to hunt some Civil War sites like that, but -- even when back home on vacation in western PA, I'm sill several hours drive from the "east of the mountains" battle sites...so I've never done it.

CONGRATS on the great keepers you are pulling with the EQ, and on being so blessed as to have those sites to hunt!!

Steve

[Chase Goldman]

Thanks, everyone.  Sharing the adventure is half the fun and what I am really blessed with is some great detecting friends who let me tag along to their permissions.  Even public tot lot detecting is verboten in my community, with posted signage my tax dollars paid for.  I am actually paying my local government to not allow me to detect.  Lol.

But enough with "Don't Tread on Me" themed rants.  What I really wanted to say is that I forgot to provide some target ID info.  These were the first CW military buttons I snagged with the Equinox.  Minie Balls ring up around 17 give or take and the buttons ring up around 15 give or take.

HTH

[Cal_Cobra]

Great hunt! 

The next time I'm relic hunting and get some iffy signals, I need to check it in other search modes.  So far I've mainly been using Field2, only because it works so well, but it's time to test out some other modes when I get one of those hmmmmm targets.

HH,
Brian

[Tometusns]

Nice finds Chase,  I haven't got to do any real relic hunting but have found several buttons with mine and the numbers coincide with yours. The town I live in was pretty much burnt down during the civil war. I mostly yard hunt but I sure find a variety of targets. 

  I'm with ya to on the confidence thing in the nox. It just keeps finding stuff. I feel pretty sure if I get over something it'll let me know it's there. 

[sillllvar]

I like the finds..seated anything is on the wish list for 2018!

 

HH

Sillllvar

[stumpr]

Great finds Chase! The Nox has won me over completely as well!

 

[Daniel Tn]

Congrats on the R button!  That is one that eludes me for sure.  I've dug the A, C, D, and I buttons but not the R.  Most see the seated coin as the highlite but to me, I'd rather have that Rifleman button!