ME AND THE MONSTER

[against the wind]

So yesterday morning, I woke up the Monster. I have nicknamed some of my machines, so the E-trac is The Monster. (That name was well earned in the first year that I got to know him.) I explained that once again, I was in need of his uncanny ability to unmask the Silver that may be hiding in the Iron. I sensed that the Monster wasn't all that happy. He understood my going over to the Excalibur for the 20 or so water hunts that I got in this year. The Monster doesn't get along with water at all. This is only the 15th time this year I have decided to take the Monster on a mission. It used to be that The Monster, was pretty much, my main go to machine. I have been on a total of 88 hunts this year and I guess I can understand why The Monster feels left out. I tried to explain the situation.
I have hit the same area twice. Although I have recovered 41 Wheat Pennies, I have only recovered 1 Silver Rosie. I just know that there has to be more silver up there. The Monster kind of agreed.
Off we went on my motorcycle. Now I know by now,, some of you are thinking that ATW has finally gone off the deep end but the results are what they are.
About an hour into the hunt, with about 4 more (deep), Wheat Pennies in my coin pocket,,, The Monster locates a beautiful 1942 Mercury dime. I knew this was going to be a long day. I was encouraged to focus on dime signals but I just can't ignore the Nickels. I did manage to dig 21 Jefferson's as well as a no date Buffalo.
The Wheat Pennies kept coming. They were usually about 7 inches and some were registering as dimes. (A clean 12-45) Before the day was done, the E-trac had added 22 more Wheat Pennies. (The oldest was a 1923) It also gave me what I thought was a gold ring. I knew the 12-42 signal was way too high for gold, so I wasn't that surprised to see that it was 14kt Gold Electroplated when I cleaned it.
Finally about seven hours into the hunt, The Monster did what I have seen it do before. It unmasked the Silver from the Iron. I dug out a white plastic watch band that had a rusting buckle. Right next to it was a 1951d Washington Quarter. The signals had been bouncing high to low but the high pitch that kept coming in was key to me digging this target
When I got home and tallied up the totals for the day, I discovered that The Monster had led me to 116 coins. Two Silvers, a toasted Buffalo, 22 more Wheat Pennies, a faux gold ring, seven, 20 centavos coins from Mexico and a whole bunch of clad. I don't mind digging a mess of trash when the end results are going to be what they are.
I will be returning to this field again and I will continue to talk to The Monster.

 

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[Gridwalker306]

Why thank you, ATW! For your long and considered reply! I'll try to respond to several points.

First of all, I didn't start with a Garrett. This was my first detector:

View attachment 1362108

Had to keep a thumb on the tuning knob while swinging! LOL

I moved up just a tad to a Garrett Ground Hog in the 70's, which I still have and still works!.
I had a choice of a White's, a Compass, and a Bounty Hunter. But, the Groundhog's frequency responses,
(the actual tone of the signal), didn't annoy me as much as the others did. I finally settled on it because of the overall reviews AND that I figured to be listening to that signal for long periods of time. Their lower tone just didn't get on my nerves as much. Price was ok too.

I got in with a few different hunters back then, loosely a club, and I noticed I wasn't lagging behind in the quantity or quality of items found. So, I didn't feel a need to upgrade. The machine suited my purposes fine. I could do just about any type of hunting I wanted to do and with reasonable results. That's what I was looking for and got. So, I was happy.

As a direct result of my stubbornly staying with the same machine for many, many years. I got pretty good with it, (no brag). I got to where I could call my shots and hear things that my friends simply were unable to discern.

All that said, I was experienced enough to realize that I did NOT have the "best" machine out there, nor the most expensive. I knew, waaaaaay back then, there were other machines that could indeed go deeper, get better separation, better discrimination. But....like I said, I was perfectly happy with the results I was getting.

Then, unfortunately, life got in the way, causing me to actually quit going out for about a decade or so. I just couldn't find time in my stupid work schedule, family things, etc. To go and enjoy myself anymore, so I just hung it up and planned on starting again when I retired. Which, happily, I've survived long enough to do.

When I started back, I was still using my Groundhog AND still finding! (I was actually afraid that everything might've been found while I was off! LOL )

I knew that the old machine was working but I also knew that, just maybe, the technology might've improved while I was away. So, I decided to upgrade to a machine where I knew I could count on, that wouldn't be a beginner's machine, and versatile enough for me to figure I could use it the rest of my life, and very importantly, I wouldn't have to sell body parts to pay for it initially, Remember, I was afraid everything might've been found so I couldn't count on the machine paying for itself. At least not when I started back.

Anyway, the ATP was that machine, and I specifically state, "FOR ME". It fit everything I was looking for and was reasonable in price. I've been swinging it for about 5 years now and it appears to me that my "ear" for hearing things has adjusted pretty well to this machine. Does that mean I think it's the best over all out there? In a flat word, no. I understand and know better. It's just right for me, right now.

