excal strikes silver :ausflag:

[lazyaussie]

went detecting after work today with the new excal & found this silver i also met Lou from downunder nice to meet ya mate also found $4.30 in coins.
i see i"m going to do well with this new detector after i get the hang of it.
lazyaussie
strait outa the water
[attachment 117624 2009_0211xmas08home0083.JPG]
nice & clean
[attachment 117625 2009_0211xmas08home0085.JPG]

 

[Lou from downunder]

Hi Lazyaussie,

yes it was a pleasure to meet you also.
You did well for a fairly short hunt.
Well I hung in there for another hour and am happy to report that I got out of there alright even though I was the only car left in there.
Found a mens silver dress ring after you left, chunky with black onyx with a small diamond insert.
The gold ring is 9ct with 2 small, hopefully, diamonds.
Picked up another 4 bucks for a total of $17.30.
If I finish work early enough I will hit it again tomorrow.
Mate, you really got to get yourself a wetsuit.

Lou.

 

[aushunter]

That's a nice little haul ya got there. I think you will learn to love the Excal.
I had mine since 1996 and it's still going strong. Usually set the controls and leave it on those settings.
And when in use just have an audible hum in the threshold, volume flat strap and away you go.
A little bit heavy, but I don't know what the newer type Excal's are like as mine has the older type
horse shoe coil.
Heading up the coast this weekend, so you'll never know what i'll find till next week.
HH and cheers.
Aushunter

 

[Gulf Hunter]

You have no idea mate! You have only scratched the surface, but a right nice scratch indeed! Gooday!

 

[Lindaskelly]

I'm very new to this detecting game,having been given a detector for christmas ( a minelab xterra70 ).Since hitting the beaches 4 weeks ago I,ve built up a nice little collection of "stuff",including 2 toy cars, a padlock, several pieces of costume jewellery, a massive sinker and almost $80 in coins ( today I scooped up three $2 coins in the one scoop!) .But none of this compares to the treasures you guys are finding with the underwater detectors,so I'm curious. Do these treasures come from the ocean depths using diving gear or can they be retrieved from shallower water snorkelling, or even wading in the shallows? What type of areas do you search,ie surf beaches or calmer bay beaches, piers, around rocks or where? Are your finds exceptional or is this the norm? I'm well and truely hooked on this detecting game, and would love to step up to some real treasure!

 

[Lou from downunder]

Hi Lindaskelly,

X terra 70 eh? Top machine, have one myself. Have found thousands of dollars with it, up to $100 a day sometimes but very little in the way of jewellry.
The water is where the action is. In 13 months I've found 60 odd gold rings and bits and pieces and over 100 silver rings, chains, pendants etc. Is this exceptional? I dont know, I hope so!
I dont wade, I mainly snorkel, but usually in wading depth.
I find I dont attract as much attention this way and I prefer to see whats happening as I'm scooping or fanning.
Occasionally I'll use scuba for deeper waters for around piers but generally find piers to be a waste of time, way too much junk and very little jewellry.
I dont do surf here in Victoria. It might work for some but I find its a major pain. Too far to drive, tides are rarely low when I have the opportunity to go and the few times I've tried it I've got bugger all.
I stick with popular swimming beaches and find most of my goodies in waist to chest deep water.
Okay, hope I've helped some.

Cheers Lou.

 

[lazyaussie]

WOW thats a big question #1 i wade so from ankle to neck deep #2 where people swim = beach / lake / river / take your pick #3 this isn't normal i usually find gold nah i usually find one
good ( gold/silver ) item per 3-4 hour hunt but it depends on where you hunt how many people swim there if there are other detectorists hunting the area & the big one " LUCK " also understanding what your detector is telling you helps allot it took me 4 years to find my first gold ring but once i did i was away i started finding them all over the place.
the best way to make finding gold & silver easy"er is to get some gold/silver jewellery & go over it with your detector & see were it hits on your target ID on the xterra70 & listen to what it sounds like then go out hunting & try to listen for those sounds/TDIs also dig every thing except iron as most small gold hits in the tin foil range.
hope this helps ya find your first yellow stuff ( gold )
lazyaussie

 

[Lindaskelly]

Thanks to both of you for that excellent feedback, which raises a few more questions! The xterra (I believe) is waterproof as far as the control box which would allow me to do the shallows. I have tried the wet sand close to the waterline a few times without success, and on most occasions given up due to problems pinpointing the target. Is this machine just not suitable for this type of detecting, or do I just need to try a bit harder? Also, what is the best way to retrieve targets in the wet sand, or water?.My plastic sand scoop works well in the dry but not so good in the wet.Also Lou, I'm interested in your comment that you had found very little jewellery with the xterra( I've found none as yet!).Assuming I have to work within the limitations of the machine I have (at least until I find enough gold coins to invest in an underwater machine!), is there anything I can do to increase my success rate? Thanks again for your welcome feedback, cheers!

