Treasure Camp

[bigscoop]

 

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[claire]

Love your videos! What kind of metal is the costume ring?

 

[bigscoop]

Love your videos! What kind of metal is the costume ring?

Not 100% sure yet? We think the main body is brass but have no idea as to the rest of the setting? I think Mike will eventually take it to a jeweler to see about getting it repaired. But it was an awesome recovery that I would gladly sacrifice a gold ring for.

 

[bklein]

What is your coil? Some targets deeper than my machine can do.

 

[bigscoop]

What is your coil? Some targets deeper than my machine can do.

“Depth” is sort of Physiological deception at times. What I mean by this is that there are two ways of achieving depth, the first being raw power and the second being “hunting within the limits of your machine.” Charlie, one of the guys I “water hunt” with now, is using a Garrett Ace 300, not a deep machine but he is keeping right up with us despite his limitations. Why? Because he only hunts over those shallower firmer bottoms, he never waste his time swinging his coil over soft bottoms where those denser targets are going to be laying out of his reach.


In answering your question about my coil size, I routinely switch back and forth between the stock 8” coil and an aftermarket 12x15 inch SEF coil, but I use the stock 8” most of the time. Big coils have their advantages but also their disadvantages, the disadvantages frequently outnumbering the obvious advantages of additional coverage area and depth. More and more I'm shifting to the OBN notion of coils with the stock 8” & 10” coils offering me the best performance.


On a final note, one of the things I've learned by observing the post and writings of guys like OBN, Clinick, etc., is that the real key to consistent success lies in knowing where and when to swing the coil, the machine just being a tool of that trade. Don't get too caught up in the machine/coil size game, Charlie and his Ace 300 providing constant reminder of that.

 

[gunsil]

I totally agree regarding coil size. I have been at it since 1970 and back in the day most manufacturers provided an 8" coil for coin and jewelry hunting as the stock coil. The larger coils were meant for hunting caches and larger targets and this still applies today. Yes, a large coil will go deeper in general but it also loses sensitivity to smaller objects and it loses separation of targets. I have 5 coils for my Infinium, yet the 8" hardly ever comes off it. My Excal has a ten incher but I would likely rather the 8" model. I also hardly ever take my 8" coils off my safari or ATP. Most folks get caught up in the "depth hype" but I would rather have good target separation and sensitivity to smaller targets. I have no problem finding dimes at about 10" with my Safari and 8" coil, and I know for sure that on land most coins and jewelry will be found in the top 6" if there has been no soil build up by landscaping or say river silt overflow. Coins do not sink in the dirt, the dirt VERY slowly builds up over them. Like Bigscoop says, when water hunting knowing where to choose you spots is very important, and somebody with a smaller coils can easily outhunt another person with a larger coil. The smaller coil will be easier to swing in the water, and in the case of my PI it has PLENTY of depth. I can see using a larger coil for more ground coverage on dry sand, but that is about it, but even then the lower target separation ability may make hunting more tedious in the long run.

 

[bklein]

I suspect my 10" is faulty somehow - it was sold to me with hesitations anyway by a guy getting out of the repair business. I was the best out of two but I expect it still not as good as it should be. Some cracking on the bottom etc. I just bought a third coil off ebay that has no cracks but had the cable disintegrate all the way to the strain relief. I am now looking at connectors and will post a question on those separately.