Issues and Finds for Latest Beach Trip

[saanich2018]

Because of all this COVID19 mess, my work is very slow at the moment, so I went back to the beach with my Nox 800.


1) I had pretty good luck with overall, but I was only able to use my detector four times, and then only in the evenings due to the crowds on the beach!! However, I found about $10 in coins, some keys, fishing hooks and weights, and odd metal items. The best things I found was one gold earring with a small diamond, and a silver band ring with diamonds. Overall, I was happy.

2) The last time I was at the beach I posted that I was getting some crazy signals. Most of you told me I must just have read the numbers wrong. Just for clarification, I was using beach mode 1 for dry sand and beach mode 2 for wet sand. Ground balance was 0 and noise cancel was at -1. I did a hard reboot before starting.
Also, for the record, Minelab has replaced the coil on my unit once, and the head unit twice, all due to failures.
The problem is, when I hit a tone and then turn on the pin pointer, about 30% of the time it will not do anything. However, if I turn off the pin pointer and then turn it back it on it will work fine. Other times, the pin pointer will help me zero in on an object, but then lock into a steady high pitch tone and will not stop until I turn the pin pointer off.
Has anyone else had issues such as this? I know I have read some post on this site where people have complained about the built-in pin pointer on these units?

3) Now for the signals. I was very careful to document what signal numbers I was getting for my finds:
Pennies usually are hitting in the 17 to 20 range
Dimes are usually in the 23-24 range
Quarters usually are in the 28 to 30 range. However, sometimes the quarters are coming in at 22-23. Why?
The last time I was at the beach, I said that sometimes, nickels were coming in at 25. Most of you told me that was not possible and I had misread the signal.
However, this time I was still getting nickels in the 25-26 range. Other time nickels were in the 12 to 15 range. Again, why the wide variation?
The gold earring hit at 17-18
The silver band ring hit a solid 19.

I also know that pull tabs are in the 13-14 range, and aluminum foil is 0 to about 5.
Miscellaneous stuff will hit anywhere from about 7 to 20

So why am I getting these wide variations? Do you think there is something wrong with my unit – again? I know if I send this back to Minelab they will say it is working fine.


Thanks

 

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[Bayoutalker]

Maybe hook up with someone else that is having good luck with theirs and compare the two together. Do you have anyone you can do this with?

 

[saanich2018]

No not really. Good idea though

 

[nuggetdog]

My pin pointer acts up just like yours. Not every time so I just live with it. Overall very satisfied with the pin point on my nox.
Can’t help you with the wild signal swings, I haven’t ventured out of park 1 yet so don’t know how the beach modes would work. So far park 1 is very stable.

 

[cudamark]

Were the odd numbers both in the dry and wet? I've never had nickels read anywhere near that high (except silver war nickels). I think I've maybe had one that read 14, but, they're almost always 13 if they're not corroded, and 12 or less if they are. That must be a fairly big earring to read that high too, if it's truly gold. That silver ring reads a bit low based on similar ones I've found. Unless they're tiny, most silver rings will read in the 20's and 30's. If the solder joint is broken, they can read low however......sometimes real low. I'm not sure what you mean by a "hard reboot".....factory reset? Have you tried using Park 1 in the dry sand? I like that mode there. My pin point function works like yours (or doesn't as the case may be!) Many times I have to try it twice to get it to work properly. A minor annoyance. Gold can be anywhere in the non-ferrous range, so, dig those foils sounds!

 

[Terry Soloman]

Now you know why good hunters NEVER trust VDI. I'm impressed with your finds, especially that tiny gold-tone disc! Solid, repeatable, non-ragged, tone over target, dig it all.

 

[saanich2018]

Were the odd numbers both in the dry and wet? I got the same variety of odd numbers in both wet and dry sand. I just do not understand the nickel issues. Makes no sense what so ever and I triple checked it. Sometimes it hit the mid twenty's and other time in the 12 to 15 range. What drives me crazy is that pull tabs also hit the 13-14 range. Why can't people pick up their trash?? Also, I have never tried Park mode on the beach. I will give it a try next time.

The gold earring with the small diamond had a gold star hanging off it, so this may account for the higher tone. The image is not great but you can see the earring. It is stamped 14K


Good to know I am not the only one with pin pointer issues.

When I said "hard reboot" I meant factory reset. Been spending to much time on my computer and Iphone lately

The little gold disc is apparently off of a charm bracelet. I had to really hunt around for it!

and yes, I do dig it all. Beer cans, pull tabs and bottle caps!!! At least I am helping to clean up the beach.

 

[Donut]

When you are getting a higher number it is because the coin is reacting to and with other minerals in the ground/beach.
Pin pointing will null on a target if you turn it on over or near the target or another target nearby. Try turning on the pin pointer higher in the air so it is not seeing the target.
Doug

 

[saanich2018]

When you are getting a higher number it is because the coin is reacting to and with other minerals in the ground/beach.
Pin pointing will null on a target if you turn it on over or near the target or another target nearby. Try turning on the pin pointer higher in the air so it is not seeing the target.
Doug

Interesting Never heard about this before. I will have to try it next time. Thanks

 

[vferrari]

Pinpointer has always been wonky on Equinox. If it acts up on me, I just cycle the PP mode on and off, recover the target and move on. I usually turn on the pinpointe just off to the side of where I thing the target is. One thing that can screw up the pinpointer is if it locks onto an adjacent target. The quarters reading low can be explained by their actual orientation in the sand. If they are edge up, tilted, then they can read lower. Everything else you describe is normal, perhaps that silver ring range up a little low - but it also could have been edge on. The only thing I can't explain is your nickels at 25. That is really, really weird. Once you dig them out, do they still read 25 on the surface or in an air test? Are they corroded. Are they normal nickels and not war nickels? I really have no idea on that one.

 

[RustyGold]

That’s a good question vferrari. Does it ring up 25 once they’re out of the ground.

 

[CASPER-2]

Dig it all...get it all

 

[smokeythecat]

Vferrari and Casper have it right. Typical for that unit. And dig it all let God sort it out.

 

[saanich2018]

The silver ring was not very deep and was sitting flat with the edges up. This would explain that signal.

I was wondering is maybe quarters sitting on their side would have made the difference in my readings. I am going to assume it did.

As for the nickels, I cannot say for sure what they registered after I dug them up. I do know the nickels that hit in the 25 range all were pre-1974, if that would make a difference??
Most were in the 1960's and none of them were heavily corroded like the newer nickels.

It was also strange in that I noticed that the older pennies did not have as much corrosion as the newer pennies!??

Thanks for everyone's input. I feel much better about the pin pointer and that my unit is operating basically as it should .....

I was happy with my earring and ring finds this trip.

 

[vferrari]

The silver ring was not very deep and was sitting flat with the edges up. This would explain that signal.

I was wondering is maybe quarters sitting on their side would have made the difference in my readings. I am going to assume it did.

As for the nickels, I cannot say for sure what they registered after I dug them up. I do know the nickels that hit in the 25 range all were pre-1974, if that would make a difference??
Most were in the 1960's and none of them were heavily corroded like the newer nickels.

It was also strange in that I noticed that the older pennies did not have as much corrosion as the newer pennies!??

Thanks for everyone's input. I feel much better about the pin pointer and that my unit is operating basically as it should .....

I was happy with my earring and ring finds this trip.

Re: the nickels - shouldn't make a diffrence pre-'74. Check the TID 25 nickels out of the hole next time...

The newer pennies being corroded makes perfect sense, they are a zinc alloy which corrodes much easier than the older copper alloy pennies. That's why they are called zincolns...