wet sand problems

[allyourbase]

hello all,

was out on the beach this weekend for the very first time and I noticed something with my bounty hunter lonestar that was rather annoying. In the dry sand at the top of the beach everything was great, but if I got into any wet sand the detector would go off all the time. If I bumped the coil against the ground or even just the change in swing direction would set it off.

So what is the secret? Can I tune some level of sensitivity and discrimination to stop this and still find things or is it just a low end detector and will never really do a good job in wet sand. I don't mind getting another detector if thats what it takes! ;-)
thanks,

ayb

 

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[Ocean7]

sounds like it doesn't handle black sand or extremely high mineralization (salt water). Don't think there's any way around this but that's just an educated guess based on experience with high end VLF detectors from 80's that couldn't handle same.

Today I won't buy a detector unless it handles both. If you want to hunt wet sand - you have to get a detector that performs well in this area. Not a bounty hunter expert or user but that's my take.

 

[Lasivian]

I've heard that it takes a Pulse Induction detector to do a good job in salt water sand.

Never tried it tho.

 

[Murph]

I am hardly in a position to be giving any advice with a grand total of two days experience. But I can say that my lowest of low end Bounty hunters gave me acceptable performance on the beach on my first trip. All the sand was wet from two solid days of rain here and I did notice that bumping the coil on the ground would set it off but otherwise it worked well enough to collect a couple dollars of change.

You would think a higher end BH would work as well but who knows. Maybe like ocean said, its the sand itself. I am hunting white sand beaches in FL.

 

[allyourbase]

Ocean7,
it was very easy to see that dry sand worked great and wet[salt water had been there hours before] sand it acted very odd.
will call kellyco and ask if they would expect it to work in this environment.

Lasivian,
I have no idea if my lowly BH is a pulse unit. nothing on kellyco where i bought it indicates it as such. i imagine that if it was they would be hyping it if that is a good thing.

Murph,
This sand is wet from the ocean not from rain, the general concensious seems to be that the salt water makes the difference.

thanks all, for all the help,
ayb

 

[Murph]

Hit the beach again Wens. and with your reply in mind Allyour I worked the swash edge and a few inches of saltwater in tidal pools and waters edge and still am not experiencing the problems you described.

I assume I have the lowest end BH they make, Discovery 1100 that I got gouged for at radio shack. I pretty much have to dig most every hit due to the cheap detector but this seems pretty quick and easy in sand. Some of these tourist actually leave piles of lose change sitting right on the surface making the dig even simpler. There has to be some nice jewelry out there somewhere. Seems like just a matter of time and patience at this point.

 

[coinshooter]

You have a detector that is built for mostly dry sand. My suggestion, get rid of it if you want to do any wet sand stuff, it will just annoy the hell out of you after a while. I have an xlt that does the same thing. I don't hunt the wet sand with it because it's just a pain to deal with. Go to a local dealer and pick out a minelab or I hear the White's MXT if you want to hit the wet sand.
Or better yet, just keep hunting the dry, far away from that wet sand, there's nothing out there anyway except old bottles,flip tabs, lead weights, fish hooks, and dead fish. 8)

 

[lab rat]

If your machine isn't advertized as a PI (Pulse Induction), then it isn't one. These are great in wet sand, but not the only thing that works. Minelab, Fisher, and White's all make multi-frequency detectors that work well in wet sand. These are typically in the $800-$1200 range, and effectively work past the high mineralization (salt and black sand).

As for finding good jewelry, you want to be hunting where the people go. If you are digging change, it will only be a matter of time before you find some real goodies... and these can be up in the dry as well as the wet... Good luck!

 

[dave m]

Get yourself a whites PI machine....this will work perfectly on wet and dry sand...
Wait till the tide is fully out and detect on the waters edge or even further in if you can....this is where the the " good stuff " is...
old bottles, flip tabs, lead weights, fish hooks and dead fish maybe...but thats where the gold rings and jewelry are !!! that is a certainty....just give it a go..you will not be disappointed .........

 

[Gretchen]

Hi,
I am using a Radio Shack Discovery 1000 (Bounty Hunter) a swap meet $10.00 special. I am using it in fresh water lakes up to the control panel. On the beaches I go back and forth from dry sand, wet sand and in the water with no problems. It is fast - I love the meter - no whistles and bells - just basic and positive. I have found lots of coins including silver, couple hundred bottles,
sinkers, spark plugs (old), brass lipsticks and belt buckles, marbles, cans, brass, some jewelry and plenty of corroded memorial cents. As the lake levels go down because of the drought here in the San Bernardino Mountains many of these items are just being exposed on the beaches. Some of the areas I am exploring including some playgrounds and parks I am the only one metal detecting so if I miss some items the first time because I don't have one of those expensive detectors I pick them up the next few times around. Gretchen.

