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A couple of questions from a newbie :)

NJdiverTony

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
49
Location
Hunterdon County, NJ, USA
Hey all! So, I'm new to detecting and have been out a couple of times with my new Equinox 600 already. Haven't found much besides some modern clad (1970's and newer) and a bunch of junk and I'm taking my time learning the machine. I've got a couple of questions for you experienced guys...

I've been out during the last couple of weeks and we've had some snow here in NJ, that is still melting. The ground was pretty saturated. With the few coins that I found, I noticed that my eq600 was showing me the coins being at 6", 8" and even 10" inches in depth... When I dug a nice deep plug with my shovel, I found that the coins were really only 2" to 4" deep at most. Is there something wrong with the machine or is because of the very wet soil, throwing the readings off?

Also, I've read in other posts about how you can tell the size of an object by pulling your coil up off the ground... but I'm not sure I understand how this works or what it tells you? Would anyone be kind enough to provide an explanation on how/when/why to use this technique and how it helps you?

Thanks in advance for any help y'all can provide!
 
Unfortunately the Equinox depth meter just sucks IMHO.

You can judge the size or depth of a target by sweeping it and lifting your coil off the ground at the same time. If you're still getting a strong signal with the coil several inches off the ground, its most likely a large target or something right on the surface. The reason it works is because larger targets can be detected at further distances than smaller ones of the same conductivity. If you're looking for small targets like coins, you can use this method to avoid digging large junk like soda cans or other trash near the surface. After a while you can usually judge the size or depth based on the sound at ground level.. Its a little more difficult on detectors that lack modulation/overload like the Equinox, but in time you'll still be able to tell the difference.
 
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You also have to take into account how high the coil is from the actual top of the soil. You will usually have a layer of sod etc. between the coil and the dirt and you will also be holding the coil a certain distance above the sod. So if the target is 5 inches deep but the coil is actually 2 inches above the dirt, then the depth gauge should have read 7 inches.
 
When I have one of those I first check the target area with my PinPointer to make sure the target isn't lying right on top giving me oddball signals.
 
I always check my signal first by pin pointing with my detector and them try to locate the spot with my AT carrot before I dig my plug. Most of the time this works great and I am pretty much dead on to dig my plug. Saves time and digging large plug holes.
 
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