What's the best detector for finding coins in trashy yards?

I've been hunting the yards of old houses recently, using an Etrac. In some of these yards, the trash is so dense that I can't get a consistent threshold even when using a small coil.

What would be the ideal detector for such places? I previously owned a Deus, but, was disappointed in the discrimination, got tired of digging crown caps and steel washers. I know some of you guys admire the Racer 2. Any other machine you'd suggest? I'm hesitant to use my old Compass 77B.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2016 09:29PM by Bayard.

Many detectors work great if learned well, but I suppose some might be better than others.
I will put my F70 and a sniper coil up against any site with trash, just a little or a mind blowing amount.
Most of the sites I usually hunt are public and extremely trashy so I have had a lot of practice and success.
Those crown caps, not an issue at all even with a DD coil as is iron and most other trash.
Don't know about Racers, Minelabs or most others because I never used them but I know what happens with mine.

The Tesoros work pretty good, I might use my Compadre at a site like that but it depends on where the deeper better older targets are.
Up to 5-6" or so it will hold its own very well.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2016 08:40PM by diggwr27.

My Nokta Fors Relic with 5 inch coil is as good as anything in trash, I like how simple it is to use, Love the 2 tone. im not a coin hunter my just relic but i hunted a house site with it and found some coins, like the fact it has to coils that come with it.
i had the deus, sold it,good machin just not for me.

The F 75 with the 5" coil works like a laser for me in trash and gets very nice depth. The A T Pro with a Sharpshooter coil does very well, too. HH jim tn

+1 on the Fors Relic with the 5" coil. Can't beat it in the trash.

Dean

In really trashy site situation my personal weapon of choice is my trusty T2 with the 5'' coil on,target separation is good and the depth from the coil still amazes me,in the worst case scenario i have also used the 4'' coil on my Laser B3 not the deepest coil going but possibly the best small coil for the job in hand.On one occasion i have even used the SunRay inline probe on my DFX which is just under 1'' dia for searching for a lost ring in a flower bed.

Bayard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've been hunting the yards of old houses
> recently, using an Etrac. In some of these yards,
> the trash is so dense that I can't get a
> consistent threshold even when using a small
> coil.
>
> What would be the ideal detector for such places?
> I previously owned a Deus, but, was disappointed
> in the discrimination, got tired of digging crown
> caps and steel washers. I know some of you guys
> admire the Racer 2. Any other machine you'd
> suggest? I'm hesitant to use my old Compass 77B.

Here ya Try this because it will solve all your problems In Seconds.

[forums.whiteselectronics.com]

Good luck,

John.

You've got an excellent machine for this. First I would use Auto Sens and just go to 2 or 4 tone ferrous and open up the screen wide open. Then pick the highs and mid tones that sound decent.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2016 01:16PM by Fletch88.

Tell him that and he will be digging Crap from sun up to sun down, Lol

John.

racer with rc13 coil
f75 with 5" coil or 6"
at pro with snake
F19/G2+ with small coil

detectingMO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> racer with rc13 coil
> f75 with 5" coil or 6"
> at pro with snake
> F19/G2+ with small coil

None of those will work using DD Coils, And that is where the problem lies, Read the Link I posted.

John.

X3 on the Relic with 5". Go slow and from different angles. Went back to a site I hit many times before but with the Relic this time, this was a site that stopped producing coins and pulled 3 silvers that day over there. Can't explain it in txt but the high tone was mixing with the low tone grunt and made me dig to investigate. Also pulled two flat buttons like this and all plugs had nails and bits of iron in the plug and hole.

Went back yesterday. But I walked it on a different angle and pulled a 41 wheaty, some drip lead and a small ornate buckle or something. Listening for those sweet high tone repeatables is long gone in there. The more I swing the Relic the more I'm liking what it does in this type of hunting. Don't go with the tones, let your ears tell you the story. But that's just me and the units I have to work with.

