Excalibur Maiden Voyage and an Observation

[JOe L]

As a few know this was my Maiden Saltwater Beach/Surf trip this weekend with my Excal 2.
It functioned Fantastic, Strong threshold, unless I hit iron, null then buzz, swing next to my digger and then back to the nice low threshold in and out of the surf. Dang water was cold..
NOW, a fish hook, bobbie pins, fish swivel, ketchup packet, (all in the trash can they went) and clad was all that was in store but, no problem picking them up with a strong sound on the clad. Even got to the point where I was able to tell the difference, JUST ALITTLE though. What clad I did find I replanted and practiced a bit.
The beach I hunted in NJ was right out in front of our Motel and not really planted yet for the year. It holds promise.

Now my Observation and Question.
While my wife and I were strolling the Boardwalk yesterday eve I saw 2 MD'ers down on the beach in what looks like a great clad area. Boardwalk and amusements.
The way they were swinging their MD's, about 3-4 inches off the sand, fast swing along with a pretty fast walk that left around at least a foot to foot and a half between Swings. Whats up with that?
I made sure when I was detecting, coil over lapped with a reasonable speed.
They must have been SPEED searching. .

Now I've got to get out more often. JOe

 

[Patrol]

Good! They will leave more for you.!

 

[mumszie]

With that kind of MD'ers .... sounds like you will not have to worry about it being hunted out! Good luck!

 

[guzz1]

That's what helicoptering . Just walk behind those guys with your method and pick up all the loot they miss and theres plenty of it they leave behind . There's a guy down here that does that exact thing Im talking about . he missed a hell of a ring That I got when I was behind him rescanning his area .. Guzz1

 

[rmptr]

I guess a 'speed search' might have some sort of validity...

If someone were searching for for an area of intense activity, or something like that...

But gosh! Find just one little spot of a target in an area swept with a proper, well covered grid,
and you could easily exceed my wages for a week, or even a month!

I guess they'll never know what they have missed!

HH
rmptr

 

[rdi]

I love people that hunt using the helicopter method with a running stride....For those of us that hunt right,it puts goods in our pockets....rdi

 

[JOe L]

it was strange. I really couldn't understand how, at that speed , height and distance they would at least miss a LARGE percentage of targets.
I wanted to run down there and say, WHATS UP with that technique...Oh well, at least they were out there while I was "strolling the boardwalk" with the wife....and yes enjoying it.

 

[DaChief]

See it often. You would think that people who invest in expensive equipment would take the time to learn it. That is why I never listen to folks who talk about an area being hunted out. I went into a lot that had been cleared years ago and on my way in a fellow told me that two guys had just left and been over every inch of it. There foot tracks confirmed that they had been over every inch. The problem was that their detectors hadn't. I came out of the lot with 11 Barber coins several Buffalo Nickels and a pocket full of Wheat pennies. Also got the desk bell from the old hotel that was there but had burned before the building that was currently there was demolished.

As they say in sports, "That is why we play the games." If we didn't hunt where people had already hunted, we would be hurting for places to go.

Good luck and keep swinging. SLOW AND STEADY

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

They are searching for 50 gallon drums, finding anything else is going to be slim.

I love it when I see people searching like that as I know the odds are very good they are going to miss 99% of the good tickets so I will search the area they detect as well.

If I see someone going slow, keeping the coil low and level with the ground, and over lapping their sweeps then most times I will skip that area and move on, especially if they have a Minelab..... Nothing I hate more then be in the water waist deep and see someone enter the water by me with an Excal....

Remember if you get a null then a small tone or chatter chances are good there is something there with the iron, I would dig it if I was you.

Good luck and good hunting............

 

[JoeinMemphis]

Ok, you said "NOW, a fish hook, bobbie pins, fish swivel, ketchup packet" with the exception of the ketchup packet, please tell me you were in PP or all metal mode.... I am new to the Excal, and am under the impression it should have nulled on the hook, pins etc... HH Joe

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The null will depend on the make up of the metal, if iron targets have other base metals in them with the iron, you will get a signal, not a null, although it is usually a rough, choppy signal and not the sharp signal of gold or silver.

I am still a newbie, but I did own 2 Excals and I still do own 1 Excal 1000 and 2 Sov GT's, I have found that good targets will usually have a sharp, pronounced response, rapid up and down, while bad ones will usually have a less pronounced more of a choppy signal.

Good luck and good hunting....

 

[JOe L]

Ok, you said "NOW, a fish hook, bobbie pins, fish swivel, ketchup packet" with the exception of the ketchup packet, please tell me you were in PP or all metal mode.... I am new to the Excal, and am under the impression it should have nulled on the hook, pins etc... HH Joe

Joe, Being new to the Excal 2 also, I dug everything even if it was the threshold null and all of the above nulled in disc mode. Worked well I just wanted to dig everything that made the detector sing or be silent. Don't remember the ketchup packet, it may have sung out to me. Also, checked everything in both modes just for some beach testing, in PP mode it toned...Lot of learning to this beast and I plan on conquering it......

 

[JOe L]

Remember if you get a null then a small tone or chatter chances are good there is something there with the iron, I would dig it if I was you.

Good luck and good hunting............

TH, dug it all. Just to be on the safe side...

 

[JOe L]

I have found that good targets will usually have a sharp, pronounced response, rapid up and down, while bad ones will usually have a less pronounced more of a choppy signal.

Good luck and good hunting....

Ditto, I noticed the choppy tones. For a min I thiugh it was iron masking something else. I'll do the MD'ing thing until I know it better, DIG. All I can say is this hobby is GREAT...

 

[erikk]

As a few know this was my Maiden Saltwater Beach/Surf trip this weekend with my Excal 2.
It functioned Fantastic, Strong threshold, unless I hit iron, null then buzz, swing next to my digger and then back to the nice low threshold in and out of the surf. Dang water was cold..
NOW, a fish hook, bobbie pins, fish swivel, ketchup packet, (all in the trash can they went) and clad was all that was in store but, no problem picking them up with a strong sound on the clad. Even got to the point where I was able to tell the difference, JUST ALITTLE though. What clad I did find I replanted and practiced a bit.
The beach I hunted in NJ was right out in front of our Motel and not really planted yet for the year. It holds promise.

Now my Observation and Question.
While my wife and I were strolling the Boardwalk yesterday eve I saw 2 MD'ers down on the beach in what looks like a great clad area. Boardwalk and amusements.
The way they were swinging their MD's, about 3-4 inches off the sand, fast swing along with a pretty fast walk that left around at least a foot to foot and a half between Swings. Whats up with that?
I made sure when I was detecting, coil over lapped with a reasonable speed.
They must have been SPEED searching. .

Now I've got to get out more often. JOe

It is known as INEXPERIENCE

 

[Born2Dtect]

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

I hunt slow and thorough because that is what works best with the detector I use. NOW! Picture this. Have you ever been in a competition hunt in sand? The strategy is move as fast as you can, knowing targets should be shallow and the more area you cover the better your results.

Question: Back to the beach scene, normal hunting. Is covering the area as fast as you can a good strategy? Yes if most of the finds are recent/shallow. No if you cannot get good coverage.

I choose in between, good coverage, as fast as I can go while not missing any targets.

Last point, Having the coil 3 inches above the sand is not productive. You don,t have to scrub the sand but being lower covers more area. Remember to buy those 10$ coil covers everytime you get a new detector or coil.

Ed D.