Excall II beach setting

[GatorFrog]

Yesterday, some beaches on the Treasure Coast (Fl) were cutting well. However, the sand was pretty soft.
My excal was set up with the threshold just buzzing in the background, sensitivity set to the highest and discrimination to the lowest setting.
When I was swinging (slowly) from wet to dry and back, the excal would make a series of high/low pitches. I found that to be annoying so I switched to all metal (Very little trash on the beach that day).
When I would get a hit, i would set it back to disc to see if it was iron or something else.

So my questions are:
1) Does the all metal (pinpoint) setting go deeper than the disc. setting?
2) Is this a good way to use the excall II or am I missing something?

[pat-tekker-cat]

Just what I need, more competition down here! LOL! JK!
My Fluffy, (i mean excal), I usually set to about 4 to 6 sensitivity, and 2 on discriminate.
Try to back down some off the sensitivity. I know what you mean about that sound.
I also found, I get that, and weirder stuff, if the batteries are not fully charged.

Good luck to ya, hope to see you around beach one day soon!

[Treasure_Hunter]

Yesterday, some beaches on the Treasure Coast (Fl) were cutting well. However, the sand was pretty soft.
My excal was set up with the threshold just buzzing in the background, sensitivity set to the highest and discrimination to the lowest setting.
When I was swinging (slowly) from wet to dry and back, the excal would make a series of high/low pitches. I found that to be annoying so I switched to all metal (Very little trash on the beach that day).
When I would get a hit, i would set it back to disc to see if it was iron or something else.

So my questions are:
1) Does the all metal (pinpoint) setting go deeper than the disc. setting?
2) Is this a good way to use the excall II or am I missing something?

I don't own the Excal II, but I do own a couple Excals.... Yes the pinpoint will go deeper than disc setting. You can get rid of that by cutting back down on the sensitivity till it is stable, your losing very, very little depth when you do this...... I adjust mine for each beach, all beaches are different. I use NO discrimination at all since to descriminate is to descriminate out some gold and I don't want to descriminate out a nice fat diamond ring...

[Sandman]

Treasure Hunter is right about the sensitivity. What you forgot was at the high sens setting you were using and swinging from wet sand to dry is where you were getting your "High-Low" tones. The mineralization was different from wet to dry. I think switching back and forth from pinpoint to disc is self defeating as it not only wears out the switch, but wastes time. If the tone disappears did it mean it was iron or deeper than the disc could reach.

[dewcon4414]

Personally i still find it a debate on PP vs disc since the Xcal doesnt have a true PP mode with it being a processed signal. I dont find to many signals in PP that when switched to disc you dont get a null or a good signal. Like Sand man said.... is a null just a deep target. You can take a scoop off the top and just stay in disc on nulls to find out. You have to slow down in PP to listen to the ground minerals and targets.... then you switch to disc... then you get a null... then you dig a scoop.... like was said it does take time to do all of that. I get that sound when hunting what i call against the grain.... which is no more than what Sand man said minerals. Run with the grain.... toward the water and back to the dry sand i dont get it.

Dew

[Treasure_Hunter]

Personally i still find it a debate on PP vs disc since the Xcal doesnt have a true PP mode with it being a processed signal. I dont find to many signals in PP that when switched to disc you dont get a null or a good signal. Like Sand man said.... is a null just a deep target. You can take a scoop off the top and just stay in disc on nulls to find out. You have to slow down in PP to listen to the ground minerals and targets.... then you switch to disc... then you get a null... then you dig a scoop.... like was said it does take time to do all of that. I get that sound when hunting what i call against the grain.... which is no more than what Sand man said minerals. Run with the grain.... toward the water and back to the dry sand i dont get it.

Dew

Personally I very rarely ever switch to PP, too much hassel and time lost hunting in PP for me, I know a couple who have done the mod and move the pp switch to the handle and that makes it easier, but the time it takes for me to roll my arm, reach behind me to get to my switch to disc to see if I still have a target is lost time I could spend moving on to my next target....

[OBN]

I'm a firm believer that the excal is a deeper machine in the PP mode, on most beach's...But....Best to hunt in discrimination mode with the Excalibur II...With the quality of the new machines a potentiometer could set you back a good size gold ring. One thing about the PP mode and why it is deeper, because you can crank the sensitivity up without the falsing. If you can live with the falsing you will only be giving up a little depth and saving your pocket in the long run. After the warranty is up you may want to think about the remote PP switch.....not very hard if you can solder....Good Luck..........

[GatorFrog]

Thank you for all the feedback !

[stevemc]

Yes, just about any machine will give a noise when ran from wet to dry, because you are going to 2 different types of conductivity, your machine is ground balancing, but you are moving too fast. Same with waves going over the coil, or using it right where the waves wash up the beach. It will make a noise. If you run it at a high sens, it will make a noise, and you can get used to it, and when you get a hit or find iron, you can tell. It takes some getting used to the machine you are using. I personally hardly ever switch to PP, I just leave it in disc. I have PIs if I want to find everything and not know exactly what it is, so I like to know its not iron with the Excal. I like to have as much sens and as low disc as possible. Like sandman said, it has to be adjusted for each situation. The threshold where I can hear it over the wind or waves, so I can hear the quiet changes, whispers and the tones, that arent too different, kind of like when you are tapping a paint can lid tight and the tone changes higher, or adjusting a quitar string, it is a subtle yet distinct and noticable difference.

[MBbeachrat]

You really should get a good book on the Excal II. You would be amazed at all the different ways you can run that detector. Cliff has some good ones for around $10. You won't be sorry! I have all his books and others but they all really tell the same thing.

[GatorFrog]

You really should get a good book on the Excal II. You would be amazed at all the different ways you can run that detector. Cliff has some good ones for around $10. You won't be sorry! I have all his books and others but they all really tell the same thing.

I did get a couple of books and I'm going through them right now. Even got the CD.
But once I hit the beach, I forget most of what I've read

[OBN]

Welcome to the oldgoat club, best teacher is beach time, play with your settings and listen to Sandman, and Treasure hunter. You have a great machine....make sure you get yourself some McNett silicon spray for the cables once you have washed the saltwater off....and a quick shot under the knobs will help the O rings last longer.

[Sandman]

Good Tip OBN on the silicone spray. Another tip for the Excal to get the threshold down real low is to plug the earphone drain holes. I just used duct tape. This blocks wind noise in the phones and allows a lower threshold setting. The holes are there for divers.

[snooksion]

i like this thread.because thats what ive been doing for awhile and it does work.but heres the kicker its not the same on all machines. i tested a couple of others and theirs does not go deeper in pp. but mine goes alot deeper. but iam running 16volt lithium batteries in mine.and they are not.

[Elario]

You really should get a good book on the Excal II. You would be amazed at all the different ways you can run that detector. Cliff has some good ones for around $10. You won't be sorry! I have all his books and others but they all really tell the same thing.

I did get a couple of books and I'm going through them right now. Even got the CD.
But once I hit the beach, I forget most of what I've read

How is the CD?