First try out with the new-to-me Excal 800.

[stevemc]

I got my old Excal from Mel Parker yesterday, it was really a nice piece, seems to be hardly used. I have a Whites Surfmaster PI that is at least as old, and only used in saltwater, and you can tell my PI is worse for wear. But I assume it came from inland, and never saw saltwater. Anyway, I charged the battery last night, and took it in the back yard. I had the thin tiny gold ring I found 2 weeks ago, a clad dime, a copper penny, and aluminum nail, a stainless screw, a nickel, and a 1" steel drywall screw. I found an area that has no detectable targets, and laid them down one at a time. The gold ring definetly had a different sound, as did the nickel. Maybe the stainless screw too, but the others had a different sound. The steel screw had no sound, actually the threshold sound was there, but no change. Then I went to the beach-Lido Beach. Its near me, and I had been there 2 weeks prior, and found lots of junk, that gold ring and a couple pennies and a nickel. First hit I got today was an old coke bottle top-steel. It had a different sound, wop-weee real high. Dug it and steel bottle top, that was with sens at 1-highest. Walked 20' and same sound and yes another bottle cap. Then a 1979 penny, copper, different sound, but not a gold ring sound. Then a quiet, no thresh hold, and then when moved off the threshold was back. Dug it and a piece of iron wire from a crab trap. Then a few pieces of can slaw from the dredge pumping the beach. Then more silences from iron, one large, made a pop. Then a mylar piece, and a condom wrapper. Then on the way back to the car I hit several silences, and did not dig. Gettting it, but really want to figure it all out. Oh, when I was at 1 on sens I walked into the water and the waves made the loud noises, like it was picking up the water, so I turned it down some in the sens dial. It seemed better. I have some practicing to do.

 

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[FloridaBill]

Good luck with it you will love it

 

[JAN2011]

Practice makes perfect - you'll end loving that machine!

 

[Sandman]

Sounds like you are well on your way to learning the Excal. It will come to you quickly because you already have lots of experience.

 

[OBN]

Excellent machine..
check out my youtube channels..several on the excal, along with a few others....also hang in there on the 8 inch coil, Florida is a tuff place to hunt with the smaller coil since coverage is a major thing there..you may want to keep your eyes open for a larger coil for next year. That machine you have (Gary storm NY model) is far superior to the new Excalibur's, tones and sensitivity...check out the link on the guy who put the first together for minelabs, probably yours...#198

http://www.youtube.com/user/OldeBeechnut#g/u

http://www.youtube.com/user/oldbeechnut?feature=mhsn#p/u

Interview with Gary Storm ...... http://detectorstuff.com/2010/07/13/interview-with-gary-storm-of-detectorpro/

Good Luck
joe

 

[bootyhoundpa]

there is a learning curve, especially if your new to minelab.. i usually hunt in disc mode with disc setting on 0 and start with the sensetivity mid way at 12 oclock and make slight adjustments depending on conditions... when first learning the gt and x-call i found it easier hunting the water line as the wave action washes away most junk targets and leaving a higher percentage of keepers... dont forget to dig those repeating whisper signals as they usually deep targets.. you . are gonna love it. just give yourself time to learn it..

 

[surfnturf]

Just keep at it! Time spent is your best investment! Good Luck and most important have fun!!

 

[stevemc]

Thanks, I know I will love it. I will keep on practicing. I will keep my PIs for diving on the other coast, but for the beach, I think this will be the best. I am tired of digging bobby pins, hair pins, champagne wires, nails, screws, sparkler wires (I found one today-but it was silent-no thresh hold sound, just wanted to see what was there) and lots of other iron/steel junk. Obviously I will still find pull tabs, and aluminum can parts, and of course pennies, but hopefully the gold count will go up, since I dont have to dig so much iron. I clean up and take any junk I find so I dont find it again, so hopefully the beach will be cleaner for the next time. I am new to Minelabs. I have used VLFs long ago, and in the last 15 years I have used PIs, but never a Minelab. I am getting it though.

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

excals squeaks a language all its own

 

[John (west central FL)]

Steve,
I don't understand why you are still getting a threshold sound when detecting the drywall screw. The threshold should null out. Maybe your sensitivity is too high. Steel bottle caps will sometimes sound off but steel screws and pieces of wire should null the threshold. ~John

 

[stevemc]

I was wondering that too John. It was just the same hum of just audible threshhold. I thought it was supposed to be that way, until I got to the beach and had it go quiet on steel wire. I am not sure if I had it set the same as at the beach, that was first thing in the morning. But I thought it was the same. At the beach I had it set at 1 on disc, and I think as high as it would go-counterclock wise on sens, threshhold just above audible, I guess thats it. It was a 1" steel drywall screw, and I did find some tiny iron bits that did turn the thresh hold quiet at the beach. So I know it wasnt the size. I am still trying to figure it all out. I rubbed the coil over it(drywall screw) too. Now I have get some tiny gold or tiny chain and see how it does, or even a good sized gold chain. Had a break in this summer, so I dont have any of that stuff. How's the back John? Last time we communicated, your back was hurting you bad. That was a few years back.