Which Detector Is Best For RELIC HUNTING?

You're at an old home place that's loaded up with square nails, rusty tin can tops, pieces of rusty tin and all different size pieces of iron and you want to find all the non-ferrous targets at that site. Which detector do you think would do the best job and why?

tabman

For me it would the Deus in my 28kh pitch program.. WHY? Its the one I know the best and have used it in those types of areas for many hours. I bet for some guys like you it would be the ole beep and digs because yhall know them so well and have used them for years.

calabash digger Wrote:
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> For me it would the Deus in my 28kh pitch program
> .. WHY? Its the one I know the best and have used
> it in those types of areas for many hours. I bet f
> or some guys like you it would be the ole beep and
> digs because yhall know them so well and have used
> them for years.


What CD said. The Deus with the HF coil using his pitch program is killer.

Dean

I would have said its not so much about the specific detector but more about the coil size,on trashy sites here in the UK i would use a Tesoro or T2 with a small coil like a 5'' in the case of the T2 that works a treat,that pulls decent targets from roman/saxon sites from in between the hob nails and other non desirable targets.

If you use a stock coil you will suffer from 'nulled' signals if the site is that trashy,it all depends also on the history of the location as well and the 'rewards top effort' ratio,so for me its more about coil size that what detector you use.

Loaded question but what it your skill level

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

For me it would be the Multi Kruzer without a doubt. Tom and I mostly relic hunt old sites, from the late 1700's to the late 1800's in California and Nevada. Most are loaded with iron, large and small, and lots of other trash. The MMK, even with the stock coil has amazing unmasking capabilities. We went to one of our old sites this spring, one that Tom had written off and didn't like going to any more (he's picky, likes rapid action and easy pickings - LOL!). I like it because it's a remote Spanish outpost site, lots of late 1700's to late 1800's targets, iron, tame ground, and although it hasn't produced a lot of coins, it's produced some nice relics and history. I do believe there's got to be a gold coin hiding at this site, and that's what keeps me going back.

I know this site well, I've hunted it hard with my F75 LTD and LTD2, AT Pro, Racer 2 and now the MMK (don't believe I ever had the Impact there). The site really came alive with the MMK in 4-TONE, running at 98 sensitivity with almost no disc. I've seen some of the comments from Mike of emotional attachment to the Turkish machines, but I just use what works best for me. I stuck with the F75 for a long time, but when I started trying the Racers, my sites that the F75 struggled at came to life. I guess it's hard not to have an emotional attachment to machines when they find 1916D mercs, rare $5 gold coins, gold rings, and they just plain out hunt and better unmask then anything else I've used. I don't have a dog in this race, if the French machine worked better, or a FTP machine, or Garrett or White's, that's what I'd be using, but it's simply not the case. Heck I'd use a magnet on a stick if that was the ticket.

I pulled out a deep 1700's Spanish 2 reale, an 1846 one reale, Phoenix buttons, Civil War era eagle buttons, trade items, tons of great relics, etc. at this site. For areas with low iron content but mineralized ground I'll grab the EQ800, mild to tame ground and iron I'll grab the MMK. Both are very capable relic machines. There's another site close by that was rumored to be a later period stage stop, and just a few weeks before going to the above mentioned site, a couple of guys were there, hunting the same sea of nails spot I was working with the MMK, they were swinging the XP Dues and a CTX and they got skunked. Right where they were hunting (I could see their boot prints in the dirt) I pulled out a deep seated dime. This spot is a sea of nails and small arms shells, but the dime was a beautiful, deep signal on the MMK.

If you've used the sparky F75, it's like ridding a bicycle, they operate very similarly, but the MMK is, in my experience, at the kind of sites I detect (relic sites) a much better performer when it comes to unmasking. Both are about equal in depth (meaning they go deep!).

I have some of my hunts on video if you want to check them out. Here's some bookmarked scenes to see what it's capable of:

Sea of nails Civil War eagle button: [youtu.be]

DEEEEP Spanish 2 reale: [youtu.be]

Phoenix button in heavy iron: [youtu.be]

I show the good and the bad, Tom using his Exp2 and me the MMK, both dug our share of flat iron. No detector I've ever used is impervious to that darn stuff. I don't dig nails on the MMK, I do a little few with the EQ800. I know the MMK 100x better than I do the EQ800, so possible I could reduce that with more experience on the EQ800.

So out here at the various relic sites we hunt, we're looking for both depth and unmasking, and also have some sites with nasty mineralization that cripple VLF machines like the F75.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 05:11PM by Cal_cobra.

Lawrenzo Wrote:
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> Loaded question but what it your skill level

With your skill level which detector would you use and why?

tabman

Trashy areas loaded with nails, depleted tin, etc up around the foundation of the house.
1. MMK 7in concentric
2. Deeptech VGG or smart + super 6
3. Tesoro Mojave 6in concentric
4. XP Deus 9in x35

F19 or G2+ for me. Hit 7-inch coins in a 6-bar test bed that an XP Deus could not at 5 inches (neither could the F75 or T2 or ATP for that matter). That was enough for me.