It's much of a muchness in trash but the two best unmasker's I've come across in many a year are the "Racer's with a 5.5" OOR coil' and the fabulous Garrett ATPro"

Here's a vote for the Racer 2 with the OOR coil or the 5.5" coil. Will it hit on bottle caps? Sure, but the VID numbers will jump around and the sound will be raspy at the start and finish of the beep.

The common denominator that seems to be appearing is roughly the 5'' coil size when searching trashy sites and not a specific brand or model,of course this is just from observations.

auminesweeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> detectingMO Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > racer with rc13 coil
> > f75 with 5" coil or 6"
> > at pro with snake
> > F19/G2+ with small coil
>
> None of those will work using DD Coils, And that
> is where the problem lies, Read the Link I
> posted.
>
> John.

I forgot you know everything and what everyone is really thinking in their posts.

Having used every combo I've mentioned including the Etrac in similar situations I can tell you without a doubt they will all slay coins.

5" inch Coil or not the problem lies with it being a DD, With a DD you have to use a much higher level of DISC to wipe out Crown Caps "As in" 75% more, I have proven this to people hundreds of times,

John

Going to be an unpopular opinion, I reckon - But, a Tesoro with the 5.75" concentric coil would pull coins behind most of the detectors listed. Just take a Compadre with you for super trashy sites, turn the disc up and go. I promise it won't let you down and you will be pulling coins missed by other machines.

AlanTN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Going to be an unpopular opinion, I reckon - But,
> a Tesoro with the 5.75" concentric coil would pull
> coins behind most of the detectors listed. Just
> take a Compadre with you for super trashy sites,
> turn the disc up and go. I promise it won't let
> you down and you will be pulling coins missed by
> other machines.

100% agree, A Tesoro with a Concentric is going to be Impossible to Beat, I have seen that Combo beat machines costing 6 times the price, Nothing Comes Close.

John.

auminesweeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 5" inch Coil or not the problem lies with it being
> a DD, With a DD you have to use a much higher
> level of DISC to wipe out Crown Caps "As in" 75%
> more, I have proven this to people hundreds of
> times,
>
> John


Uhhhh....no.
I hunt using all metal or using disc on 0 or 1 and use concentrics but also big and sniper DD's.
I opted for a 5" concentric for my Vaq precisely because of this crown cap problem but I use a Fisher much more at present.
A 5" DD sniper is my valuable and potent weapon most of the time.
Using high disc of any kind to identify these things is something I would never consider, you would miss too much hunting that way and why take the extra time to manipulate the disc knob over each one as there are much faster, efficient and better ways.
As I posted in your other thread that wiggle and pull back method is extremely accurate on crown caps.
Using other techniques and learned trash behavior I have very little problem avoiding the bulk of the other trash I come across while still pulling out better targets in sites so trashy you might not believe it...and in heavy iron.
I still dig some trash, you just can't avoid it as some mimic good targets very well but I avoid most of it nowadays and seem to be very successful.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2016 12:08PM by diggwr27.

diggwr27 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> auminesweeper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 5" inch Coil or not the problem lies with it
> being
> > a DD, With a DD you have to use a much higher
> > level of DISC to wipe out Crown Caps "As in"
> 75%
> > more, I have proven this to people hundreds of
> > times,
> >
> > John
>
>
> Uhhhh....no.
> I hunt using all metal or using disc on 0 or 1 and
> use concentrics but also big and sniper DD's.
> A 5" DD sniper is my most potent weapon most of
> the time.
> As I posted in your other thread that wiggle and
> pull back method is extremely accurate on crown
> caps.
> Using other techniques and learned trash behavior
> I have very little problem avoiding the bulk of
> the trash I come across while still pulling out
> better targets in sites so trashy you might not
> believe it...and in heavy iron.
> I still dig some trash, you just can't avoid it as
> some mimic good targets very well but I avoid most
> of it nowadays and seem to be very successful.

Yes the wiggle does work, but machines should be able to ID things correctly without having to Trick modern machines in to submission, I have machines that are 38 years old that can ID them so why can't newer machines ? Simple because of bad Coil choice or High Iron content, There are many little tricks we can use but the most simple choice is coil selection.

