CZconnoisseur
Active member
Had a good Father's Day - hung around the house with the kids and watched a couple movies, and the Honey-Do list was suspended for one whole day I played in the basement for a couple of hours, experimenting with "Squealer Mode" in all the different frequencies and found some important facts about the non-motion or "Squealer" modes:
1. 12kHz in non motion audio disc mode hits all U.S. coins more confidently, especially nickels. When I got it set up I was able to get 14" air test on a dime, and 16" on a nickel. A silver half dollar indicated out to 18" - I know air tests have limited value, but from air testing the "Motion" modes in this particular soil I only lose about 20% depth. the 4kHz program GOODJUJU that's I've been using for a while now will hit a dime at 11", but 9" is the real-world limit on an undisturbed dime.
2. 12kHz in "Squealer Mode" is much more stable than trying to set it up in 4Khz. Maybe this is why I abandoned trying to learn these non-motion modes last year - I wasn't hunting in 12Khz!!!!
3. 18Khz works well in non-motion modes, but the VDI spread is more condensed vs 12kHz. So when you push the coil into the grass to get a ferrous/non-ferrous indication, in 18kHz you don't get the VDI spread and it's harder to tell if what you're going after is iron or otherwise.
4. Identifying iron at depth is much more accurate than I had previously imagined - I called iron on three deep targets, and had my partner confirm with his CTX3030...and we both called iron those three times, and we were correct!
5. You want to try and hunt as silently as possible in these non-motion modes, and this means getting the GB almost perfect. This park has moderate ground for Colorado - a real blessing considering other locations - so at least here you don't have to recalibrate every few seconds....I remember having a hard time last year when I tried using these non motion modes, but I do remember pulling a couple 9" coins that the motion modes couldn't pick up....
6. The higher the conducting target, the more pitch increase you will experience while pressing the coil downwards. Iron DECREASES in pitch while coins will increase. Nickels will KEEP THE SAME PITCH, and Indian cents will slightly increase in pitch...I would imagine a silver quarter or silver dime will give a clear indication, but I have yet to come across one of those...next hunt I'm sure I will!
7. Deep coins will give a smooth audio signal in non-motion modes, much like the motion modes; and with a little time it's very easy to distinguish a small, compact target vs a long nail. 6-8" deep beavertails are more identifiable at depth using non-motion modes beacause of the pitch - this is something I'm very happy to see!
So with all this in mind I met my partner at the park, he recently put a 17" coil on his CTX and we compared a few targets. About the third target I got over a promising signal, and Squealer indicated a steady pitch when I pressed down. Nearby there was another target, which decreased in pitch - dug that out first just confirm it was iron, and it was indeed iron; and now went to dig this likely non-ferrous hit. Mike came over and scanned the "good target", and his CTX indicated a solid "nickel" hit at 8-9". The CTX quite confidently indicated "nickel", and from about 7-8" down out comes an 1887 V nickel!
Filled the hole, and I rescanned in Squealer mode, and got another hit...pressed the coil down and got the SAME indication; a steady tone, and had Mike check it again with the CTX. This time it was indicating "nickel" again, but with a little less confidence than the first hit. At 9" deep I pulled another V nickel in better shape, this one dated 1899! We were onto something here! The Deus isn't able to ID coins past 8" in most cases in motion modes, but with a little tweaking, and more time under my belt in Squealer mode, I think I will be able to call most targets at depth - at the very least I will be able to determine ferrous/low conductor/high conductor before digging, and this is fan-freakin-tastic considering what's come from the park already!
