Skippy SH13
Forum Supporter
Hey everyone... been a while since I've posted... been working 15 hour days, and broke up the "fun" with a Cruise Vacation with the family... I left the cruise ship and went to the airport for a business trip right out of Miami. Posting now, from Barcelona, Spain. Sans Detector, sadly!
My first beach trip with the AT Max was rather enlightening... I had two days of detecting, and really wanted to get things figured out. My son had his AT Pro with him, and we both were using RTG Travel scoops.
My first night out (2 hours) resulted in a nickel and 11 pennies, with the AT Max. My son netted over $3 in change, with quarters galore. I clearly was doing something wrong on my settings! The next day, I figured out I had the device too "Chattery" in custom mode (I didn't mind the chatter, but I was missing all the high tones). I swapped out to a lower sensitivity, and started paying attention to the high tones, and sure enough, quarters galore...
The entire second day (4 hours total), I felt like I was doing well, but it was mostly pennies, by the end of the day (change-wise). Totalled up a bit more than $7, and the awesome number of bottle caps and pop tabs. The AT Max really began to shine when I switched it to all-metal mode, though.
I found I could REALLY up the sensitivity on the machine in All-metal mode, with little to no chatter in the dry sand, and very little in the wet. I run the NEL Thunder coil (it's 14.5" in length), and I was pulling a full 6 bars of sensitivity without issues on Miami beach. I could only do 3 with the Custom mode on, as 4 created the chatter problem with the coins. I switched between the modes about every 45 minutes for the day, and definitely preferred the AT Max on All Metal. It is just a TOUCH harder to "hear" the signals in All-metal though, and I had to slow down a bit to ensure a nice signal hit the earphones (running with the Grey Ghost Amphibs). I pulled more than one nickel out of 12"+ sand (three full scoops of depth), and it really blew me away that I could have such solid signals at such depth. Switching to Custom mode... I couldn't hear them... Definitely go with All-Metal, and just turn the threshold down to something managable (I left it at normal, but played with it down to -4, without any issues, though... very little chatter).
I found three rings the second day, all three in all-metal mode, all three just a few inches under the surface, though. TWO of the finds were recoveries.
Ring 1: 14K Men's Wedding ring. This is the picture. I was pulled over to an area by a frantic dude who was telling me he'd just tossed his wedding ring to his wife "about 10 minutes ago," and it missed her fingers, and they lost it. I was more than happy to help, and asked what kind of metal. He told me "white gold" and I got to work. A whopping 5 swings later (was on the far side of where they were searching), and I had the signal. I told them I thought I had it, and went to dig, and his wife said, "WAIT! I WANT THIS ON VIDEO!" So I stood there with a Captain Morgan pose with one foot on the scoop. I couldn't help myself, and said, "it's the first time I've posed with a metal detector." Got a good chuckle. She started the video and scooped the signal, and then ran the scoop over... got it. Handed the scoop to the guy, and let him shake it out. He just about went through the stratosphere with happiness seeing the ring in the bucket. He just kept saying, "Man! You SAVED my marriage!" My phone was back in the hotel room (no wet pouch), and so I begged a photo, which his wife was more than happy to take and send.
Ring #2 showed up about 20 minutes later... just a silver Celtic knot size 9 ring. Definitely silver and stamped 925.
Ring #3 was about 3 minutes after #2. I was walking along, and a young lady walked up telling me her "Pandora silver ring was just lost!" She couldn't find it near her towel. I swung twice for this one, heard the signal, and looked down and saw the ring peeking out of the sand. I pointed to it with my finger, and she literally dropped right beside it, and started digging in the dirt about 6" away. Made me realize how little people can see in sand! I directed her to it, and she pulled out a big Pandora Halo ring out of the sand. Was nice. She thanked me politely, and then promptly ignored me. LOL Didn't get a picture with that one.
Totalled up between $7-$8 in change for 6 hours of work, and three rings. The recoveries were a kick in the pants, and the one guy was so grateful, it made the whole dang trip worth bringing the detector...
Gold #1 for the year, and rings number... uhh.. somewhere around 35... I stopped counting around 22... I still am averaging more than 1 per outing.
Oh... some will ask, "Did you go into the water?" Yep. Spent an hour there... Never found a single signal, though, but I also felt the area was sanded in (my feet sunk). The only thing I had to show for it, was a swimsuit rash-guard full of sand that either was going to chaffe me permanently, or make pearls. I got it out before I could determine which.
