11/22/19 Report - Comparison of Equinox and ATX Metal Detectors. Tropical Storm Sebastien.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Tropical Storm Sebastian

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Almost December and there was a tropical storm in the Atlantic named Sebastian.  It is heading away from us and won't do much of anything for our beaches.

I found out yesterday that some of those formless beaches have a lot of scattered modern coins and maybe an occasional surprise.

The ring I picked up yesterday was a fancy ring with lots of stones - one big red one and numerous clear smaller stones.  Turned out it is junk though. 

The coin count was high, but mostly pennies.

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I feel like I have enough experience with the Minelab Equinox 600 now to compare it to the Garrett ATX.  I'm just talking about general impressions.  I don't have as much experience with the Equinox yet.

First, the biggest difference to me is that the Equinox is a quick starter.  It doesn't take a long time to learn how to use it.  It seemed like it took me a really long time to get comfortable with the ATX.  They are very different types of detectors.

One thing that I like about the Equinox, and found surprising, is the effectiveness of the different detecting modes.  It has modes for Park, Field, Beach and Gold.  Each of those has two settings or sub-modes.  For example in the Beach mode there is a mode for detecting on the beach and one for detecting in the water.  You can easily select a mode and it will do a pretty good job for you.  At least that is my experience.  I was surprised, for example, how well the beach mode handled the black sand that you find on some Treasure Coast beaches.

The ATX has no preset modes but you can ground balance the detector for any type of ground.  Nothing wrong with that.  You can use either discrimination or all-metals modes.  Discrimination mode works well, but I prefer all-metals when going for the absolute maximum depth in wet salt sand.

If you aren't accustomed to ground-balancing a detector, you might find doing that tricky at first.

You can rebalance as you move to different areas of the beach.

One of the biggest differences between the two detectors is the weight.  The ATX is a heavy detector and the Equinox is light.  I'm sure there are people who would not want to lug around the ATX.

The ATX uses up battery power fairly quickly, while a fully recharged Equinox will run for a long time.

When you get a detector that like the Equinox has a meter readout, you might expect it to help you identify the type of target that is producing a signal.  I've found that very little help, and have in the past shown why.  Gold rings, for example, produce a wide range of numbers.  That makes no-dig decisions risky.

I believe you can learn to extract as much information from audio signals as you will get from a meter readout, although a meter readout can provide some useful additional information when used in conjunction with the audio and a good analysis of the site.

I didn't expect the Equinox to detect very small piece of metal like the ATX does, but it detects small pieces as well as the ATX as  long as they aren't iron.  The Equinox gives a barely audible signal on some pieces of iron that the ATX would scream.   That is the case even if you are not discriminating iron.  Sometimes you won't want to be bothered by barely visible pieces of iron or other metals.  The sensitivity of the ATX to small pieces of iron can be either a problem or a benefit, depending upon what you are trying to do.  I think most beach detectorists would not like that characteristic of the ATX.

The Equinox is a easy to use metal detector that in my opinion is very satisfactory for the vast majority of situations.  There are however still situations when I would select the ATX.  That would be especially true when I want to make extra-sure I'm not missing anything.  That is how I see it at this point.  I would use other detectors at times too, but for this discussion I'm just talking about the Equinox and ATX.

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We are still getting some fairly high tides, but the surf is down to around two or three feet.  The surf will continue to decrease for the next several days.

The weather is beautiful now.  I like it much better than those nearly 100 degree days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/9/19 Report - Mystery of the Strange Looking Coin. Sedwick Auction. Observations on Several of the Metal Detectors I've Used.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Interesting Lot in the Current Sedwick Auction Catalog.

Take a look at the above item.  What do you think it is?  Looks strange, doesn't it?

I was looking through the current Sedwick auction catalog and noticed the item shown above.  It is referred to as an "imitation cob."   Below is the lot description.

Caracas, Venezuela, 2 reales "imitation cob," date as 142 date (early 1800s), struck over a Spanish bust 2R (milled edge), rare, NGC XF 40. ,KM-C13.1. Well-centered pillars, off-center cross (with often off-the-flan M visible to right), faint toning around details, but most important aspect is that the edge shows traces of the rectangle-circle milling from a bust 2R (first we have seen). NGC #4841431-006.

