Various hunts with Vaquero and the 10x12 SEF coil

[homebre]

Now that I am retired, I am finding that I have too little time to read and post on the forum. However, it is a rainy day, can't detect, garden, or bike ride, so I can write about a few recent hunts. I took the Vaquero to Carolina Beach during the first week in April. Not much luck except a few bucks in clad, sinkers, old ship metal, and lures. Had not found any silver coins in almost a year, so I had to take my daughter for a job interview at the Camp ground which was my main hunting area. Hadn't much there lately. Took the V out and the first beep I got turned out to be a silver Rosie, the second hit was a wheatie, and the third was a clad penny... A good twenty minutes of hunting!. Yesterday I took the V to an old Civil War Camp area. I went with 2 friends who both had $2000 Minelab machines.. I have to confess they killed me as they found multiple bullets and camp lead. I found mostly iron (third picture), and it appeared that the depth they were getting was just an inch deeper than me. I did find one interesting find: it is apparently a cannonball fuse (pics 1 and 2), which they said was a much better find then bullets. I called Rusty Henry but we played voice mail tag, but his message said that the V should beat the Minelab CTZX 2030. He told me maybe the coil needs to be retuned, but this will be worked out when we connect. The coil I was using was not a Tesoro coil, but a Kellyco purchase. I am going to play with the setting in doors today to see what depth I can get with it vs. the 8x9 stock coil using lead . Should the 10x12 be much deeper than the stock coil?/ I was getting about 8-9 inches deep at the Civil War site but most of the relics seemed to be 9 to 12 inches deep.

Andy from Hillsborough

 

[kansa54]

Andy, congrats on the cannonball fuse. Don't know anything about them but I'm guessing it's a really good find.
The next time you're out detecting with your friends, have them let you check their targets with your detector. I would think you could hit lead pretty deep with your vaquero.
.

 

[tabman]

Nice going on the finds. What were you settings?

tabman

 

[KVM2]

Your comments are kind of interesting I did a rough air test with dug coins SL Quarter7 inches, mercury dime 6.5 to 7.0 inches, and a green Indian cent..7.0 inches. All good sounds, threshold maxed, sensitivity at 9. The battery pack has been in three years, however good bells to indicate power. Ground balance was left at actual soil conditions, not ten turns and back five to be neutral in air... I figure this machine is six years old...Don't understand balancing coil statement when you are able to ground balance. Am going shopping, will bring back some isopropanol alcohol ,make little "ear cleaners" with tooth picks and cotton, and clean the coil contacts, then retry air distances again.. Don't know if, how much crud build up, or the effects on depth I will find... I mentioned a long time ago that the coil wires should be soldered for max boost, and uniform performance....I go around old houses and find that many have recently dug basements(last 50 years on 200 year old houses., and you need to hit dimes at ten inches in the ground , AND get iron ID...Yes Minelabs chew me up too, and I get laughed at...Saving my coins, and one of these days, the Vaquero's big brother is going to do some hind end kicking.. Something to be said about last laughs and all that jazz. The clean sweep I sold got a dime at a solid 5 inches, non of this," can you hear it, listen, can you hear it now"? depth readings Maybe phones would help? Last time I was in Jersey, Jabbo took me to a 1700's house.. Didn't find squat....either of us,, I figured the settle zone was another 4 inches below what either of us could get. I did get a nickel out better than 7 inches, which is what it should air test at. There is technology running around but prices are moving into the grand and more units...

 

[homebre]

Thanks. I was using sensitivity just above red, DISC just above iron, and threshold of about 2 o'clock.. Most of the finds were at least 9 inchs deep. Spoke with Rusty and said I should only hunt in all metal with coils bigger than the 8x9. He recommended I get a 10x12 widescan. Also, I misunderstood the threshold. I thought supertuning was turning the sensitivity into the red, but now I realize you are supposed to turn the threshold all the way up until it gets to just below unstable. Also, found out that the sensitivity only works in DISC mode. He was a wealth of info.

 

[homebre]

Thanks. I actually did that a few times on a small pistol bullet but I could not get a clean signal at the depth it was with the plug back over it. I think it might have been a ground balance problem.

 

[kansa54]

Hey Andy, did Rusty say why you should hunt in all metal with a coil larger than 8x9?

 

[hatpin]

I hunt all metal with the 8x9 a lot .

 

[homebre]

Yes, that is what he told me.
Andy

 

[kaolinwasher]

great going on the finds, maybe a Tejan would have done better I could get a dime at 8" with my vaq in my somewhat mineralized ground that was with the 8x9 concentric which amazed me .

 

[KVM2]

Interesting. When you hand build something, as opposed to a computer build matched item, there is going to be variation.. When I was a kid, a 51 Ford six, was around that would run with the 55 non power pack Chevys. My 8 cylinder usually came in a distant third.....Speaking of air vs ground distance, I buried a gold piece to play with settings, speed, etc to give me some idea of what to use where one was lost years ago.... Weather turned to crap, and it sat there all Winter. Be interesting to see what ,how the signal may have changed. Coin a 10 dollar 1/ 4 ounce US Gold Eagle. Little note says 6.5 to 7.0 inches air. Gold piece is about the size of a nickel with an additional rim on it. And a nickel at 7.0 to 7.5 air inches. I'll go after them in a week or so. Not costing anything to sit. I'm sitting here carving to have an extra $900 to cover another detector...Charge cards are nice, not having 20% inflated payments.is even nicer.