John.

auminesweeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> diggwr27 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > auminesweeper Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > 5" inch Coil or not the problem lies with it
> > being
> > > a DD, With a DD you have to use a much
> higher
> > > level of DISC to wipe out Crown Caps "As in"
> > 75%
> > > more, I have proven this to people hundreds
> of
> > > times,
> > >
> > > John
> >
> >
> > Uhhhh....no.
> > I hunt using all metal or using disc on 0 or 1
> and
> > use concentrics but also big and sniper DD's.
> > A 5" DD sniper is my most potent weapon most of
> > the time.
> > As I posted in your other thread that wiggle
> and
> > pull back method is extremely accurate on crown
> > caps.
> > Using other techniques and learned trash
> behavior
> > I have very little problem avoiding the bulk of
> > the trash I come across while still pulling out
> > better targets in sites so trashy you might not
> > believe it...and in heavy iron.
> > I still dig some trash, you just can't avoid it
> as
> > some mimic good targets very well but I avoid
> most
> > of it nowadays and seem to be very successful.
>
> Yes the wiggle does work, but machines should be
> able to ID things correctly without having to
> Trick modern machines in to submission, I have
> machines that are 38 years old that can ID them so
> why can't newer machines ? Simple because of bad
> Coil choice or High Iron content, There are many
> little tricks we can use but the most simple
> choice is coil selection.
>
> John.


I would love to swing a machine that can identify everything perfectly, trash, gold and whatever else with just one or two swings over any target.
Wish I could invent one because that would probably make me rich...but I ain't that intelligent so I work with what I got.
This crown cap identification method could be called a trick I guess but so what, what works, works.
With practice I have gotten this down to about a 3-4 second process from first getting the signal to making decisions to either dig or move on, a small amount of time that I can easily spend rather than any alternative methods I have tried.
I dug many, many hundreds of these things over time gaining confidence in this method but eventually those what if feelings eventually faded and so did my time spent recovering these problem items down to almost nothing.
Can it be wrong from time to time sure...every decision we make in this hobby could and you will never know 100% if you are correct till you dig anything but having a correct 90-98% track record and not wasting energy and feeling more rested is good enough for me...even though I could be wrong here and there.
I don't have the time, patience or energy to worry about the rest and as I said I have still been wildly successful in sites that have been scoured for decades by others and declared "hunted out" or others that have so much trash and iron that they usually send most others away to look for much easier sites to hunt.
I love a challenge and have a lot of patience for learning helpful techniques when needed plus I am stubborn...if I suspect an extremely difficult site that others dismiss might hold great treasure I might spend a lot of time there learning new techniques just to see if I can be successful and most every time I have been.
I spend a ton of time doing things like this in order to spend very little time spinning my wheels in future sites...the math works for me in these cases.
Hard lessons learned stay with me forever and I continue to use them at other sites forever more to my advantage.
This sort if thing is actually a big part of the pleasure I get in this hobby, almost as much as finding all the great things hidden in the dirt because I am weird I guess.
I might not ever truly "master" any of my tools but the real fun for me is in the process of trying.

As far as those tricks when using my Tesoros I guess I can consider almost everything I do after getting a signal is a trick in determining targets and ultimately making digging decisions.
Raising the coil, using different swing speeds, manipulating the disc knob and listening closely to all areas of that tone as I do these things, the ends, volume, noise and everything else, but us Tesoro people learned with only one tone you have to go beyond just hearing a quick tone on one swing if you truly want a shot at figuring out targets with a decently high degree of accuracy and I think I have done pretty well in that arena too.
Hunting with units that have no screens is extremely fun for me because I have learned these things but fun in a different way than using my screen units and I love using both and switching things up from time to time...keeps the boredom away too.

Tricks, techniques, magic...whatever you want to call these things we do using any brand or tool none might be 100% accurate but if they work to a degree of success that ultimately satisfies us and makes the hobby more fun and enjoyable well, that is the ultimate goal for all of us isn't it no matter how we choose to do it or what we happen to find along the way?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2016 01:11PM by diggwr27.