So it looks like somebody for some reason turned a milled Spanish 2 reale into a fake cob, and didn't do a very good job of it.  The elements on the coin are very crude.  Was it made to fool people?  Maybe it was just somebody fooling around.  The date doesn't make sense at all.  There is a story behind that, but I can only wonder what it is.

Here is the link to the imitation cob.  

https://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Caracas-Venezuela-2-reales-imitation-cob-date-as-142-date-early-1800s-struck-over-a-Spanish_i34624997

There is another imitation cob in the catalog that is very much like the one shown above.

Here is the link to the Sedwick auction site.  

https://auction.sedwickcoins.com/auctionlist.aspx

You need to register to bid.

Among the more interesting pieces, in my opinion, were the gold finger bars.  The finger bars had some of the highest auction estimates of the entire auction.  They were in the third session.   Look around lot 80 or 81.

I really think there will be a lot of reales that don't sell.    There is something for everybody though.

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I wanted to rank the metal detectors that I've owned and used over the years.  I found out it wasn't easy to do that.  There are a lot of factors.

This isn't an objective ranking or comparison.

My favorites though are the Noga and MacDonald modified Nautilus detectors.  They were excellent at finding gold on the beaches and in the water.  That is what they were made for.  They nulled on iron, which I liked.   If I'd been hunting relics instead of gold at the time, it would have been a different story.  But they worked very well for what I was doing at the time, and back then I was doing it a lot and had a lot of success with it.  One story that I recall and that illustrates how those detectors worked, was when I detected a small gold bead very near the access at Turtle Trail.  I could easily detect the bead, but I could find it.  I put a handful of sand containing the bead on the coil and still couldn't see the bead.  I moved the sand around and the detector gave a signal.  The sand was course and a color that matched closely to that of the bead, but I eventually found the bead.

Herb claimed his detectors were better than the Noga ones, but I'm not sure that was true.

I know some of the coils for those detectors were hotter than others.

They were very easy to set up and use because they were made for one type of hunting and didn't require or allow much adjustment.

The reason it is so difficult to rank the detectors, is that most of them have things that I like and find very effective, but also negatives.

I'd tend to rank the Garrett GTX second among those I've owned, but it is very heavy, difficult to learn to use well, and loves iron.  Those sound might sound like serious problems, but when you learn to use it and if you aren't bothered much by trash, it is a powerful detector.  I have confidence that I won't miss much of anything with that detector.

Of course the best detector for you always depends upon what you want to do with it, and your style and even your personality.  There are some people who would never ever use the GTX.

In the middle of the pack are many others.  High in the middle of the pack I'd put the other Minelab detectors that I've owned, including the Excalibur and Sovereign.  

I used the Excalibur for several years.  It worked well, but I used it differently than most people.  I always used the pinpoint rather than the discrimination mode.  If I'd been able to get either the Noga or MacDonald detectors at that point, I would have been using them.

I'd rank the Fisher 1280 right up there with the Excalibur.   I used the 1280 a lot and found a lot with it.  It was a good detector and very reliable.  I eventually sold it for about as much as I bought it for.  Long before I sold it, I found enough coins to more than pay for it, not counting any jewelry.  I was keeping good records at the time and knew exactly when my coin finds went over the purchase price, which, if I correctly recall, was about $640.

The 1280 was also the detector that found my first silver and gold rings.  One of the things I learned while using that detector is the danger of using too much discrimination.  Overall, it was one of my favorites.

Maybe I rank it higher because it was the detector that I learned a lot from and it found me a lot in my early days of metal detecting.

I'd rank the Royal Sabre after that.  For such an old detector, it has a lot of nice features, but it I'd use it in dry sand or dry land only.

Then maybe the Stringray.   I had trouble with the Tesoro Stingray from the beginning.  I sent it back about three times and it was returned with the same problem.  They wanted to blame it on underwater cables or something in the area, so I told them to send me another one to try in place of the original one to see if it was the location or the detector's fault.   The replacement detector worked fine.  The original Stingray had a grounding problem and the replacement was hardwired.  

When I eventually sent the replacement in for repairs years later, they said it wasn't under warranty because it had been modified.  That is one way for them to get out of their Lifetime Warranty, but they should have had records showing it was the detector as I received it from them. 

When it worked, it was not the deepest seeking detector, but was good at detecting small gold.  It was never anything other than a back-up detector for me.

