Anyone use a 600 at a DIV?

[StinkinLincoln]

Does anyone have any advice on using a 600 at a Diggin in Virginia hunt? Finding some Civil War relics is a bucketlister for me and there weren’t any battles or encampments here in upstate New York so I’d like to give a DIV a shot. I know a PI machine is the way to go but buying the 600 was a stretch for me so a PI machine just isn’t in my future. I’ve read that the woods typically aren’t as heavily mineralized so they’d be a good place to hunt but other than that I haven’t been able to find any specific advice for a 600. For the 800 I’ve heard the gold mode works pretty well but that doesn’t help us 600 owners! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

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[haxor]

Wonder what would happen if you stuffed the 800 firmware into a 600. Lots of time features are firmware enabled, not electronics.
(might need to tweak the binary-blob to avoid model number check)

 

[vferrari]

My advice is to focus on learning the nuances of your new machine by getting out and hunting as much as possible. At DIV the most important thing is having a good attitude because the conditions are so difficult with most of the available "surface find" targets being deep due to the years of detecting that has been conducted in the area (by everyone, not just DIVers) and the super hot soil. The second most important thing is knowing whatever detector you bring there inside and out. Get as many swing hours as you can on your machine in advance of DIV and in conditions that emulate DIV, if possible, namely mineralized soil relic sites. Everything else will take care of itself and hopefully you will luck into a hot spot or two. You might also want to learn how to detect and explore huts and trash pits using a metallic probe. Most of the incredible finds at DIV occur without the detector and instead with a metallic probe looking for glass and ash. It is tiring and tedious but it can pay off huge in some incredible finds.

Regarding the 600 itself, learn the detector in Park 1. Go on some "milk runs" at the local park or tot lot and get used to the tones and grab yourself some lost clad. Then as you get more used to the detector delve into the "2" modes such as Park 2 or Field 2. The "2" modes are optimized more for mid-conductors which is what most CW relics are comprised of (brass buttons, brass knapsack parts, lead projectiles, etc.). Get used to what 50 tones is telling you about both keeper and junk targets. Learn what a nail sounds like but running the machine in all metal mode. Believe me, when you get to DIV, everyting will sound like a nail on a VLF machine. You will want to dig all repeatable signals even if the TID says iron, because the mineralization limits detectable depth and target ID.

Hope this helps you get started learning the Equinox and good luck if you make it to DIV.

 

[StinkinLincoln]

Thanks for the tips. Your advice is always spot on. I’ve actually had the 600 since this summer and since I’m retired I’ve used it quite a bit, splitting my time between parks and fields and woods. I’ve done what you’ve suggested with the different modes and usually use Park 2 or Field 2 these days, as appropriate, and switch to all metal to find debris areas or identify targets. I’ve done pretty well so far and found a lot of firsts: a 1781 one reale, a 1889 Morgan dollar, couple of Mercury dimes, a V nickel, two large cents, two good times tokens and two civil war tokens and a few other goodies. But the soil around here is not heavily mineralized so I’m not sure what to expect if I go to a DIV and I wondered if there are any tweaks to the standard settings that might help or should I save my money and stay home?

 

[vferrari]

Thanks for the tips. Your advice is always spot on. I’ve actually had the 600 since this summer and since I’m retired I’ve used it quite a bit, splitting my time between parks and fields and woods. I’ve done what you’ve suggested with the different modes and usually use Park 2 or Field 2 these days, as appropriate, and switch to all metal to find debris areas or identify targets. I’ve done pretty well so far and found a lot of firsts: a 1781 one reale, a 1889 Morgan dollar, couple of Mercury dimes, a V nickel, two large cents, two good times tokens and two civil war tokens and a few other goodies. But the soil around here is not heavily mineralized so I’m not sure what to expect if I go to a DIV and I wondered if there are any tweaks to the standard settings that might help or should I save my money and stay home?

Na, I wouldn't tweak the 600 much. Not much tweaking you can do, really since there are only three levels of recovery speed. I don't use iron bias because to me it just sets you up for missing masked keepers. The only thing I might practice on is lowering sensitivity and sifting through a thick iron site to see if that helps unmask any keepers. You sound like you are having a GREAT year so far, several of your finds are still eluding me. What region of the country are you hunting? DIV is great, and you should try to get there for the whole experience of it, but if you can get yourself a local historic permission that hasn't been overly pounded, you might actually outdo yourself in finds compared to DIV, which is more of a feast or famine proposition.

At the last DIV I attended, I hunted mostly with my PI machine, but a couple of fellas who hunted solely with their Equinoxes got into some hot spots and pulled 50+ minies and other relics out of the ground. It's all about lucking into the right area. The PI gets you incredible depth, but a VLF can help you exploit some mighty nice hot spots, there, if you happen to get your coil over the right area.

HH

 

[StinkinLincoln]

I’m in upstate New York, north of Albany. So I’m not going to find any Civil War relics from any engagements or encampments unless I travel south. If there are any other opportunities to find Civil War relics other than DIV I’m all ears! Especially if travel distance is reasonable by car.
I’ll have to experiment with lowering sensitivity in heavy iron areas. That’s one thing I really haven’t tried much.
Thanks!