Types of Metal Detecting Activities, page 3:
COIN SHOOTING
(CONTINUED from previous page)
Types of Metal Detectors Required for Detecting Coins:
Any conventional Single-, Dual-, or Multi-Frequency (for finding coins in areas with high mineral soil content) metal detector can be used for finding coins.
Metal detectors of the "Turn-On-and-Go" type are the best choice as they can operate on any type of soil and, therefore, would be able to detect deep coins and not being affected by the soil's mineral content.
The FBS detectors such as Minelab Explorer and E-Trac have powerful Discrimination which allows you to create your own complex but quite effective 2-dimensional discrimination patterns. But implementing too much Discrimination leads to missing many valuable targets, so the FBS detectors have recently lost their leading position at the iron-infested Medieval hunt sites in Europe as the high frequency, super light and wireless XP Deus metal detector with high Recovery Speed and Adjustable Tonal Segments substituting Discrimination has taken the baton of leadership.
Minelab Explorer and E-Trac metal detectors with 2-Dimensional Discrimination controls had been especially popular among those professional coin shooters who seeks specific types of coins (Type II coin shooting). The ability of the Minelab's 2-Dimensional Discriminators allowed for acceptance of one particular item of certain conductivity while rejecting other items of the same conductivity but different iron contents. This is called "dot discrimination." The 1-Dimensional discriminators of most regular metal detectors are not capable of doing that.
Depending on type or class of coins sought, a more thoughtful and careful approach to choosing a right machine should be applied. For example, another high-frequency detector such as XP GoldMaxx Power is very effective for detecting both thin-sectioned silver hammereds and small gold coins. And nowadays a true champion in reviving old "searched-out" coin sites and vacuuming them to the last masked coin has become a successor of the XP GoldMaxx Power - the above-mentioned XP Deus. So far, the XP high-frequency metal detectors with high Reactivity (Recovery Speed) have turned out to be the best in recognizing the small coins that are masked by iron nails or "standing on edge".
In 2012, to catch up with new technologies and innovations, the Minelab introduced its new CTX 3030 metal detector. It incorporates a few amazing features and modes that provide excellent Target Separation and VISUAL Target ID. The latter makes the CTX 3030 quiet efficient for detecting coins at hunt sites with a lot of modern junk. This is why the CTX 3030 has already gained popularity in the United States. But the detector's heavy weight and steep price makes it off-limits for people with physical disabilities and low budgets.
Pulse Induction (PI) metal detectors are generally not suitable for coin hunting in the urban areas and homestead sites because they do not have the ability to identify and reject ferrous (iron) trash. Plus, they are heavier than conventional land metal detectors. PI detectors are mostly used in relic hunting and beach/surf/underwater metal detecting.
Necessary Detector's Features, Equipment and Accessories:
• Powerful Discrimination control
• Automatic or Manual Ground Balance, or both (ideal case)
• Auto Tune or S.A.T. (Self Adjusting Threshold), also Auto Tracking plays an important role in metal detector's performance when hunting at the highly mineralized grounds. When a manually tuned metal detector is used on such ground, it can be very frustrating because the control must be adjusted continually to maintain a threshold. Some detectorists set it slightly below the threshold; however, that can result in a reduction in depth as the ground conditions change. Automatic tuning helps keep the metal detector operating at maximum sensitivity without requiring constant adjustments by the operator. It improves the stability, reduces noise, and allows higher Gain settings to be used.
• All Metal mode for recovering the deepest coins at spots that are free of iron junk and scrap metal targets
• Round DD (Double D) search coils of smaller size or elliptical search coils of medium size are preferable. Search coils 11" or 15" in diameter should be used if you have to cover either a large area such as a farm field or the area with the minimum amount of junk. In the class of large search coils, the 15" coils have been proved to be the most effective for coin shooting.
• Headphones are required for being able to hear deep "tiny" signals emitted by older coins, and not to attract attention of passersby or annoy them.
• Digging Tools may range from steel trowels (used on manicured lawns) to full-size treasure hunting shovels made of special steel (Lesche, Fiskars) for digging coins in fields and woods.
• Hand-Held Electronic Probes/Pinpointers are very helpful in finding coins inside dug holes during recovery in sandy or extremely dry soil. You may want to visit "Electronic Pinpointers Reviews" page to look at different brands. Sometimes it is impossible to keep the dirt plug intact and use the Plug-Splitting Technique if the ground is not moist.
• Ground Cloth - a square 50cm x 50cm piece of strong fabric (a regular bandana will do) for piling up the loose dirt from the dug holes while recovering coins on manicured lawns. After the coin is recovered, you simply pour the dirt back into the hole and close it with the dirt plug; thus, leaving no traces of excavation on grass.
• Coin Container is essential for storing coins separately, so they would not scratch each other. A plastic medicine container with cotton balls can be effectively used.
• Magnifying Glass is necessary to determine the dates of coins. This may help you date the hunt site and develop the best search strategy right away.
• Headlamp is good to have when your daylight coin shooting activity is likely to continue into the night hours. Headlamp is the must if you plan to do night hunts.
• Pouch for junk and other items found along with coins, so no trash would be left behind.
• Kneepads are recommended.
• Sturdy Light Gloves will protect your hands from accidental cutting by broken glass, sharp fragments of rusty sheet iron, rusty nails, etc.
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