Not two feet away I get another hit in Squealer mode, and then get the pitch to slightly increase while pressing the coil down. I switched to a 12Khz MOTION deep-seeking program to check the target:
12khz (11.9kHz)
TX = 3
Disc = 1
Sens = 90
Iron Volume = 0
Reactivity = 2
Silencer = 0
Notch 00-10, 97-99
Audio Response = 3
Full Tones
GB = TRACKING
Notch Ground = 85-90
This program was able to barely see the target, and switching to 4khz it actually came in slightly better, but still very faint and choppy. Got down to 8" and thought it was going to be iron. The pinpointer finally got a hit in the sidewall - and it was a NAIL! This didn't seem right so I looked in the "dig pile" of dirt and then the pinpointer went crazy - there was a 1905 Indian cent waiting! Surely this nail was partially masking the coin, and had I been hunting in my regular 4Khz program I honestly WOULD NOT have dug the target.
Things got quiet for a little while, and then I hear Mike state "I win tonight!" Walked over to see what he'd found....a fairly detailed 1898 S Barber dime from 8". The CTX made no mistake on that target and he knew it was silver before digging - these targets are getting scarce in this area, but I think hunting with the non-motion audio disc (NOMAD...or Squealer, whatever you want to call it) will help with co-located and deeper targets....can't wait to get back out there!
Shortly after Mike pulled his lovely dime, I got a suspect signal in Squealer mode that increased in pitch....the 12kHz motion mode didn't get SQUAT...and the 4khz motion mode gave a blip every so often - again, this is something I would not dig normally; but the non-motion mode said "Dig it up!" At 7-8" down the pinpointer finally gave an indication, and at at full 9" deep out comes a nice 1886 Indian! This target was the one that confirmed it for me - undetectable in motion modes, but VERY detectable in non-motion modes! I was floored! Given the signal strength in the non-motion modes I would bet that a dime or penny-sized target can be detected at 11-12" maybe more, where the motion modes won't give any sort of signal.
Last coin was a bit of a surprise - I got the same behavior from a target as before...non-motion indicated a low conductor, and it sounded much like those two V nickels dug earlier. At 8" down I saw a coin, and started looking for the Buffalo or V....but then I saw Jefferson. Somehow a 1961 nickel had sunk to the same depths as most of the older coins, but hey - it was a coin!
Next hunt cannot come fast enough! Using the non-motion audio disc mode in conjunction with 12khz and 4khz motion modes is DEADLY, especially on the nickels. Will keep y'all posted
1. 12kHz in non motion audio disc mode hits all U.S. coins more confidently, especially nickels. When I got it set up I was able to get 14" air test on a dime, and 16" on a nickel. A silver half dollar indicated out to 18" - I know air tests have limited value, but from air testing the "Motion" modes in this particular soil I only lose about 20% depth. the 4kHz program GOODJUJU that's I've been using for a while now will hit a dime at 11", but 9" is the real-world limit on an undisturbed dime.
2. 12kHz in "Squealer Mode" is much more stable than trying to set it up in 4Khz. Maybe this is why I abandoned trying to learn these non-motion modes last year - I wasn't hunting in 12Khz!!!!
3. 18Khz works well in non-motion modes, but the VDI spread is more condensed vs 12kHz. So when you push the coil into the grass to get a ferrous/non-ferrous indication, in 18kHz you don't get the VDI spread and it's harder to tell if what you're going after is iron or otherwise.
4. Identifying iron at depth is much more accurate than I had previously imagined - I called iron on three deep targets, and had my partner confirm with his CTX3030...and we both called iron those three times, and we were correct!
5. You want to try and hunt as silently as possible in these non-motion modes, and this means getting the GB almost perfect. This park has moderate ground for Colorado - a real blessing considering other locations - so at least here you don't have to recalibrate every few seconds....I remember having a hard time last year when I tried using these non motion modes, but I do remember pulling a couple 9" coins that the motion modes couldn't pick up....
6. The higher the conducting target, the more pitch increase you will experience while pressing the coil downwards. Iron DECREASES in pitch while coins will increase. Nickels will KEEP THE SAME PITCH, and Indian cents will slightly increase in pitch...I would imagine a silver quarter or silver dime will give a clear indication, but I have yet to come across one of those...next hunt I'm sure I will!