Cheers!
My first beach trip with the AT Max was rather enlightening... I had two days of detecting, and really wanted to get things figured out. My son had his AT Pro with him, and we both were using RTG Travel scoops.
My first night out (2 hours) resulted in a nickel and 11 pennies, with the AT Max. My son netted over $3 in change, with quarters galore. I clearly was doing something wrong on my settings! The next day, I figured out I had the device too "Chattery" in custom mode (I didn't mind the chatter, but I was missing all the high tones). I swapped out to a lower sensitivity, and started paying attention to the high tones, and sure enough, quarters galore...
The entire second day (4 hours total), I felt like I was doing well, but it was mostly pennies, by the end of the day (change-wise). Totalled up a bit more than $7, and the awesome number of bottle caps and pop tabs. The AT Max really began to shine when I switched it to all-metal mode, though.
I found I could REALLY up the sensitivity on the machine in All-metal mode, with little to no chatter in the dry sand, and very little in the wet. I run the NEL Thunder coil (it's 14.5" in length), and I was pulling a full 6 bars of sensitivity without issues on Miami beach. I could only do 3 with the Custom mode on, as 4 created the chatter problem with the coins. I switched between the modes about every 45 minutes for the day, and definitely preferred the AT Max on All Metal. It is just a TOUCH harder to "hear" the signals in All-metal though, and I had to slow down a bit to ensure a nice signal hit the earphones (running with the Grey Ghost Amphibs). I pulled more than one nickel out of 12"+ sand (three full scoops of depth), and it really blew me away that I could have such solid signals at such depth. Switching to Custom mode... I couldn't hear them... Definitely go with All-Metal, and just turn the threshold down to something managable (I left it at normal, but played with it down to -4, without any issues, though... very little chatter).
I found three rings the second day, all three in all-metal mode, all three just a few inches under the surface, though. TWO of the finds were recoveries.
Ring 1: 14K Men's Wedding ring. This is the picture. I was pulled over to an area by a frantic dude who was telling me he'd just tossed his wedding ring to his wife "about 10 minutes ago," and it missed her fingers, and they lost it. I was more than happy to help, and asked what kind of metal. He told me "white gold" and I got to work. A whopping 5 swings later (was on the far side of where they were searching), and I had the signal. I told them I thought I had it, and went to dig, and his wife said, "WAIT! I WANT THIS ON VIDEO!" So I stood there with a Captain Morgan pose with one foot on the scoop. I couldn't help myself, and said, "it's the first time I've posed with a metal detector." Got a good chuckle. She started the video and scooped the signal, and then ran the scoop over... got it. Handed the scoop to the guy, and let him shake it out. He just about went through the stratosphere with happiness seeing the ring in the bucket. He just kept saying, "Man! You SAVED my marriage!" My phone was back in the hotel room (no wet pouch), and so I begged a photo, which his wife was more than happy to take and send.
Ring #2 showed up about 20 minutes later... just a silver Celtic knot size 9 ring. Definitely silver and stamped 925.
Ring #3 was about 3 minutes after #2. I was walking along, and a young lady walked up telling me her "Pandora silver ring was just lost!" She couldn't find it near her towel. I swung twice for this one, heard the signal, and looked down and saw the ring peeking out of the sand. I pointed to it with my finger, and she literally dropped right beside it, and started digging in the dirt about 6" away. Made me realize how little people can see in sand! I directed her to it, and she pulled out a big Pandora Halo ring out of the sand. Was nice. She thanked me politely, and then promptly ignored me. LOL Didn't get a picture with that one.
Totalled up between $7-$8 in change for 6 hours of work, and three rings. The recoveries were a kick in the pants, and the one guy was so grateful, it made the whole dang trip worth bringing the detector...
Gold #1 for the year, and rings number... uhh.. somewhere around 35... I stopped counting around 22... I still am averaging more than 1 per outing.
Oh... some will ask, "Did you go into the water?" Yep. Spent an hour there... Never found a single signal, though, but I also felt the area was sanded in (my feet sunk). The only thing I had to show for it, was a swimsuit rash-guard full of sand that either was going to chaffe me permanently, or make pearls. I got it out before I could determine which.
Cheers!
