Golden MM, 1944 wheaty , pocket full of dimes and snow.

[Mike Hillis]

The Golden MM has been setting in the corner giving me gang signs for the past week or so. Jealous of the new guy I guess

So Friday morning I loaded it up and took it to a soccer field I've been wanting to visit. Blusterly day. The clouds were low and the wind was gusting pretty strong. What do I care? The headphones keep the ears warm and as long as the ears are warm the rest of me can take it.

So I put the ol' uniprobes on my head and nothing. Played with the switches, unplugged and replugged the cable. Nothing. Checked my extention cable I use so that I can plug my headphones in at the armrest. That seemed ok. I'd already had to replace the male plug once before on my Uniprobes so I unscrewed the connector and yep, there was the problem. A wire had broken off. Put them in the truck for a resolder job and hunt without headphones.

Now the ears aren't so warm anymore. But I'm here so lets do it anyway. High tone, dime. High tone, dime. Hightone, dime. Mid tone, foil. Squaky tone....what is that....wire I bet. Sure enough, it was a wad of mechanics wire. Am I the only person that talks to himself when detecting? I think the way the Golden handles wire is my only dislike with it. You can't really disc it out cause it sounds off through several conductive ranges. You just have to learn that toney thing it makes for wire and pass on it when you don't care enough to recover it. Now paper clips can be disc'ed out but regular old steel wire is just there. At least it doesn't false with a high tone like many machines do.

The really nice thing about the Golden is that 4th high tone. High conductive coins really sing out with that high tone. You can use it in the highest trash and coins will sing out and let you know they are there. That and it very rarely falses in iron. A side note about the iron. I took my wife to a little ghost town a while back. Nothing there anymore but the old mill foundations and a cemetary. Linda used the Golden while I used an Xterra 50. The Golden never lied about the iron. I could hear it. My wife won't use headphones because they muss up her hair so I could hear it quacking away in the iron. The Xterra lied all day. I traded it two days later.

Now I probe just about everything (I do use a scoop in the sand) Got a screw driver I use and I'm very proficient with it. Been probing targets for about 4 years so my pinpointing skills are very good, seldom mar a coin, but...I like to have a pinpointer for those small items or when the coin is on edge or the times when the target is actually deep enough that a plug needs to be dug. I hate digging plugs unless I just have to. I've seen too many parks that look like a driving range because someone thinks they have to plug every target. Looks good until the lawnmowers come by and lift them up and chop them up. Man what a mess. Learn to probe and you'll not only recover the target faster but also leave the park in such a way that it will still look good after the mowers pass over.

Back on subject. Mostly dimes, a couple of nickels and some zincs. Good sign that my local competion hasn't been very focused here. No quarters found but the dimes are a good sign that I'll find good stuff here. One high tone turned out to be a 1944 wheat back. Good detail and I didn't put a scratch on it when I recovered it. Secret to probing is to push, not poke. You can feel when you push it through foil. You can feel when you push it against metal, like when you've got it inside the ring of a pulltab.

What in the world is that noise? Is my Golden blowing it's nose? A quick probe and a quick twist and a aha! A rusty steel stake used to hold the soccer nets in place. I leave it in the ground and hear 4 more of them in a straight line about 18" apart. The 1inch diameter heads wanting me to think they are worth digging. But no high tone. No coin faking.

I take off across the field hoping that maybe I might have a gold or silver moment but so far it was only dimes. Small foil quacking, a couple of tabs and....what was that? wet and cold and stinging. The wind is bringing sleet. I look down at my machine and see the water drops on it. I didn't bring a bag to cover the control box with and I don't want my jacket wet. The clouds say go home now. I take their advice and head for the truck. In the five minutes it takes me to drive home it begins to snow. Continued to snow and sleet the rest of the day.

I'm going to go back. The dimes are good sign.

HH

Mike

 

[slingshot]

Hey Mike! That's good stuff. Can you give us a few more "Golden" sounds. I'm just about sold on one-it's just hard to pull open the pocketbook!

 

[dahut]

Well done, Mike, as usual!!

....So I put the ol' uniprobes on my head and nothing. Played with the switches, unplugged and replugged the cable. Nothing. Checked my extention cable I use so that I can plug my headphones in at the armrest. That seemed ok. I'd already had to replace the male plug once before on my Uniprobes so I unscrewed the connector and yep, there was the problem. A wire had broken off. Put them in the truck for a resolder job and hunt without headphones.