After that I can't say much good about the other metal detectors.  I probably didn't know enough about the White's CoinMaster to rank it fairly.  The same might also be the case for the Garrett pulse detector.  So I won't say much negative about them.  I know the CoinMaster didn't get a fair chance.  I just didn't know much about metal detectors or metal detecting when I had that one.

I know there metal detectors out there that might be better.  I'm just reporting my observations and feelings on some that I've owned and used.  The ranking is scientific and it isn't objective, but some of you might find my observations somewhat useful anyhow.

I didn't include anything about the Equinox today.  I plan on doing more precise testing on it.  So far I like it a lot.  It seems like an effective detector that could be useful in many situations.  Right now I'd rank it above the Excalibur and in some ways above the GTX.  I don't want to say much more about it yet, but it looks like I will be using it a lot in the future.

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The surf is going to be about 3 - 4 feet for a couple days.  I'm not expecting much change to the beaches for a while.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Minelab Equinox.  I'm just leaning the Equinox, but it appears to be an easy to use and adequate metal detector for a variety of situations.   I expected the visual displays to be more useful, so that was a bit of a disappointment.  You can avoid trash, but in the process can miss a lot of good targets.

10/5/19 Report - Rare Gold Coins Being Found on 19th Century Shipwreck. A Variety of Metal Detectors That I've Used Over The Years.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.White

Blue Water Ventures has been finding rare gold coins on a 19th century wreck of the Steamship North Carolina off the South Carolina Coast.

Thanks to Dean R. for the lead on this story.  You'll find it mentioned in several sources.  Here are three links.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article235661717.html

https://rarecoininvestor.com/2018/11/05/divers-searching-for-extremely-rare-gold-coins-on-1840-shipwreck-off-south-carolina/


https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/blue-water-ventures-international-and-endurance-exploration-group-announce-first-day-success-on-steamboat-north-carolina-1028570511

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I was trying to remember the metal detectors that I've used over the years and thought I'd make a list beginning with the first one I ever used and putting them in order, but I doubt that I got them all and I probably don't have every one in the correct order.

Radio Shack metal detector.   Back in the 60s probably.  Don't remember what it was called.

Whites CoinMaster.  It was purchased from a Sears Roebuck catalog and returned for some reason after some useage.

Fisher Aquanaut 1280.   My first submersible and the metal detector and the detector I was using when I got on the gold trail.

Tesoro Royal Sabre.

Tesoro Silver Sabre.

Garrett Pulse Induction submersible.  I don't remember what that one was called either,  I didn't keep it very long.

Steve Noga modified submersible Nautilus metal detector.  I think I had three of those.

Herb MacDonald Aquasound metal detctors.  Very similar to the Noga metal detectors. They were also modified Nautilus detectors in a Ikelite case.

Tesoro Stingray.

Minelab Excalibur.

Minelab Sovereign,

Whites PI Surf.

Garrett Ace 250.

Garrett GTX.

Minelab Equinox.

My most productive detectors were the Noga and MacDonald modified Nautilus detectors, which were great beach and underwater detectors.

Most of those detectors were pretty good at doing something.  I used some of those a lot and others only a little.

Some of the later detectors were also very good, but it was when I was using the modified Nautilus detectors that I was detecting the most and finding the most.   I lived in the Fort Lauderdale area at the time,  and between consulting jobs and university teaching, I was able to hit the beaches pretty hard.  I was doing 20 to 30 pieces of gold each month on average without going all out.   As I recall, I was at around 130 pieces of gold one year and had more months to go when I lost track of my records. 

I might comment on each metal detector some other time.

If the Radio Shack detector was a better metal detector, I would have started to metal detect more seriously a decade or two earlier.

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MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like we'll have some nice surf Sunday night and Monday morning, but it looks like the wind won't be favorable.

The tides are more moderate now.

It isn't unusual to have a good storm in the fall.  We can still hope.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/26/19 Report - Karen Turns Our Way. Software Update for Equinox. Metal Detector Maintenance.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Tropical Storm Karen and Hurricane Lorenzo

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We have two systems in the Atlantic to watch now, although neither is likely to affect us much, but they weren't sure about Dorian and Karen has already made a turn.

Projected Path of Karen.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Karen, which was heading north/northeast, has made a turn and is now heading west towards the Bahamas.  They are still saying she isn't anything for us to worry about.  That doesn't necessarily mean she won't eventually send us some nice surf.

