Anybody Out There??

2010-- 5 Topics----35 replies
2011-- 9 Topics----50 replies
2012-- 14 topics----80 replies
2013-- 8 topics----70 replies
2014-- 1 Topic---- 2 replies
2015-- 5 topics---- 49 replies
2016-- 5 topics---- 38 replies
2017-- 6 topics---- 10 replies

That is 0.114 replies per day over the past 8 years.

Not much action here when you consider that the vast majority of detectorists are coin,jewellery and relic hunters

Morning Adrian.
More and more are swinging to Face Book, 4 forums that I know.

I will have to take your word for that NJ. I don't have anything to do with face-book. I guess most on this forum are Gold hunters.
    Although when you consider the massive variety of coin, relic and jewellery VLFs and PIs on the market it still seems that this type of metal detecting is not big in Australia. Whenever I am detecting a beach or picnic ground etc, it is only rarely that I encounter somebody else metal detecting.

Even during the 70s through to the 90s when all of my detecting was for gold, I can recall seeing only two other gold fossickers with metal detectors in my area...... although I did get a bit off the beaten track for the sole purpose of getting far away from people.

Hi Adrian ,  think yourself lucky you live in Australia , try living in UK and  telling  someone  you go gold panning ! but suppose  no one here is  surprised if you say  you go  metal detecting , and  you can see detectorists  out an  about  as you drive through the countryside, and definitely on beaches.

Well you blokes in England have got some fantastic history going back to before big G Junior & Spook and a country full of artifacts.
If we are lucky we might find an old horse shoe, pick or shovel or maybe a sovereign or a Chinese cash coin or a heap of rubbish left behind by some Greens

I reckon over here if you were spotted metal detecting out in the fields/paddocks and were near a road with traffic you would be likely to be harassed by hoons and other ignoramuses and would cop comments like: "Ya won't find any gold ver mate" or " Get a job yer lazy dh" or "Beep Beep metal man" I have copped those and many more.

Back from trying the Vallon VMH3CS at the beach.

It works very well and is sensitive and deep searching.
    Response to Aussie one and two dollar coins is exceptional and locates these coins in wet or dry sand from the surface to better than 15 inches with a fair signal on the deep coin.
    Bobby pins and steel bottle caps were a pain because the detector has strong response to ferrous items. I guess being a mine detector the pulse timing is set for this type of metal. But at the same time the response to small gold items is very good while not being as deep on the larger deep gold items as you might think it would be.
     Normal mode can be used anywhere on the beach and does produce some weak false signals in the wet sand that is not a problem.
Curiously the Ground balancing Mineral mode was more noisy than the Normal mode over the wet sand. Even though with the GB well set and with no response when the coil was bobbed up and down above the sand, the detector false signalled  a bit once scanning was commenced....Not sure why that was the case?

I was able to run the sensitivity at 12 out of 14 (Led Display) and could  have run at max but at that setting in the water  I found the false sigs to be annoying.

     The ground balance was not driven to max low (Salt sets low and Iron sets high) over the wet sand and there was plenty of range remaining......Maybe it would handle dry salt lakes ?? Just guessing there.
The 5.25 pound weight of the detector was not a problem and I was able to swing the machine for a couple of hours  before my arthritic elbow said give it a rest.
     The weather was a bit stormy and the tecta likes lightning and was pinging quite loud on strikes that were approx 30 k distant. I left the beach when strikes were too close for comfort.  It was raining and the tecta did not seem to mind although it would be wise to not let the HP socket get wet or submerged in salt water.

In short:
I like the VMH3CS PI at the beach. It will not miss many targets and will make a few high end machines sit up and take notice. It is excellent second hand value for money at a few hundred Aussie dollars and for beach detecting PI buffs, this tecta is hard to beat.for the price (second hand)

I might add though that this detector is a few thousand dollars new. So I guess it is far from Low end.

Even if you don't use the back pack to store it.It does not take up much room.
     I put the The bit of string around the elbow cuff is to stop it sliding along the shaft while swinging the tecta.
There was no elbow cuff strap  so I fitted a velcro strip on it.
   



04/12/17
1835 hours

HMMMM.
It appears that I may have not been using the correct ground balancing procedure and this may account for the false tones over the wet sand.

VMH3CS:

Air Test at sensitivity 14.(Max)

Mode Normal.
I dollar Aussie coin = 42 cm
2 dollar Aussie coin = 34 cm

Mode Mineral.
1 dollar Aussie Coin = 35 cm
2 dollar Aussie coin = 28 cm


SDC 2300:
Air Test at max sensitivity.

