to different parts of this state [size=small](Oregon)[/size] and to different states, and have especially traveled around more since '83. There are some really ugly ground conditions folks have to deal with, and there are some very pleasant locations as well. It is difficult to do a "fresh bury" and expect to get good-to-better results because the ground has been disturbed and it just isn't a 'natural' type environment.
Now, that's not saying that we always get to search a 'natural' environment with long-time, undisturbed ground or targets. Often we will search a beach that gets churned around a lot. We might hunt a freshly plowed field, or one that is frequently turned and disturbed. I look for a lot of renovation work and, naturally, that is also freshly disturbed. Then, too, even undisturbed ground can be quite a problem to deal with.
I noticed a video posted today by Daniel TN and all I could see of the Ground Balance in his red clay type soil was 6-of-8 Fe3O4 Sections in the MMI read-out, but I couldn't see the Ground Phase read-out. Most of the places I hunt around where I live, or two of the high desert ghost towns I have worked a few times already this year and several of this regional parks, have had a Ground Phase setting of '81' to '86' and there are '6' or '7' pie segments out of '8' on the MMI chart that are filled.
Bad ground? I believe so. Does it impact the depth and overall performance of the Nokta FORS CoRe and Makro Racer? Well, I guess it might, however ....
One thing I do know is I have hunted these sites for a long time, especially my favorite ghost town since May 4th of 1969. Yes, this coming Monday makes 46 years covering the same old town site, and I have used almost every make and model I have ever owned, from many manufacturers. How many? A wide assortment of makes and models, many that hobbyists today have never heard of, for over fifty years.
As an avid detectorist, I have made it a point to own and use more than one detector, and often more than one brand in my detector arsenal, along with search coils that work well for me and what I deal with. I do not like to have a detector in my personal "all-purpose" carry units if it fails to provide performance I need for various types of sites and conditions. I want to upgrade my detectors so that I have some of the best performance. This does not always mean depth because we can't always attain better depth, but it does mean to have an ability to out-perform other detectors by recovering potentially good targets in some of the more challenging sites [size=small](very trashy)[/size] I encounter.
I have been using some of the best detectors in all-around performance that are simple, straight-forward and reliable. This year I had to make some complete changes due to the fact that a better product was on the market which proved to me, during side-by-side, in-the-field evaluations, that I had a marked improvement in overall performance. The first to fit atop that category was the Nokta FORS CoRe. In actual field use I have not only recovered many targets that were masked or partially masked from detection by other detectors I used, but I have also pulled out some coins and similar smaller-size targets that were deeper.
I like to keep things simple and the FORS Coin & Relic is a simple, yet versatile, high-performance detector. Joining it as one of my regular-carry, top-performers is the co-company Makro Racer.
You were correct when you stated: "I think it should have done better than 6" might be the magnetite."
Settings used, search coils used, and sweep speed used, can all add to the performance we attain or it can detract from the performance we can attain. A 6" coin is still a deep coin in many challenging areas I hunt, regardless of the detector used.
I really love my FORS CoRe, especially working the 7X11 DD standard coil in the open grassy parks or on our beach areas.
Also, as I stated in my last post as a correction to your search mode description:
PS: The two numbered search modes are DI2, like Di2, and DI3, such as Di3, as the 'D' and 'I' are letters, followed by a '2' or '3' for 2-Tone or 3-Tone search mode. It is not a D 12 or D 13.
Finally, if the ground is bad and/or I want the best depth possible in challenging ground, I run my ID Mask at '10' and no more. There are times I reduce it a little, to perhaps '05' or so, as long as it is still helping to take out any ground or rock [size=small](hot rock)[/size] responses. Also, the best attainable depth is going to be in the GEN mode which is the Threshold-based All Metal search mode, and the 2-Tone Di2 mode, with similar Sensitivity settings, will usually be the next deepest responding search mode.
Where I usually hunt, most good targets are not all that deep. Instead, they are, or were, masked by other targets that were in great abundance, with a lot of those being iron to include dense amounts of nails. Just enjoy using your FORS and the best coil for the task. In time you'll find a coin or two that you consider to be 'deep' that other detecrtors struggle on.
Monte