Predicted Surf for the Fort Pierce Area.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

As you can see the surf is supposed to increase next week.  Unfortunately I'm not seeing any north winds to go along with it.

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Several people notified me of the 2.0 software update for the Equinox detectors.  I'll include the note from Joe D. because he added some other useful information, including his experience with the update.

Here is what Joe said.

   I hit Carlin Park today after a quick look, just before low tide! I really liked what i saw, and hunted multiple lines from dune cut to water line! And also amongst the rocks! I love hunting here when this much is exposed by the weather! Although there were some mushy spots, there was plenty of areas to search!  

    On the not to love side, there were few good targets! A lot of minute can slaw, and probably 50 pull and pop tabs! I was mostly aware of what the targets were, but dug everything anyway to reinforce 

sound differences! I pulled a few coins in the rocks that were near cemented in, and had to work to get out! But nothing old! Still and all, l still like it there!

     I got a notification from Minelab of a new software update! This was the first update since I've owned this machine! The process was fairly quick once i figured out where to find it on the site! It was listed under the specific detector, not the main page! 

    I also took the time to disassemble and clean my detector! I've used it a lot lately so the need was there to check out all the parts! I had noticed that the plastic arm cuff was creaking a lot when detecting, and i thought it may break a few times today! (Really the only cheap part) I added a temporary fix until i get a new aluminum Jeff Herke cuff from Steves Detector Rods; that i ordered today! I've emailed Steve several times in the last several days, and he was extremely helpful, and accommodating for the order!

     I also checked the silicone seal that i installed a few months ago in the handle, and cleaned before reinstalling! Its doing a great job keeping water and sand out of that area! Well worth the money! 

    The cleaning process reminds me a lot of cleaning my rifles!  I got nailed by a few carbon fiber strands from inside the shaft sections, but now I'm ready to go again! 

     Also, i pull the coil cover off and wash the coil out after every beach run! It can build up a lot of sand there, as well as the lower section of the shaft, which can clog and hold water and sand! Some people hate coil covers, but i would not hunt without one! Or my coil would be destroyed by now!

    I will send a few pics, as always!

 Joe D.

Thanks Joe, and thanks to all of those who took the time to notify me of the update.

Here is what Minelab describes as the benefits of the update.

Difficult ferrous targets — the common enemy for all detectorists. That is until EQUINOX. Hit the download on our EQUINOX update to make those pesky bottle caps, rusty nails and other falsing targets a thing of the past. Fire up the Minelab Update Utility and you’re on your way. It’s simple. You’ll experience the enhanced Iron Bias feature, improved EQUINOX 600 backlight and much more.

Improved Iron Bias

Iron Bias has been enhanced with the addition of a new Iron Bias settings profile. The original EQUINOX Iron Bias 'FE' settings will still be available, but there is now the option to switch to the new Iron Bias 'F2' settings, which have an improved capability to reject a much wider range of difficult iron targets, including bottle caps.

EQUINOX 600 Backlight Brightness

The EQUINOX 600 now has the ability to adjust the backlight brightness to an additional 'Low' setting that matches the minimum setting on the EQUINOX 800. This 'Low' brightness is ideal for detecting at night and in low light conditions.

And here is the link for the update.

https://www.minelab.com/usa/equinox-software-update-2-0?fbclid=IwAR3QcyFBFqKsq-uzIG0tAhWewoMFjvKAP2DCuqhRGGIrzB7cR2GZG9i4L9g

I really didn't have much trouble with iron or other trash using the Equinox 600.  I've discussed the reasons for that in the past.  It is more the possibility of skipping gold than hitting trash that bothers me.  There are a variety of ways of staying away from or identifying iron.  Sometimes you don't want to skip it though.

I think I'll quit there today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/24/19 Report - Using Target ID Numbers. Three Tropical Storms. Green Cabin Wreck Coin.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Three Tropical Storms.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Now we have three tropical storms in the Atlantic: Jerry, Karen, and Lorenzo.  None are supposed to come our way.  Also there is a little system down by the Yucatan.

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It appears that the Mexican reale found after Dorian and said to be found near the Disney resort came from the Green Cabin wreck - the 1618 wreck of the San Martin.  I think that is what the certificate issued by the West Bay Trading Company says.  It also must say that the coin is from the late 1500s.  I can't really read it all.

