Book Excerpt: "Equinox Solid Target Bias"

[cjc]

Solid Target Bias

As touched upon above, the Equinox has the built in feature of promoting round, solid, non-alloyed objects, while inhibiting responses from elongated, odd-shaped, corroded or alloyed metals–like tin for example. These come in as rough or broken tones. There are dozens of “U-Tube” videos out of guys hunting with the Equinox– hearing random sounds, digging them anyway and finding garbage targets one after the other. Many then blame the detector. This machine was designed with very sophisticated signal processing to help you to recognise this junk–why not listen to it? If you hope to go into areas with dense aluminum and other trash targets and pick out those signals which have the best chance of being gold–this is one Equinox feature that can be a big help. Using the cross-sweep can work well here too–bringing out the inconsistent elements of a signal if it’s junk or staying stable—a more likely gold target. This built in feature of the Equinox is especially useful for determining foils. Many of these just don’t sound solid–they are weak, thin or hollow-sounding responses. One trick I use to get a quick idea of a target’s consistency is to do a slightly angled second pass. I then watch the meter and listen for any tone changes. A high gain detector will often hit loudly on an object because of its shape. When you change your sweep angle this is altered.

From: "The Minlelab Equinox: From Beginner to Advanced"

Picture Caption: “A quick, angled second pass tells you how solid a target is. Listen for tone changes and watch the meter for erratic readings. This is an effective way to recognise foils and “can-slaw” and generally offset the tendency of a high gain detector like the Equinox to sound off on odd shapes. “

 

[Des D]

...appreciate your efforts Clive.

(I read nearly all your books in the day...)

Desi Dunne
ex Minelab

 

[CT Todd]

I agree that the unit likes round targets and that an angled second pass will help weed out imposters. The second pass over the target will not stop the unit from sounding off on a trash target most times but will offer more clues to the targets possible worthiness.

 

[David53]

Is there any tool out that you know of besides the use of a detector that can be used to rapidly remove numerous amounts of pull tabs. I just trying to figure out how to remove them so I don’t have to stoop down and pick them up. Save the back and knees. The place in question has lots of tailgating and more pull tabs scattered all over the ground than most parks. I know if I remove the visual ones I will improve my detecting finds and if I use your techniques mentioned above, I will also increase my finds. It seems lots of targets, especially Gold Jewelry gets masked out by iron junk and aluminum. I plan to use an earth magnet to help remove the top layer of bottle caps. Some areas have so much metal trash that every step makes a crunching sound. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[IDXMonster]

Is there any tool out that you know of besides the use of a detector that can be used to rapidly remove numerous amounts of pull tabs. I just trying to figure out how to remove them so I don’t have to stoop down and pick them up. Save the back and knees. The place in question has lots of tailgating and more pull tabs scattered all over the ground than most parks. I know if I remove the visual ones I will improve my detecting finds and if I use your techniques mentioned above, I will also increase my finds. It seems lots of targets, especially Gold Jewelry gets masked out by iron junk and aluminum. I plan to use an earth magnet to help remove the top layer of bottle caps. Some areas have so much metal trash that every step makes a crunching sound. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I wouldn’t even consider hunting there. Just my opinion. Unless you have extracted many high value targets from said place,it’s not feasible to make that into a “win”.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Yeah, thats a landfill. Dont waste you time with all that garbage. There are far cleaner places with just as more or more chances for gold. If you feel you absolutely have to hunt this place, you'll work faster with a shovel and a hanging screen. Just dig it all. 1/4 inch screen would keep all the goodies and most of the trash.

 

[dbado1]

Another great write up, Clive. Thank you! You are spot on with your description of sound differences between trash and treasure.

Dean

 

[adamBomb]

You are going to miss gold if you don't dig it all with this machine. While this is a technique to help give you more information it can cost you gold! Try putting a small chain into salt sand at various depths and positions - many times you won't get a solid signal, it will be weak, broken up, and sometimes only work on a certain angle - meaning you can't do a cross sweep because it won't pick it up. It might read a '1' to negative numbers if you have it in all metal and sound terrible. This is even more true if you are using the default or higher iron bias setting in beach modes, especially on the 800 as the default is set higher than the 600 for some reason. But of course you are going to dig more pieces of foil too but if you are digging it you are missing gold. Its about doing the cost benefit analysis on your digging time.

 

[ewtaylor]

You are going to miss gold if you don't dig it all with this machine. While this is a technique to help give you more information it can cost you gold! Try putting a small chain into salt sand at various depths and positions - many times you won't get a solid signal, it will be weak, broken up, and sometimes only work on a certain angle - meaning you can't do a cross sweep because it won't pick it up. It might read a '1' to negative numbers if you have it in all metal and sound terrible. This is even more true if you are using the default or higher iron bias setting in beach modes, especially on the 800 as the default is set higher than the 600 for some reason. But of course you are going to dig more pieces of foil too but if you are digging it you are missing gold. Its about doing the cost benefit analysis on your digging time.

