Minelab Explorer Forum

Bryce, with the risk of getting mushy or out of hand, I wrote this simple tribute to you, our dogs, and the kinds of friendships this great hobby of ours can translate into. I'm not the most "personal" person in person, but I think the "anonymity" of the net can afford me such indulgence. I hope you don't read too much into this, but at the same time I hope you read more into it then just a superficial form of a thank you. This is my small tribute to you for the great service you've done to this forum, to our dogs, to your comfort to my suffering, but more importantly to this great hobby of ours as a whole which you've done great things to promote. God speed...

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?21,1743461

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 07:37PM by Critterhunter.

and those pics in your response below must touch your heart every time you look at them. I can tell how much she meant to you and can only imagine the bond you two had. I can truly "hear" the language she spoke just by looking at the picture of her in mid "sentence"
They do have a "way" of communicating with those that they love...and you can bet the farm she knew you understood her.
I know you were good to her and she was as blessed to have you as you were to have her.

I can't even begin to explain the bond I have with Hercules...but no way I would have gotten through the loss of my mom a few years ago without him.
To this day I won't hunt without him...seriously. Any of my friends who I have had the pleasure of hunting with will tell you this is true...because he is with me every time we hunt. Even at a site where he can't run...I keep a long leash for him in my left hand while I swing the detector in the other.
95% of the time though I frequent the same two sites I have hunted for 30+ years...and finds are scarce but that's not what's important to me.
It's a way for me to find some inner peace...connect with my mom by glancing up at the sky every now and then... further bond with my best buddy Hercules...and smile as he eyeballs squirrels from some incredible distances ...then takes off 100 mph for 50 to 100 yard sprints only to have them escape up a tree at the last second

In response to your thread about true friendships you posted on the other forum.....good stuff brother....real good stuff.
I have met some wonderful people through this hobby and this forum...most of whom I will never have the opportunity to meet in person or hunt with.
Some people wouldn't understand if I told them a few of my closest personal friends are people as I just described...and actually never met in person and actually only conversed with through this forum...but it is 100% true.

What you have stated in posts or responses to me speaks volumes about the kind of person you are...and I want you to know it means a lot to me to have your respect.

I'm honored to consider you my friend.

---

Here's the link to my field test post containing over 60 different hunts of various coil tests...comparisons...nicer finds...etc..:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?19,1055627,1055627#msg-1055627

Been swingin' the coil since 1972
Started out in 1972 with a Jetco Detector...then the late 70's with a Whites 6000....then in 1981 went to a Bounty Hunter VLF TR 840...then in the early 1980's I went to a Whites 6000 Di Pro...mid 80's I went to a Whites Eagle II SL...Late 80's/Early 90's I went to the Whites XLT...1990's I used the Fisher CZ5, CZ6, CZ7, 7aPro, and CZ70Pro...Started using Minelabs in 1999
with a brief stint on the Musketeer while also using the CZ's...then in 2002 I switched to the Minelab Explorers and currently use an Explorer 2, SE, SEPro, and E-trac with an arsenal of coils

Here's the story of my BEST FIND EVER.:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?19,876944,876944#msg-876944

"Metal detecting is an escape for me and allows me to find some much needed peace and solace.
Being able to clear my head...even if only for that short while...is much more meaningful than any amount of finds that end up in my pouch" "Quote ME"

Since I've already said enough, I'll just say ditto to that my friend. Keep up the great work you've done to help others understand and get the most out of these excellent Minelabs, but more importantly for your work in promoting this great hobby of ours that radiates positive things WELL beyond the detecting field...

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...

Gorgeous husky bud. I bet Sky appreciated your companship. Really nice post.

---

Explorer SE, EX2, E-Trac, ctx3030 and whatever else works

"If you have to copy and imitate to get attention...then you'll never be anything but fake"

Thanks. I know we all think our dogs or kids are the cutest in the world, but most people I met would just blush over the beauty of that dog's eyes and coat. I used to take her up to the local Sunoco gas station and let her run free INSIDE the store, because the clerks always had treats for her and another guy's dog.

Sky would run around and kiss, talk to, and welcome customers with just bountiful joy. Those morning routines were some of my best memories with that dog as I got my smokes and coffee in the morning. Only one time did a fellow customer complain and say "Why do you have to bring THAT dog in here?" I didn't say anything at the time, but after the fact I should have said "Because the store owner lets me, and because most feeling human beings love friendly dogs."

On a sad note, I hadn't taken her up to that store for several months due to me giving up coffee in the morning for a while. One day about a week before she died I stopped in to buy some smokes, and the clerks said "Where is OUR dog?" I promised them I'd bring her in soon. That "soon" never came, of course. One of the hardest things I had to do was go in there and tell those clerks what happened to Sky. I felt guilty that I didn't bring her to visit before it was too late, that I not only cheated Sky out of that experience but also those clerks who just loved her.

Barely got the words out and just walked out the door, because I couldn't control my emotions and didn't want to cry in front of their customers. I'll go back when I'm stronger, because even just thinking about that now makes me feel guilty about not bringing her up there. It's like an old friend you keep promising to visit on the phone, and then one day it's too late.

Anyway, thanks for the remark about her being a real beauty. Like I said though, those pics of her were from a day or two before she got sick and she was shedding her thick winter coat.

But beyond all that fluff, this thread is meant to be about Bryce's proud and HAPPY moment of being on the cover of a magazine. He should be very proud of that, as we all are of him. Great job Bryce...

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...