Coin Certificate

Photo submitted by Kenneth T.

Somebody recently asked me how to get an artifact certified.   I didn't know that the West Bay Trading Company issued certificates, and I still don't know if they would certify a dug artifact.

Many of the certificates of authenticity that you see on eBay or similar sites are made by whoever is selling the item and are worth no more than the reputation of the person or company that issues them.

You might remember that I mentioned people parking along the road and going to the beach between Wabasso and Seagrape Trail right after Dorian.

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I've been informally field testing the target ID readings on the Equinox metal detector and trying to determine the usefulness of the numbers. I have concluded that you can NOT safely decide whether to dig or not just on the basis of the ID meter readings - at least not if you do not want to miss something good.  The readings do seem to provide some information though.  I am still very much in the dig it up and look at it camp, but I also understand that some people hate to dig trash and aren't bothered by what they  might have missed.

Joe D. has commented on the usefulness of using the signal tones of the Equinox, and I've observed that you can really reduce the amount of junk (defined as non-coins) you dig by using the tones alone.

Here is a section from the Equinox Manual, which you can find online.

Source: online Equinox manual.

Notice that "Aluminum, Gold" is in the 11 - 20 range, which is also where you'll find nickels, pull tabs and bottle caps.  Also tiny gold nuggets, gold nuggets and larger gold nuggets range from close to 1 up to about 30.  That is a huge range and very much agrees with some YouTube videos showing that gold rings can show up almost anywhere on the scale.

Providing some information (in other words, increasing the probability of a correct ID) the ID numbers can be more useful when combined with other sources of information.

Lets take one other source of information - information about the site itself.   Targets are not randomly distributed, and you can make good use of whatever information you have acquired about a site.  For example, many sites have one or two prominent types of junk.  It might be nails or pull tabs or bottle caps.  But that information, when combined with the target ID numbers can be useful.

Lets say you are finding a number of bottle caps of a particular type.  They might show as a narrow range of target ID numbers -  lets say 21/22, for example.  Some pennies will produce those numbers too, but pennies are of low value, so it is no big deal to miss some of those.  After you have found a few bottle caps showing as 21/22, and you conclude you are in an area where those types of items are common, the probability is greater that when you do not dig a 21/22 item, that you will be missing a bottle cap, or at least something not real valuable.   The likelihood of a correct rejection has been increased by combining your the target ID number with your knowledge of the most probable targets in that area.  Furthermore, if you can gain additional knowledge from the audio signal, such as a dual tone, which you can get with some kinds of bottle caps.   That additional information can also help you increase the probability of a correct target ID.

There are a variety of other types of information that you could and perhaps should use, but I could go on for a very long time about that.  The point is that combining different types of sources of information can help you improve your target ID and improve the probability of a correct dig or reject decision.  Notice that I said "probability."  You won't be completely accurate every time.  There is still the possibility of making a big mistake.  How comfortable you are with that will have a lot to do with your strategy.

Unfortunately I've forgotten most of what I once knew about probability theory and statistics so I can only talk about this in general terms now.

Knowledge of different sites can be very helpful.  You have closer to a random distribution of targets in the dry sand, however the distribution in dry sand is still far from random.  More targets will be lost where there is more activity, such as volley ball courts, and of course, there will generally be more targets where there are more people, and the targets will be more valuable where there are more wealthy people, and there will be more gold where people from certain cultures assemble, etc., etc.

In the wet sand the target distribution is determined more by the forces of nature.  Of course human and socio-cultural factors are also involved, but there are definite patterns that can be discerned.  I've talked about those a lot in the past.  The bottom line is that you can improved your pre-dig target ID by using a variety of sources of information.

One additional note: although I'm talking about the Equinox, you can generalize to other similar metal detectors that provide target ID numbers.

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The surf will be decreasing for a few days.  That can allow you to get out into ground that you haven't been able to metal detect for a while.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/16/19 Report - Big Surf Predicted For a Few Days as Humberto Moves Away. Usefulness of Target ID Numbers.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Look at that!  If the predictions are correct you can expect four days of increasing surf and some pretty high surf for a few days.  On top of that, the swells are going to be coming from the north for a good while.  There is a heck of a lot of sand that needs to be moved, but we might get some openings.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Humberto did not move north and away from us as expected.  Looks like it will move more east rather than going north.  And there is still that system out in the Atlantic that is getting more organized.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

 When it comes to shipwreck beach finds, the vast majority occur on a few days.  Yes there are those days when a few scattered finds might be made, but there are many more days and months when none are made.  And of course, there are those rare times when a lot of finds are made.  Everybody remembers those, and the stories are retold for decades.

