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Beach hunting question from a turf hunter...

sgoss66

sgoss66

Well-known member
Hi all...

I am primarily an old coin hunter in turf, where my machine of choice is an Explorer SE Pro. I also have a Fisher F19, used mainly for relic hunts (along with the SE Pro, depending...)

My family is making a week-long trip to Destin, FL in October, and I thought I'd spend a little time doing something I've never done -- beach hunting (mainly dry sand, maybe some wet sand, but not in the water). I was debating which of my machines to use -- the SE Pro (which I am most familiar with after years of use, as compared to the F19), or the F19, as it would be more sensitive to small gold.

HOWEVER, after pretty much deciding on the SE Pro, I remembered that I have a friend who owns an Infinium LS, and three coils, that sits in a closet. He told me I can borrow it any time, and so that is an option for me on this trip. The issue is, I've never swung an Infinium, nor any other PI unit.

SO, my question is, do I stick with what I know (SE Pro), go with the better machine for smaller gold (the F19 which I also know pretty well), OR, do I bring the Infinium instead. I could take the Infinium out in my yard, etc., prior to the trip, just to get used to the tones/sounds, but still -- my concern is that the learning curve would be so steep, that one of my other two machines would be a better choice for me. While I know that either of my machines would be less effective than an Infinium in the hands of an experienced Infinium user, I wonder if either of my machines would be MORE effective in my hands than the Infinium, given my lack of Infinium/PI experience (as compared to my familiarity with my own two machines).

Any thoughts or advice?

Steve
 
When you say small gold, how small you talking about? I have 4 yrs experience on the Infinium,that would be my choice. But in your case, hunting the dry sand. Take your most comfortable machine for you. The most important tool you'll need is a long handle scoop. Or at least a hand scoop. Maybe your Infinium friend got one. You get a scoop , you'll get to like beach hunting.
Hope this helps.
 
I hunt almost exclusively with explorers on wet salt beach. If you find yourself on eroded black sand in FL, then explorers will start to have fits. But for the normal cinnamon colored sand, they're great. And they have ample sensitivity to small gold (if you're accepting down to foil). So I wouldn't worry about "more sensitive to gold". Unless, of course, you're talking tinsel thin chains and/or earing studs. But then ANY coin machine will falter over.

Some coin machines (like various 2-filter tesoros) that are renowned for ability to get dainty chains, etc.... will suffer on wet salt. So if you were really worried about dainty chains and earing studs on wet-salt beaches, you'd need to move into a pulse machine. But the devil is in the details: Heaven help you if you find yourself on a beach riddled with nails.

So for me I find the Explorer just fine for all my beach hunting (just don't get the box wet). A few times, in jet black conditions I wished I'd had a pulse. But for all else, Explorer is fine.
 
Thanks, gents, for your advice. Very helpful.

Dancer -- I do have a hand scoop; I'd like a nice long-handled scoop, but can't justify spending a couple hundred bucks at this point, on something that will be used once every couple of years, at best. As for "small gold," I have always run under the assumption that the Explorer is not the best unit for that purpose. I tested the machine on a small ($1) U.S. gold coin several years ago, and in an air test it struggled to "see" the coin beyond roughly 5-6 inches. And it is essentially dead to small gold chains. As such, when I have helped folks search for lost items -- small gold earrings, etc., I've always opted for my old Gold Bug Pro (or now, the F19) instead of the Explorer. So that's what I was referring to.

Tom -- didn't know you were a member here. We have conversed a bit over on the Friendly forum (my username there is steveg). Anyway, thanks for the info. Interesting to hear that you hunt an Explorer on the beach. I saw one beach hunter a couple of years ago when I was at Myrtle Beach, and ironically, he was hunting with an Explorer. I remember being a bit surprised... Anyway, where we are going, Destin, the sand is snow-white and fluffy; my guess is little if any black sand -- I think it's really, really low mineralization in that area of Florida. Yes, I accept down to foil; the only "discrimination" I use when I hunt the Explorer is that I set my Iron Mask at 22 (SE Pro), and run it in Conductive. Thus, it's a largely "open screen," sort of an almost-all-metal mode (rejecting only nails). Basically, the right-hand 2/3 of the screen is open. So, it would be easy for me to hear and dig low-conductive targets -- obviously what I'll be looking for. I just didn't know how much the salty, wet sand would affect my depth, or stability of the unit.

