Disc versus Pinpoint

[Lou from downunder]

Hi guys,

Just looking to further my education.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if memory serves me correctly most excal users prefer to hunt in disc.

Disc has delivered the goods for me in the past, however yesterday I revisited an area I did very well at over christmas.
Pickings were slim and the sand seemed to be a bit deeper in this gutter than I remembered.
After reading in CJCs excellent publication "Advanced methods etc" that pinpoint could give greater depth I though to try it again after having tried and not liked it when I first recieved the excal.

Lets just say that this time around I was amazed.
I dug veritable craters to retrieve quite small items.
Threshold was set to audible enough to detect the slightest signal.
Sensitivity as high as to maintain a reasonably steady threshold.
Volume on full.

At a signal I would switch to disc and was amazed at how often there would be no response.
If in disc the machine nulled I would move on, if not or no response I would dig.

Pinpoint, on this occasion at least saved the day.
Is it always this good? I hope so! Cant wait to rework some of my favourite spots.

Any comments?

Lou.

 

[Craig-PI]

I have a friend who only hunts in pinpoint its like using a PI... in PP the Excal is supposed to be deeper..

 

[bdahunter]

This one is a bone of contention with me but I think it has something to do with the zero mineralization of Bermuda. Every time I've tried working in Pin Point instead of Disc I've found almost nothing. In trials against targets that were faint in Disc the tone disappeared completely in PP. This probably has more to do with my specific local conditions than anything else so use what works best for you.

Cheers,

BDA

 

[Arkie John]

"If in disc the machine nulled I would move on, if not or no response I would dig."

But as a new excal II user, I'm staying in disc "1" until I learn the machine. The nulling of the bad stuff makes for a quieter hunt. One day I'll branch out, but I have a lot of ground to cover with a new machine and I just have to learn it first.

But I like your idea. But using disc1 I have been digging some craters myself. I am just amazed at the depth I can recover goodies!

aj

 

[954hunter]

I've played around in PP but I'm not sure if I like it or not.........keep it up and maybe you can help convince me.

 

[galap5]

I hunt in PP and when I hit a target I switch to Disc. if it goes quiet I move on, if it tones I dig.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Well I hit the icy waters of Port Phillip Bay this afternoon for a 5 hour hunt.

Vast sections of the bay are nothing but miles of soft sandy beaches. Offshore we generally have two shallow sandbars running parallel with the shore with a gutter running between the shore and the first bar and another gutter between the first and second bars.
Its in these gutters that most of the goodies are found, but even so you need to stumble on a section of gutter where the sand has moved enough to pick up a target.
There is no surf. One relies on wind and current to move the sand.

Tried the pinpoint again.
I found it difficult, impossible actually, to maintain a steady threshold. It constantly wavered slowly.
Even with the sensitivity wound back to nil and the slowest, steadiest sweep I could not get it steady so I set the sens up in disc and then switched back to PP and left it there.
Cause I'm snorkelling my ears are full of water so hearing is muted, as a result threshold is turned up enough so I can pick a signal above the constant raising and lowering of the threshold tone.
Even with this crap to put up with PP worked well again. On hearing a signal I would check to see if it registered in disc.
Most of the time it did not. It would have been a pretty dismal hunt if I had only been using disc.
This was my first time at this spot and without PP it would have been my last, now I'm keen to hit it again.

Anyway, its only early days, will keep playing with it.

Cheers Lou.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Back in the bay again today.
Disc performed a bit better in this spot and for a while every signal found with PP could be heard in disc but then I hit a patch where I was digging up a bunch of pre decimal coins and the disc was'nt registering on most of them.
Our pre decimal coins have been out of circulation since 1966 so these have been in the water for a while.
For the interest of my fellow aussies this is the same spot where I found a 1930 penny.
In average condition these are worth 25-30,000 bucks.
Mine however is totally mangled. King George is recognizable on the obverse and all of the lettering including the date is legible, just. The edges are pretty ragged.
One in similar condition was found under Frankston pier 20 yrs ago which fetched $5000, however our local coin dealer tells me he'd only give me 20 bucks for mine so I don't know....
Will get another valuation one of these days.

Cheers Lou.

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Lou, there is a possibility that Pinpoint may be your preferred mode of operation down unda. I would certainly encourage you to experiment in all modes, to find out what works best where you are. I bought my 1st Excal in Jan '06 and I'm STILL learning things I did not know. I have tried many different things to enhance performance, but am still learning. Keep us posted on your results.

 

[Crash620]

On my beaches, I see an increase of between 4 and 5 inches on targets in wet sand. When I get a deepie in PP, I switch over to disc, and no signal. Most time I will scape off the at least 4" of surface sand before I get a disc response.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Thanks GH, yes much still to learn.

Crash, my findings on deepys are similar to yours.

Must say its adding to my strike rate as there is too much deep sand in the bay.

Cheers Lou.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Continuing the saga...

Hit the bay again today. Went to a pier where I collected approx $300 in coins, a heap of lead but only a couple of rings over a week period last chrismas.

I expected to clean up on the coins etc that would be beyond the reach of disc. Unfortunately there was just too much junk to use PP with the machine sounding off constantly. Got sick of switching between the two so I swam off to the beach and worked there.
Here, in the cleaner ground it was the usual result. On the deep targets disc could'nt pick them up.

So, my conclusions are...

In my areas at least, if the ground is not too trashy PP wins hands down.

Hope this might have been of help to some.

Unless I discover something new about this mode I won't bore you guys further.

Cheers Lou.

 

[gold-digger]

Mainly I'll use the disc mode unless I'm in a real diggin mood. One thing I'm still trying to discover is just how close you can sweep to pick up a target. When in disc mode, it seems like the double d's can get right along side a target to set off a signal. In pinpoint, I'm begiining to think, it has to go right over the center arm to set it off clearly. Makes me wonder how many targets might be missed with such a small target zone vs the full coil. Maybe its just a mattter of the right sensitivity, treshold settings, but I'm still experimenting.