When it is hot, it is hot, and when its not, its not.  That means you can't afford to miss those few special times when the window of opportunity opens.  You have to somehow endure and make the best of those long periods in between.

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As you might know, I have long been a big advocate of digging everything.  I've explained my reasons in the past.  Those reasons include (1) the inability of any metal detector that I know about to accurately enough identify a broad range of targets, including some very valuable targets, and (2) the time wasted trying to identify buried targets before digging when it takes only seconds to actually dig them, and (3) the fact that you can drastically reduce the number of junk targets if you know something about target distribution patterns on a beach.  I also know that some people do not have the desire to dig trash even if it means missing valuable targets and some people have physical limitations that they must accommodate, so I am by no means saying that discrimination should never be used, but it should be done only with a full awareness of the risks.

With that background, I have been exploring the Equinox metal detector and video target ID generally.  I believe my conclusions can be generalized to many detectors even though I am using the Equinox for the majority of my tests.

I haven't used target ID very much, but I have spent lot of time listening to the audio signals of a wide variety of metal detectors and believe you can often tell a great deal about a buried target from the audio signal alone.

In my 9/11 post, I reported on a brief ground test that I conducted with the Equinox on a few gold objects and questioned the usefulness of the displayed numbers.  A couple readers sent links to videos showing the target ID numbers produced by the Minelab Equinox for a variety of objects, including many pieces of gold jewelry.  While I prefer to conduct my own tests for a variety of reasons, one reason being that not all detectors of the same make and model will always perform exactly the same, I took a look at those videos, which basically confirmed the opinions I got from my own very limited tests. 

One of the videos showed that gold rings and other gold items can produce numbers anywhere from the low end of the range to the high end of the range and everywhere in between.  To give one example, a few small gold rings produced exactly the same number as an aluminum pull tab.  One YouTuber that conducted an extensive test explained that you have to dig it all with the Equinox and showed why.   See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsgspduZA_8 

The videos I viewed were slightly flawed, but I believe were basically correct in their conclusions.  They would run the coil past the object or the object past the coil directly under the center of the coil at what appeared to be an inch or so.  That is not what typically happens in the field.   In the field there is ground mineralization, objects are at different depths and laying at different angles, the coil is moving at different speeds and the object is seldom under the sweet spot of the coil.  I have not systematically tested the effect of all those things, but I have observed that some of those things definitely affect the readout.  I hope be able to be much more specific about that in the near future.  I know that the numbers are not very consistent in some environments.

While at this point (with me having very little personal experience with the Equinox) I have concluded that the visual target ID numbers have very limited utility for discriminating objects if you don't want to miss anything good, but I do think the numbers will be of some help, especially, when combined with other information, including the audio signal and some level of knowledge of the type of items that are most likely in the area.  I expect the numbers to be more useful when combined with other information but of very little help when used as the sole criterion for deciding whether to dig or not unless you don't mind missing valuable targets.

Being much more experienced with interpreting audio signals than display meters, I feel like I can get some good information about a target from the audio signal and it seems to me that the audio signal produced by the Equinox contains a lot of information.  I expect to learn to better interpret the audio signals as I gain more experience.

I know that it is often possible to get an idea of the shape of an object from the audio signal.  The easiest example, perhaps, is that of a long elongated object such as a nail.  I think I'll also be able to reliably distinguish other shapes by simply listening to the audio signal of the Equinox.  

Just the other day when doing a ground test with four gold objects, I noticed how a ring with a larger amount of mass on the one side made a different signal when swept over from different angles.  With some additional experimenting I think I might be able to tell an open object, such as a ring, from an a solid or closed object, such as a coin or round charm.  I need to study that more.

So far my conclusion is that you cannot use the target ID numbers alone on the Equinox, and probably no other metal detector, without a strong risk of missing valuable targets.  There is no doubt that you can use target ID numbers to avoid digging a lot of junk, but you will also miss a lot of good targets.  While the target ID numbers on the Equinox, are not as helpful as I hoped, the Equinox does provide a lot of benefits and will find a definite place in my arsenal or metal detectors.  So far I am impressed by its extremely light weight, stability in salt water environments, and good sensitivity to small and deeper targets.