That's my point, why should we have to pay $3000 and still invent ways to get them to ID things better when the fact is you stand a better chance of doing that with an older machine or by using an a Concentric Coil. I am all for what ever works for people but for those who own machines that can use concentric coil that will give them a better chance to ID targets,

auminesweeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's my point, why should we have to pay $3000
> and still invent ways to get them to ID things
> better when the fact is you stand a better chance
> of doing that with an older machine or by using an
> a Concentric Coil. I am all for what ever works
> for people but for those who own machines that can
> use concentric coil that will give them a better
> chance to ID targets,


Concentrics were my favorite coils for a long time, one because I never had experience using any other kind for a long time and two because I spend most of my time hunting in trash filled parks where most people over the decades that visited never seemed to understand the idea of trash cans or knew what they are for.
I have come to the conclusion that too many people just are lazy, don't seem to care and are pigs.
One of my first outings and trash I dug using a new DD coil on my Vaquero in an old and unusually trashy park here...



Boy was I tried after this hunt.
Later on after a move to Kansas I hunted a park I eventually came to love but one of my first trips I again had the Vaq and that big DD.
Every year in one area this park had a huge bar-b-que festival known for miles around with close to or maybe more than 100 tables, tents and trucks set up selling their style of deliciously cooked meats.
Along with this food most of them also sold beer and soft drinks, most of the beer in bottles from what I could tell.
I can't tell you how many caps I dug on that hunt or how much frustration I had dealing and wasting time with those things.

Since that time I learned Tesoro techniques that helped in that crown cap area to cut down the volume but they take more time than I like using them to my satisfaction, using screen units for me is a much faster and better option in sites like this.
Because I have no patience to switch coils on most hunts and I still wade into trashy areas using my Tesoros from time to time I use either my Compadre or mount the standard concentric or a sniper concentric on my Vaq when I know my sites will be infested with this stuff or even at new sites that I suspect might be.
Buying that concentric sniper coil for my Vaq over a DD is one of the smartest decisions I ever made in this hobby.
Actually, I didn't buy it, it was a gift from another extremely and too generous hunter I had spent a little time helping out with some advice.
One of the best presents I ever received in my life and I still owe him big time for that...always will.

At that same area in that park that had that festival in exactly the same site that had that nightmare amount of caps on future hunts I eventually found many coins, a Dragoon button, silver rings and even a gold ring that were all hiding in that mess.
I did it using mostly my Fisher and DD coils but also my Vaq and Compadre using concentrics.
A totally different experience than that first one.
Gotta use the right tool for the right job when you can.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2016 02:46PM by diggwr27.