Passes some pretty silly nail tests I have dreamed up as well.

Great machines in bad soil and bad iron...just not depth monsters. If they had a boost mode of some sort...probably all I would ever swing.

My YouTube - [www.youtube.com]
Website - [www.thehuntergt.com]

It beats the mighty Deus? Say it ain't so.
What about the king Nox?

Deus with 9" at 11khz Gary's Hot program. You can "hear" the shape and conductivity of objects and don't get as much high toning on nails and tin. At least hunting will be enjoyable even if you miss some.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 07:13PM by detectingMO.

Very interesting and informative post with very good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is that you should have more shots of the scenery and not just the ground.><

Elbert Wrote:
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> Very interesting and informative post with very good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is that you should have more shots of the scenery and not just the ground.><

Geesh, next you'll want GPS coordinates - LOL

I should add that as for my preference of the MMK, here are some features that I use and find to be beneficial for relic hunting:

* Adjustable iron audio - will never buy a detector again without this capability, it's been the #1 feature that's aided in locating non-ferrous targets in heavy iron
* Adjustable tone pitch - this is useful as we all have varied hearing capabilities, I like to make sure high conductors stand out
* The MMK has a unique feature, akin to the adjustable recovery speed on the XP Dues or Equinox. In 3-tone mode, if you run the gain @ 89 or less, it has a hyper fast recovery speed. As with anything there's no free lunch, faster recovery speed always comes at the cost of depth. It is also quite immune to EMI in 3-tone mode
* Weight/ergonomics - The ability to comfortably swing a detector for 10-12 hour days without physically slowing you down is paramount. The less energy you expend on moving your detector, the more finds you'll dig
* Adjustable frequency - if you can't use a SMF detector, the next best thing is the ability to adjust the frequency. This aids in ground conditions, EMI, or just dialing into hunting specific metals.
* Adjustable tone break


Nice to haves :

- Wireless headphones, doubtful I'd go back to a machine that doesn't have this dandy feature. It's kind of like using a pinpointer, before you get one, you think you can live without it.
- Good coil selection
- Waterproof

Harold,ILL. Wrote:
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> It beats the mighty Deus? Say it ain't so.
> What about the king Nox?

IDK...never had it out there in Colorado. I suspect it would have a better chance being multi-freq at the same time. However, the Deus could not hit it at any freq. - so unsure if turning them all on at once would have helped.

Having a HF coil may have helped...idk.

I have some 6 bar dirt here in California...but no Nox or Deus to test it with...so a moot point.

My YouTube - [www.youtube.com]
Website - [www.thehuntergt.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 08:49PM by TheHunterGT.

Here's another vote for the MMK for all the reasons Brian (Cal_Cobra) pointed out above. Thanks Brian! Saved me a lot of typing and you said it better than I would have.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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> Elbert Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Very interesting and informative post with very
> good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is tha
> t you should have more shots of the scenery and no
> t just the ground.><
>
> Geesh, next you'll want GPS coordinates - LOL

That would work.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 10:09PM by Elbert.

Elbert Wrote:
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> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Elbert Wrote:
> > ------------------------------------------------
> --
> > -----
> > > Very interesting and informative post with ver
> y
> > good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is t
> ha
> > t you should have more shots of the scenery and
> no
> > t just the ground.><
> >
> > Geesh, next you'll want GPS coordinates - LOL
>
> That would work.


I got it, I got it---I recognized that rock!!!-------One last question Brian----Can I borrow your MMK for my trip there???

I will answer following question instead of the one asked.
Which VLF detectors would Inwant to hunt a good old site full of iron many times and once done not have much interest in returning. Unless of course something materializes indeed offers more performance than these below.

Deus both Hf coils, and Deus with 11” X35 Coil.
Equinox 800 with stock coil and smallest coil.
Anfibio with smallest football coil
Anfibio with small round coil.
Anfibio with 7” concentric coil
CTX with stock coil.
Might through the Anfibio with 9” concentric in here too,

Those will do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2018 11:17PM by tnsharpshooter.

I'll add a modded Lobo ST with 5.75 & 8" concentric coils. Hard to beat.

tnsharpshooter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will answer following question instead of the on
> e asked.
> Which VLF detectors would Inwant to hunt a good ol
> d site full of iron many times and once done not h
> ave much interest in returning. Unless of course
> something materializes indeed offers more perform
> ance than these below.
>
> Deus both Hf coils, and Deus with 11” X35 Coil.
> Equinox 800 with stock coil and smallest coil.
> Anfibio with smallest football coil
> Anfibio with small round coil.
> Anfibio with 7” concentric coil
> CTX with stock coil.
> Might through the Anfibio with 9” concentric in he
> re too,
>
> Those will do.


Have you been using the Anfibio?

