New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

[bergie]

New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

Goldfever will hit the same site this Sunday (Aug 6th) with his Excaliber.

HollowPointred will get started on the challenge on Friday morning through Saturday, so it will be a good sample. He should be able to cover a good portion of the site where the silver has been found. I'm sure he'll post the results when he can.


The Challenge--

Over the past couple of years I have "searched out" an old swimming hole on private property where only I have permission (and it is in a small town and unknown). This is in NY not far from Newburgh, NY. It was virgin when I got there and I found about 35 silver coins and one colonial copper among other things. I have rarely dug mid range tones because I'd rather avoid the junk (so there could be gold and I have found a couple of buffalo nickles digging some of those tones). So, even if it is hunted out for silver, you could find good stuff in the mid range. Here's what I'd like to prove or disprove. I have a Radio Shack, Bounty Hunter. I'd like someone with a really high end detector to get in there and see if they can find any more silver (prove or disprove what I read about those detectors going deeper). I have always found alot of stuff, but would like to know if I'm actually missing stuff. Like I said, even if you don't find silver, there could be some other good stuff in there on the mid-range. This was a swimming hole for decades along a creek for the town and a resort in the town. It is about 100 yards long by anywhere from 15 yards to 50 yards wide. There is no catch. I have a great relationship with the owner and will work it out so you can go on the site. I would like to get one person who lives near enough that they will spend some time at the site and really get some data on this question and share it with those on Treasurenet after covering a large section or all of the site. If I get a lot of replies I'll have to turn away some people, so you'll have to understand. Send me message if you are seriously interested and nearby enough to do it and have a high quality detector. Would also appreciate suggestions from anyone who would identify best few detectors I should look for in doing this test. (Coins I have found range from one 1700s -- no date readable colonial copper, 1899 Barber Half, to lots of mercs, a few standing libs, washington quarters and rosies all silver. Lots of wheats)

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

That would be one Advantage for Me Hollow.

I can Swim in Poison Ivy & not get it

 

[shortz]

Re: Updated/Prove a high end detector better than Radio Shack?

I have a ignorant question . how do coins keep sinking into the ground?

hey shortz, the general consensus seems to be that leaves and grass clippings and stuff dies and decomposes on top of the coins. add to that freezing and thawing, wind rain, etc, and the coins wind up underground.

That makes sense . I never thought of snow and ice . we dont get much of that here in florida. but we get plenty of rain to bury them deeper. Thanks

 

[bazinga]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

Charles needs to get in there with his explorer NOW! haha

If someone with an explorer or dfx goes to hunt there then bergie should be there hunting as well so they can point out any possible deep coin signals for bergie to test out with his machine and see how it reads.

 

[randall61]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

awesome post....i used a bh and found good targets,then upgraded to a fisher and the biggest difference is the fisher will find small targets that the bh would pass up.thanks again for the great post.

 

[Cannonman17]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

very interesting for sure, a lot of variables though... how tall the grass is/was.. moisture in the soil... what about taking some coins of various types and putting them in the ground at known depths and trying both machines the same day on the same coins.. that might tell more.

 

[Blackjack77]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

As a current BH user , who is looking to upgrade, this is a very interesting topic. I bought a discovery 2000 several years ago and this year bought a Discovery 3300 for a very cheap price. The difference between the two machines is night and day. Until this year I did not seriously detect, but the 3300 gave out such good finds I'm absolutely hooked on this hobby.
One thing I have tried is comparing the two detectors. Both seem to detect very deep, but the 2000 does not give a depth or numerical indication like the 3300 or discriminate as well. To Me its the difference between "seeing" whats down there and guessing-- yes the detector beeped but what does it mean?? Only after actually FINDING good items do I now understand what the older, less expensive MD was trying to tell Me.
My theory on this hobby is if more people bought the best first-- the less expensive detectors would still yield good finds for them after using the best. Most people, Me included are best to start cheaper and make sure its a hobby We'll stay interested in. Maybe MD rentals would be a good start for newbies!!
Ok -this is more typing ( hunt & peck) than I normally do, so finally let Me say this- I like My BH detectors but am seriously looking at upgrading to a White's or Garrett.
Thanks for reading and can't wait for this challenge to continue!!
Good,plain easy to understand writing has never been My strong suit-- sorry ,hope you understand My point!!
HH