Again, with all that said and giving where I've come from, I would STILL enjoy comparing signals/techniques for different machines. But, unless I bought several machines and then used them for as long as it took some of the experts to learn their machines. Any comparison I'd do on my own wouldn't amount to much good information. Even though I DO know how to program computers and did so for a very long time. It still takes time to "learn" a machine.

That's why I think it would be educational and fun for a few to get together and compare some field signals. Maybe play a game I do, "Call my shot". I try to identify every signal before I ever dig. Takes longer but it has shown me quite a bit.

I don't plan on upgrading any time soon. Like I said, the ATP is suited perfectly to what/where/how I hunt and I'm am doing well... enough with it, (for now ).

I don't travel much and have pretty much relegated myself to clad farms that were built on old ground lately. But, I feel comfortable enough nowadays to maybe actually start doing the research necessary to change this. We'll see, I am still just trying to relax and enjoy. Some of that researching shtuff requires, (shall I say it), WORK! LOL

I'd absolutely WELCOME the chance to get together even if it is just to say WOW! Did he really just find THAT HERE!?!? LOL

Thanks!

Hey WHADI, nice reply. I can only imagine the things you guys found back in the 1970's!

About the ATPro, it really is a great machine. I used mine for four straight years and made a lot of really good finds, and I still have it. I found many a coin amongst heavy iron, and the iron audio feature is really awesome.

I have a Deus now and I love it. However, if Garrett ever comes out with a new machine similar to the ATPro that is also wireless and rechargeable...I will have to get one.


P.S. Cool finds Against The Wind, glad so see the Monster scare some more goodies out of the ground!

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Why thank you, ATW! For your long and considered reply! I'll try to respond to several points.

First of all, I didn't start with a Garrett. This was my first detector:

View attachment 1362108

Had to keep a thumb on the tuning knob while swinging! LOL

I moved up just a tad to a Garrett Ground Hog in the 70's, which I still have and still works!.
I had a choice of a White's, a Compass, and a Bounty Hunter. But, the Groundhog's frequency responses,
(the actual tone of the signal), didn't annoy me as much as the others did. I finally settled on it because of the overall reviews AND that I figured to be listening to that signal for long periods of time. Their lower tone just didn't get on my nerves as much. Price was ok too.

I got in with a few different hunters back then, loosely a club, and I noticed I wasn't lagging behind in the quantity or quality of items found. So, I didn't feel a need to upgrade. The machine suited my purposes fine. I could do just about any type of hunting I wanted to do and with reasonable results. That's what I was looking for and got. So, I was happy.

As a direct result of my stubbornly staying with the same machine for many, many years. I got pretty good with it, (no brag). I got to where I could call my shots and hear things that my friends simply were unable to discern.

All that said, I was experienced enough to realize that I did NOT have the "best" machine out there, nor the most expensive. I knew, waaaaaay back then, there were other machines that could indeed go deeper, get better separation, better discrimination. But....like I said, I was perfectly happy with the results I was getting.

Then, unfortunately, life got in the way, causing me to actually quit going out for about a decade or so. I just couldn't find time in my stupid work schedule, family things, etc. To go and enjoy myself anymore, so I just hung it up and planned on starting again when I retired. Which, happily, I've survived long enough to do.

When I started back, I was still using my Groundhog AND still finding! (I was actually afraid that everything might've been found while I was off! LOL )

I knew that the old machine was working but I also knew that, just maybe, the technology might've improved while I was away. So, I decided to upgrade to a machine where I knew I could count on, that wouldn't be a beginner's machine, and versatile enough for me to figure I could use it the rest of my life, and very importantly, I wouldn't have to sell body parts to pay for it initially, Remember, I was afraid everything might've been found so I couldn't count on the machine paying for itself. At least not when I started back.

Anyway, the ATP was that machine, and I specifically state, "FOR ME". It fit everything I was looking for and was reasonable in price. I've been swinging it for about 5 years now and it appears to me that my "ear" for hearing things has adjusted pretty well to this machine. Does that mean I think it's the best over all out there? In a flat word, no. I understand and know better. It's just right for me, right now.

Again, with all that said and giving where I've come from, I would STILL enjoy comparing signals/techniques for different machines. But, unless I bought several machines and then used them for as long as it took some of the experts to learn their machines. Any comparison I'd do on my own wouldn't amount to much good information. Even though I DO know how to program computers and did so for a very long time. It still takes time to "learn" a machine.

That's why I think it would be educational and fun for a few to get together and compare some field signals. Maybe play a game I do, "Call my shot". I try to identify every signal before I ever dig. Takes longer but it has shown me quite a bit.

I don't plan on upgrading any time soon. Like I said, the ATP is suited perfectly to what/where/how I hunt and I'm am doing well... enough with it, (for now ).

I don't travel much and have pretty much relegated myself to clad farms that were built on old ground lately. But, I feel comfortable enough nowadays to maybe actually start doing the research necessary to change this. We'll see, I am still just trying to relax and enjoy. Some of that researching shtuff requires, (shall I say it), WORK! LOL

I'd absolutely WELCOME the chance to get together even if it is just to say WOW! Did he really just find THAT HERE!?!? LOL

Thanks!

So when and where are we meeting?