Excal II in dry sand/ dirt hunting?

[jcono]

Hi folks-
After researching, I'm pretty set on getting an Excal II for NJ beach/ wet sand/ water hunting. Will it be productive in dry sand- or searching in dirt?
thanks,
Jan

 

[Sandman]

Welcome to Tnet.

The Excal will be excellent in the water or wet or dry sand. It will work on land too though it is heavier than many land units being built for rough water use. You just need to learn the sounds though I dig every tone since it is silent on smaller iron which wastes your time.

 

[steelheadwill]

Welcome Jcono!
thanks sandman,
I just got an Excal II, it sure sounds different from my Etrac & Safari,
Good to know I can use it anywhere.....

 

[Sandman]

Welcome Jcono!
thanks sandman,
I just got an Excal II, it sure sounds different from my Etrac & Safari,
Good to know I can use it anywhere.....

Though the Excal and Sov GT make different sounds for various conductivity targets, pay special attention to the sound gold rings and pull tabs make as they are very close together. Also gold rings are alloyed with various metals so the conductivity will be different for each ring. Many white gold woman's rings sound like foil sometimes so this is why if it makes any sound, it is best to dig.

 

[fourleaf]

I also just bought an excal 2 and used it on the beach for the first time a month ago. It did real well in the chest deep water, to anckle deep water, and dry sand. I used a scoop and that was a life saver. I did have some issues with it when the waves were breaking at my feet. The consatant tone would go up and down in tone when it was in the water. I use it in streams and i am getting ready to try the lake. I have park hunted with it also. I am pretty pleased with the machine. I know now though for what i am doing where i live i should have purchased the f-75 fisher machine. I will keep this machine for my water hunts and i am saving for the fisher. The excal will hunt pretty much anywhere you want though.

Welcome to Tnet.

The Excal will be excellent in the water or wet or dry sand. It will work on land too though it is heavier than many land units being built for rough water use. You just need to learn the sounds though I dig every tone since it is silent on smaller iron which wastes your time.

He is right about the wait of the machine. I am a big guy and that machine beat the crud out of me after about 30 min. In the shallow water it will take you down faster due to the resistance in the swing.

 

[OBN]

Tried the excal in a some what trashy park area 5 years ago, just to many variations in targets to get a feel of what was under the coil, for me. Now this is after using a metered detector (SE).

 

[borninok]

A couple years back, I asked Sandman whether the Excalibur 1000 was worth it. As usual, he gave me great advice, and I have been absolutely pleased with it. Now...I'm thinking about updating to the Excal 2, but am wondering if is worth it....any sage advice, Sandman?

Although it is heavier than my White's DFX, I have found my Excal does very well on land. I moved from the East Coast to Texas, and out here .... well, let's just say that the drought has dried up a lot of our streams and rivers....which makes it great for us MDers. However, if you come upon a hidden pocket of water and need to scoop, it is impractical to carry 2 detectors and a scoop. So I carry just the scoop and the Excal and leave the DFX in the pickup.


--Mel

borninok