Anyway, it sounds like the Explorer would do a pretty good job, and since it's the machine I'm "in tune" with, I think I will run with it, as you both have helped me to decide. I talked to my friend this morning, and he plans to get the Infinium to me in the next couple of days, so I will run it in the yard just to try and get used to it. I may take it, along with my Explorer, but based on this thread, it sounds like I am not in bad shape if I stick with the Explorer on this trip...

Thanks guys,

Steve
 
Hi Norman, good to hear from you again.

If I were you I'd use it in ferrous, rather than conductive. Because ferrous makes the lower conductors sound bolder. Versus conductive, which tends to make the mid to higher conductors sound bolder (it's a little more complicated than that, but you know what I mean).

And then in ferrous, you open up the entire screen (nothing blacked out). Therefore you DO hear nails, but they come in at a low thud. Which you mentally pass over and ignore. But I like to hear where iron is when I'm on the wet beach (rather than silenced out and you never even knew you were going over them). Because on the wet beach, if there's been any erosion going on, then to-know-where nails are, is a good indication to slow down and work those areas.

Hence for those 2 reasons, I'd go with ferrous on your explorer for the beach. Screen wide open. Practice with a few nails in air tests to familiarize yourself with the low iron sounds.

Oh, and also a 3rd reason: For conductive signals that are on the very fringe range of detection depth, you might initially get a iron whisper. But upon further scrutiny (centering over better, repeat passes), you can sometimes get them to "chime up" if they were good targets. But if they remain saying "iron", then good bet that it's iron. Contrast to if you were in conductive and simply not hearing those whispers, you might not have been drawn to "double check" some of those fringe targets.
 
Tom --

Good info there, on Conductive vs. Ferrous, for the beach. Thank you. Yes, I do know what you mean, regarding a "bolder" sound on low conductors in Ferrous, vs. Conductive. I have hunted a bit with Ferrous sounds at times, and while it takes a little while to "flip" your brain around (as someone who usually runs Conductive) to decipher what you are hearing (remembering that the sounds are keying off of the FE number, instead of the CO number), it does make sense where that could help on the beach (running true all-metal/open screen). A 10-03 type of target (possible ring) would be a low grunt in Conductive sounds, but a more "mid-tone" sound when running Ferrous -- i.e. something that is a bit more "attention-grabbing."

And I could see where it does make sense to "know where the nails are" on the beach, as an indication of where items may have been preferentially deposited by the water/wave action. In other words, as an "indicator." Sort of like, but not exactly, like wanting to "know where the nails are" when searching a field or whatever where you know there was a building or homestead somewhere, but not sure where...and you let the nails be the "indicator." It's better to hear them, know where they are, and what they are telling you, than to blank them out, sometimes...

Appreciate the advice...

Steve
 
Hope there is a beach left to hunt after this hurricane. .. i hunted some nj.beaches after hurricane sandy hit ... found flagpoles,car wheels,pieces of houses.kitchen utensils and all kinda junk... se pro sounds like the best option... gravediggermax used an se pro for years at the beach with great success. ... good luck..
 
bootyhoundpa -- you are right, regarding the hurricane. Will be something to watch, for sure -- the track Irma eventually decides to take. Prayers go out to all in Florida who are in the path. Biggest hurricane heading toward the Sunshine State since Andrew.

Sounds like your beach hunting was a disaster after Sandy...WOW.

Thanks for the info on gravediggermax as well; good to know.

Thank you!

Steve
 
Do not get the marko racer know good in wet black sand I am going too Sale my marko and go back too Whites.
 
I know a guy with the racer II. He did quite well on moderate mineral wet salt. Admittedly only moderate mineral. Cinnamon color vs grey or black. So thanx for the information.
 
Well, I read the instruction manual for the Infinium, and just picked up the machine from my friend this morning.

I decided how I'm going to test it...

A few years back, a hunting partner and I stumbled onto a small area within a much larger public spot, where we dug several dozen really good coins -- Seateds, Barbers, and Indians dating from the 1880s to 1907. Each one was minimum 6" to 6.5" deep, most of them in the 7" to 10" range (ten inches is about the limit for detecting a dime-sized target in our local soil, with Explorers/E-Tracs). We have surmised that this little "hotspot" area was buried, in or around 1907/08, under a 4-6 inch layer of additional dirt -- spread over it as they leveled an area just to the north to build a baseball field. Anyway, after we dug all the high tones over a several-day period, we switched to low tones, and proceeded to dig a number of additional coins -- 1870s to 1907 V-nickels. We continued to dig until we got nearly every target that ID'd above iron. I've been back over it with a fine-toothed comb several times in the past couple of years, and have managed about 3-4 more fringe-depth coins, but I simply can't seem to eke one more out of there. I am almost SURE there are several others, just beyond the depth that Explorers/E-Tracs can reach -- and this would be a GREAT spot, I think, for a person who knows how to use a PI machine to pull out several more keepers. I hope to become that person! With much of the "trash" already removed, excepting some iron/nails, it should make for a relatively easier scenario for a PI unit than your typical trashy public spot, so I think I'll give it a try.

