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I've been in the hobby for almost two months, using a Compadre 8". Does this machine just not have the depth for really old coins? Seems like I'm getting about 6" or so of depth on average and haven't really found any *old* coins yet. Oldest being some wheaties from the '40's. I've hunted several old sites -- schools built in the '30s all the way back to 1916 -- and just find modern clad for the most part and I dig just about all repeatable signals above iron. I read stories of people finding Mercs, and IH's, etc., and they often report finding these at 7",8" or deeper. Do I just need a deeper-seeking machine to find these?
(BTW: I'm really just trying to justify upgrading!)
I have found a almost mint Merc at 1/4" deep, 2 Indian heads a 10906 and an 1880 no deeper than 4", 2 Franklin halves at 1" and 4", and other silver dimes and some real old wheaties no deeper than 5".
Not all coins are super deep, but at some sites they are.
Your coil should go further if you have good soil, you might not have hunted sites with deeper coins up to this point.
How is your soil?
I had such heavy mineralization where I used to live in Birmingham no machine would get past 5" or so, and in most places even that was a dream.
Do you swing slow?
This helps the Compadre lock onto deeper targets better than a fast sweep.
Hunting after a hard rain should also get you deeper.
I have a 7" coil Compadre and the sense is turned up to max internally.
Not saying you should do this, but I would not hunt with mine any other way.
The thing goes really deep, but I still don't find many old coins much past 5" and I have hunted some very old sites.
There are deeper machines out there, but do you need one?
Maybe, but I would try experimenting a little before I went that route like swing speed and maybe hunting in all metal that might get you a touch deeper...or clearer signals from deeper ones, anyway.
Deeper detector will only help if the older coins are there. Most silver and other old coins have been the preferred targets for treasure hunters for years now and at many sites there aren't a lot of older coins to find. Undoubtedly some sites will still have some deep keepers and any site may have a few that are being masked by tabs or nails etc. even at shallow depths. That said, I'm a believer in the thought that if one of something is worth having, two or more is even better, so if you want to upgrade, go for it. From personal experience I'll warn you that it is pretty easy to become a detector collector, so beware. Also, from personal experience, after my first upgrade, I sold my Compadre (original 7" coil model) and came to regret it. Recently found another which will remain in my stable. I highly recommend adding a detector with ground balance capability as in some locations, that will definitely be a plus and ground balancing is easy to learn. Other bells and whistles such as a display etc. are up to you, but they can make you lazy and cause you to bypass targets that should be retrieved. If you can afford it, keep the C for a backup and/or loaner. My two bits.
BB
With the Compadre I found an 1859 Indian Head penny about an inch down on the community play field that has been detected to death by several people. It had some how been missed. Lot of factors in finding old coins. Many areas there will likely only be more modern clad. One thing is pretty sure, if you aren't out working to get the coil over one, you won't find it. Keep at it.
If you do upgrade, get something with adjustable ground balance.
I'm like BB in that I keep the Compadre ready as a loaner. And take her out now and then because it's fun.
Cheers,
tvr
I found 3 Indians at an old homesite that I went over several times with my SE Pro. It couldn't discriminate the junk and iron out, but the Compadre could. It's an amazing machine.
