What Do Thin (& Thicker) Gold Chains Sound Like On The GT & Excal?

[Critterhunter]

That's one thing I never tried since I don't have a gold chain handy. I know Minelabs aren't sensitive to fine gold (but they will hit the thinnest of gold rings super deep because of the nature of the ring being a complete loop) so I'm curious what they sound like on the Excal or GT? I'm curious about the Excal, but I'd for sure like to hear what they sound like on the GT because if you read the old posts in this forum around the time it first came out there were several threads about it being more sensitive to small stuff than prior Sovereigns. I know a better coil can help in that respect but the Tornado first appeared on the Elite, so I'm thinking the GT might have a bit more internal sensitivity to fine gold perhaps, as I think the Excal is based on an older version(s) of the Sovereign?

Also curious if anybody tested a chain in both discrimination and all metal or PP to see if it hit harder in those compared to disc? I would suspect yes, because fine enough gold can read down in the iron range on any machine and thus be nulled out perhaps in disc mode.

What I'm wondering about is a few of those signals I heard today water hunting that make a "fizzing" or "spitting" sound almost like bacon being fried in some ways. Most of us know rusty old pieces of large steel can do this like ancient steel beer cans that are largely rotted away. I'm just curious if fine gold chains might do the same type of noise perhaps, because I passed on a few of those signals when I couldn't come up with something in the scoop after 3 or 4 attempts. I suspected they were super deep large pieces of rusty steel but you never know, maybe it was a chain slipping out of the scoop? Thing is that if a chain is spread out it could look like a large signal too. I don't normally pass on ANY signal water hunting but I was risking how far deep I was and keeping an eye on the heavy wave action for a rouge one that might swamp my control box on my chest/shoulder, so I didn't want to linger trying to get those few signals that were like that.

Also, if you've tested fine and also thicker gold chains can you describe the sound difference? A few pics would be of help to people if you can swing that so we know what you are talking about.

 

[deepdiger60]

I did a test today i took a very thin gold chain 14k that i found using my DFX a year ago, layed it on the ground along with a thin silver ring and a gold earring i ran my Sov GT over the gold chain and 0 nothing not a sound it did not show on my 180 meter , then the thin silver ring loud and clear 180 on meter same with gold earring loud and clear 160 on my meter , i was using sens 12 to 10 and all metal same results , the Sov GT does not like thin gold chains . Jim

 

[Suncoast Kid]

With the Excal, the chain in the picture I will never hear even if I rubbed it on the coil. The chain has to have fairly large links to detect and then only 3-4 inchs max. If it has a good size clasp that is what you will detect at some depth. I've also heard that the Sovereign has more sensitivity to small gold than the Excal, but a lot has to do with what coil you are using, a smaller coil will help. The sound is very faint, soft, and small like a little piece of foil.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

the sound of silence.....only gold chain i ever found was with my whites and even that was a total miricale.....the clasp gave the slightest chirp and it was at that time i noticed two teeny tiny end pieces the thickness of a strand of hair glinting in the sand.....

 

[Critterhunter]

Deepdiger, thanks for the pic/info. Yea, I wouldn't expect a Minelab (FBS or BBS) to hit a thin chain like that. They'll bang hard on the thinnest gold ring at jaw dropping depth though because it's an intact loop, but in terms of fine gold it ain't going to happen.

I'm wondering, could you test one more thing? Try to hit it in PP mode and then all metal mode. A lot of fine gold will read in the iron range, so I'm wondering if the GT will hit it good in one of those modes?

Also, I prefer a machine that doesn't have fine gold sensitivity and will ignore it or at least make it sound sick. Reason being I've owned machines with fine gold sensitivity and they were a nightmare for my tastes to use in parks. Every small bit of foil flake and tiny other stuff would bang hard or make the machine chatter all over the place. I prefer to hear ALL targets in discrimination on any machine so I almost never turn up the discrimination dial. I even will accept all iron on machines that allow you to do that. But when it comes to the chatter of machines I owned that were sensitive to fine gold it would drive me nuts so I would turn up the dial to get rid of it. Also also hated digging good sounding hits only to find small blobs of tiny foil. I prefer a machine that will make those small/odd shaped pieces of foil or other junk sound sick so I can gauge what they might be. How you going to tell the difference (in some respects) between a round thin gold ring and a tiny bit of foil if they foil sounds just as good? That's one of the reasons I love a Sovereign.

 

[deepdiger60]

Deepdiger, thanks for the pic/info. Yea, I wouldn't expect a Minelab (FBS or BBS) to hit a thin chain like that. They'll bang hard on the thinnest gold ring at jaw dropping depth though because it's an intact loop, but in terms of fine gold it ain't going to happen.

I'm wondering, could you test one more thing? Try to hit it in PP mode and then all metal mode. A lot of fine gold will read in the iron range, so I'm wondering if the GT will hit it good in one of those modes?

