Coin VS Relic Mode

[TwoDogsBob]

I do mostly rust, ummm I mean relic, hunting but also stop by the local football field to do some coin shooting. I hunt some pretty trashy areas and up till now have always just left the MODE switch on Coin and Jewelry. Reading the manual, yep actually did that, it metions that the Relic Mode accepts a wider variety of metals. Any thoughts on what you prefer and is the Relic Mode an advantage or disadvantage for hunting coins? Instruction manuals are great but don't compare to personal imput from people out there swingin the machine.
Sidenote. I got my MXT about a year ago and love it, even better with the DX1 probe. My wife usually goes with me and I've noticed that whenever I lay the detector down it usually wanders away. Just ordered an MXT for her so I don't have to keep looking for mine. SHHH it's a Christmas present... Bob

 

[Butch in Colorado]

She likes the high/low tone signals that targets give off during searching. And it also is reported that the relic mode seeks a bit deeper than coin mode.

I myself switch back and forth and do not have a preference one way or the other. I use both of these modes.

 

[Richard@BackwoodsDetectors]

Bob, Being a relic hunter, whenever I do decide to hunt coins, I usually drop the disc. right below the nickel setting and dig everything using the relic mode... You'll miss some small earrings and pinky rings but that is about it..... High trash areas that produce, I sometimes dig it all.... if the pulltabs wear me out, I'll take the XL Pro.... Thanks And have fun, Richardntn

 

[DPW]

I use the relic mode while coin shooting. I also like the two tones of relic mode. Actually three tone. You can also get an in between tone that sounds like the C&J tone. I've also heard different opinions when it comes to which mode gives more depth. More extenuating circumstances involved in depth than just which mode you're in. I believe. The high/low tones can help in separating close together trash & treasure targets.

 

[Richard@BackwoodsDetectors]

It has been my experience that the MXT's that I have checked, will go 1/2" or so deeper in the Coin Mode....Machines do vary though and it could go either way...Richardntn

 

[Rudy]

Richard,

Although the Engineer's Report on the MXT contradicts your statement, I also find that C&J does go deeper than Relic mode. I think it may be due to the additional filtering of the signal that goes on in Relic mode.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

because IMO the standard audio found in the C/J mode is much better suited for running at the low iron reject settings most people use when relic and jewelry hunting.

HH Tom

 

[Rick(ND)]

My wife and myself like the relic mode with the 2 tones as we can go faster and tell if there is a trash item beside a good target too by the high and low tones. I also find when using the relic mode we have been digging deeper and can go faster. My wife wishes the icons where those of a coin, but I find with the numbers and the ID bars is all I need to tell what it is.

 

[kykev]

I am a newbie to MD'ing and the MXT, but I thought I,d throw my 2 cents (1888 and 1898 IH's) worth in. I have been detecting for about two months now. I have no interest in clad, and am searching old sites exclusively. I have read many posts about the benefits of the Relic mode for coins, but until recently, I stuck with C/J mode so as to learn it well before I tried a different mode. My thinking was that switching between two modes that I wasn't experienced with might cause confusion. Not bragging by any stretch, but I have made two recent finds (1898 IH and 1934 Merc) in C/J mode which had nails above them. I didn't get a full beep on either, but by watching the VDI while sweeping, an occasional coin number would flash in amongst the iron numbers and the nulling. Not saying this is a foolproof method, but it worked on two finds for me. The drawbacks to this are that you will dig a lot of iron and it is slow tedious work.

I recently decided to try the Relic mode. My impresson so far is that it is faster and easier to find a mixed iron/non-iron signal. To me, this means that there is still a 50% chance that the target is trash, but you can find/dig them faster than in C/J.

So, I have been going back and forth. I like the easy finding of mixed signals in Relic, then switch over to C/J for ID'ing and pinpointing.

I didn't mention that the C/J audio is better for discerning deep faint signals, but Rudy and others have covered this in "depth".

I have been hunting almost exclusively iron infested homesites, and almost exclusively the 4x6 Eclipse Shooter. I am tickled pink with this coils ability to sniff out coins in junk.

Good luck
Kevin M.

 

[LuckLarry]

Does anybody else ever find themselves swinging too fast! I often do, and I have come up with my own strategy to cover ground more quickly. This ought to get people up in arms. But hey maybe some might want to try it. I swing in prospect mode! No kidding. Now there are some areas that I am sure this would just not be suitable, but I do it in parks and I have really kicked up my take in finds and definitely cover more ground than I used to. Once I get a hit I then switch to discrimination and look for a solid signal. The down side is that although it does not seem like much, it does become a burden reaching for the switch. I have to fight my laziness on this sometimes but it has paid off well. The MXT seems to reach out away from the coil to find coins in this mode. Crazy huh? But hey maybe you might want to try crazy some time.

 

[shawnv(or)]

out the deep targets in area's where I know there is a good chance of finding deep targets amongst shallow clad and trash. I try to key on the deep narrow signals and then switch to discriminate to check visual and audio quality. It has worked pretty well, but you have to slow down and be patient.