Pretty good day with the 1266

[2 Much Trash]

Got a few hours in the woods today. Had to work off the turkey and mashed potatoes. I've hunted this area dozens of times in the past but decided to try it one more time . I've always hunted it with sens pushed in and cranked to max, disc 1 on 2, and disc 2 on 4. I've never wanted to turn the sens down in fear of losing depth. But I figured I experiment today and try it , mainly to cut down on all the chatter and have a relaxed hunt. This place is full of trash, and also this one small area has overhead telephone lines which will drive you crazy. So I cut the sens down quite a bit, enough to hear just a faint sound so I would know the machine was still working.This was strange for me because I always hunt with it wide open. With the 1266 I'm listening for that smooth round tone, if its not a shotgun shell its usually a keeper. With the disc settings I use, nails and small trash will break up or null out completely but larger rusty items will give a sharp flat sound. After about 30 minutes with no hits I was beginning to think "this ain't working" , I guess because I'm so used to all the noise. Finally I got that sharp flat sound. I new it was rusty but I dug it anyway. It was a bayonet, still in one piece, only the 2nd one I've ever found. Ya know how you feel when you find that first good thing in an area, it makes you listen closer and hunt harder cause you know theres more. Well , it was getting dark and I was in a hurry to find something else. The last 30 minutes produced 2 pistol bullets and a confederate British I button. The bullets and button were 5 to 6 inches and the bayonet about 9. All had good audible tone found in an area Ive rushed through so many times because of all the trash and chatter Can't wait to get back there this weekend, its like new ground. The 1266 has no bells and whistles, no digital readouts, and no display to show you what your about to dig. It's just a meat and potatoes detector and its no better than the guy who turns it on. But if you listen to it and get to know it, it will do one heck of a job.
I'll post some pics as soon as my son brings my digital camera back.

 

[NEBeachcomber]

It sounds like you made out quite well with your 1266 after enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner.

It's good to hear that there are still people out there using there 1266's. I've recently stepped back in time... to the days of the full powered, no frill 1266 detectors. While I own some nice digital units... I think it's tough to beat the depth, design and balance of the 1266X or 1266XB detectors.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

For years the favorite of many relic hunters, noisy as heck with its snap-crackle and pop but those that learn to distinguish the good from the bad signals really do well with this unit that is old technolgy at its finest...Have to agree even though 4 pounds its weighting and ergonomics were superior...

 

[billyg]

been using fisher machines for 30 yrs i owne 1220,1260,1266x and fixin to get a f75 limited cant wait.most of the club members have minelab and i give them a run in our hunts.have a great day heep hunting.billg