A few X-70 finds using the 6inch HF DD coil

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Found these items in an area where an 1800s fort once stood. This spot has been detected since the 70's and seems most everyone knows of this spot and has detected it to death as well, all leaving it for dead.

Using the X-70 and the 6 inch HF DD coil set in the All Metal mode, I also had the X70 set to 2 tones because I was of course interested in non-ferrous only. By running the x-70 this way, I was able to get what others, including myself should have gotten a long time ago.

My guess, the dog tag had not been recovered all these yrs because it read a value of 3 on the id scale in and out of the ground. It was about 6-7 inches deep.

Also, I have been finding my share of the percussion caps and lately been digging ones with the letters US stamped on em which I hadnt seen till just recently. Anyone have an idea as to why some are marked US and most arent? Is there some significant reason??? Seems no one I have talked to knows. ALso found a rim fire case with the US on it also.

HH
Tony

 

[Beale]

Congrats on the very nice old dog tag! Very good hunt, Beale.

 

[BarnacleBill]

n/t

 

[7centsworth]

I pulled three wheats from a home site that had been detectected by several people including myself with a 6inch hf coil. I like it alot . Nice tag I have only found one of those over the years .

 

[Mtnmn]

Good hunt, really like that old dog license. That little 6 inch DD HF coil can really do the job.

 

[Goes4ever]

wow great finds! that dog tag is worth some $$$$$$ I have seen dog tags from 1800's go for well over $100

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Morning Guys-

Yup, I agree, the small coil is pretty darn good imo. It has found good items everywhere I have taken it, I have learned that I can trust it completely. I would really like to try a MF 6 inch DD asap, I think I might prefer it a lil more for my type of detecting, till then, this one is doin the job.

The area where these items were found isnt huge, as in acres, its only about 75ftx75ft square and these items should have been found long ago because the area isnt large and can be covered slowly and completely in very little time, plus items werent excessively deep but surely masked out to other detectorists with large coils. Also, as mentioned in the original post, the target id is a 3 on the dog tag, no one in their right mind digs a 3 when looking for goodies, right?

have a good day,

Tony

 

[Goes4ever]

the tag was a #3 ? what kind of metal is it? looks to be brass or copper, I cannot imagine it ringing up that low?

 

[SandPhantom]

What was your GB balancing to? Also, how does the pinpoint function work with the HF 6"? Is it stable? Great finds!

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

SandPhantom,

After a lot of testing in my areas, nothing seems to be as effective and easy as having the x70 set to use tracking and simply let the x70 handle it all by itself. Until I tested the tracking function on the bench, I used to think that perhaps the X70 would track the ground keeping my initial GB selection as its goal, BUT it automatically tracks and sets the balance to neutral, really fast too I might add. The X705 has the GB offset, so I am confident THAT tracking will continue to track using your selected offset value.

I have never had the tracking function balance out a target as I am sweeping the coil from various sides while trying to determine whether to dig or not.

When finds are slow or I need a break, I compare the tracking GB setting to what I would have set it for and its always right on the money.

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

Hi Terry,

I have no idea as to what the metal actually is, its strange to read so low. I tried it with three different coils and they all read the same. An id of 3 is in the low end foil range.

I am afraid to clean the tag in order to get a better idea as to what it may be. Even if it were clean, I am not sure I could accurately identify the metal itself.

It has no smell as brass would but it may be that I sniffed it when it was dry. I will compare the id of the old shell cases which are brass and see. BUT the shape and size will surely distort the results BUT not that much imo... be right back, checking now...... The brass of the rim fire shells read a 6 , the percussion caps read 10 and 12.

I wet the tag in order to maybe get it to smell some and then sampled it. its a 3 with a very occasional 4 reading. After wetting the tag, the metal DOES stink bad,worse than brass when wet, so my guess would be its a brass material based on odor and color and of course the X70. It is very pitted up, so no telling how much of the real metal is left to be read/ID'd.

You may be wondering what I am doing digging targets in the 3 range, right? There is sooo much iron in this area that many times a coin may read an ID of 10 yet be a wheat.

The fella I detect with uses a magnet while recovering his targets, He always wants to know how much iron is in the hole and how it may have offset the proper ID of the target, I have seen where the id of an unearthed target laying somewhere in the pile of dug dirt read very low as in the wheat penny example just mentioned. He then whips out this huge magnet and scrubs the pile of dirt and pulls an amazing amount of iron out of the pile. Then he reads the ID of the target in the mound of dirt and its now reading as it should.

Iron in the area pulls the ID down sooo low, that we here need to be just about digging iron sounding targets to get the goodies, that is how and why the dog tag was found, I was digging low IDs in hopes of an actual higher id once out of the hole, but there was no masking or target distortion on the tag, it was a 3 in and out of the ground.

Detecting! its all about decisions, isnt it? What ID to dig, how many tones to use, which unit to use, which location to detect , which coil which day etc etc etc...... it surely keeps things interesting.

Later
Tony

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

I know how to read numbers, and I also know the X70 only display 'even numbers' how in the world was I reading a three on the dog tag???

I was just sampling items in the yard before heading out later and the dog tag read a 4, which isnt that big of a deal or difference BUT to have read a 3 and I even showed my tecting buddy after he asked me what ti read when I found it .

I must be losing it or something is going on.

I reset the unit to factory defaults which I have never done on this unit and nothing seems different except the tag only reads a 4.

this is too weird. It must be me

Tony

 

[John(Tx)]

n/t

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

United States Cartridge Company used the US headstamp on cartridges. I assume they may have used it on some of their percussion caps too. I have different sources which list slightly different dates of their existence. These dates are 1864, 1868 or 1869 as the founding of the company. I believe the later two dates to be the more accurate though, because a former General in the Union Army was one of the founders (the war wasn't over until 1865). Winchester-Western took full control of the company in either 1936 or 1938 (again, different sources, different dates).
---------------------

I almost gave up looking for the answer to this, thanks Phil !

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

John,

Doesnt your X50 only display ODD id #s? The X70 should only display EVEN #s. Not sure anymore what the X30 used to do.

Tony

 

[7centsworth]

My 50 i used to have would went up 3 numbers at a time 3, 6, 9, and so on.

 

[tony (Orlando FL)]

SandPhantom,

I failed to answer your question about pinpointing with the 6inch DD. Its sooo easy, I dont even use the pinpoint button. If ya think about it, the coil is only 6 inches and the target will be directly under the coil as long as you get the target to repeat nicely. With a little time on the 6 inch DD, I would guess that most folks wouldnt use the PP function either.

Its a slick coil alright!

 

[Digger]

The X-Terra 30 and 305 have 12 notch segments. The target IDs range from minus 4 up to plus 44, increasing in steps of 4. The X-Terra 50 and 505 have 19 notch segments. The target IDs range from minus 9 to plus 48, increasing in steps of 3. The 70 and 705 have 28 notch segments. The TID ranges from -8 to +48, increasing in steps of 2, or even numbers as you called it.

HH Randy

 

[TURNMASTER]

Pinpointing is a breeze. The target is right under the middle of the coil. I draw a line with my foot turn 60 to 90 degrees another line dig the center of the X.

The pinpoint function is a little different though. Get your target signal to the high then slide straight back till it falls off then dig at the front of the coil. Cake. I think the DD is easier to hunt with than the Concentric.

6" MF DD there isn't one (i think some said they wanted one).

I want the 10.5 MF DD.

HH
Jeff