7. Deep coins will give a smooth audio signal in non-motion modes, much like the motion modes; and with a little time it's very easy to distinguish a small, compact target vs a long nail. 6-8" deep beavertails are more identifiable at depth using non-motion modes beacause of the pitch - this is something I'm very happy to see!
So with all this in mind I met my partner at the park, he recently put a 17" coil on his CTX and we compared a few targets. About the third target I got over a promising signal, and Squealer indicated a steady pitch when I pressed down. Nearby there was another target, which decreased in pitch - dug that out first just confirm it was iron, and it was indeed iron; and now went to dig this likely non-ferrous hit. Mike came over and scanned the "good target", and his CTX indicated a solid "nickel" hit at 8-9". The CTX quite confidently indicated "nickel", and from about 7-8" down out comes an 1887 V nickel!
Filled the hole, and I rescanned in Squealer mode, and got another hit...pressed the coil down and got the SAME indication; a steady tone, and had Mike check it again with the CTX. This time it was indicating "nickel" again, but with a little less confidence than the first hit. At 9" deep I pulled another V nickel in better shape, this one dated 1899! We were onto something here! The Deus isn't able to ID coins past 8" in most cases in motion modes, but with a little tweaking, and more time under my belt in Squealer mode, I think I will be able to call most targets at depth - at the very least I will be able to determine ferrous/low conductor/high conductor before digging, and this is fan-freakin-tastic considering what's come from the park already!
Not two feet away I get another hit in Squealer mode, and then get the pitch to slightly increase while pressing the coil down. I switched to a 12Khz MOTION deep-seeking program to check the target:
12khz (11.9kHz)
TX = 3
Disc = 1
Sens = 90
Iron Volume = 0
Reactivity = 2
Silencer = 0
Notch 00-10, 97-99
Audio Response = 3
Full Tones
GB = TRACKING
Notch Ground = 85-90
This program was able to barely see the target, and switching to 4khz it actually came in slightly better, but still very faint and choppy. Got down to 8" and thought it was going to be iron. The pinpointer finally got a hit in the sidewall - and it was a NAIL! This didn't seem right so I looked in the "dig pile" of dirt and then the pinpointer went crazy - there was a 1905 Indian cent waiting! Surely this nail was partially masking the coin, and had I been hunting in my regular 4Khz program I honestly WOULD NOT have dug the target.
Things got quiet for a little while, and then I hear Mike state "I win tonight!" Walked over to see what he'd found....a fairly detailed 1898 S Barber dime from 8". The CTX made no mistake on that target and he knew it was silver before digging - these targets are getting scarce in this area, but I think hunting with the non-motion audio disc (NOMAD...or Squealer, whatever you want to call it) will help with co-located and deeper targets....can't wait to get back out there!
Shortly after Mike pulled his lovely dime, I got a suspect signal in Squealer mode that increased in pitch....the 12kHz motion mode didn't get SQUAT...and the 4khz motion mode gave a blip every so often - again, this is something I would not dig normally; but the non-motion mode said "Dig it up!" At 7-8" down the pinpointer finally gave an indication, and at at full 9" deep out comes a nice 1886 Indian! This target was the one that confirmed it for me - undetectable in motion modes, but VERY detectable in non-motion modes! I was floored! Given the signal strength in the non-motion modes I would bet that a dime or penny-sized target can be detected at 11-12" maybe more, where the motion modes won't give any sort of signal.
Last coin was a bit of a surprise - I got the same behavior from a target as before...non-motion indicated a low conductor, and it sounded much like those two V nickels dug earlier. At 8" down I saw a coin, and started looking for the Buffalo or V....but then I saw Jefferson. Somehow a 1961 nickel had sunk to the same depths as most of the older coins, but hey - it was a coin!
Next hunt cannot come fast enough! Using the non-motion audio disc mode in conjunction with 12khz and 4khz motion modes is DEADLY, especially on the nickels. Will keep y'all posted