I have the 5 inch coil with the sensitivity turned up a good amount, and have found many old coins and buttons around cellar holes and in front of trashy old colonial homes. With that said I do feel like a deeper upgraded machine may lock on a deeper target better at a faster swing, like a T2,AT Pro, etrac ....you get the drift.....However those machine cost many times more then the good ol'e compadre......If you like tesoro and want more depth go for the vaquero, its deep and it rocks. I would keep swing the compadre for the time being
never owned one but I know a fellow that does and he has dug several silver dimes with it at well over 7 inches with that being said I had a Tesoro Vaquero and it was plenty deep and loved it but not a lot of coil choices for it was why I traded it for a Original banditio and a Silver sabre II both have threshold adjustment and the bandito has a ground adjust . did a test in my test garden with it and it will hit a silver dime at well over 8 inches in dry dirt Would like to own a compadre but everytimeone comes up for sell I am either a dollar short or a day late but then again as was stated from someone else You could become a detector collector if not careful so dont give up on it just takes patience and also the silver has to be there to be found . there is silver out there just keep looking
The Compadre is a fantastic machine and my main go to machine.I have been in the same train of thought as you whether to upgrade to something deeper seeking.One thing about the Compadre is your swing speed,slow your speed down and give the machine time to lock onto the target,I know it's already been stated but it works and works really well.Is the machine a deep seeker?No but it has lots of other good qualities that some higher end units lack and that's it's ability to lock onto some of the smallest pieces of gold and other things that those high end units just pass over without any indication that it's even there.I'm by no means downing the more expensive units because they have their place for their intended use as does the Compadre.Now am i happy with the performance of my Compadre?Yes but there are times i wish i could get say maybe 2 or 3" more.Like BarberBill said silver has been the prefered target of hunters for yeas,so most has been located already but some does still exist out there,you just have to get your coil over it.I have found some older silver with my Compadre,mercs.and war nickles but that's about it but silver rings,chains,earrings,gold and a few relics also but remember older copper coins are to me just as good as everything else and i'm darn sure there are still tons of them around.So it all boils down to you and what you think is best for you but my Compadre isn't going anywhere.Beep and Dig,gotta love it
luke3026, Lots of good advice from the guys here. Your Compadre is a great little detector and very capable for what it was designed for.
I think the limiting factor of the Compadre is factory set ground balance and no options to change coils. To be versatile adjustable ground balance and the option
to change coils can play an important part in your success or lack of. I feel anytime you can match your detector to the conditions your chances increase of finding good targets
If you have bad ground, factory set ground balance will probably not give you peak performance from your detector. Manual ground balance is almost a must have in this case to get top performance from your detector.
Coil selection makes a difference also. Trashy areas are best hunted with a smaller coil, where in average conditions the stock coil works great. If you are hunting a large field a larger than stock coil will give you better and faster coverage
and some extra depth. As far as bells and whistles on a detector, in my opinion they are not need. Meters tend to make you lazy about digging targets that read as a pulltab for instance, that could be a nice heavy gold ring. With a good beep and dig
detector you might dig more trash, but your finds will increase also because you aren't trusting a meter to tell you what to dig. I say upgrade your detector to something you won't grow out of soon like a Vaquero or a Tejon. I promise you if you go back over the sites
you have been hunting, the deeper coins are there. A good quality set of headphones is a must to hear the deep coins that will only make a whisper on your detector. It all comes down to where you hunt... if you hunt clad coins in the park, your Compadre is perfect for that.
If you want to hunt old home sites or picnic groves from over 100 years ago, you will probably want more depth for the old coins and artifacts. Good luck and HH.......
Location, Location Location.
Go to older homes that dont have deep plush grass and the coins will more than likely be shallow. Old Ghost towns where there is little rain and the coins again are likely to be shallow compared to the wetter plush areas down near the beack and in the humid wet zones of the US,
If your hitting local parks . Most have been hunted. Over and Over. So you need to find where other hunter hae avoided. Many walk from their cars and go to the sports fields and picnic areas. missing the strips of grass bordering the parking lots and walkways to and from the areas they go to hunt.
Geta small coil and get as close to the concrete strips as you can and look for the areas with large amounts a of trash. Coins fall where they do and often at the same time as somebody throwing trash away.
I think my limit with the compadre wast 5 " on a dime using small coil so if they are deeper your not going to hear them try a blisstool if you need more depth
Go to the library or local museum and get an old township map from the early 1900's. It will show you where houses and country schools were. Most farmers will let you detect on their fields if there are no crops planted. You will find old coins and most are shallow and the next year if they work the ground, it might produce more. Also you don't have to worry about ruining someone's nice lawn when you dig, but still be sure to fill in the holes you dig.
Funny thing is, my house (and all the houses on my block) date from around 1890. All I've found hunting my yard and the neighbors on both sides has been 3 Wheaties and a lot of clad. Not a single silver coin. I've been hitting the yards pretty hard recently, and have them pretty much cleared of everything (including rusty nails) I can reach with the Compadre at this point.