Norm mode
1 dollar Aussie coin = 24 cm
2 dollar Aussie coin = 19 cm

Salt mode at max sensitivity.
1 dollar Aussie Coin = 25 cm
2 dollar Aussie coin = 23 cm

Clearly the vallon is better for coins at the beach.
The SDC is  better for gold than the Vallon........Makes sense cos the Vallon is a mine detector with Pulse timing optimised for iron/steel and the SDC is set up for small gold.


18k 3.2g x 32 cm gold chain

VMH3CS:
Max sens Normal and Mineral mode = nil response to chain. The clasp detected at 2 inches.

SDC 2300 Max sens in Normal and Salt mode = weak response at 1 cm. The clasp detected at 4 inches.

Hello self.
Heading for Batemans Bay Surf beach this morning. Who Knows I might even see another very rare detectist bird there at about 10:30.am
Give the safari and TDI a run.

10/11/19 1750hrs
Spent a few hrs in the area but not Surf Beach. Used the Safari and a 13 inch Nel Tornado DD, it performed extremely well from wet to dry sand. The Nel picked up my new titanium knee and the sand scoop  on each swing even with the scoop over my shoulder. Set the sensitivity down slightly to compensate. (16).
    Found the usual beach junk and some very long lost 2 dollar coins, badly corroded 10 cent, a five and a sinker. All were approx 12 inches down in the sandy/grassy weedy area near the top of the beach. Plenty of targets there so seems that the local detectists  do not get down and dirty amongst the flowers sand n weeds.
     Didn't fire up the TDI because I was having good success with the Safari.  
My knee did not handle the pressure well and I called it quits after approx 3 hours. Next time I will stay over night so as to pick the times when the beach will be clear of  beach goers and sticky nosed kids.

Hi Self.
Self has  decided to refit the standard 11 inch Safari coil in place of the Nel Tornado 13 inch.
Not much difference in detection depth if any at all.
The main gripe is that the Nel curly cable is too thick and does not fit freely inside the detector stem making it impossible to shorten/adjust the stem length which has caused it to not fit in the new car boot like in the old car. Now I have to lower the back seat. That gave me the irrits.

Self!
Do yer reckon it is time you opened a Facebook account instead of using the forum?
Naah, stuff that I like it here.
Why?
Coz I do that's why.
Well that is a dumb answer? aye.
No it's not!
Yes it is!
Not, Not Not!
Well what do you know?
More than you that's for sure.
How can you know more than me when I am you!??
Say what!!?
Bloody nit wit.

If you open a facebook account you will spend more time reading notification on your email account most telling you may know this person or a friend of a friend has just posted a photo etc. Don't listen me I only allowed the wife and kids as friends and I have not used it much in the 3 years that I have had facebook, and I was a real computer nerd.

Yeah mate that is for sure.
When I see all of the probs my wife has with facebook and weirdos wanting to "Friend'   her. It isn't worth the attached BS.
I will stay where I am.....which means I will likely be doing a lot more talking to myself.

Have not been to the coast since corona v and now that my doc has told me th ct scan of my back was bad news and it is not repairable with out making some aspects worse. So lots of Thai massage and Chiro in order to stay out of a wheel chair for as long as possible. Will detect down the coast when I can...Oh well I can still drive so that is something I guess.

That is bad news mate. Every thing starts to get worst at our age, but enjoy what you can when you can. Best of luck.

My Thai and Chiro therapists remind me of that old mortein advert. "When you are on a good thing, stick to it"

Sorry to hear that Adrian,gravity does take it's toll on the aging human frame.
Keep active as tolerated and keep your brain going as well.
I have a chiro thats practices a totally different form,very obscure from the norm,but appears to work.
And that's why I mainly dig on my knees.

cheers   moredeep

Sorry to hear Adrian.

A lesson I've learnt from my mother-in-law (now aged 92, sometimes 91 or 93 - she forgets) is to keep doing what ever you can for as long as you can.

Sold my bikes the other day.
Just watched 46 years of my life disappear up the road on a trailer.

Bummer,

cheers   moredeep

Morning Adrian,
Sorry to hear about you slowing down.
Got sucked in to this app game, "Quiz Planet."
Certainly keeps the brain active and you can learn lots about history, science, food etc etc.
Play with only 4 others, and enjoy it during idle moments.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lotum.quizplanet&hl=en_AU