XP DEUS II Smackdown...

[TORRERO]

Went out with my friend today and we found an old Church yard to hunt, Pastor said HI, and no problem,
We spent 3 hours walking around this small Churchyard and found numerous coins.. but what surprised me the most was the numbers...
While my friend uses a Minelab 800, an admirable machine, and he seems to do ok with it. I use an XP DEUS II

I took 11 wheat cents from that yard along with 5-6 nickels and 3 dimes and probably 7-8 regular pennies... (no quarters)
My friend got more quarters than I did, which was 0 from the church yard, he got 2, but he seemed to have a problem with depth, although MOST of the signals I got he seemed to get (if he checked them) a lot of them he said he wouldn't have dug.

His take on Wheat Cents was ONE, where I got 11, we have been hunting for 20 years together... so lack of skill is probably not the issue.
Knowledge on how to adjust his machine maybe some... but clearly he wasn't getting all the same signals I was getting...

I can CLEARLY hear a good sound from a bad sound, he can't tell the difference just by the sound,
I can normally tell if a target is LARGE or not or COIN sized or not, but he can't and calls me over a lot to check signals for him to verify if a target is worth digging...

I'm LOVING MY DEUS II for coin shooting old sites..

Sorry to report that even after 12 wheat cents... there was NO sign of elusive silver coins... I kept expecting one to pop up, but none ever did...
The yard we hunted was relatively small, but the church property and surrounding properties have a lot more places to check...
We will be back !!

(8 Coins on bottom right are Wheats, I dug 11 gave 3 to the Pastor, and one my friend dug.. ) WHERE WAS THE SILVER ?

 

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[Gare]

NICE REPORT Torrero What program were you running ?

 

[TORRERO]

NICE REPORT Torrero What program were you running ?

I think pretty much basic, accept that I tweaked it, that or a coin program so
I was taking the higher targets and the nickel targets

 

[Gare]

For a long time on my Deus 2 I was only taking )digging_ higher number targets. When our ground here Thaws i am going back to most good NON Scratchy numbers

 

[TORRERO]

For a long time on my Deus 2 I was only taking )digging_ higher number targets. When our ground here Thaws i am going back to most good NON Scratchy numbers

You will dig pull tabs and SCREW cap tops, but you can clearly hear the difference between a broken iron target and a good metallic target,
You can also put it basically in all metal NON-IRON and as you scan pick and choose your numbered targets, the DEUS II does Extremely well with Target ID at depth, but with all machines the numbers can jump around depending on multiple factors ..
I personally think this might be an issue with my friend, because he is a "Hunt by numbers" guy.. so if a number isn't "SPOT ON" he doesn't want to risk digging it..
But for me a copper penny can be 89-90 or it can fall into a range between as low as 84 and as high as 92, if I get a good sounding target that's deep and its numbers FLUCTUATE between 85-90 but it SOUNDS solid, I'm digging it regardless... My friend says that's the reason I get more than him is because I dig EVERYTHING, that is NOT the truth... I cherry pick just like everyone else, I just decide WHAT targets I'm willing to dig, which are MORE than what HE is willing to dig... Plus I'm a very aggressive hunter...

 

[Gare]

Thanks Torrero Do you have any of the books you wrote left for purchase ?

 

[cudamark]

You will dig pull tabs and SCREW cap tops, but you can clearly hear the difference between a broken iron target and a good metallic target,
You can also put it basically in all metal NON-IRON and as you scan pick and choose your numbered targets, the DEUS II does Extremely well with Target ID at depth, but with all machines the numbers can jump around depending on multiple factors ..
I personally think this might be an issue with my friend, because he is a "Hunt by numbers" guy.. so if a number isn't "SPOT ON" he doesn't want to risk digging it..
But for me a copper penny can be 89-90 or it can fall into a range between as low as 84 and as high as 92, if I get a good sounding target that's deep and its numbers FLUCTUATE between 85-90 but it SOUNDS solid, I'm digging it regardless... My friend says that's the reason I get more than him is because I dig EVERYTHING, that is NOT the truth... I cherry pick just like everyone else, I just decide WHAT targets I'm willing to dig, which are MORE than what HE is willing to dig... Plus I'm a very aggressive hunter...

That's your friends problem, being too picky on target I.D.'s. If he would go by depth at an old site, he would do a lot better. Any solid sound at an old site should be dug, regardless of number.

 

[TORRERO]

That's your friends problem, being too picky on target I.D.'s. If he would go by depth at an old site, he would do a lot better. Any solid sound at an old site should be dug, regardless of number.

I agree with that, but if your at a site that has been in use for the last 100-150 years there is also going to be a substantial amount of modern trash that has worked its way deeper. I dug a few pulltabs and some bottle caps. At my age I can be quiet sore after digging 100 holes in a day 🤣

 

[cudamark]

Sure, a FEW items will get down deep, but, unless the ground has been rototilled, The older stuff is going to be deeper than the modern trash for the most part. Digging a few modern trash targets is unavoidable regardless of which detector you're using. Getting to know what your machine is telling you is the key. I find most people use too much discrimination, too few tones, and rely too much on the display.

 

[TORRERO]

Sure, a FEW items will get down deep, but, unless the ground has been rototilled, The older stuff is going to be deeper than the modern trash for the most part. Digging a few modern trash targets is unavoidable regardless of which detector you're using. Getting to know what your machine is telling you is the key. I find most people use too much discrimination, too few tones, and rely too much on the display.

I don't see an XP on your list... are you a future user ?

 

[RobNC]

Good to see you found some keepers. The Deus II is a great machine but I will never be able to afford one. Having used an Equinox 800 and it's still in my flock can say that it does have limits. The way it is set up can also harm it or help it. That Deus II is a newer machine with better separation. The EQ800 lost its butt to a better unit that hunt.