 

[Lowbatts]

Way to go Gretchen! That's making a machine pay for itself the fast way. My lowly old Fisher 1235X is my big change collector, no fancy stuff on that unit either. It's just a money and gold magnet in the playgrounds. But when I hit the dirt or the water, I do trade up to my CZ's. Not to demean the RS/BH models, but they do not cut it in the hunt for deep oldies. That's where the bells and whistles come in handy. What's good about your hunting style is you are using the machine to it's strengths in the places where it's most effective. Too often people work their machines where they are weak, and their results demonstrate as much. Their desire wains and the unit goes up for sale for $10 or so. Good to see the right perosn got that unit! Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[abrakdabra]

I know nothing about beach hunting except what I've read here. I've had two detectors so far, a Bounty Hunter Lonestar which I worked hard in the bush over hill and dale for two months. Then I got a Fisher 1270 which doesn't compare with the Lonestar. It's in a completely different league. It has way more power. And passing over the diggings there's no doubt whatsoever, bam! With the Lonestar passing over diggings it seemed to take forever. And swinging through the woods it just has way more locating power. It's a serious detector. The Lonestar, swinging it in the woods, beeped annoyingly. It started doing this just a little when new but grew to be a 'beepaholic' the more it knocked against brush. Hit something swinging, 'beep'.
I've been to the beach once, swinging over dry sand, with the Lonestar, and quickly vacated the premises. It was beepaholicing again. Hooked up by headphones to that mad machine got on my nerves, and when a passerby started approaching me with a look like he wanted to ask if I'd found anything I irritably waved him off and scooted off myself. My Lonestarring experience at the beach over dry sand lasted five fruitless minutes. I felt like Jerry Lewis in 'the nutty professor'.

 

[allyourbase]

Well I have not had those types of problems in woods or dry sand but I will say that I am in the market for a new detector because of the wet sand problems. I will still use the BH or my son can use it if he wants.

I am thinking about the Fisher Coin$trike, it seems to have all the new bells and whistles as well as the wet/mineralized sand settings that will allow me to hunt the beaches of Maine and New Hampshire where I live.

What is the net wisdom on this model, any pro/con is appreciated.

Thanks
ayb

 

[Raoul]

For wet sand you cant beat the minelab detectors with their BBS technolagy i used to have the sovereign, you could even detect in the water as long as you did not get the box wet and it would run dead quiet with no false signals. Raoul

 

[JohninCT]

You want to run good and find the deeper items, then use the Minelabs, Fishers or Whites detectors. There are some others out their also, but keep in mind that a really good detector retails for in the $500 range and up. Gretchen, you may be doing alright with the $10 special, but you probably would have twice as much stuff with a better detector, and gold does tend to sink deeper than coins do. Better off with a decent detector as you won't have too much longer before conditions change on this lake..With something like the Sovereigns which can be had used for about $400, you can pick up rings at 10", no way are you doing that with what you are using. For those on salt beaches, in salt water, you have no effect with the falsing you get from cheap detectors. You get what you pay for when it comes to detectors, don't hurt your chances with cheap detectors. Pulse detectors are fine except you will have no discrimination and if you get on a trash beach, you will dig way too much junk and wear yourself out. Hope that helps some of you. I been water hunting for over 30 years. And yes, sometimes there are diamond rings out in the water. Not common, but you put in the time and you will find them. Good huntin.

 

[southern gent]

I love my minelab. I found a ring at almost 18" at Myrtle beach, and never looked back. I do use a pulse machine for the surf. But, if I had the money it would be minelab in the surf too. The Th'ing scene has changed dramatically in the last ten years. More treasure is being found than ever before. Not just because of minelab, of course, but because all the major detector companies have made massive leaps in development. Good for all,but it brings more junk detectors to the fray as well. For the beginer most people say get a cheap machine and see if you like it. I say pay for the mid range detector from the start and if you don't like it put it on ebay. Nothing worse than trying to learn on bad equiptment I think. Well, good luck to all!! C ya. HH!!