Anyway, if I can manage to gain some experience with the unit, and "click" with it, I will bring it along with me on the trip to Destin. Still, I'm pretty encouraged about the possibility of my Explorer doing well on the beach, as well...

Steve
 
Thanks sharkbait, for the thoughts.

I fired up the Infinium yesterday, and ran it through my test garden. WOW. A lot to learn. The language is difficult. Well, I should clarify. I tested it first on 6" and 8" deep nickels, and it about blew my ears off. If I hit those signals on a beach, I'd dig them in a heartbeat. BUT -- trying to listen for more subtle cues, when running over deeper coins in my test garden, was really a challenge. Trying to differentiate the subtle signals that "mean something" from amongst the other noise, wow. I can see where it would take a lot of time with the machine, hearing, digging, recovering a target, making mental notes...then hearing, digging, recovering a target, making mental notes...over and over and over again, before I could really use the machine effectively.

I am going to work on it, though, and see if I can acquire enough familiarity with it to use it successfully on the trip.

Any tips, from anyone, on how to use the Infinium, would be appreciated... :)

Steve
 
I used the Explorer for many years. They work fine on the beach..... even in the water to about knee deep if the waves are right. Coins hunters do well ...... just because they know how to grid an area properly. I like the Finny, but in your case unless you want to PLAY then id leave it at the house. You get great depth with your machine. Dig most everything thats not IRON or a bottle cap..... everything else you best kick at least even foil. Cover as much of the active beach as you can...... right now the wet sand can be productive because stuff is pushed in from the storm. Thinking recent drops.... the Exp will get down a good 12 to 14"....... way more than you will need and you dont have to deal with digging everything...... and there is a lot of everything to dig. Black sand can accumulate..... but comes in layers. Sometimes switching directions...... instead of walking with the beach grid from the wet sand to the dry sand. You dont get that coil flip. Some of us even use patterns where pennies and above are knocked out..... especially when time is limited.
 
I have an infinium but have yet to use it much and never at the beach and I would probably dig all signals for awhile, but, from what I have read, at the beach, would tend to pay more attention to the hi-lo signals that weaken in reverse disc as that would be a good indication of a gold target, so I have read. That system seems to be the one to use cherry picking at the beach if you are after gold but would like to hear more on this from someone who knows. Good luck.
 
dewcon -- yes, I know you used an Explorer for a long time; I have been reading your stuff on here for years (back to when I was more active on the forum as a new Explorer user), and so I appreciate your insight on this issue. You are pulling me back toward my initial conclusion, which was to stick with what I know -- the Explorer. You are also not the first person to comment on it being a very capable beach machine, so I am wondering if I wouldn't be shooting myself in the foot to try a new type of detecting AND do it with a detector I'm not familiar with at the same time...

Steve
 
Steve I bought the Infinium for gold prospecting and for possible use at the beach. Since then life became a little more complex and I just have not been able to get to any of those places I dream of using the machine. I believe I will though. I have several other detectors that I do use occasionally. Hope you enjoy your trip.
 
Steve....... if you dont know the beach then you may well shoot yourself in the foot unless you are just out there for a good time. BUT...... the finny is water proof with the ability to change coils and phones. Id stick to the Explorer on the dry sand thou. In the water with a multi freq you are looking at a ration of about 10 to 1...... dry sand 100 to 1. That all changes with a PI...... since we dont dig iron and you might get another couple of inches of everything. I like playing with a new machine and the Finny is a fun machine....... id recommend the 8" mono..... and right now with the storm that just passed......wet sand and shallow water is the place to be....... but there is a lot of tiny iron there. Just bring a good scoop...... and do what a dirt digger does best..... grid. On the explorer...... dont get hung up on high tones and near the water some of that falsing needs to be checked because foil sounds a lot like minerals.... may require more than one swing. You didnt say if the Finny has a pair of WATERPROOF phones. I personally like the Finny has a lot of options few PIs have....... shame they discontinued it. GL.....
 
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