On your location, it was built in 1939. If you can, get into something a tad older. Maybe 1908-1935 range. If you go back older than 1908 the iron contamination becomes a bigger problem in those sites. You would think " oh this 1855 place should be loaded!". Yes, it is loaded but with iron. Parks or old swimming holes that have been long forgotten hold some promise but are difficult to locate.
The fact you found wheats means there was a potential for silver. Maybe someone else cherry picked it long ago. I've seent he same thing at some sites but knew it was pounded to death already long before my coil ever hit the site. If you had rain the last couple days that would also enhance depth as you know. But the Equinox can sometimes get confused with too much water in the ground at least mine would at times.

 

[TORRERO]

On your location, it was built in 1939.

You know where my secret location is ?

 

[TORRERO]

Good to see you found some keepers. The Deus II is a great machine but I will never be able to afford one. Having used an Equinox 800 and it's still in my flock can say that it does have limits. The way it is set up can also harm it or help it. That Deus II is a newer machine with better separation. The EQ800 lost its butt to a better unit that hunt.

On your location, it was built in 1939. If you can, get into something a tad older. Maybe 1908-1935 range. If you go back older than 1908 the iron contamination becomes a bigger problem in those sites. You would think " oh this 1855 place should be loaded!". Yes, it is loaded but with iron. Parks or old swimming holes that have been long forgotten hold some promise but are difficult to locate.
The fact you found wheats means there was a potential for silver. Maybe someone else cherry picked it long ago. I've seent he same thing at some sites but knew it was pounded to death already long before my coil ever hit the site. If you had rain the last couple days that would also enhance depth as you know. But the Equinox can sometimes get confused with too much water in the ground at least mine would at times.

I've been using the DEUS II for about 2 years and although this many wheats are uncommon its not the first time we hit a site and I walked circles around his 800 for older coins. I feel kinda bad because we both are older and at times its kinda a competition But he has smoked me on some of the BIGGER silver.. only because he walked over it first. (a couple of silver halves)

 

[RobNC]

You know where my secret location is ?

Been through that area a time or two for work some years back. Plus you put a pic up of the place..
If you had some older school sites that would be good too.
I want you to find a cache.
Just because I'm unable to hunt right now doesn't mean I want others to miss out.
But not all old sites are golden. Like the one below. 1856 build date. Loaded with all kinds of mess. I can go there anytime I like but 22 shells are everywhere along with other rubbish. I found a single mercury dime some years ago there. Also found a Navy button. Come to find out the family had an uncle that came back from war and pretty much was strung out on morphine and had syphillis. It was most likely his button. I was glad to give it back to the family as it was essentially a piece of their history.
I've hunted it sporadically since 2002. Numerous machines over the years. It's a rare old place but you find more ticks than anything. Had a body full of deer ticks. Came down with Lyme Disease. Still feel the effects of that outing.

 

[Almy]

I have hunted a few 20th century sites that I know were not hunted previously and found only one cent coins. I'm guessing an important reason is that people who dropped a silver or even nickle coin looked for it a lot harder, and found it more easily than the small copper cents.

 

[RobNC]

I have hunted a few 20th century sites that I know were not hunted previously and found only one cent coins. I'm guessing an important reason is that people who dropped a silver or even nickle coin looked for it a lot harder, and found it more easily than the small copper cents.

Good point. Unless they were filthy rich or some kid got into the stash. Some coins I've found had to be out of a family member's coin collection. Why else would a britich 2 pound coin be here in the states at a school? But it was.

It is really strange how some places you'd think held good finds are fairly barren. I'm happy to find any kind of coin really. Modern or old. But silver coins hold a special place for me personally. They usually look really good coming out of the ground. The only exception are war nickels. They can be quite crusty. Have not found one in a few years.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Congrats on the great finds !

 

[TORRERO]

Congrats on the great finds !

thanks

 

[TORRERO]

I have hunted a few 20th century sites that I know were not hunted previously and found only one cent coins. I'm guessing an important reason is that people who dropped a silver or even nickel coin looked for it a lot harder, and found it more easily than the small copper cents.

We (and many others too) have had debates on this, I'm not sure what theory I take more, I am certain that people lost what they had, so if a lot of the people in these places had silver, they lost a lot of silver, if they had MOSTLY pennies then they lost MOSTLY pennies...
I don't know for sure, but this church looked to me to be an early black church, and maybe they just didn't have that much silver coins in their pockets, I've hunted other black churches in the past and it could go either way, I remember one where I got maybe 25 wheat pennies and no silver, another I got a silver quarter and some silver dimes.

Another possibility is that maybe someone Cherry Picked the really high targets and pulled the silver out before we got there... I think it's Possible but not likely because a silver dime and a copper penny are VERY close conductive wise, and one could easily be miscronstruesd for another. So if you were not digging those copper pennies signals you almost certainly would miss a few smaller silver dimes..

What we can't know of course is who came before us, the Pastor said that there was a guy from the church who had hunted it before, and you never know what he got... but 12 wheat pennies, plus all the other coins, tells me that who ever he was and whatever he dug, he did not do a very good job... (because my friend got 2 regular quarters, I got 3 regular dimes and 5 nickels and maybe 7-8 regular pennies too)

If I get a permission like this and find good targets (Wheats are deep good targets) I personally generally don't want to leave until I'm sure I didn't leave anything for anyone else 🤣
My partner calls me a "Greedy bastard" ... So those are my two theories..

(Also the guy could have had a crappy machine, and couldn't dig the deeper signals, but then he would have missed the deep silver)

 

[TORRERO]

people who dropped a silver or even nickel coin looked for it a lot harder, and found it more easily than the small copper cents.

I can certainly see this with Silver Dollars... ha ha ha ... they so BIG you could see them a mile away..