Hunted with "Heavy D":hot: and got my first good silver of 2010:thumbup:

[Hotcz70]

I have been extremely busy doing field tests of Sunray coils so my personal hunt time has been limited.

Because of the extensive and in depth field testing I did though...I learned some amazing things about the Sunray coils and what they are capable of.

Well I finally had some personal hunt time so I took advantage of the 45 degree temps over the weekend and hit a pounded park Guvner and I hit a few times last year.

I took hunting buddy Deeponedge (Darrell aka "Heavy D") with me and he brought all 3 machines EX2...SE...and the E-Trac.

He usually ends up using one of my coils on his EX2 because he prefers that machine so I have probably put 40 hours on his E-Trac in the last few months.

While I like the E-trac and feel it's a great machine...I still prefer my explorer at pounded parks. That's just my personal preference.

Anyway...I am 100% an Explorer user. Always have been...and always WILL be. That "AIN'T" gonna change.
I do feel though that I can use his E-Trac as another weapon to find walked over coins at some of these pummeled sites...much like I use different coils for different situations.

He's on the road a lot so I have access to his E-trac anytime I want.

Well anyway we hunted around the pond area of this park and I decided to put a couple of hours on his E-trac.
I did okay with it but couldn't get the depth I needed running semi auto +3 sensitivity. After I went to manual 24 on his E-Trac...I hit a couple of 9" wheaties.

"Heavy D" then decided he would put some hours on his E-Trac so I got out the EX2 I bought off of Guvner and popped on the X-12 coil.

I'm surprised after Guvner owned it that there wasn't some kind of jinx on it ...but after an hour or so I had a wheatie and a roosey from the deep mud.

I then went back to my main machine...the SE. It was already set up with the 10 x 12 SEF coil...so that's how I left it.

I spent my time wading through 10 to 15 second long dead nulls with the SE...but that's where I'm comfortable. At any site I'm familiar with I go to the worst area of trash or deep iron. If I'm not familiar with the park...I will go right where a fellow hunter has told me not to go because of adverse conditions.

An hour or so later I got a screamer through the nulls which startled me. I was beginning to null myself to sleep but this signal woke me up. It was just a one angle hit ...but it did repeat on the return sweep. Even though it only hit in that one spot...the sweet "warble" tone was there so I kneeled down in the muck.

Before long I had popped out the 1892-O Barber Quarter and there was a 4" piece of rusty iron nearly on top of it. Dang...missed the seated by one year...but at least this is the higher $$ O mintmark.

It was nice to be able to hunt in THAWED ground towards the end of January. I don't remember that ever happening in all my years of hunting.

Heavy D ended up with 2 old wheaties on the day... and I ended up with 3 wheaties...a roosey...and the Barber Quarter. We did well considering how heavily this park has been explorerd and E-tracked over the last 8 years....so much so that I can't even get Guvner to drive here and hunt with me anymore.

I hope you all got some hunting in during the warm spell. It's back to 20 degree temps here now...so I'm sure the ground will be frozen up for the next few months. I don't care though cause' who'd a "thunk" I would get to hunt in mid 40 temps and thawed ground in late January.

 

[LabradorBob]

Excellent post Bryce,
And a great find,I bet the testing is tiresome,a lot of people couldn't,wouldn't do it.
I myself have never been short on patience,but i will leave me out of this.
The coins you find are absolutely fantastic,and i can say that not only does it take experience,
but it takes someone with a lot of patience,to make the finds like you do!
Persistence and understanding are what gives you the edge.
and also,no matter how hard you try,the coins have to be there to find them.
You have been doing this (A While),and it shows with your finds.
Thanks for sharing,and helping so many others.
Harold Reese

 

[Hotcz70]

Harold...thanks for the kind words my friend.

I love testing various coils and I love the little positives that make each coil unique in it's abilities.
It is very time consuming...yet very rewarding.

I can actually feel confident telling friends and hunting buddies whether or not I feel they should shell out there hard earned money on an aftermarket coil.

Just because it works well for me in my soil and my settings...doesn't mean it will work the same for them...but at least I can give them an honest opinion of what I think about the coil.

When I test coils I'm hoping they perform well in the field for me,,,cause' if they don't...I am honest and am going to tell people exactly that.

The last thing I would want to do is tell my friends to go out and spend their hard earned $$ on a coil that didn't perform for me the way I said it did.