Make a mental note - check all equipment before leaving the house.

Now the ears aren't so warm anymore.

I have 'possibles bag' I carry all my needed gear in. In it are TWO knit cold weather caps, with gloves. You may wish to consider the same set up, Mike.

Am I the only person that talks to himself when detecting?

Nope. God knows what bystanders must think about me, muttering to myself and stopping now and then to do some sit ups or push ups.

I think the way the Golden handles wire is my only dislike with it. You can't really disc it out cause it sounds off through several conductive ranges. You just have to learn that toney thing it makes for wire and pass on it when you don't care enough to recover it. Now paper clips can be disc'ed out but regular old steel wire is just there. At least it doesn't false with a high tone like many machines do.

Luckily the Golden has a tone I call the tone roll. This is one of the sounds made by the Golden when iron that is not in a large chunk is encountered. Things like small washers, coins size ferrous bits and pieces and presumably wads of wire set it off. It is all the tones running sequentially from highest to lowest and back again as you swing the coil over the offending target.
"BROoo[size=small]ooop[/size], [size=small]brii[/size]iIIPP".... "BROoo[size=small]ooop[/size], [size=small]brii[/size]iIIPP"
Kinda like that.
I have learned it is very reliable and when I hear it, I keep going.

The really nice thing about the Golden is that 4th high tone. High conductive coins really sing out with that high tone. You can use it in the highest trash and coins will sing out and let you know they are there.

This is the truth. It'll pop and burp and bounce around on trash, but a coin is a solid hit. And as Mike suggets, it comes through clearly even when surrounded by trash. This is due mostly to the small receive coil. I find it gives pretty fine resolution on targets.
If I hear the high tone repeatably on a target, even when mixed with other tones, I dig it.

That and it very rarely falses in iron. A side note about the iron. I took my wife to a little ghost town a while back. Nothing there anymore but the old mill foundations and a cemetary. Linda used the Golden while I used an Xterra 50. The Golden never lied about the iron. I could hear it. My wife won't use headphones because they muss up her hair so I could hear it quacking away in the iron. The Xterra lied all day. I traded it two days later.

It only rarely gives a high tone edge to large iron, and that only rarely. I suppose not using headphones made it so you dont hear it - it is subtle.

What in the world is that noise? Is my Golden blowing it's nose? A quick probe and a quick twist and a aha! A rusty steel stake used to hold the soccer nets in place. I leave it in the ground and hear 4 more of them in a straight line about 18" apart. The 1inch diameter heads wanting me to think they are worth digging. But no high tone. No coin faking.

The tone roll in action, folks.

I take off across the field hoping that maybe I might have a gold or silver moment but so far it was only dimes. Small foil quacking, a couple of tabs and....what was that? wet and cold and stinging. The wind is bringing sleet. I look down at my machine and see the water drops on it. I didn't bring a bag to cover the control box with and I don't want my jacket wet. The clouds say go home now. I take their advice and head for the truck. In the five minutes it takes me to drive home it begins to snow. Continued to snow and sleet the rest of the day.

Get a multi pocket vest and among other things, put a plastic bag in one of the pockets. Put the vest in your possibles bag and you are not without it.

Again, very nicely done, Mike. Anytime you can get the Golden out in the weather... is a good time.

I'm going to go back. The dimes are good sign.

HH

Mike

 

[tvr]

Sounds like a definite go back to location.

I talk to my self too ... bet it's a tab, yup; that one's a solid nickle, yes; small foil hope it's a chain ... darn foil; can ... maybe a hoard ...dig dig dig ... boy do I hate digging cans, one of these days it'll be a jar full of old coins .... tab ...

you know how it goes!
tvr

 

[tab-nabit]

I have made it a habit of always taking an extra detector or two, extra headphones and this and that etc. Has paid off a few times - but if I'm using one of my motorcycles, then all the extras stay home.
I like when you can probe a lawn, pull out some coins, turn back and can't tell anyone pulled up some coins. I should hit up the neighbors lawn before they return from vacation

 

[Beale]

Well congrats on the hunt! Tough luck on the headphone issue. Thanks for reminding me, I will have to throw my extra pair in my car, Beale.