Jamie:
I had my first real hunt for the season today. I still have frozen ground 2” down in some of my spots.
The small public boat landing in my town has a grass “infield” area. I first hunted it last season. Several quick 30 minute hunts.
Very full of trash! Lots of people like to park and look across at the town.
Also great view of the fireworks when the Bay festival shoots them off every year.
I don’t know how I missed so many coins. I still have only concentrated on the fringe areas beside the pavement. I literally hit the same spots as last fall. Probably a dozen coins in 20 minutes. Very easy to pinpoint with the small coil. Targets were a solid lock on everything I dug. The few pieces of canslaw I dug were solid at 17.
I got a 17-18 number very shallow. Of course I needed to get the trash out, so I dug it up. Very damaged zippo lighter. My second ever. It will get sent in to be repaired.
I am not sure I will use my other machines this season. This thing is very fun and light. Very much worth the under 200 I spent on it.
btw, I didn’t plan on my gloves matching the machine....just a happy coincidence
The response from you and Andrew, combined with my selection and experience, are kind of interesting. I bought the top-end Vanquish 540 Pro Pack, to have all available adjustment features of this series and I liked both search coils. I quickly noted a design glitch that you can work around, and was impressed enough with the detector and both coils that I not only made this more featured model a keeper in my Outfit, but bought a 2nd new 540 Pro Pack just to keep both coils mounted and read-to-use.
The 540 offers three factory modes plus a Custom mode to 'save' my preferences. Full Volume and Sensitivity control, and a 5-Tone audio ID. Other features, too, but it has a Pinpoint mode that works very well.
Andrew also purchased the top-end 540 and put it to use, and confirms that the Vanquish can make a very good urban Coin Hunting model. However, compared with the other models in his inventory, and sites he typically hunts, it didn't make the cut for him and he let it go.
Then we note your decision to purchase the V-340, which is the lower-cost unit in the series. It has the same configuration and shares the same coils, but comes standard with sort of a middle-size coil of the three offered. It is a basic, 'turn-on-and-go' Target ID detector with a similar VDI response, and features a simple 3-Tone audio ID. You have two default search modes to select, and full Volume and Sensitivity control. But that unit lacks any additional features and it also lacks a Threshold-based Pinpointing mode.
Yet you report that you've spent a few detecting trips to some places you've hunted a lot before and found coins that were missed, and that the V-340 is working so well, you concluded with:
"I am not sure I will use my other machines this season. " Now, that says a lot, especially when you closed with:
"This thing is very fun and light. Very much worth the under 200 I spent on it." I enjoy the Vanquish's very light and comfortable balance and feel, and the best part, and what I totally agree with, is the unit is 'fun.' That's why we enjoy this great sport, to have 'fun.'
Kind of what we might expect from any make or model, some will like it and others won't, and some fit certain applications but might fall short for other needs. Thanks for responding to my question.
Monte
"Your EYES ... the only 100% accurate form of Discrimination!"
Stinkwater Wells Trading Post
Metal Detector Evaluations and Product Reviews monte@ahrps.org ... or ... monte@stinkwaterwells.com 503-481-8147Detector Outfit: A selection of my favorite makes and models, with the best coils mounted, for the tasks I'll take on.Pinpointers: Pulse-Dive & ProPointer AT .. Headphones: 'Hornet' & 'Wasp' .. MS-3 Z-Lynk .. ML-80 .. N/M Green edition*** All working well today to make memories for tomorrow. ***