Several Questions on Depth

[fenixdigger]

I just started with a Sand Shark and was wondering if any long time users give me an idea of the depth in salt water that a quarter could be hit?
With the Excalibur it was 14 in. I know it will hit an aluminum can at over 3 ft.

How deep do you wade?

 

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[dewcon4414]

I dont use the SS, but i do use the Xcal. When talking depth IN the water you have to consider location, mineralization, type of sand density, and the biggest factor...... KNOWING EXACTLY HOW DEEP THE TARGET WAS. Its a best guess out there. Ive seen postings of people alleging unbelievable depths.... which more likely was a target on the side that finely fell in the hole. Now if you are doing controlled testing in the wet sand its a little more consistent..... but in the water there are a lot of variables.... which are mostly due to your PPing and target recovery. It will be a best guess.

Dew

 

[Terry Soloman]

I have hit quarters as deep as 19" on wet sand with the Sand Shark. The real key to depth in my opinion is using NORMAL mode, a pulse width set at about 80-percent, and an audible threshold so that you can hear "negative" breaks (the threshold goes silent, or quiet over the deep target). The other VERY important factor is coil wire wrapping. DO NOT wrap the coil wire around the lower plastic rod as shown in the manual!!!!! Run it straight up the lower rod, and wrap it only on the middle metal rod.

 

[fenixdigger]

Thanks Dew. I've used the Excal for about 15 yrs, but the coil config won't work for the dredge. We did some control tests with it years ago. And it was impressive. This SS seems to be a very good unit for what it is. I was hoping to get some feedback from some long time users of the Tesoro.

I am wondering, in the surf, how deep do most people work? I know this depends on wave size, but It seems that above waist deep it is a pain in the ass to deal with the waves. It is dam near impossible to scuba in water less than 6 ft with waves on top of you. Got some real good training trying that. LOL.

 

[fenixdigger]

Hi Terry;

Thanks a lot for that. I've read some of your other posts and got a lot of help from them. I set mine up following your directions. I really like the construction of the SS. The long coil wire worked real good for what we are doing. What would you say the difference in depth is from normal to VCO ?

 

[bigscoop]

I am wondering, in the surf, how deep do most people work? I know this depends on wave size, but It seems that above waist deep it is a pain in the ass to deal with the waves. It is dam near impossible to scuba in water less than 6 ft with waves on top of you. Got some real good training trying that. LOL.

Get to know your beaches. In some places it will be much easier to work then in others. On my area beaches the first bar can be much closer and/or much wider then in other places. Sometimes this is a plus, sometimes it isn't, just depends on the currents and surf conditions. At one location you may be able to work the troughs chest deep with little trouble, a hundred yards down the beach it might be nearly impossible.

 

[HUNTER12]

sand shark

I have hit quarters as deep as 19" on wet sand with the Sand Shark. The real key to depth in my opinion is using NORMAL mode, a pulse width set at about 80-percent, and an audible threshold so that you can hear "negative" breaks (the threshold goes silent, or quiet over the deep target). The other VERY important factor is coil wire wrapping. DO NOT wrap the coil wire around the lower plastic rod as shown in the manual!!!!! Run it straight up the lower rod, and wrap it only on the middle metal rod.

Terry, I set my SS up the way you have it, and it worked flawlesly all week in myrtel beach, Dept was great; i was down at least a foot to a foot and a half or better some times. NO problem with the sand wet or dry. I aprreciat your knowledge and would like to learn more. thank you again.

 

[Hag730]

I have hit quarters as deep as 19" on wet sand with the Sand Shark. The real key to depth in my opinion is using NORMAL mode, a pulse width set at about 80-percent, and an audible threshold so that you can hear "negative" breaks (the threshold goes silent, or quiet over the deep target). The other VERY important factor is coil wire wrapping. DO NOT wrap the coil wire around the lower plastic rod as shown in the manual!!!!! Run it straight up the lower rod, and wrap it only on the middle metal rod.

Just curious....how does this effect depth? I'll give it a try...

 

[Terry Soloman]

Thanks Dew. I've used the Excal for about 15 yrs, but the coil config won't work for the dredge. We did some control tests with it years ago. And it was impressive. This SS seems to be a very good unit for what it is. I was hoping to get some feedback from some long time users of the Tesoro.

I am wondering, in the surf, how deep do most people work? I know this depends on wave size, but It seems that above waist deep it is a pain in the ass to deal with the waves. It is dam near impossible to scuba in water less than 6 ft with waves on top of you. Got some real good training trying that. LOL.

Here in the Atlantic off of Long Island, I can only go hip-deep at low tide, and that is where I work. Even at that depth I've been knocked down a few times by unexpected waves. Any deeper without weight belts is futile.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Just curious....how does this effect depth? I'll give it a try...

A lot of folks don't believe the coil wrap makes any difference, but as a long time Minelab GPX user, I know better. These PI machines are extemely sensitive. Moving that mass or wire at least 20" away from the coil cuts down on EMI, and allows the coil to be more sensitive to smaller deeper targets - In My OPINION. Maybe some day there will be emperical evidence to back up my opinion. We'll see..

