custom deus programs

[corpsman]

I'm just wondering what custom programs any of you guys might be running for civil war relic hunting. I have 2 main ones I use. one is for when I'm hunting downtown in extremely trashy areas, and the other is for when I'm hunting a yard with civil war relics, or a civil war camp (usually in the woods). keep in mind... I've had my deus for about a month, and I certainly have a lot to learn. so far, these are the settings that seem to work for me. sometimes I tweak them a bit to suit the conditions of wherever I'm hunting. also, even though I'm mainly a relic hunter, I don't care much for finding iron. so, if you're looking to find iron gun parts, tools, etc... these settings probably aren't for you. I'm mainly looking for bullets, buttons, coins, belt buckles, and other brass. also, I really like the full tones setting, but I haven't really had time to use it much. keep in mind... these settings never stay the same. they are constantly changing to accommodate the area I am hunting. ***update***since I started this thread, I have learned a lot about the deus. my settings have since evolved to meet my hunting needs. therefore, I no longer use the settings as they are below.

downtown: (extremely trashy)

sensitivity- 95 or 92
Freq- 11.8 (approx.)
Iron Volume- 2
Reactivity- 4 or 5 (depending on how trashy it is)
Audio Response- 4
Disc- 5 tone

125 (0-10)
248 (10-59)
559 (59-72)
800 (72-97)
125 (98-99)
Notch 1: 0-28
Notch 2: 98-99


Yard or civil war campsite:

Sensitivity- 98
Frequency- 11.6 (if I'm finding deep bullets, I drop down to 8 or lower. if I'm finding deep buttons, I raise to 18)
Iron Volume- 3
Reactivity- 3 (lower if I'm finding deep bullets or buttons)
Audio Response- 6
Disc.- 5 Tone

125 (0-10)
248 (10-59)
559 (59-72)
800 (72-97)
125 (98-99)
Notch 1: 0-25
Notch 2: 98-99

 

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[metaljunkie]

Definitely put your time into full tones. It will eventually give you more useable information. I actually feel cheated of information, when I run other tone programs. Although they do have their place.

My best "FEEL" program. This setting strikes a nice balance for me. Decent depth and separation and excellent target sizing. I find reactivity 2, the best for grasping the true size and target id, by sound. Just gives me a good feel, for what's under the coil.
My deepest target for reference was a Canadian lc at 10+".
With the 11" coil in decent soil. Propointer was buried in the hole and then some.

Reactivity 2 silencer -1
Sens 92 TX 2
Full tones Disc 0
Audio response 3-5
Frequency 8
Once a location is done is 8, I will shift to other frequencies. Always finding other targets.

 

[vabuckhunter]

I have read somewhere that running high sensitivity and TX power at 3 is actually counter productive and lessens the depth of the machine. I am not sure if this is true or not but I usually run 87 sensitivity with TX 2 or in high grass I go 83 sensitivity with TX 3. I also run a two tone program with no disc when civil war hunting since I am digging everything anyways.

 

[corpsman]

I like reading what works for everyone and what doesn't. good info, guys.

 

[corpsman]

Once a location is done is 8, I will shift to other frequencies. Always finding other targets.

I will definitely try to get some dig time with full tones, and I agree... definitely a good idea to switch frequencies once you've covered it all under another.

 

[Tedyoh]

My favorite relic set up is Deus Fast with the following changes;
Full Tones
Freq. 8
Disc. 0
Reactivity 2 / Silencer -1 (Reactivity 3 in really bad iron)

 

[Joe hunter]

Lower tx in iron helps prevent audio overload that can mask the good stuff Sometimes pounding the ground for depth is hurting more than helping.PS Even though we have a super fast awsome detector its still good to slow down in the trash.

 

[ColonelDan]

I have minimal serious time on my Deus as I'm a beach guy here in Florida with many hours on my Excalibur. In the Deus world, I always thought specific settings were dependent on the area in which you're detecting, soil conditions, mineralization, iron content etc. Given that, killer settings for one person in a certain area may not be good at all for another person hunting in a totally different area.

If my thinking is on track, my question has always been, when coming to an unfamiliar field, how does the experienced Deus user go about determining what specific settings to use? What procedures are employed to determine what works best in that unfamiliar environment?

 

[Tedyoh]

Amount of iron / junk is #1 for me, i do my adjusting accordingly

 

[metaljunkie]

I have minimal serious time on my Deus as I'm a beach guy here in Florida with many hours on my Excalibur. In the Deus world, I always thought specific settings were dependent on the area in which you're detecting, soil conditions, mineralization, iron content etc. Given that, killer settings for one person in a certain area may not be good at all for another person hunting in a totally different area.

If my thinking is on track, my question has always been, when coming to an unfamiliar field, how does the experienced Deus user go about determining what specific settings to use? What procedures are employed to determine what works best in that unfamiliar environment?

