A coin kind of day (including a colonial first) at a new site

[Bill D. (VA)]

Got out again yesterday with my friend Sanddigger. Our intentions were to go back to the field where she had found a cut piece in a remote corner last week. It was a field we hunted hard last year. There was a 1600s homesite on this property and some early silver including a 1583 hammered sixpence and lots of nice buttons were dug here last year. But we ended up stopping by and talking with the owner first, and ended up getting permission to hunt the yard at a c1730 site that was nearby. We were told it had been pounded, but decided to give a try instead of going back to the field. There were signals everywhere, but it was also very trashy and irony - to an extreme. Then throw in the power lines right next to where we were hunting and it was one of the most difficult detecting challenges I’ve ever had to deal with. I was forced to cherry pick as best as I could and decided to only dig the higher tones, or an occasional deep one if I could pick it out of all the junk. But I ended up having a good day with a number of nice coins. There was also a thick oyster shell layer at about the 4-6" level across the whole property, and somehow I was finding memorial pennies 3-4 inches into that. I couldn't figure that one out. My best find was a colonial coin first for me with a German 1 pfennig copper coin dated 1786. I also dug a slick colonial copper and a really nice 1856-O dime, plus a couple of newer silver coins. Since I was cherry picking the high tones I didn't get any buttons, but I'm sure some are hiding there. I also found this cool looking Nylotis compact from the early-to-mid 1900s and a large woman’s pin. Ina made some nice finds too which I'm sure she'll post. We’re going to try to make it back to the original field today so hopefully we can get into some more colonial goodies.

 

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[Bill D. (VA)]

Bill, as you know I have been using the F75 for about 6 years now, and believe me it opened up some old sites I thought I had cleaned out. I totally agree about your "short wiggle" when you get the slightest indication of a good signal in heavy trash. When I am in an area where evry sweep is full of chirps and pops, I know that's where good targets are hiding. If I get a good tone and number, even just for a second, I zone in on that spot and reduce my sweep to 3 or 4 inches, and it's amazing how you can draw that signal out of the ground so that it repeats. If I am still unsure, I will scape an inch or two of the surface dirt away, and I swear it's amazing how often that iffy signal will ring in loud and clear!

What I don't necessarily agree with is what you say is running at 99 sens and 0 disc. That is fine if you are on a spot with little trash and no electrical interference. In a real trashy spot you will just get sensory overload in your headphones. I usually run at 94 sens and 4 disc if I can. After hitting a trashy area with the higher settings, I will go back over it with lower (75) sensitivity and higher (15) discrimination. That being said, I believe that sites I typically hunt, which are later, have a lot more trash than your typical sites, which are a lot earlier.

Steve - when I'm hunting an extremely irony area I will usually turn down the sensitivity. How much depends on how deep the targets are coming out from. Sometimes all the iron and good targets are relatively shallow (within the first 4-6"), and if that's the case I'll turn the sensitivity way down (sometimes as low as in the 40s) since I don't need the depth. But at this site where I was finding the coins they were typically quite deep (8"-12") and I would not be finding them with low sensitivity settings. But I do cut it back a little (to maybe 85-92), but swing much slower. Hunting like that, and with the tremendous separation capabilities of this machine, I can pick out those occasional high beeps and then do the wiggle to zone in on them. I've also gone back over these types of areas with a small coil and am always surprised to see that I rarely get any signals that I missed. Again, this is due to the great separation capabilities of the F75. And I almost never vary from using 0 disc as I want to hear all the iron. Some might not agree with these techniques, but they seem to work great for me. Thanks for your input.

 

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[DFW_THer]

JE mode, 0 disc, 99 SENS?! You must have gotten the quietest F75 ever produced. I could only dream of running that setting here in Maryland. Come to think of it, let me know when you want me to come out so you can show me how to use my machine.

I haul the gear and buy the lunch.

Keep posting n super nice dime!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

JE mode, 0 disc, 99 SENS?! You must have gotten the quietest F75 ever produced. I could only dream of running that setting here in Maryland. Come to think of it, let me know when you want me to come out so you can show me how to use my machine.

I haul the gear and buy the lunch.

Keep posting n super nice dime!

Believe me, its not quiet by any means. But I've learned to deal with it and just focus on the positive beeps. It can be frustrating at times, but you can't beat the results.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Nice job Bill. Slow and steady and careful listening seems to be the ticket.

 

[The Rebel]

Love those finds!