 

[Hag730]

I'll give it a try.....couldnt hurt. Thanks

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hi Terry;

Thanks a lot for that. I've read some of your other posts and got a lot of help from them. I set mine up following your directions. I really like the construction of the SS. The long coil wire worked real good for what we are doing. What would you say the difference in depth is from normal to VCO ?

For MY EARS, and that is a huge part of this, at least two-full inches. The beauty of the Sand Shark over machines at twice it's price, is that you can set the frequency of the signal tone to match your hearing - maximizing your ability to hear whisper breaks, and you have TWO modes to choose from and use. I like Normal mode because I hear the whisper positive breaks in the threshold, and the silent "negative" breaks much better.

 

[Sandman]

Years ago I replaced all the brass coil bolts to nylon and moved the coil wire up the shaft straight up the side to also cut water resistance. Now all the manufacturers are using nylon bolts and nuts. The coils are made to find metal, right? I can't even wear my fishermen wading boots because they have brass nails.

After all those suggestions, nobody sent me a free detector........

 

[fenixdigger]

Sandman here's a good one. I modified a Sovereign with a much larger battery charged to 13 v and a butterfly coil. First trip to a field I was getting hits everywhere. I thought it must have been an old dumping site. After a while of no concise pinpoints, I realized I had steel toes on the dam boots and I couldn't get the coil far enough away to detect. You should try walking in a cornfield barefoot. Lesson learned.

 

[Barrell]

I just switched from a RGP aluminum scoop to a Digato stainless and I have to keep the stainless scoopp 5 feet behind me so the coil doesnt pick it up on a dual field PI. When I sweep the coil to my left side at 9 oclock it still picks up the scoop five feet behind me. Someday maybe plastics will get good enough we can use plastic scoops.

 

[fenixdigger]

You should make one out of 6 in PVC pipe and a wood handle. Bolt it to the end cap with 2 ss bolts. I'll see if I can find my old one and photo it. Been years, since I saw it. The wood handle makes it hard to lose sight of in the water.

 

[fenixdigger]

Well I didn't find it, but I did find some other stuff put up. The little kitchen tool is strong. I set a battery on it for the photo.The scoop was made from 4 in pvc.

 

[stevemc]

I have used many PIs, several TRs, and Minelab Excals. PIs are definetly deeper. The slower the pulse rate, the deeper it will go, but only on big stuff, and it wont find gold jewelry. The faster the pulse rate, the more sensitive it will be on alloys like gold jewelry. You can use the pulse delay on a Whites, or the disc on a Garrett Sea Hunter to see if it is gold jewelry or not. I carry my stainless scoop on my shoulder. I also tape the coil wire all the way up the side of the shaft and coil the wire by the head unit, and wrap that with tape. PIs will also go deeper in saltwater and wetsand, because it helps with the electrical field, unlike the other types, which air test a certain distance, in salt water they dont go as far. Sometimes I will go over a good area with my Excal, clean it all up, then use a PI and find stuff deeper. Problem is if it is real deep it probably isnt a gold ring. But you never know what you will find. I dont like in water detecting if it is too rough, makes it hard to keep on your target, waves make constant noises when they go over your coil, and you arent watching and waves can hit you. If it is calm, I will go upper chest deep max.

 

[ron lord]

Alot of people on here know I hunt with a Sea Huntter, but what you don't know is that I hunt with a sand shark also, because it is the deepest detector I have ever seen .I have dug Quarter as deep as 24",Gold ring as deep 26"I hunt in sandy ,shelly and rocky bottoms.I have owned an Excal 1000 for 7 years. I now own an Infinium LS, Sea Hunter , AT PRO and a sand shark.The thing I find that fine the most Gold is going slow and over lapping your coil even in the water.In person I will teach you to hunt better ,but not on any forum or sit ,there is just some things you can't teach or learn by reading it, so you all have fun diggin, the more you dig the more you will learn. HH

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

fenixdigger: I have detected oversize targets at depth of 3 feet with an Excalibur II 1000 several times.

The first object detected and retrieved at three feet was a rusted large piece of iron, appearing to been off a tank track. I know that I was not detecting other objects as I was using a pin pointer after every shovel full. The pinpointer did not detect the object till I was approximately 2 inches above it. The resulting hole was a crater as the sides kept slipping in.

The second object that I detected and retrieved at three foot was an aluminum beer can on end. It could not of slipped down as the ground was firm around it. I jabbed though it with my Japanese digging knife, t he seriated edge of this knife allowed me to wiggle this can out.

The third time that this occurred was on a corroded drain pipe that ran out to sea. This could not be retrieved as it ran from shore near the hotel to out in the water.

I have also detected and retrieved an aluminum beer can on end at three feet with a bounty hunter pioneer 505 with a Gold Finder 11" DD Coil.
All of the above detections were in the discrimination mode on dry sand at the beach. In each occurrence the metal detector appears to of been overloaded /saturated as the detection area before digging was large.

My question and concern is at what depth do I stop digging? A coin cache or an expensive watch can also overload a metal detector.
Please note that to date, I have not detected any coin sized object at unusual depths, and doubt that I ever will. I do not consider going this deep an advantage but a problem which needs to be dealt with.