Wow! Tell us more. Where did you find all this?
Claire, first let me say that several years ago I was so impressed with the consistency of guys like OBN that I said, "I want to be like Them!" So I decided to watch, study, and to learn all that I could from them. Today, because I did that, I take what I've I learned from them and I apply that in the region that I hunt and now days like this are not all that uncommon for me and my recovery rate has skyrocketed. They taught me how to fully understand my machine and how to best apply it. They taught me a lot about the elements and the properties of gold. And they taught me how to seek and to locate the best areas, and why it's so vital to do all of the above. So today I only seek and hunt old beaches, firm bottoms, and I'm very selective as to when and how I choose to hunt them. So there's the first part of this story, and the most important part, "pay attention to how guys like OBN hunt, and really take the time to learn your machine so you can get the very most out of it." That's what made this hunt, and other such hunts, possible. (Gotta give credit where credit is due.)
As for this particular hunt, it was a freshwater lake that had been dead calm for about three straight days, the two days while I was there only adding to that perfectly flat streak, which made for perfect conditions. Why? Because all of the sediments are settled, this allowing for the most stable search field possible. When the lake isn't flat for a period of time these swirling sediments create a very unstable search field, even the sediments on the bottom are constantly stirring and these sediments contain tiny particles of rust, iron, etc., which makes the machine processor work much harder, the end result being more chatter and more instability for the machine users. But when everything is perfectly still and settled the only way these can be stirred up again is if the machine operator stirs them. So, 7" coil on the Excal and then moving like a snail to prevent this.
Heavily used freshwater bottoms, especially old bottoms, are going to be trashy, there's just no getting away from it. The targets we seek are typically going to be masked or at least somewhat masked, and most are going to be either right on top of the hard bottom, usually hard marl or black rock and gravel, etc., or they're going to be under it, hidden within all of that rusty crusty and otherwise junk infested sediment. Such was the case with this hunt, so it's "a lot" of picking through all of that trash and iron infested sediment in order to locate the goodies. The headphones are very noisy at times and most good targets are only going to offer an initial tick or edge return so it's also very mentally fatiguing, which is why I'm only good for maybe 2 hours at time, after that it can all start to sound the same and you can start digging yourself crazy chasing illusions and phantoms. lol
"Slow"...in 2 hours I might only cover a 40 x 40 foot area and I might only chase a dozen potential returns, maybe only remove the surface of another dozen or so just to see if a potential return is worth chasing? If the return becomes more steady or more obvious and I can isolate it then I'll chase it, if not then I'll usually move on or I'll try removing some overburden again with the hope that it will become more obvious. Sadly, many times the return will simply disappear, the source either being a tiny piece of surface clutter or just the result of mixed sediments and a condition of processor confusion. Like I said, very tedious and mentally draining detecting, but well worth it for as long as you can hold out.
Hunt one got me 6 gold and a few coins, my second hunt got me 1 gold and the old coins and pendant, plus a few more other coins, brass screws, old tarp rings, old shell casings, etc. A funny event on that diamond ring, my first recovery was one of those teardrop shaped pieces from and older style pull tab, a second return from the same hole and I was sure it was just going to be the ring end of that same pull tab. Nope! It was the diamond ring about 4-5 inches or so deeper in the same hole...lol "Good headphones and speakers!" A MUST! As many of these returns are very-very sudden and very faint. If you're moving too quickly you'll never even get a return or even hear them if you do.
One other note on the Excal, quite often, if you suspect that you heard a potential return then try to hover your coil over that spot with a very slow and small search motion, a lot of times your Excal will eventually bring that tone up. If this fails try really fast but very short sweeps, almost a choppy motion, as this will often produce a stronger isolated return.
This is pretty much how these returns came about. Hope it helps!
EPIC is right. My BANNER vote is in. Way to go. CONGRATS
