My Deus V4 dry beach hunting Tips.

My name is Martin van Hees.
I search with many different metal detectors, on land and dry sand I prefer to use the XP Deus.

I use my detector almost every day and offer a free lost property recovery service.
A few years ago I started my website :https://www.gevonden-verloren.nl/ 
People contact me if they have lost something on the beach or nearby parks.
Now our group has expanded to 29 people in the Netherlands.
By using a great networks of detectorists we have been privileged to search all over the world.

This year alone we have already recovered over 53 wedding rings. But we can only successfully do this by knowing how our metal detectors work.
I truly believe in this modern world of technology most of us don’t learn by reading, you learn by trying, testing and keeping the faith.
Every fail is a lesson, and it brings you to many victory’s.
The XP DEUS is a magnificent machine and can be easily adapted with a little understanding.

My personal record is 7 rings in one Day with the XP Deus.
Not just beach hunting, I have had some great days searching inland for ancient coins and artefacts too.

Before I start to search for lost items on a dry beach there are some things I need to know.

Before I start to detect I need to gather as much information as possible :

• Is detecting permitted in the area.
• What do I hope to find.
• What material am I looking for Gold and Silver is the answer in most cases when beach hunting.
• Where do I search.
• How big or small is the area.
• What are the ground conditions.
• How did the person lose the item.
• When did the person lose the item.
• What machine is best for the job.

Is detecting permitted in the area?
Yes it is, remember to put all the trash you find into a bag and drop it in a garbage can.

What do I need to find?
A lost ring,  (you can notch to filter).

What material am I looking for?
Big Silver, (so we can discriminate out a lot of unwanted targets).
Try to see if you can get a similar ring to compare the sound and see the TID numbers.

Where do I search?
Beach (salty ground).

How big or small is the area?
If the area is big (don’t go on a wide search , go for small plots at a time).

What are the ground conditions?
Beach, salt, lots of iron, foil, caps, pull tabs.
So try to discriminate, use notch and go for the XY screen (will explain later).

When did the person lose the item ?
4 days ago, why is this important you might think.
If the person lost it a long time ago the tide may have moved it, so the search area will be bigger.
It may possibly be deeper in the sand, and trash can be on top of it.

What set up will I use?
On a dry beach with a lot of trash I think the XP Deus is my best option as it has a quick recovery and a lot of features I can use to my advantage.
I will use a ws4 headset for privacy.
To dig I will use my home made beach scoop.
A beach scoop is much easier to use and saves a lot of time.

Let’s set up the Metal detector in program 8 (dry beach)

I will start by using a basic program and will introduce some changes, I will explain why.
When I go on a mission I am always aware of changing ground conditions and sometimes have to change settings regularly.

Most days I start with basic program 8 (dry beach).
Adjustments:

• Reactivity 2 or 2.5 so I can just swing a little faster, I am assuming the object won’t be deep, the Deus should give a solid sound and a confident XY when I go over the target.
• Discrimination 6.8 –  I search a lot with this discrimination setting, it still gives good signals on the higher conductors which are often underneath iron. My personal experience is that when you discriminate too much it is so easy to miss good targets, especially thin Gold Jewellery.
• Frequency 11Khz, this is just a setting I prefer.
• Audio response 2 or sometimes even 3. It is not that it will go deeper, but it is the audio sound level I prefer.
• Sensitivity normally 88 as this will reduce most interference.
• Sounds I use Full Tones, so I can hear all the different targets, most are very close together on a busy beach.
• XY screen ( I love this new addition to V4) it is a oscilloscope display.
  Options, configurations, profile +/- XY more information here  XP classroom.

The big advantage of the XY screen for me is to eliminate bad targets, because I know what target type I am looking for.

I don’t start with notch, but when the ground is heavily contaminated I find it can save a lot of time.
0 to 30 to skip iron, and 65 to 69 to skip pull-tabs BUT!! You can lose small gold by using the Notch so remember it really helps to know what target range you are looking for.

Define the search area

Try to make the job as easy as possible, a grid system is the best method.
I search horizontally and after I cross it vertically.

By using this method you know for sure everything is covered.
If you walk just  walk around with no idea sure you can find it,  but the chances you will miss it are also very high.

How do I divide the grids?
That depends on the place you search.
In some cases it is easy I just make piles of sand around the area to be searched. You can also use flags or markers, I keep them in my car as a part of my kit.

Bingo 45 minutes into my search the lost Silver ring is found, another XP success story.

Martin.