The Trump card in metal detecting...

[calabash digger]

I always chuckle when I get this card played on me in a thread....[video]https://youtu.be/yq_3lIg79YY[/video]

 

[Tony-Ok]

People seem to be very defensive and their loyalty to brands will hold them back. I treat every hunt as if I only get one chance to detect it, so detectors that unmask targets the best is what I use. ( Nox800 and XP ORX). I intend to leave little or nothing in the ground , due to how my detectors respond to co located (masked targets). I took chance skeptically at first, but then I started to see many great targets I recovered that were mixed with trash ! I haven’t looked back since discovering what this new technology can do !! HH Tony

 

[dirt doctor]

Good points there Calabash ! A similar example would be I've been taking dumps for over seventy years but my two year old Grand daughter is now more efficient at it than I am . All joking aside , I believe another thing that will make a detectorist better than another is the desire to get better and better at it .
Good video .

 

[calabash digger]

Yeah ,you are correct it takes a lot of effort to become decent at detecting. Summer hunting sometimes makes me think I must be crazy ...sweat dripping, bugs biting, posion ivy, and of course snakes..

 

[vlad]

If you do not dig all ferrous targets, how do you hunt saturated iron sites?

 

[calabash digger]

If I am on a good site all non ferrous will be dug as I work the site. If I have unlimited access I will dig the more solid signals first and work down thur the more iffy signals. It would be near impossible to dig all the ferrous targets on some of the relics sites I hunt. There are thousands upon thousands of iron bits , nails, etc. I really dont chase iron relics , I chase coins, buttons, bullets , etc.. I dont know any relic hunters in the States that dig all ferrous targets.

 

[laplander]

No pain no gain These "experts" are a pain, we need to be challenged but never argue with an idiot they will lower you to their level and beat you with experience LOL
Speaking of pain you left out ticks. I was diagnosed with a tick disease 3 weeks ago, and it will kick your arse, starting to get my stamina back.
Keep your chin up and carry on Calabash!!
HH Jeff

 

[vlad]

(If so, please post under the posts you are answering.)
I am not talking about relic hunters; but if you do not dig ALL targets you are missing a lot of good finds. It just depends on how much time you have..
I have known Nasa Tom many years; this article of his mirrors my own experience. In this article he made the time to absolutely clean a site.
In another article(Seminole War site) he digs everything metal in patches, to a certain depth and screens it.
(Try his site for other articles if you have not already read them.)
https://www.dankowskidetectors.com/behindthemask.htm
Ever use a 100 kHz IB unit on iron sites?
They can work heavy iron, to 6 or 7 inches in many cases; and bring up items any motion unit will miss.
In relative terms that is not deep; but if a site is so iron fouled its almost impossible to hear any conductors-its a big improvement.
(If you tune it on the mineral side it will hit the iron and null on conductive. In some situations this might confirm the presence of conductors (nulling) the metal side misses.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXxhIVZIrpg

 

[Tom_in_CA]

If you do not dig all ferrous targets, how do you hunt saturated iron sites?

So are you suggesting that if someone doesn't dig "all iron targets", that he/she is not correctly hunting iron-sites ?

If so, then ..... gee ...... I would gladly invite you to hunt some stage stop and adobe sites here where I'm at. Come "strip-mine" and "have a ball". Heck, ya never know when a bundle-of-nails isn't hiding another elusive seated or reale. Right ??

Why not just use a beach pulse or nugget machine for such sites ?? Why have discriminators at all ? Heaven-forbid you might miss something. Right ? Why even talk about "iron-see-through" and "averaging" ability, when a person can just dig all the iron in-the-first-place. Have I understood you correctly ?

 

[vlad]

(-Referenced my post below-)
Tom D. is still relatively young, with a good back and 2 arms--and he was doing an ultimate field test if only to prove something to himself, emphatically

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Vlad, you and I share a common bond knowledge/love of the old 77b type-machines (the 100kHz IB units). But let's do some clarifications. You say:

.... but if you do not dig ALL targets you are missing a lot of good finds....

You need to clarify what you mean by "ALL". Because if you mean: "All" targets (even iron nails, pins, staples, etc...) then ... gee ... a bunch of guys are quickly going to put the machine in the closet. That is a recipe for insanity at most iron-riddled ghost-townsy sites. Right ?

....Ever use a 100 kHz IB unit on iron sites? ....