diggwr27 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> auminesweeper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That's my point, why should we have to pay
> $3000
> > and still invent ways to get them to ID things
> > better when the fact is you stand a better
> chance
> > of doing that with an older machine or by using
> an
> > a Concentric Coil. I am all for what ever works
> > for people but for those who own machines that
> can
> > use concentric coil that will give them a
> better
> > chance to ID targets,
>
>
> Concentrics were my favorite coils for a long
> time, one because I never had experience using any
> other kind for a long time and two because I spend
> most of my time hunting in trash filled parks
> where most people over the decades that visited
> never seemed to understand the idea of trash cans
> or knew what they are for.
> I have come to the conclusion that too many people
> just are lazy, don't seem to care and are pigs.
> One of my first outings and trash I dug using a
> new DD coil on my Vaquero in an old and unusually
> trashy park here...
>
> [i45.photobucket.com]
> /Mobile%20Uploads/PicsArt_1440003256532_zpswjhqteu
> f.jpg
>
> Boy was I tried after this hunt.
> Later on after a move to Kansas I hunted a park I
> eventually came to love but one of my first trips
> I again had the Vaq and that big DD.
> Every year in one area this park had a huge
> bar-b-que festival known for miles around with
> close to or maybe more than 100 tables, tents and
> trucks set up selling their style of deliciously
> cooked meats.
> Along with this food most of them also sold beer
> and soft drinks, most of the beer in bottles from
> what I could tell.
> I can't tell you how many caps I dug on that hunt
> or how much frustration I had dealing and wasting
> time with those things.
>
> Since that time I learned Tesoro techniques that
> helped in that crown cap area to cut down the
> volume but they take more time than I like using
> them to my satisfaction, using screen units for me
> is a much faster and better option in sites like
> this.
> Because I have no patience to switch coils on most
> hunts and I still wade into trashy areas using my
> Tesoros from time to time I use either my Compadre
> or mount the standard concentric or a sniper
> concentric on my Vaq when I know my sites will be
> infested with this stuff or even at new sites that
> I suspect might be.
> Buying that concentric sniper coil for my Vaq over
> a DD is one of the smartest decisions I ever made
> in this hobby.
> Actually, I didn't buy it, it was a gift from
> another extremely and too generous hunter I had
> spent a little time helping out with some advice.
> One of the best presents I ever received in my
> life and I still owe him big time for
> that...always will.
>
> At that same area in that park that had that
> festival in exactly the same site that had that
> nightmare amount of caps on future hunts I
> eventually found many coins, a Dragoon button,
> silver rings and even a gold ring that were all
> hiding in that mess.
> I did it using mostly my Fisher and DD coils but
> also my Vaq and Compadre using concentrics.
> A totally different experience than that first
> one.
> Gotta use the right tool for the right job when
> you can.

That's what I am saying on that other thread, a Concentric just works better.

John.

This is speaking strictly about the topic of the OP ... coin hunting trashy sites.

Every detector is going to be different in some way, but as a rule - If I'm hitting a site for the first time, I'm going to take only Tesoros with me, and only concentric coils. The reason is that the Tesoro disc coupled with the factory concentric coils absolutely works, and absolutely gives me confidence to feel out a site and know what I'm dealing with, and know that I am able to cherry pick high conductors if I want to, by turning the disc knob up.

First I would take an Outlaw or Compadre (Depending on ground) and cherry pick the "shallow" targets confidently, next I will bring out a Tejon and see if there are deeper targets (Tejon with 5.75 can reach down DEEP). Those are current production machines.

Tesoros are one of very few machines that still get great depth while running high disc, which makes them, IMO, the best cherry picking detectors out there.

If you are hunting with limited time or wanting to dig fewer holes while cherry picking - Nothing will beat the Tesoros.

AlanTN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is speaking strictly about the topic of the
> OP ... coin hunting trashy sites.
>
> Every detector is going to be different in some
> way, but as a rule - If I'm hitting a site for the
> first time, I'm going to take only Tesoros with
> me, and only concentric coils. The reason is that
> the Tesoro disc coupled with the factory
> concentric coils absolutely works, and absolutely
> gives me confidence to feel out a site and know
> what I'm dealing with, and know that I am able to
> cherry pick high conductors if I want to, by
> turning the disc knob up.
>
> First I would take an Outlaw or Compadre
> (Depending on ground) and cherry pick the
> "shallow" targets confidently, next I will bring
> out a Tejon and see if there are deeper targets
> (Tejon with 5.75 can reach down DEEP). Those are
> current production machines.
>
> Tesoros are one of very few machines that still
> get great depth while running high disc, which
> makes them, IMO, the best cherry picking detectors
> out there.
>
> If you are hunting with limited time or wanting to
> dig fewer holes while cherry picking - Nothing
> will beat the Tesoros.

Yep, I agree. I went with the MXT when someone made my minelabs look stupid with one and the only reason I never went with Tesoro was because of the info the MXT gives,, But out of all machines I have a huge amount of respect for Tesoro's, So much so I am thinking about adding one to the Kit, Trouble is I don't know which one, I like the Lobo but I don't like how the tracking works in one mode and not the other, Because I want one that has Auto track in both modes and Manual GB,

Any Ideas will be gratefully Received.

John.

The MXT Pros are fantastic detectors for sure. White's best machine by miles, imo.

