Second coil, and 10k class ring question

[Johnp3]

Hello from The Woodlands, TX (by way of Alaska)!

I got my 705 Gold Pack two or three years ago when we were living in Valdez, AK and since then I've learned a lot reading this forum and from Digger's eBook (more like my Bible, really...). I didn't find anything while prospecting the few times I went to Mineral Creek canyon but it sure has fun. For treasure hunting, I think I found all of a couple of bucks in change and loads of trash, but again was fun - I was the Slag and Tin Foil King of Alaska. The giant pieces of burnt aluminum and big chunks of iron weren't much to get excited about but the history of Old Town Valdez really hit home when I realized much of it was from when the town was burned after the 1964 earthquake. I guess "treasure" can mean different things...

So, when we moved back to TX I re-read Digger's eBook and dusted off the ol' 705 and searched an area at a school behind the bleachers next to a picnic table and found a lot of coins in a 20' x 20' area. It was a hoot. I run AM and multi-tone ("99"). Now, as I get back into the hobby and seeing far more opportunity in treasure hunting, I'm wondering about my next (second) coil...

I only have the 10" elliptical 18.75khz DD and it works great, but in trashy areas the length can work against me a bit. It really seems to go deep; I've pulled half an Oly can out of a shoulder-deep hole I dug. I'm really thinking hard about getting the Digger 3khz coil as my second coil. What do you gents think about this choice? I've read so many good things about it. Is 3khz good frequency for shallow water wading in lakes?

One other question - what TID do you tend to see for large 10k class rings? I'm getting a 36 in an air test, which is higher than I've read about.

Thanks, John

 

[Old Longhair]

Congratulations on rediscovering the fun!
I never take my 705 into the water, so I can't answer your question about wading.
When it comes to better separation than what you have, there really are only two surgical choices, the 6" HF DD and the 6" 3kHz Digger. Soil conditions and targets sought would be the determining factors for which would be better.
As far as the TID on class rings (or any gold really), mass, depth, content, and orientation are everything. I've seen gold rings turn up anywhere from 4 to 40.

GL & HH!

 

[mapper65]

Hands down go with the Coiltek 6". Although I agree that soil conditions can make a difference in which coil you choose, the Digger coil appears to be the coil least affected by ground conditions. I've never once felt that I should have to swap it out for my 6" HF Minelab coil. The only reason that I keep the 6" Mineab coil around is that my 6" Coiltek is one of the earlier ones that's not waterproof.

Have fun!

 

[Johnp3]

Great info gents, thank you very much! I think I see the Digger in my near future - I really like the elliptical DD, but I'll get something in a different frequency for more flexibility. Thanks for the feedback on the class ring.

The detecting in Valdez is pretty Slim Pickens for coins, rings, and general "treasure", as is gold since it's mostly up in northern Alaska and the good spots for placer in the Valdez area are claimed up tight. I hit the RV parks, schools, and ball fields pretty hard with not much to show. When I went out this weekend I got more coins than I did in months in AK! There's nothing like actually finding things to boost one's enthusiasm!

Thanks,
John