But ... gee ... why not just dig all the iron ? Why even use one of these type machines that can (gasp) pass iron ? Because both you and I know that these machine's abilities to get conductive coins under nails *only* works up to about 2 or 3 or 4 nails. Right ? By the time you add the 3rd or 4th or 5th nail, EVEN THESE MACHINES will eventually "mask". Right ?

And, heck, you know that these machines are limited on depth and ability-in-minerals. Thus .... heaven-forbid someone should handicap themselves and not "dig all" , right ? Or ... ?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... If I am on a good site all non ferrous will be dug as I work the site... .

.....I dont know any relic hunters in the States that dig all ferrous targets.

Oh me oh my, say it isn't so ! Those pesky hunters in the states need to be digging all those ferrous targets. Tsk tsk. Lest they miss something hiding underneath that staple or pushpin or nail. Nevermind that they'll go psycho digging all that stuff.

I don't think the average person (in this generation that's grown up with discriminators) has any concept of JUST HOW MUCH iron can be at the typical ghost-townsy or habitation site. If you took some of the high-powered beach or nugget pulse machines out to the typical ghost townsy relic sites, you would be hardpressed to ever get out of a 10' x 10' square area.

So at *some* point, the hunter needs to pick the machine that has the best iron see through ability. Does that mean you'll "never miss" a conductive coin ? No. You *might* miss something conductive, if you don't dig every last staple and push pin. But at some point, there's a compromise that's going to be needed.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Good video. I know guys (even dealers) who have been "hunting since the 1970s", and who "talk big". Yet if you were to meet the guys in a worked-out-deep park turf duel, here would be the results : Them: 30 clad and some zinc and tabs, zero oldies. The skilled hunter : 5 clad and 10 oldies.

I had this exact scenario play out with one such dealer here. Who rightly pointed out that if I'm passing shallow zinc (in junky blighted turf), that I "might miss a shallow fat men's gold ring". To which I pointed out that : If gold jewelry is someone's goal/objective, then .... WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING IN JUNKY BLIGHTED TURF ? Why not just simply go to a swimming beach if someone's goal is to angle for gold ??

Thus yes: It's not only the ability to know the sounds of a machine, but also the general hunting strategies of where/when to go as well.

 

[vlad]

The Compass is an alternative to hopefully recover a few more items; without the extreme of complete removal.
(I did not suggest an Arado 120 or an off resonance in this type situation because I doubt they will improve over the Compass.
An older unit may be Very limited but possibly open (older--not newer) an area a small amount; a person must decide if the expense and time is worth it)

 

[vlad]

...had a kid hunting near me pull up a nice Walker with a Jetco Mustang-good for him. (My Super Pro got beat to the spot.)
My dad always said he'd rather be lucky than good--does not hurt to try for both.

 

[Mark kus]

Good video calabash I always do my best to hunt areas that are or were well traveled heck yesterday I stopped at a small rest area I could have spent all afternoon digging junk!
But I stuck to conductive targets and it worked I had a penny signal on my 800 nox low and behold a beautiful 1835 capped bust half dime!
I almost did not dig that "penny signal"
Mark

 

[calabash digger]

Man that is nice!!! I need to clarify what I said about digging ALL non ferrous signals.... By no means did I mean I was getting it all ,I should have said all that I could find as I know there are masked targets.

 

[Mark kus]

Man that is nice!!! I need to clarify what I said about digging ALL non ferrous signals.... By no means did I mean I was getting it all ,I should have said all that I could find as I know there are masked targets.

Thanks I watch all your videos your one of the best at showing and explaining “masked” and non masked targets IMHO.
Keep up the good work!
Mark

 

[Mark kus]

Man that is nice!!! I need to clarify what I said about digging ALL non ferrous signals.... By no means did I mean I was getting it all ,I should have said all that I could find as I know there are masked targets.

Thanks I watch all your videos your one of the best at showing and explaining “masked” and non masked targets IMHO.
Keep up the good work!
And lord knows I dig a lot of iffy signals but my finds have gone through the roof because of that and a lot of good targets are just that masked I can’t begin to figure out how many good coins are in a hole with a square nail.
Mark

 

[LTimedigger]

Very good point. I don't do jewelry in the worst of the worst trashy areas. Try to concentrate on areas where theres been lots of activity but where the trash is manageble.