Digging more trash, any advise?

Nick79 · Mar 25, 2019

Hi all,
Just got an equinox 800. Started a little over a year ago with a harbor freight, than an ace 350, then a whites quantum 2. I feel like the equinox is picking up way more metal and a lot deeper, but it's going off like crazy and I find my self digging more trash than ever and the vdi do not seem that reliable. Gold seems to have a huge range, same with silver and bottle caps and pull tabs are all over too. I was able to figure out the other machines pretty easy and learned trash pretty good vs good signals.
Any tips for me? I found working the target all the way around helps a bit. I am mainly hunting in park 2, 5 tone.
Thanks,
Nick

eman1000 · Mar 25, 2019

Not much info to go on there....try digging somewhere with less trash

Also the default sensitivity of 20 is probably way to much for where your at lower to 12/13 to start and see if that helps. Then only dig only 24-26 and 30-32 for your dimes and quarters until you have the feel of the machine. Then go for your copper pennies at 21-23 and your nickels at 13.

If you want gold then you'll have to dig it all from 8-20 and your right it's not much fun! Gold is where you find it.
- Noise Cancel & Ground Balance after your switch programs

All I can say is most of my hunts are not like these youtube videos. I dig 15 sometimes 20 targets before I get a coin then some days I find nothing but coins..It's real funny like that sometimes. HH

Nick79 · Mar 25, 2019

eman1000 said:
Not much info to go on there....try digging somewhere with less trash

Also the default sensitivity of 20 is probably way to much for where your at lower to 12/13 to start and see if that helps. Then only dig only 24-26 and 30-32 for your dimes and quarters until you have the feel of the machine. Then go for your copper pennies at 21-23 and your nickels at 13.

If you want gold then you'll have to dig it all from 8-20 and your right it's not much fun! Gold is where you find it.
- Noise Cancel & Ground Balance after your switch programs

All I can say is most of my hunts are not like these youtube videos. I did 15 sometimes 20 targets before I get a coin then some days I find nothing but coins..It's real funny like that sometimes. HH

Ahh, I was running default sensitivity. There was just lots of bent nails ringing up in the 20s and the caps seem all over. I thought it auto ground balanced but I'll go through that next time. Thanks for the tips!

Zincoln Miner · Mar 26, 2019

I use concentric coils 8 inch, or 6 inch for trashy areas. Better separation, and faster more accurate recovery. You gotta dig that gold range to get gold.

I'll give up on a place if there's shredded aluminum cans from lazy mowers all over the place.

Professor of Engineering · Mar 26, 2019

Congrats on the new machine :occasion14:

, it will take a bit to learn the nuances of the new machine. If you are in a very high traffic area that contains lots of trash, you must dig all signals from lower to higher end mid-tones; this is where the gold is hiding. When in doubt, dig it out! :icon_thumleft:

Bengsxr · Mar 26, 2019

Nick the best I can tell you is learn every setting on the machine and learn what each one does. Also sometimes you have to dig the junk to find the good signals there also. I dig more pull tabs from cans then I know what to do with.

Nick79 · Mar 26, 2019

Bengsxr said:
Nick the best I can tell you is learn every setting on the machine and learn what each one does. Also sometimes you have to dig the junk to find the good signals there also. I dig more pull tabs from cans then I know what to do with.

Yes I'm gonna be putting my hours in, I am used to digging junk but have not had a machine with VDI and was confused with how many different vdi numbers the iron nails were hitting. I found a pocket watch and a few coins my first time out, with the trash. I just wasn't expecting to be digging 2x the trash as my 1997 whites lol

sandmartin · Mar 27, 2019

The Nox loves trash! Pulled the plug on mine and moved it on, sorry to say I wasn't enjoying it.

digger460 · Mar 27, 2019

If your hunting parks or residential use Park1 default. Drop sens. if your picking up emi. The EQ does not love trash. Dig 20 and above and 12-13 to start with until you get more familiar with it.

Nick79 · Mar 27, 2019

digger460 said:
If your hunting parks or residential use Park1 default. Drop sens. if your picking up emi. The EQ does not love trash. Dig 20 and above and 12-13 to start with until you get more familiar with it.

I switched to park 1 yesterday, much better thanks

eman1000 · Mar 27, 2019

Nick79 said:
I switched to park 1 yesterday, much better thanksView attachment 1695994 View attachment 1695995

Could this be the same Captain James A. Wheeler - How Cool is that ! Now we need to find Johnathan Wheeler and return the bracelet.
http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/55482/JAMES-A-WHEELER

https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.wheeler.733 - Here I found him for you.

What cool find - That's not junk that's what your looking for!

Nick79 · Mar 27, 2019

Cool, ya I'm trying to find kin to send it back to them

pa-dirt_nc-sand · Mar 27, 2019

Here are some hints on the Nox if you want to dig less trash, learn the machine, but maybe miss some keepers:
-Park1, sensitivity 20
-no Horseshoe
-look for targets 19-32 that give a solid signal, both ways
-pass on signals that scream when pinpointing. Run coil 6” over a penny and pinpoint. You will hear the tone you are looking for, fairly subdued tone. If the tone is much higher and stronger it is most likely trash.
-if tone is broken, VDI bounces, it is most likely trash

Nick79 · Mar 27, 2019

Feeling good thanks to all of your tips. Only dug 3 pieces of trash with these. Most of the shotshell heads were 15 to 16, some 18.
I am mailing the POW bracelet to the grandson of the pilot. The pilots wife just passed and they are burrying her with her husband in AZ this weekend

CASPER-2 · Mar 30, 2019

https://www.flickr.com/photos/casper-2/6831926593/in/dateposted/

Gare · Mar 31, 2019

Dig it ALL some day you will be TICKELED you dug something you thought was trash and happy as heck you DUG IT.TRASH ID's can MASK A GOOD TARGET !!

Tom_in_CA · Mar 31, 2019

Nick79, what part of CA are you in ?

smokeythecat · Mar 31, 2019

There is no quick fix. Gold, by its very nature, can be all over the place on a VDI. On my Deus the smallest gold I got rang up as a "45", however most rings are in the 65-85 range, the same as some aluminum. My one gold coin rang in at about "96"! But it was big and lying flat in the ground.

The VDI on the Equinox is all over the place. I dig everything over an "8" on the Equinox. You will dig a lot of trash with it. You must have the 6" loop for areas with iron, the VDI goes insane there. In effect, it becomes an all metal machine in a house site.

Nick79 · Mar 31, 2019

Tom_in_CA said:
Nick79, what part of CA are you in ?

Very close to you Tom. I'm in the same club you used to be in with CalCobra haha

Nick79 · Mar 31, 2019

smokeythecat said:
There is no quick fix. Gold, by its very nature, can be all over the place on a VDI. On my Deus the smallest gold I got rang up as a "45", however most rings are in the 65-85 range, the same as some aluminum. My one gold coin rang in at about "96"! But it was big and lying flat in the ground.

The VDI on the Equinox is all over the place. I dig everything over an "8" on the Equinox. You will dig a lot of trash with it. You must have the 6" loop for areas with iron, the VDI goes insane there. In effect, it becomes an all metal machine in a house site.

Thanks for the tips, I think I need to get the 6" coil too. Calabash did a good video with some pointers I'll try on my next outing