Thanks to those who sent me the links to Equinox target ID tests.

---

Keep watching the weather.  I'll try to keep you informed on beach developments.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/14/19 Report - Tropical Storm Humberto and Higher Surf Predictions. My Second Field Test With The Equinox: Finds and Thoughts.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

I'm leading with the surf this morning.  I don't often do that, but the predictions at this point look encouraging.  Not only is the surf supposed to be high, but it lasts for a while.  That is something we've been missing, especially with Dorian.  It would be nice if that is what we get.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The map is really lighting up.  We now have a tropical storm named Humberto, that is supposed to become a hurricane, however it will be staying out in the Atlantic.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

That doesn't mean it won't sent some surf this way, but MagicSeaWeed is evidently counting on some surf from other sources as well.  We'll see.

From what I've seen of the beaches so far, which is limited to South Hutchinson Island, I'm not increasing my beach conditions rating yet.  The shipwreck beaches that I looked at yesterday showed no erosion.

After looking at John Brooks and Frederick Douglass I looked for a beach where I could get a little productive practice with the Equinox.  The first one I looked was no better than the wreck beaches, but then the next one after that looked more promising.  It had a low scooped out front, so I looked like a good place to get in some practice.

Here is the result of about an hour of hunting in the wet salt sand.

Coins and Small Gold Band Found Yesterday.

I found the coins and ring shown above while only digging three junk targets - a sinker, piece of copper, and a lapel pin back.  As I've always said, targets are not distributed randomly, and if you pick the right areas to search, you won't be bothered by a lot of junk.

The targets were arranged in a fairly narrow line, with one exception.  One of two nickels was found closer to the water than the other items.

Even though I would call it a coin line, the targets were pretty far apart - maybe five to ten yards on average.  Still, by focusing on the coin line I was able to find targets quickly enough to get in some good practice with the detector.

One thing I observed was that the nickels and ring both showed a 13 on the target ID meter.  That is the same number that I've also seen for some pull tabs.  Once again, that points out the danger of using target ID numbers as the sole criterion for deciding whether to dig or not.

In my 9/11 post, I questioned the reliability and accuracy of the target ID numbers.  In the near future I'll have a lot more to say about target ID numbers and making dig/no-dig decisions.

Joe D. offered the following observations.

   I agree with you on the conductivity numbers on the Equinox! I have the 800 that i got in January! I don't pay a whole lot of attention to them! I use the 5 tone setting, and rely more on the sound to locate and identify targets! I'm far from being proficient with it yet, but i like the small targets i can now find, over the Garrett AT Pro! It seems to also do much better in the wet beach sand; less falsing! I also like the Equinoxes DD coil , over the Garett version! Its more responsive! Or maybe the Equinoxes software and hardware make better use of the configuration! I have bought a few accessories for the Equinox; most recently a new telescoping shaft from Detecting Innovations! Now my Equinox will fit into a backpack! I also got a silicone cover and ties that also came with a silicone handle gasket that keeps water from entering the battery compartment! I haven't had it under water yet, but i can probably double my depth safely with these installed!

Thanks Joe.

Joe also sent me a link to a video on target ID numbers.  I'll present when I get into the subject of target ID numbers again.

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The Atlantic is active now, so keep watching.  I'd like to get some beach reports from the Vero/Sebastian areas.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/11/19 Report - Exploring the Equinox With Gold Test Targets. Reader Emails. Three Systems to Watch.

Written by the TreasureGuide  for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Top: Small 2.9 gram 14K ring.
Second Row: ,.8 gram 14K charm, and thin 1.5 gram 10K bent ring
Bottom: 6.1 gram 18K ring

I did some tests with a few gold targets (shown above) and the Equinox 600 metal detector

The first thing I found is that the EQX11 Double-D smart coil that came with the Equinox does indeed have a blunt sensitivity profile as you would expect from a double-d coil.  There appears to be some center effect though.  I'll have to do more testing to be more precise about that.  I observed some interesting effects under different areas of the coil, but need to do more testing before saying much more.

I wanted to test the conductivity numbers for the different test targets to see what I could learn.  I was testing in an environment with a lot of nearby cables and electrical interference, and would like to do my tests again in a cleaner environment.