I would NEVER do that...and all of my hunting partners...friends..buddies...etc....KNOW that and trust me.

I believe I went out on a limb well over a year ago when the Minelab pro coil came out....by telling people just how good the 10 x 12 SEF coil was and what I was finding with it. At that time the Minelab pro coil was the "big" thing...and rightfully so because it's a good coil.
For me though and at my sites and in my soil...using the settings I do...I 100% preferred the 10 x 12 over the pro coil.

I bet I received at least 75 pm's about that coil from people wanting to know whether or not they should run out and buy it. I never pushed any of them to buy it and I'm sure they would varify that fact. What I did do though was tell them exactly what it did for me and how it performed in the field.
Take care Harold and again...I appreciate what you said. It means a lot to me

 

[Gold Nuggets]

I'm sure that your review of the new coil will be as honest as you can make it.
Pros and cons as you see them, in your area, with your type of hunting settings
and your results. Look forward to reading the review when it is printed.
Congrats on the 1892-o Barber quarter. It looks like it is in great shape as the
silver finds continue in a well pounded park. Spring, warmer weather and lots more
good hunts are just around the corner. Look forward to reading about more good
finds. Take care my friend......... Gold Nuggets

 

[DirtFlipper]

Where/when will the various coil reviews be found?

Great find to see in the dead of winter! (as it still is here in the frozen tundra that is MN)...

 

[bill67]

Way to go Bro ..... you do keep a us inspired ..... Thanks again for the PM on the program settings...... Bill
Loved the "Monkey Moderator" picture .....it was rich.....

 

[sasquache]

What a sweet find my friend cant wait too find my first silver barber quarter man what a beauty !!

 

[DrBobinMO]

Awesome Bryce. Way to one-up me on the first silver dig of 2010. She is a beauty.

Can't wait to get out with you this year.

Keep it up!!!!

 

[Hotcz70]

you're still thanking me when you try my settings and get some nulling and a little chirping

Mike's settings are good ones...as are a lot of other fellers'. The key is to be able to incorporate different successful hunters' settings into your own.
That's what I did. I started out with Mike's...then GOLDDIGGER'S...then Jimp's...then I began tinkering...piddling...and experimenting in the field until I found a group of settings that worked well for me.

I think once I got iron mask dialed in for my preference...is when I started doing well.

I like the more closed screen of IM-22 instead of more open -28 to -31. Iron sounded too good at the more open settings.

With it at -22 most of the iron hits are gone...but the deep silver still comes through even if my machine is in a slight null.

If I open up my iron mask even one notch to -23...I start to dig iron

If I close it even one notch to -21...then deep silver hits won't break through the nulls like I want it to.

Have fun experimenting my friend...just don't get frustrated and bang that sucker off a tree.

 

[Hotcz70]

Hi D.F...the X-5 field test will be in the March issue which comes out in about a week as far as I know.
The X-12 field test will be in the April or May issue from what I've been told.

I was thinking they were going to try and get the X-12 test in the issue following the X-5 if they could fit it in. if not...it would be in the next one (May)

 

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

Nice story and sweet barber quarter Bryce. Gotta be one of the nicest coins minted besides the SLQ and the WLH. Got out last Sat at a club hunt at a very old scout camp. Slim pickens, but I did manage three wheaties, a nice 10kt gold wedding band, a 1899 V nickle, two scout scarf slides and a couple of scout pins and about four dollars in clad. I didn't post cause my camera is not working. HH.

Eddie

 

[NealNoIN]

n/t

 

[crow-duck]

Bryce glad you got out to hunt.I feel sorry for you to spend so much time trying out that new coil, It's a bad job but someone has to do it !!!!!! Have a Good one !!!

 

[Eddie(AL)]

Hi D.F...the X-5 field test will be in the March issue which comes out in about a week as far as I know.
The X-12 field test will be in the April or May issue from what I've been told.

I was thinking they were going to try and get the X-12 test in the issue following the X-5 if they could fit it in. if not...it would be in the next one (May)

Sorry for being ignorant. What publication are you talking about?

 

[Hotcz70]

Hi Eddie.

Western & Eastern Treasures

 

[Hotcz70]

Thanks for the kind words.

I'll tell ya' what....I had VERY high expectations on both of the field tests after reading about the performance of the X-5 and X-12 over the years.

