MORE SALT TRAINING 101 - (From an engineers point of view)
* Yes, there is a huge difference between 'mineralization' and 'salt'. Two entirely different independent entities. I live in Florida.....and there is ONLY 'salt'........and zero minerals. Invoking 'salt' mode on a VLF detector is all that is needed. Bobbing the coil on the wet salt....and rotating the Grnd Balance does absolutely nothing. No audible change of any sort. Yes, it's a double-penalty if you have wet salt AND bad minerals. This is where a PI is needed. Florida is interesting, in so much as having different areas of beach with different % salinity content. MOST of Florida is VERY high in 'salt-in-solution'. Then, there are pockets of beach that contain lower salinity concentration. Temperature of the water is the key as to the allowable volume of salt that will be saturated/suspended in solution. The point here is; the higher the 'salt-in-solution'.......the more UNdetectable the smaller gold items.......................if they were even detectable to begin with.
* Yes, I shall repeat again; Small gold is darn near the identical conductivity as the wet salt.
* The bad news here is; there is no magic-bullet for small gold detection in wet salt conditions. I have had plenty of 'claims' of being able to find small gold in the wet salt with xxx-detector......but, verification yielded differing results. Several times, the person had gold PLATED items that were fairly small...and detectable to formidable depths in the salt. Usually....these items are plated silver or plated copper.
It is my strongest recommendation to hunt the wet salt beaches in all-metal. One of the biggest reasons for.... 'knowing how your detector responds to small gold'........plays a key role as to how & where you can/should hunt. If your detector can only find rings........it is strongly recommended to hunt...? (Salt Training 102) For those VERY serious salt beach hunters, here is a very important tool/tester for your education. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a gold crucifix/cross that is at least as tall as a quarter. You do not need the chain,,,,,, just the cross. It can be 10Kt, yellow or white gold.... and hollow. They usually run around $29 or $39. This will be one of the best $$$ you spend for a educational tool. Tape or glue it to a wooden ruler/paint stick. Keep it there for the rest of your detecting career. Test ANY/ALL detectors in 'salt' mode ONLY! LEARN, LEARN and LEARN! Report your findings.....and what type of crucifix/cross you are using.
These are not my words but words from an engineer who helped design and put together some very good, well known detectors at different companies. Go ahead and try using the AT Pro at wet salt beaches, it will be a learning experience for you. There is plenty of clad and silver to be found at the wet sand beaches and gold jewelry to be found in dry sand where the AT Pro will excel. What you don't know can hurt you. Know your detector.