Also, I prefer a machine that doesn't have fine gold sensitivity and will ignore it or at least make it sound sick. Reason being I've owned machines with fine gold sensitivity and they were a nightmare for my tastes to use in parks. Every small bit of foil flake and tiny other stuff would bang hard or make the machine chatter all over the place. I prefer to hear ALL targets in discrimination on any machine so I almost never turn up the discrimination dial. I even will accept all iron on machines that allow you to do that. But when it comes to the chatter of machines I owned that were sensitive to fine gold it would drive me nuts so I would turn up the dial to get rid of it. Also also hated digging good sounding hits only to find small blobs of tiny foil. I prefer a machine that will make those small/odd shaped pieces of foil or other junk sound sick so I can gauge what they might be. How you going to tell the difference (in some respects) between a round thin gold ring and a tiny bit of foil if they foil sounds just as good? That's one of the reasons I love a Sovereign.

Critter i forgot to mention i did try it in PP mode and All Metal same thing nothing 0 not a peep . strange the DFX will see it and sound off in a custom made duel frequencie mode 3 Z to 15 Z with a SEF 12x10 Jim

 

[Critterhunter]

Wow, not even in PP or all metal, eh? I would have thought you'd at least hear the threshold rise in one of those modes or something. Thanks for checking. Looks like the only time we could hope to get a gold chain that small is if it's got a pendant or a large clasp on it. I wonder how well it will do in discrimate, PP, and all metal on a thicker gold chain. Say medium thickness? Anybody got one to try? If you do please post a pic so we can get a good idea of it's thickness.

Like I said though, when I've tested even the thinnest of gold rings they will bang hard a depth. That's due to them being a complete loop so they present a coin sized target to the detection field. No problem with a Minelab getting thin rings at jaw dropping depth. It's just the fine chains and tiny gold earings they have trouble with.

I noticed the 12x10 is more sensitive to small stuff than my Tornado. If I can get ahold of a few gold chains I'll try them with it and post pics and results.

 

[Digging Fool]

I used to own a White's Surfmaster Amphibian VLF machine, and it would hit chains better than any machine I've owned since. They would sound like a machine gun, or uniform crackling sound. Since then(sold that machine), I find the pendants and charms off the chains, but not the chain.

 

[sdcorfu]

I own a Nokta Golden Sense and is very god on thin i test it on a chain like the picture above...will detect that with full sensitivity air test 10-11 cm.

 

[Critterhunter]

Only machine I want sensitivity to fine gold chains and tiny gold earrings on would be a water machine. Most gold lost is in the form of rings I would think anyway, so on land I'm content to just go after what I hear, meaning rings. Using a long handled scoop on the beach or in the water it's so easy to scoop every target that I don't mind chasing sick sounding or tiny stuff. The AT Pro I hear is not the best of fine gold machines on stuff like fine chains but I'm told it does fairly good with them, so it sounds like it will hear thinner chains that my GT could never hope to, so that's a plus.

But of course it won't get the depth of a Sovereign or Xcal on even a thin ring from what I've read and heard from many people who have used both. The BBS machines will bang hard at super depth on even the thinnest of rings. I'm getting the AT Pro just for it's cheap price to go that extra few feet in the water, so I don't care if it's not the deepest water machine on the market. Only need it to go that extra foot or two I can't wade with my GT, as I'll still use the GT chest mounted to work up past my belly button. Then out comes the AT Pro for the last few feet.

I'll use it on land as a backup on days I want to swing faster without the need to slow down as much as a Minelab in heavy trash or iron. Not saying my Minelab with a good coil won't separate just as good, just that you have to work the FBS and BBS machines slower of course to do so. Some days you just want to move from drinking too much coffee or something, or say to fast scout the woods or run up quick clad totals, but I don't expect it to get the depth of my GT. Every single frequency machine I've owned or used over 8khz doesn't get great depth in my soil and can tend to be a bit unstable.

If I had the money to burn I'd for sure buy an Excal for a water machine. Best/deepest VLF water machine on the planet pretty much. Just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money for an extra foot or two when it's just replicating my GT for that extra few feet it can't go. Besides, sooner or later here I'll be pursuing my idea to throw the GT in a waterproof box mounted on a back shaft extension so the box stays way out of the water all the way down to neck deep or so, so it won't try to float or drag in the water. I think that would be a killer idea and so far I haven't seen anybody do that? After all, if some guys mount the Excal pod high on a shaft to keep it from dragging in the water then why not a GT in a waterproof box? Once home the GT comes out of the box and goes back onto my land shaft. Best of both worlds. Since the box stays out of the water I don't have to worry so much about a leak either if it had one.

Added insurance for peace of mind. I really think this might be my winter project. I'm still debating whether I want to use waterproof coil cable adaptors to route the coil and headphones through the box, or whether I want to just Shoe Goo the holes they go through to waterproof them. Ain't ever using the 10" Tornado on land again as the 12x10 is my weapon of choice on land, so I guess I could commit the 10" Tornado to a waterproof box permanently. I could always peal the Shoe Goo Off to put the Tornado back into some other use, as Shoe Goo stays very flexible so it isn't hard to remove with a sharp knife. One of the beauties of that stuff is it's very thick and won't crack or dry out. Same deal for the headphones I'll commit to it. Just have to see if waterproof cable guides through the box are pricey. If they are then for sure I'm using the Shoe Goo, because the box won't ever be in the water anyway.

I'm really liking this idea...Got to start doing a little research through that thread link in the Sovereign Accessories sticky that has a bunch of other threads linked in it. A ton of good threads from people who have waterproofed Sovereigns in there in various ways. Just not sure if I've seen anybody mount one high on a shaft? Seems like it would be the best solution for water hunting to avoid drag/floating of a waterproof box.