If you are looking to get into Tesoros, there's no reason not to pick up a Compadre, they are a lot of fun on C&J. You will learn the audio and disc easily, and have a lot of fun doing it. Then you will probably be hooked and work your way to other Tesoros .
For manual GB an Outlaw is hard to beat, the disc on both of these is amazing. These are both great C&J machines.

Into the "HOT" lineup, the Cibola with GB mod is a great choice, too.
Vaquero can be subbed in here if modding isn't something you want to do, which is understandable (warranty). All Metal mode on the modded Cibola, imo, makes it better than the Vaquero if you are inclined to use All Metal.

Lobo ST - To keep this short, I absolutely love them, the audio is beautiful - But, I believe the ground grab and lock of the MXT Pro/All Pro make it the better machine.

Tejon - If I could only have one detector, I would pick this one. Can relic hunt like a beast, can turn up Disc and cherry pick quite well, too. Lightning fast, like all Tesoros as well. Ability to get very deep with small coils is a major bonus.


I guess this probably didn't help you decide any, lol.
In short, I would say depending on your intended use of the machine and the ground:
Compadre would be a great one to learn with, as they cost very little, are VERY FUN, and are extremely capable C&J detectors.
Outlaw IMO is the best of the best for C&J. Doesn't get as deep as the "HOT" Tesoros.
Tejon for me is the best all around detector out there, in that it can fill so many roles very well without breaking a sweat and still capturing the pure FUN of using a Beep'n'Dig machine.
Stepping down from the Tejon would be the Cibola and Vaquero.

AlanTN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The MXT Pros are fantastic detectors for sure.
> White's best machine by miles, imo.
>
> If you are looking to get into Tesoros, there's no
> reason not to pick up a Compadre, they are a lot
> of fun on C&J. You will learn the audio and disc
> easily, and have a lot of fun doing it. Then you
> will probably be hooked and work your way to other
> Tesoros .
> For manual GB an Outlaw is hard to beat, the disc
> on both of these is amazing. These are both great
> C&J machines.
>
> Into the "HOT" lineup, the Cibola with GB mod is a
> great choice, too.
> Vaquero can be subbed in here if modding isn't
> something you want to do, which is understandable
> (warranty). All Metal mode on the modded Cibola,
> imo, makes it better than the Vaquero if you are
> inclined to use All Metal.
>
> Lobo ST - To keep this short, I absolutely love
> them, the audio is beautiful - But, I believe the
> ground grab and lock of the MXT Pro/All Pro make
> it the better machine.
>
> Tejon - If I could only have one detector, I would
> pick this one. Can relic hunt like a beast, can
> turn up Disc and cherry pick quite well, too.
> Lightning fast, like all Tesoros as well. Ability
> to get very deep with small coils is a major
> bonus.
>
>
> I guess this probably didn't help you decide any,
> lol.
> In short, I would say depending on your intended
> use of the machine and the ground:
> Compadre would be a great one to learn with, as
> they cost very little, are VERY FUN, and are
> extremely capable C&J detectors.
> Outlaw IMO is the best of the best for C&J.
> Doesn't get as deep as the "HOT" Tesoros.
> Tejon for me is the best all around detector out
> there, in that it can fill so many roles very well
> without breaking a sweat and still capturing the
> pure FUN of using a Beep'n'Dig machine.
> Stepping down from the Tejon would be the Cibola
> and Vaquero.

Alan thanks for that, I will phone the dealers next week and see how much they want for the Tejon, I like the Lobo too but I wish it had the Auto / manual GB in both modes so I think that one is out.

Thanks mate.

John.

Racer with the small coil or the 5x10 will work magic. Crown caps are a PITA, but as others have noted you can get around them once you learn the sounds. The problem that I've noticed though, is that in a lot of cases, some nice buttons, particularly two pieces buttons with iron (on any machine) can also sounds similar to crown caps. If you don't care about buttons and are trying to cherry pick coins from trash, then I don't think you can beat the Racer1/2 with the small coil.