How do you clean your Excal?

[grouperguy]

Hello all,

I just bought an Excal II and hit the beach with it yesterday (St. Pete Beach). I can see that there will be a learning curve (not unlike the 705 I bought last month... but should have bought the Excal then), but so far I am very impressed! I did read the manual, but the cleaning instructions were a bit generic. I want to protect my investment, so I was wondering if you could share what steps you take each time to clean your machine after saltwater hunting.

Also, just out of curiosity, and no doubt it depends on experience, but what would you consider the max safe surf conditions? Yesterday it kicked up to sloppy 2-3 footers, and it kicked my butt!. I was only waist deep, but still got slapped around pretty good.

I also quickly learned that the home-made 4" PVC scoop I made that works great in wet/dry sand is not nearly big enough for water hunting. I dug 20+ minutes while getting pounded just to retrieve a penny! The pinpointing is obviously very different from the 705, and I had a very hard time getting my scoop on top of the goods.

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

 

[erikk]

I flush with fresh water EVERY TIME make sure you disconnect the battery and flush the plug and battery socket pod
As for the surf 2-3 footer usually means that there is a possibility for a rip. Since the rings and coins are not going anywhere wait for calmer seas to hunt.-is a ring worth drowning over?
Now that you have discovered that home made scoops are generally pieces of crap buy the best you can afford. I use the Sun-spot scoops )both sizes and I like the wood handles that float if you drop them and the wide one is about the widest out there. . The name of the game is to move a lot of earth as quickly as possible

 

[Finderskeeper]

Best to wait out the waves. I always check the weather for sea conditions and also check the beach cameras to see the wave action. Usually the wave subside towards sun set but not always. I look for low tide and plan accordingly. Mornings also usually have very small waves.

When hunting, I place myself in the waves where my side is hit first. It is like the bow of a boat. It is the sharpest part of your body and the waves will not hit with as much force and just wash around you instead of hitting you and moving you. I stay out of the water when heavy surf is present. Just not worth the problems with rip tides and getting wacked by a wave every few seconds.

Washing the Excalibur is mandatory or you will have problems. Corrosion of the shafts and the spring loaded pins will occur if you do not wash down the Excalibur. Usually the beaches have a wash station and I use them plus I carry a gallon water container with me to wash down the detector and my wet suit and boots. Nothing worse than having a salt water saturated wet suit that sits in a car and starts to stink. Wash anything and everything including yourself if you are in salt water. Especially if you are in the Gulf with Corexit and the oil spill. I spray my contacts for the battery with anti corrosion electrical spray.

A large scoop is best for water hunting in the sea. Too small of a scoop will make you dig a lot and not get the target. A big scoop will help a lot. I use my foot to mark the edge of my coil and then scoop. A seven inch scoop or larger has been the best for me. I like the aluminum scoops with a stainless lip as they are lighter and easier to carry around. I use the Beach Brute scoop and it has been a great scoop for me. There are others that are great scoops too with many liking the stainless scoops. I find them a bit heavier than the aluminum.

I've spent a lot of time at the beaches of St. Pete and have found some great finds in the past. This last winter, I found almost nothing with many many hours of hunting. Good luck on your hunts.

 

[Terra1959]

Hi

I know most of you good people are up in the USA but here is my Australian made scoop ( LHOZ model)
Fantastic quality and takes a big bite

http://ozscoop.com.au/html/products.html

Scoops are too big to import unless you buy just the head and even then its expensive shipping
Thanks for the cleaning tips also...I didn't know to disconnect and flush the battery plug and socket
I was thinking about using Armarall spray on the rubber leads to keep them in good shape

T59

 

[tomcatpl]

i gont know if u hip mount or not couse i hip mounted mine in front of me and less than a year later both wires (battery and the headphones ) ckracked on me now it has been 2 months and excal still not back from the shop

 

[erikk]

i gont know if u hip mount or not couse i hip mounted mine in front of me and less than a year later both wires (battery and the headphones ) ckracked on me now it has been 2 months and excal still not back from the shop

Which just goes to show if the excal was meant to be hunted off the shaft it would have come that way

 

[grouperguy]

Thanks to everyone for all the valuable info!

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

humm,battery wires dont break from being hip mounted,now if your carfull with your machine headphone wires shouldnt break either,i use a chest mount assy and ive not had any issues at all,i do watch the wires tho,especially when cleaning and putting up for next hunt...but this may just be me on this too,lets face it it is a 1200.00 dollar investment we have....
hh
john