The conductivity number for the first item, the small 14 K ring, was 12.

The conductivity number for the charm 14K charm was 9 - 12.

The conductivity number for the 10 K bent pearl ring was 6 -8.

The conductivity number for the 18K band was 26.

I'm not sure how much I can make of those numbers at this point.  Will 10K gold items consistently show a lower conductivity number than a 14K item?  I'll find out before long.

I was going by the markings on the items and did not test the gold purity.  I assume they were right, but I'll have to make sure of that when I get a chance.

At this point I'm really wondering how much use I'm going to get out of the conductivity numbers.  The small gold items were producing numbers that are similar to a lot of other things, and the numbers do seem to jump around a lot.  It might just be my lack of experience with this metal detector, but I would not presently use these numbers to determine if I should dig an item or not.  They seem too inconsistent at this point.  I'll do more testing and see how it comes out.  And maybe I'll learn enough to be able to use the numbers better in the future.

While I'm not yet sold on the practical value of the conductivity numbers, with the possible exception of those in the iron range, I'm impressed by what I'm able to tell from the audio signal.  For example, standing the charm on edge results in a double blip when the coil is swept at a 90 degree angle to the edge, but very little signal when swept the same direction as the edge.  And the 14K ring made a double signal when it was turned in one direction and a single blip when turned the other.  It does seem to me like there is a lot of information in the audio signal.

I'm accustomed to using audio signals to determine the depth, size and shape of objects, so maybe that is why I found the audio signals so informative.  I'm more skilled at that.  I'm not accustomed to using conductivity numbers to discriminate.  Time will tell.

I will be doing more testing.  I have a long way to go before feeling confident that I know how to get the best out of this metal detector.  At the same time, I am growing more confident that the detector generally works well.  I have a lot of questions though about the practical value of the conductivity numbers.  Again, that might just be because I have not yet learned to use them well.  And it might also be because my tests were conducted in a difficult environment with a lot of electrical interference.

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Here is an email I just received from Bill G. on the subject of beach closings.

My mother had a place across the street and 2 streets down from the main public beach access just south of Riomar. My understanding is all the houses have deeded right to beach access. Her access was a designated path between two ocean front condos with a boardwalk over dunes.  Back in the early 2000s I was going down to stay a few days and do some fishing (didn't detect back then, dont fish now) and she mentioned they had put up a fence and gate at her access and it was only open sunrise to sunset. Police would come by and open/close. She said she asked around and it turns out a councilman had a relative in one of the condos and they were having an issue with people sneaking in and having sex in their pool. She said he abstained from the vote for obvious reasons. If it was me I would have challenged it and made it very public. I grew up there, but no longer a resident. 

And catching up after a busy week or so, here is an email from Russ P. that I received a few days ago after I talked about the costs and risks of hurricane preparation.

I could not agree more with your post today.  

Two personal stories of the cost of 10 days of essentially fear-mongering from media, government, and forecasters:

One of my cousins owns a hardware store and lumber yard in Belle Glade, south of Lake Okeechobee.  He sold 2000 sheets of plywood on Friday.   On Saturday, people were still purchasing the more expensive finish plywood despite all the models now showing that the storm would turn north and miss Belle Glade.  He actively tried to dissuade folks from buying the unnecessary plywood because so many of the people were clearly very poor and had other important necessities to spend their money on, but people had been so worked up by a week of worse case reporting that they wouldn't hear it.  

We have a family reunion every Labor Day weekend which is one of the highlights of the year.  The event is on Anna Maria Island, south of Tampa.  About half the family did not attend (from the Panhandle), because they were so nervous about the hurricane.   We had some of the best weather and beach conditions ever, so it was really disappointing they were not there to enjoy it.

I know everyone has stories like this, but you are right on when you talk about the costs.  The economic cost is huge, but so are the intangible costs, including the stress of watching 10 days of doomsday scenarios.  

Russ

And another one from DJ.

I spent the last three days getting everything stowed away and battened down! Your right about cost! Even with a generator already, it probably cost me between 500 and a 1,000 dollars to stock up on fuel, food, etc... 

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I couldn't really see the recent post-Dorian reale find that I posted yesterday, but at first glance it looks like it might be a Potosi two-reale.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There is a lot to watch in the Atlantic.  The first system in line will probably not become very strong but will bring us some rain this weekend.

It is too seeon to tell about the others.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net