My biggest concern was that I wasn't gonna' like one of 'em...OR both of them...and then have to write just THAT...that I didn't feel they offered much for an aftermarket coil. If that was the case...that's exactly what I would have stated.

Well after many hours at different sites with each coil....let's just say I WASN'T let down by the performance.

Ithat's all I can say right now...so I hope you enjoy the report once it comes out.
Take care G.N...and thanks again

 

[Hotcz70]

What a sweet find my friend cant wait too find my first silver barber quarter man what a beauty !!

Thanks buddy. I hope you get one soon....and I bet you do

Awesome Bryce. Way to one-up me on the first silver dig of 2010. She is a beauty.

Can't wait to get out with you this year.

Keep it up!!!!

Thanks Bob. I look forward to it too. Surely between the two of us...we can keep that nightmarish gloat off of Guvner's face.
If he finds something though...that gloat is definitely gonna' appear. However I'll be more than happy to wipe it off his jib

n/t

Thanks Neal. A fast start...but a one day start. I'm frozen up again

Bryce glad you got out to hunt.I feel sorry for you to spend so much time trying out that new coil, It's a bad job but someone has to do it !!!!!! Have a Good one !!!

Thanks G-Money. It sure has been fun. I think the fun is over for a few months now though. Frozen ground alrerady...but it was fun for a day

Nice story and sweet barber quarter Bryce. Gotta be one of the nicest coins minted besides the SLQ and the WLH. Got out last Sat at a club hunt at a very old scout camp. Slim pickens, but I did manage three wheaties, a nice 10kt gold wedding band, a 1899 V nickle, two scout scarf slides and a couple of scout pins and about four dollars in clad. I didn't post cause my camera is not working. HH.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie. Sounds like you did well at the club hunt...and I'm glad you were able to get out. At least many of us got to squeeze in some playtime between ground freezes
Congrats on the gold band. I haven't found gold in a long while

 

[mcb613]

Bryce, I have been reading alot about your trashy / silver finding ability and need to ask... can you elaborate very specifically to help us " not so gifted" folks. Please elaborate on this part of your quote, please... "An hour or so later I got a screamer through the nulls which startled me. I was beginning to null myself to sleep but this signal woke me up. It was just a one angle hit ...but it did repeat on the return sweep. Even though it only hit in that one spot...the sweet "warble" tone was there . Thanx, mIke

 

[Hotcz70]

Bryce, I have been reading alot about your trashy / silver finding ability and need to ask... can you elaborate very specifically to help us " not so gifted" folks. Please elaborate on this part of your quote, please... "An hour or so later I got a screamer through the nulls which startled me. I was beginning to null myself to sleep but this signal woke me up. It was just a one angle hit ...but it did repeat on the return sweep. Even though it only hit in that one spot...the sweet "warble" tone was there . Thanx, mIke

Hi Mike. To be honest....that's about as clear as I can explain it...but I'll try it a little differently.
My SE was over iron or possibly another blacked out target on the smartfind screen which was causing a loss of audible threshold hum.
This happens often to me but I don't mind it. I just slow way down and listen for a high pitched, multi toned signal..which I call a "warble"...to break through the silence.

I then stop to investigate it by sweeping the coil back and forth over it from one angle. I then repeat that process as I circle the hole...sweep...then return sweep from a different angle. Then again from another angle as I sweep the hole.

Usually over iron the signal or "Warble" will break up as you hit it from different angles...or just simply null out and disappear completely.
Those types of signals are the ones I pass on.

Sometimes though that sweet sounding "warble" will stay consistent on the sweep and return sweep...and even though it breaks up from other angles as I circle the hole...if that sweet sound is consistent from just that ONE angle and repeats on the initial sweep AND return sweep....I'll give it a shot and dig it.

That's about as clear as I can explain it.

 

[bill67]

Don't worry Bryce ..... I found out I'm way too new with this machine to try running that hot of a program just yet...... the first week I had my Explorer I was all pumped and put in some "Magic" settings and opened up iron mask all the way, with ferrous sounds ......Oh man ........ It sounded like I had my headphones plugged into a Circus Calliope ...and junk and iron sounded way too sweet.......... I realized in a hurry that I had to get better acquainted with this beast before I took off the training wheels ....... Which will be a while longer..... But I will experiment a little from time to time.......