Living coastal, black sand challenge

[SeaScene]

Newly using the Anfibio Multi but beginning to realize perhaps was not the best choice. I liveaboard my boat on Vancouver Island pretty much year round voyaging the entire coast including islands. Today, first time using on the beach the AM could not settle down over regular looking sand interspersed with layers of black sand. Since most all of my detecting will be coastal coves, harbours and their beaches most all with black sands I am wondering what detector would be more suited. Reading Detector/Prospector forum I did see this written which seems to infer even PI machines may not work with black sands.

"I find the fine coatings of black sand to be the most difficult no matter if I use a multi frequency or a PI." (Detector Prospector)

Thank you in advance....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....this written which seems to infer even PI machines may not work with black sands. .......

Where are you reading this ? There are beach pulse machines which do-just-fine in black sand. In fact, that's what they're made for. I can not imagine black sand that is SO bad, that it shuts down beach pulse machines made for that purposes. I mean, sure, you can't put a quarter in your refrigerator, or on the seat of your 1965 Chevy pickup truck, and expect to get a differentiated signal. But .... for all beach black sand conditions that I've ever heard of: A dedicated beach pulse machine will handle them.

Of course, you will loose ability to tell iron apart from conductive targets. And to whatever extent you might think that nails "sound different" (eg.: double beeps, etc...) , you will find yourself digging a bunch "just to be sure". But for certain jet-black sands, you have no other choice

 

[lytle78]

Manta ain’t afraid of no black sand.....(just like most PI’s)

Check out the first 5 minutes or so of this video from France - fat bags of black volcanic sand from the Canary Islands and La Reunion Island.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G8sdp4RG73g

 

[SeaScene]

I was surprised at the comment (on Detector, Prospector... phrunt poster) but perhaps if you read his thread, there may have been a circumstance. Thank you for your advice about PI. I have also been reading about the Fisher Acqua Mantra which apparently will discriminate. Black sands is my big issue.
....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Now that I think of it, I seem to recall talking to a fellow well versed in beach pulse machines, years ago. And he recounted to me, that there is very rare conditions, where sand can be SO black, that even a beach pulse machine can't cut it. But if conditions approached that bad, you'd be talking about so much mineral, that it's like putting a coin on a metal cookie sheet, or on the seat of your Chevy, and expecting to pick it up.

Supposedly this is extremely rare anomolies. And would be soil that is probably 50% refinable metals, or whatever. Great quantities of it (and not just specks and dust) would stick to a magnet, for example. I don't think there's anything to worry about. I doubt you will encounter that severity.