 

[lazyaussie]

first check your manual to see if your coil is water proof wasting 5min spent reading your manual is better than spending $200 on a new coil. second single frequency detectors don't handle wet sand/salt water very well you can get them to work but not as well as a multi freq VLF or PI detector however they do very well in the dry sand.
i use a long handle scoop in the water & walk in the water some prefer to snorkel & fan the sand from the target with there hands or use a small hand scoop.
you may want to go to the xterra part of this forum & post/ask the same questions i"m shore they will help with getting the best performance outta the 70 on the beach as there are some beach hunters over there that do quite well.
lazyaussie

 

[Lindaskelly]

Thanks lazyaussie, I'll take your advice and follow it up on the other forum. Cheers!

 

[Lou from downunder]

Lazyaussie has given wise advice.

Not all Xterra coils are waterproof.
I believe the stock coil is, the 10x5 18.75 DD that I use isnt.
I hate dry sanding, have spent many hours for very little, still its a top machine for this type of hunting.
As for the wet sand, forget it! Just drives me nuts, falsing the whole time, thats why I got the Excal... horses for courses.
The few articles of jewellry I've found with it were all in playgrounds, the more time spent in the field the more you will find.
But the best advice is to get over on the Xterra users forum and read all the FAQFAQs, you will learn heaps.

Lou.

 

[aushunter]

As Lou was saying, I prefer to snorkle/dive, but mainly snorkle as deep as possible.
If it is in the deeper water I can usually hold my breathe long enough to scoop out the target. Also
I don't seem to attract to many people also which is a good thing and the view is usually quiet different
with a few different species of fish etc to keep you company.
The good stuff is certainly in the water
My wife thinks I'm a little crazy bringing home someone elses lost junk, but we know better.
She also knows that I don't give up my loot either.
Just look at the smile on my boys face with the silver and gold found recently, all in shallow water.
HH
Aushunter

 

[Lindaskelly]

Thanks Lou.I had read that the 10x5 DD coil was not waterproof, so I've been careful with that one. However the manual does indicate that the standard coil is waterproof up to the level of the control box ( but I'm waiting for someone to reassure me before I try it ). Your experience with the xterra 70 in the wet sand sounds very similiar to mine.Maybe it's just not worth pursuing. Still you've raised my curiosity on another subject; if you dont hunt the dry sand (or wet) ,where do you use the xterra? I live on Port Philip Bay, so the beach is an obvious choice for me; I'm not quite in easy day driving distance to the goldfields .Other than the playgrounds you mentioned ( are these good hunting grounds?) what other areas are worth trying? Showgrounds and some of the country racetracks I thought would be good but these are closed off when theyr'e not hosting a major event and I don't want to be seen trespassing. So where should I be hunting? Cheers, and thanks again for your feedback!

 

[Lindaskelly]

Aushunter ,I'm curious. Did you find the trophy as well? Does your son join in the hunt? My 12 year old gets as excited as I do when we uncover a piece of treasure. It's a great hobby and has given us a lot of fun over the last 4 weeks. Cheers!

 

[lazyaussie]

wow Aushunter that's a nice pile of loot my boy ( 9 ) comes out detecting with me sometimes & loves finding those $2 coins so he can buy new toys just bought him an ACE250.
Lindaskelly play grounds are the second best hunting spots for jewellery & maybe the best for coins so give em a go.

 

[Lou from downunder]

Yep, playgrounds the go.

I believe others do well in parks and sports grounds but I dont.
The Xterra is deadly on small gold, or so I'm told so look forward to a day or two scrounging around the goldfields.

Lou.

 

[aushunter]

The trophy wasn't found and he loves it when we go for a snorkel.
He gets in and starts fanning the sand away to uncover the loot. Sometimes when we take the boat he likes to be on board
to haul up the finds like they do on telly, you know, like the famous type treasure hunters.
Then he puts on his mask and then he gets back into it.He has an old Bounty Hunter but I think it has just about had it.
I thought about getting a reasonable detector for him but he likes the water more than the dry land, maybe a new Excal soon.
Cheers & HH
Aushunter

 

[foot69]

I've had the detector out at the playgrounds with my girls a couple of times but gave up, all they want to do is have their turn with dads detector..

 

[Lindaskelly]

It's great when the kids get involved, Keeps them out of trouble, and seems to change other people's attitude towards you, I've heard a few sarcastic comments ( they don't think you can hear with the headphones on) , and had some pretty degrading looks, but only when I've been out on my own. When the kids are with me everyone seems much friendlier and eager to initiate conversation! But yes, we do have fights over the detecter and the sandscoop!