Whites Dual Field PI

[muttandjeeps]

Got one coming from a forum member, looks to be in great shape. Just wanted to ask the folks that use them about settings. Are the factory pre-sets a "good" place to start, meaning enough depth and stability on south east coast beaches? Very little experience with a PI, but will be detecting the wet sand and maybe shallow surf. I know there's no discrimination, and you really have to dig it all for a good while, before (if) you (I) can tell iron "sometimes".......Thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

[sonnar28]

If you have not previously used a PI machine, I recommend two books by Clive Clynick: 1)"Pulsepower!: Finding Gold at the Shore" and 2) "The White’s Surfmaster P.I. Dual Field: An Advanced Guide”. I have used PI machines for a number of years, and I always learn/re-learn something when I get one of these books out.
Since most PI machines provide little in the order of discrimination compared to a VLF machine, you have to provide the discrimination by choosing carefully where on the beach to use the machine, by choosing how you set the machine, and by choosing which of the available targets to dig. On some non-trashy beaches, it is easy - turn up the gain, and dig everything! But many beaches are trashy, and you will wear yourself out and frustrate yourself greatly if you truly try to dig everything then.
My specific suggestion would be to use lower gain than preset (say 11 o'clock) and some pulse delay (say 7 - 8 o'clock) while getting accustomed to the machine in areas with a fair number of targets such as mid-beach. Once you can identify a good target (round, not too many bottle caps or bobby pins), go to the presets and head to lower beach where there is less trash. When you want to try pushing the settings, try the low tide line or even better, a coin line already discovered by a good VLF machine.
The more you use a PI, the more you will appreciate what one can do.
Happy hunting!

 

[muttandjeeps]

Just what I was looking for, thank you!

 

[cjc]

Couldn´t have said it better myself, Sonnar. I would add that some of the best PI advice I´ve gotten was t o focus on the small signals. Also, try to get a feel for how deep something is. Iron targets don´t carry to the surface in the same way. Dig as many deep signals as you can to get the hang of this. You will find that much fewer of these will be iron. The more delay and less Gain you use, the more this will apply. It also helps to use the cross sweep to learn the shape of your responses. This will make nails and bobby pins more obvious.
Good Luck Detecting,
clive
clivesgoldpage.com

 

[Finderskeeper]

Hey MuttandJeeps!

I owned a White's Dual field and I have come to the conslusion that CJC knows what he is talking about!

I have a few friends who also own a Dual Field and they have cut back on the gain and added delay as CJC says. It is amazing the difference the correct settings can make with this machine. Get his books and follow what he says.

I foolishly sold my Dual Field to a freind who offered me the same price he could have gotten one new. He needed it right away and thought that my machine had good luck attached to it. So I sold it.

I will be buying another soon! I have been a die hard Excalibur user but since going Dual Field and then stopping, I realized that the Dual Field is arguably one of the top beach and water machines. I miss it a lot.

Have fun with that new to you machine.