I usually use my favorite program "in my last post", to start.
Then Taylor it to the site after swinging and digging a few test passes. Usually shifting frequency first. Trying to find the most stable setting. Emi/ground conditions around my parks can make certain frequencies unusable... if all frequencies can be run, i will lower or raise it, dependant on if im going for low conductors or high conductors. Next I will change reactivity. If the area is like a nail field or with very close targets to eachother, i will bump it up and lower tx to 1. If they are spaced well, reactivity stays at 2 or lowered if targets are very deep. TX may be raised also. I usually have silencer -1, no disc and full tones.

It's really just knowing how changing the Deus settings effect performance. Then just test swinging/digging the soil and adjusting for it. Andy's book does a great job of explaining what each deus function does and how to maximize these settings for conditions.

 

[corpsman]

I've been practicing some with full tones, and I really like it so far. I feel like I might be getting some additional depth with it, but that may just be in my head. either way, I could see myself possibly using it exclusively in the future. also, I've been using the notch feature lately. I've been notching out stuff on the lower end of the conductivity scale, and also anything from 96-99. that way, I can run my discriminator at zero, but I don't have to listen to all of the noise. seems to work pretty well so far. I ordered the deus book by Andy Sabische (spelling??), so I hope to get it maybe tomorrow. I'm sure that will help a lot. I would like to see some custom programs from other civil war relic hunters. I'm pretty curious how others are increasing the depth for things like deep bullets and buttons.

 

[vabuckhunter]

If you notch out 96 to 99 you will miss lots of good stuff. Did a test tonight on a 10" quarter and it was a consistent 97 98, I have also dug a deep large cent that hit 98 99. This is using 12KHZ

 

[corpsman]

how long has that quarter been buried? that will make a huge difference. i hate to doubt your experience, because I'm certainly no expert, but i just don't see anything worth while ringing up that high. a civil war belt buckle will ring up in the low 90's. every quarter I've dug has also rung up in the low 90's. usually about a 92. (at 12 kHz)

 

[Vino]

how long has that quarter been buried? that will make a huge difference. i hate to doubt your experience, because I'm certainly no expert, but i just don't see anything worth while ringing up that high. a civil war belt buckle will ring up in the low 90's. every quarter I've dug has also rung up in the low 90's. usually about a 92. (at 12 kHz)

In 12 khz, a quarter will come in at 95..
A Silver dollar comes in at 97 most of the time, and so do 8reales..
I always notch 98 and 99 out..
Trust me dont notch 96 or 97!!
And as far as the low numbers you will miss stuff if you notch them out.
It will null and if there is a good target right next to it, it will miss it.
Just my experience.
Good luck.
George

 

[vabuckhunter]

The quarter started out at 6 inches and had been buried for a few years, dug it up and buried it again at 10 inches. At 10 it was very hard to get a good signal out of the machine no matter what I did. Vino, most of the time my targets will ring up higher in the ground than they should. It doesn't make any sense but it's almost like my hot soil increases the VDI instead of lowering it.

 

[corpsman]

you guys may be more experienced than me, but I've dug a several quarters since I got this machine, and none of them has given me a 95. the highest one I got was a 93. maybe we're getting different numbers because of the soil mineralization difference?? whatever the case, I will keep your recommendations in mind.

 

[Vino]

you guys may be more experienced than me, but I've dug a several quarters since I got this machine, and none of them has given me a 95. the highest one I got was a 93. maybe we're getting different numbers because of the soil mineralization difference?? whatever the case, I will keep your recommendations in mind.

Hey Corps, just to let you know most good targets you dont even get a VDI number!!! Just 00. It is a tone machine. It goes deep, but dont trust the numbers!!!
George

 

[vabuckhunter]

You should take Vinos advice, he's the most knowledgeable person I have spoken with regarding the Deus.

 

[corpsman]

I'm not doubting his expertise, but on the other hand, how can you say "most" good targets don't even give you a VDI number. that simply isn't true. maybe if all of your targets are 8 inches or deeper, that could be true. what if all of the targets you want to dig are 3-6 inches. you will definitely get a VDI number on every one of them. the VDI feedback usually starts going away at about 8 inches. (depending on soil conditions) I just came back from the mailbox, and the book by Andy Sabisch came today. it says that a silver quarter will give you a VDI number of 91 @ 12 kHz, and a VDI number of 94 @ 18 kHz. yes, it is a tone machine. the tone is always superior to the VDI readout. i always go by tone first, then just use the VDI to give me additional info on the target, if available.

 

[vabuckhunter]

The soil type and mineralization will have a huge effect on VDI and the Deus doesn't have the most reliable ID to begin with. I usually don't look at numbers as the Deus is a tone machine. If you are digging by numbers only you are missing a lot of good targets.