I like that coil too I just wish it was completely water proof and not just "water resistant". I noticed you pointed that out in the article as well...nice job. Good to see your buddy made the "headlines" too

Hmmm...You sure it's only rated water resistant? I must have missed it because I never heard that. In fact, a few guys in the Sovereign forum are using it on Excals and such for water hunting. If it ain't rated waterproof that's a shocker, as most coils these days are waterproof. That's thanks to modern advances using micro balloons mixed in the epoxy to drop a bunch of weight, so they can still fill the coil with epoxy and not have it be a boat anchor. Filling a coil completely with epoxy is the only way to insure no leaks.

Many solid coils were often not filled with epoxy before micro balloon technology for that very reason (so they wouldn't weigh a ton), and that's why many of the old solid (pancake) coils weren't rated as waterproof but only water resistant. Beyond all that, water resistant coils are still fine to use in the water provided you put rubber cement on the threads and under the rubber coil cable sleeve that slides down with the coil nut. Tighten the coil nut by hand, then just a hair more with a wrench to avoid cracking it. Only problem with water resistant coils is one pin hole leak anywhere on the coil casing and it's all over, and the fact that they tend to try to float in water.

Either way, anybody confirm it's only rated water resistant?

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...

before testing the coil.

He stated it to me and also gave me the reasons why is wasn't waterproof and in fact was only water resistant.

That's why I made a point to also state it in my fieldtest report in the magazine so people would know.

I did hunt in some drizzle/rain during testing and wanted to make sure anyone reading the article didn't confuse that with the coil being waterproof.

---

Here's the link to my field test post containing over 60 different hunts of various coil tests...comparisons...nicer finds...etc..:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?19,1055627,1055627#msg-1055627

Been swingin' the coil since 1972
Started out in 1972 with a Jetco Detector...then the late 70's with a Whites 6000....then in 1981 went to a Bounty Hunter VLF TR 840...then in the early 1980's I went to a Whites 6000 Di Pro...mid 80's I went to a Whites Eagle II SL...Late 80's/Early 90's I went to the Whites XLT...1990's I used the Fisher CZ5, CZ6, CZ7, 7aPro, and CZ70Pro...Started using Minelabs in 1999
with a brief stint on the Musketeer while also using the CZ's...then in 2002 I switched to the Minelab Explorers and currently use an Explorer 2, SE, SEPro, and E-trac with an arsenal of coils

Here's the story of my BEST FIND EVER.:
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?19,876944,876944#msg-876944

"Metal detecting is an escape for me and allows me to find some much needed peace and solace.
Being able to clear my head...even if only for that short while...is much more meaningful than any amount of finds that end up in my pouch" "Quote ME"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 09:27AM by Bryce-IL.

Wow, I missed that being mentioned. I even just went to Detech's official site and read the specs on the coil and saw no mention of it being filled with epoxy or being waterproof, so you for sure got it right by the looks of it. No wonder such a big coil is so super light. Even using micro balloons in the epoxy it would be hard to build one that light. Thanks for tipping us off on that.

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...

Bryce, since all the forums are slow due to the weather right now I hope nobody will mind if I post this link for you of a video I just saw on the news of a dog greeting it's master- a soldier coming home from war.

I think they said he hadn't seen his dog in 8 months and he was very worried his dog wouldn't recognize him. I think this video shows that people don't give dogs the credit they are due. They know more than we could ever realize. When I saw this video I thought of my late Husky, and also of course of the very special relationship you too have with your dog.

This is what life's all about as far as I'm concerned, so even if it's off the subject of metal detecting I think it's worth posting just so we all get reminded about priorities in life. Sometimes we forget and that's when something like this is needed to remind us...

http://www.therightscoop.com/dog-welcomes-home-soldier-from-deployment/

By the way, really looking forward to that field report I just caught wind of. That one I'll be reading like a fine book, like I do all your field reports...

---

Think I'm finally home after a lot of years searching for my particular needs. Custom 1.5 lb lighter Sovereign GT (easy to do by just "building" lighter shaft) & SEF 12x10 as everyday coil. 8" Tornado (actually 7.25") as super heavy trash coil (Very deep & separates better than typical 8/9" true size coils). 13" Ultimate for large fields/beaches on certain days I want to grid faster than even the 12x10's nice improvement over stock for that. Stock 10" Tornado stays on water rig (stock shaft). ProPointer. Owned 15x12 & SunRay S-5 (5.5") at one time. Loaned a prior 13" Ultimate & SunRay S-12 (12.5").

Some Oldest Silver- 1835 Bust Dime, 1842 "O" Seated Dime, 1855 Seated Quarter, 1858 3 Cent Piece, 1891 Seated Dime, & another Seated Quarter too damaged to read date. Highest Value- 3 Cent Piece, Seated Quarter, & now 1921 F-12 Standing Liberty. Oldest Coin? Got to give large cents a good look & see. 2013 so far- 1 Seated Quarter, 1 Barber Quarter, 1 Standing Liberty, 2 Washingtons, 1 Barber Dime, 9 Mercs, 3 Rosies. 1 War Nickel. 19 silvers in total, & 1 1872 key date Indian, 2 Bufallos, 1 man's 14K gold medium sized ring & 1 gold chain, with possibility of few 8"+ deep mystery coins being Indians after cleaning.

What matters in life is the journey and not the desitination. How you handle that journey determines if you were a success, not so much what you achieved if and when you finally get there, especially if you made it by stepping on people along the way...

In loving memory of my long haired (wooly) husky Sky. She taught me just how beautiful and pure a soul can be, human or not...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2012 10:58AM by Critterhunter.