 

[Gretchen]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

I have a Radio Shack Discovery 1000 (Bounty Hunter Tracter IV) It has the meter so I can watch it or hear the sound. I usually run it on Tone. That picks up metal tabs - also nickels and gold rings. To test my gold rings I turned the knob to discriminate. Not a sound. The machine comes automatically ground balanced. It works in all kinds of soil, sandy fresh water beaches and in the water. This summer I took it up to Washington and used in the Puget Sound - beach and water. Works great. My $10.00 swap meet special has found me plenty of silver, wheat cents, clads, etc. Light weight, fast to use. I cover large areas in the mountain camp grounds. Only one to do it, so if I miss something I'll get it the next time. After the snow melted this spring in the small sledding areas along the road I found a lot of coins just laying on the ground, beside what I found with the metal detector. Also found a gold earring and a 14kt linked bracelet. I also have a White's Prinz II and Radio Shack Discovery 300. I don't use them much. Don't like the touch pads and the needle jumping all around. They get on my nerves. So I go back to my basic metal detector. Joan Allen of England - about the biggest metal detector in England ran a test on the Bounty Hunter Tracter IV. Used it in the fields for relics, playgrounds and at the beach. No problems. The expensive metal detectors with all their gadgets may be fine, but I don't have the time to try and analyze what they are locating. I am very impatient. Simple is for me. Some of the best finds with metal detectors came in the seventies and eighties. The articles in the Western & Eastern Treasures Magazines have more pages than the current ones, often better articles, and better finds with those old great White Metal Detectors. Use to have one.

 

[juniorb]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

Great topic, I have a BH (pioneer 505) (Wally world) and only hunt South Padre. I have found Silver, and all kinds of assorted beach trash, even found a bottle cap 3 in down in a puddle of salt water. This thread has boosted the confidence of a relative newcomer with a cheaper machine and I thank all that have replied.

jrb

 

[treasurekidd]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

This is a great post guys! Bergies and HP, thak you for posting your experiences, it has been helpful. Let me know when the spot has been hunted with a GTI, DFX and Explorer, and then I'll go in and clean up with my ACE250, lol! Just kidding guys! Thanks again!

 

[cheese]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

I started with a discovery 2000. It got me interested, and I made some older finds ( a few wheats and lots of clad)...but that's to be expected of any beginner anyway, no matter the detector. I decided it was a hobby I could enjoy for years, and went ahead to the top of the line and bought a Fisher CZ. Now, when my wife goes with me, she often asks me to come check a signal for her, since over time she's learned that mine will separate the signals more accurately when she gets an iffy signal. I do agree that I dig much much less trash than I used to (although the weakness of the CZ is badly rusted iron...it doesn't always separate that very well, but experience lets you know). Having said that, nearly every time my wife and I go out detecting, she comes up with the better finds. I don't think she's ever found much of anything below 4". She just has a knack for swinging over the right spots. I've found some really deep stuff with the Fisher, but the main benefit of it over the lower priced discovery is that I know when I have a good target. The discovery will make you think you have a good target when you don't much more often. All in all, the difference between the two is noticeable for sure, but not as big of a difference as I expected considering the price difference.

I think if you use a low end detector, and know how to use it well, and most targets aren't over 6" deep, then you can find most anything that the higher end detectors can, but you might dig more trash doing it. I'm only using these two detectors to compare, so maybe this conclusion isn't accurate in all cases, but it is in mine.

I'd be interested to see what else comes out of the ground at Bergies spot from other detectorists.

 

[oldman]

Re: New info--excaliber to challenge Radio Shack & Garrett

Good luck Bergie, that's close to my old stomping grounds, Beacon, cold Spring NY! Born and raised there only wish I knew aout metal detectors then. Bill