No offense but, why waste money on a machine like this, or any other? If you're going to dig everything why not just use a PI detector?

 

[scubadetector]

You are going to miss gold if you don't dig it all with this machine. While this is a technique to help give you more information it can cost you gold! Try putting a small chain into salt sand at various depths and positions - many times you won't get a solid signal, it will be weak, broken up, and sometimes only work on a certain angle - meaning you can't do a cross sweep because it won't pick it up. It might read a '1' to negative numbers if you have it in all metal and sound terrible. This is even more true if you are using the default or higher iron bias setting in beach modes, especially on the 800 as the default is set higher than the 600 for some reason. But of course you are going to dig more pieces of foil too but if you are digging it you are missing gold. Its about doing the cost benefit analysis on your digging time.

No offense but, why waste money on a machine like this, or any other? If you're going to dig everything why not just use a PI detector?

You really do not have to dig everything with this machine. THAT is a falsehood. Like every machine you have to get to know what it is telling you. I hunt where a major beach was. This photo was taken in 1917.



The beach was very active from 1909 - 1963. No clad here.

This photo was taken in the 1960's, same beach. The bath house held over 6000 people.



There is absolutely nothing left there. No buildings or dock or tower. You can probably imagine all the nails and iron in this place. I dig a lot of small brass snaps and swim buckle parts. I rarely dig iron, and there is a ton there. I do dig old rusty bottle tops

I have hit this place very hard with the CZ-21, and the Tiger Shark. The first year I was there in 2016 I dug 309 silver coins, 53 pieces of gold and over 100 pieces of silver jewelry. I have been back there twice with the Equinox this year. Four more gold rings, about 16 more pieces of silver and a lot of small brass.

If you have to read a display, you are going to miss very deep targets. I go by sound alone. The VID is useless to me. However I have proved to myself this is not a beep and dig machine. I am learning it. I will still dig trash. big deal. it is muck and gravel and a little sand.

Some steel targets you want anyway. I have dug two beer cans here. One a Red Fox and the other a Milwaukee Club. Both worth a few dollars because they are rare. I also dug a USN WW2 dog tag that is stainless and I am sending it to the family.

Absolutely NO machine is foolproof. See these locker tags?



You can see where the steel key is fused to the one and the other still has the steel key attached. The Equinox still picked them out.

Is it a perfect machine? Of course not. Is it for everyone? No. Does it perform? Yes

 

[Ytcoinshooter]

I just received Clive's EQX book from one of the forum sponsors. I'm enjoying it because it's making me really think - brain strain LOL. Seriously though, Clive's book is a fine addition and provides additional insight to the information provided by Minelab. Although I have the Equinox PDF manual on my iPhone I'd have paid for a printed Minelab manual without having to resort to burning up my own ink. Regarding what I've read so far the mentions on how programs are weighted frequency wise is very helpful. I wish I got the book well before Friday's hunt at my newest wooded and trashy colonial site because I need to try some of the recommendations with all that iron in the ground. It's given up a dozen coppers, a 1730 cob 1R, 1732 pistareen , Pine Tree Schilling and many later more modern obsolete coins (that's an oxymoron), plus some cool relics.
Although it's a pretty quick read it will become a reference I go back and reread to make sure my understanding is clear on various topics. This EQX is so different and I've been successful every time out with it.
HH - Bruce
Ps - I like scuba detectors post. I have a long forgotten swimming spot on a much smaller scale that I'm going back to revisit when the lake is lowered a bit in the fall. It's given up almost 200 silver coins, gold and silver rings...lots of stuff. With the underwater drop offs I prefer to wait till the water is down so I can get out further. Duofold expidition weight long underwear under my 5mil wetsuit if it's really chilly helps but I only wade, not dive.

 

[brissietex]

As much as I miss my DP Headhunter Pulse or Cscope CS4PI detectors, I really don't miss digging as much iron as I did with those machines. No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, a PI is a dig everything machine. I don't mind giving that up for the Equinox. With the Eq800, I have found the smallest pieces of metal at depth in the salty wet sand...I could pretty much tell you what they were by the Eq800 tone and TID but I still dug them anyway. For me, I think digging it all on the beach as long it isn't dense iron is just one of those things you just have to do to find the goodies. I also found the double beep to give me some indication of trash whereas as a solid sharp tone is usually worthy of a dig...not always but near enough.