Bill long Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tnsharpshooter Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I will answer following question instead of the
> on
> > e asked.
> > Which VLF detectors would Inwant to hunt a good
> ol
> > d site full of iron many times and once done not
> h
> > ave much interest in returning. Unless of cours
> e
> > something materializes indeed offers more perfo
> rm
> > ance than these below.
> >
> > Deus both Hf coils, and Deus with 11” X35 Coil.
> > Equinox 800 with stock coil and smallest coil.
> > Anfibio with smallest football coil
> > Anfibio with small round coil.
> > Anfibio with 7” concentric coil
> > CTX with stock coil.
> > Might through the Anfibio with 9” concentric in
> he
> > re too,
> >
> > Those will do.
>
>
> Have you been using the Anfibio?

Yes
I’ll add here.
I would like to see NASA Tom test Anfibio multi if he hasn’t already on clad dime in his soil.
I suspect Anfibio multi with stock coil deeper than original F75 units with boost and Nokta Impact as well on clad dime.

Couple videos I did testing.
[m.youtube.com]
[m.youtube.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2018 02:51AM by tnsharpshooter.

Do you think the anfibio is deeper because of the new coil or something internal?

Elbert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Elbert Wrote:
> > ------------------------------------------------
> --
> > -----
> > > Very interesting and informative post with ver
> y
> > good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is t
> ha
> > t you should have more shots of the scenery and
> no
> > t just the ground.><
> >
> > Geesh, next you'll want GPS coordinates - LOL
>
> That would work.

Any time you want to hunt El, just let me know! Just give me an early heads up, I have to work on the wifey to go detecting now that we have a baby

Pedlar mills Wrote:
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> Do you think the anfibio is deeper because of the
> new coil or something internal?

Can’t say right now.
If I could go back to the beach above and use Impact 7x11 coil, I might be able to weigh in.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Elbert Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cal_cobra Wrote:
> > ------------------------------------------------
> --
> > -----
> > > Elbert Wrote:
> > > ----------------------------------------------
> --
> > --
> > > -----
> > > > Very interesting and informative post with v
> er
> > y
> > > good sound effects Brian. Only gripe I have is
> t
> > ha
> > > t you should have more shots of the scenery an
> d
> > no
> > > t just the ground.><
> > >
> > > Geesh, next you'll want GPS coordinates - LOL
> >
> > That would work.
>
> Any time you want to hunt El, just let me know! J
> ust give me an early heads up, I have to work on t
> he wifey to go detecting now that we have a baby 8
> -)

Just pulling your leg Brian. You and Tom have worked to hard to find those sites.

I never relic hunted in my life. Not my thing. But reading the forum here I remember Keith saying an expanded iron range was important to him.

People's definition of what a relic is, is going to vary a lot too. That in itself can cause differences in opinion on which machine is "best". There's a local guy that hunts here, north GA and AL for civil war artillery shells. That is his thing...and the last few years he has concentrated his hunting locations to be in water. Most all his hunting is in water now. So his idea of the best relic machine vs my thoughts, would be totally different. His changes when he is on land hunting too.

The person that said this forum has an emotional attachment to Nokta/Makro is right on the money. I've always said the same thing. As a freshwater beach machine I loved the MKK. As a relic hunting machine...nope. Not my cup of tea. I have a problem with machines that struggle with flat iron and such. The MKK is one of those machines that will ID iron like that higher up into the scale. I kept running into that when comparing it to the Nox. I've not got a fondness for iron on most days. If I am in an area where artillery shell pieces or a whole shell might be, I will chase bigger iron hits...but in a homesite like the original post was asking about...nope. Iron is not what I am after there.

I'm gonna have to say....*drum roll* it would be between 2 machines.

Option A - Give me a Minelab Sovereign and I will cherry pick the high conductors. Especially the big brass/copper/silver while nulling out the iron and tin trash. Then an Equinox to mop up the smaller stuff and or severely masked items.

Option B - Just start with the Equinox and dig the no brainer non ferrous hits.

I have had a couple Deus machines...albeit only the original coil version...not the high freq or x35 coils...haven't tried a Deus with those coils or options. I never was overly impressed with it with the regular coils though...I had the 9 and 11 inch coils. I tried really hard to love it like some hunters do but just wasn't blown away with it.

I will tell ya the machine I love for relic hunting....but HATE in the type site you mentioned. The GPX. Holy crap at the noise. Some times you have to just lift the coil shoulder high to get a break from it. Open fields and woods with low to moderate trash...there's no machine I'd rather have based on currently available production models.

AT Gold does a great job in the iron patch in difficult soil..

Equinox is best for selective relic digging. Meaning a user can dig say 12 plus hits and not be bothered much by smaller things.
Deus will not let you know how small a something you are fixing to dig lots of times especially using Hf coils.

I have a site with tin, flat iron.
I may actually do a video showing Deus, Anfibio, and Equinox.
So folks can see how they compare.

Tin, can be a real headache.
If my memory serves me correctly, Nokta Impact did a lot better than Deus here.