First metal detector?

[justajester]

Hey y'all, im a new resident to the beaches of south Texas, corpus Christi, and looking to get into metal detecting. I've been reading on this forum and a few others, trying to get some advice but it all seems a bit confusing. I was looking at a tesoro silver umax as my first detector probably but, im not sure how well it will work on the beaches here. I've read that if you are going after rings and jewelery you need a detector that will do well in wet sand and what not. I've also seen people detecting in the actual water. I'm not sure the tesoro is appropriate for either task but it seems some people are using it this way. What do you guys think? If not the tesoro, what detector would suit this purpose in a semi budget price range. I dont want to miss treasure but I also dont have a grand to spend. I'm thinking under 500 would be ideal. Any thoughts?

 

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[bigscoop]

Justajester,
The first thing you have to realize is that metal detecting is just like any other hobby, "it's going to take hours and hours and weeks and weeks and months and months of putting in the time before you start to understand even a fraction of what there is to learn. I'm not saying this to discourage you, just don't want you to think that all you have to do is to buy a machine and then spend a few hours with it. You have to remember that Terry and guys like him have been doing this for years over end and you are getting some very sound suggestions, just don't believe that it's going to come easy because regardless what machine you chose it's going to take a lot of time before you learn enough to feel confident and comfortable in the hobby. But if you'll endure that first full year the rewards can certainly be worth the time invested. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

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[locater]

yeah that's why I liked the sound of tesoro. Simple, effective. So if I purchased a umax for dry land, is there a good machine in the 400-500 dollar range that would be good for wet/salt only? I'd say I could pick a specific spot to hunt but I want to have the ability to hunt anywhere whether it's a park, beach, water or land...so that's where im having the problem finding the best solution here

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To be perfectly honest, that is where the multi frequency machines shine. They are VLF and have the ability to discriminate any unwanted metals, but work well in salt conditions. If you were to get a used Soverign or Safari, you could hunt most any areas except submerged with ONE machine. Kind of the best of both worlds.

 

[justajester]

So now I've been looking at the pi machines, sandshark, im a bit confused. I see people saying they may not work as well on dry land. Is this true and what would be the reason for that? The sand shark seems like an interesting machine but I dont fully understand what im gaining and losing in a PI machine.

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[SoCalBeachScanner]

So now I've been looking at the pi machines, sandshark, im a bit confused. I see people saying they may not work as well on dry land. Is this true and what would be the reason for that? The sand shark seems like an interesting machine but I dont fully understand what im gaining and losing in a PI machine.

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Maybe you should quit listening to all the chatter and do some homework so you can understand how and why a metal detector works.

Then decide what works for you.

 

[R.Danneskjold]

double post

 

[R.Danneskjold]

So now I've been looking at the pi machines, sandshark, im a bit confused. I see people saying they may not work as well on dry land. Is this true and what would be the reason for that? The sand shark seems like an interesting machine but I dont fully understand what im gaining and losing in a PI machine.

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A PI will hit on ANY metal.....so you wont miss much but you will dig lots of trash! A VLF will help discriminate metals cutting out rusty iron etc but you may miss a few good ones along the way.

 

[locater]

PI machines don't work as well on land because they can't discriminate unwanted metals as VLF machines can. Iron for example. If you go to a park location, loaded with trash, you would be digging up tons of trash with a PI machine. A VLF machine allows you to discriminate out any variety of metal you wish. The better machines have better levels of discriminating. One of the "bells and whistles" you mentioned earlier.

PI machines work well in water, they go deep and there is usually less trash to worry about, but they sound off on all of it.

 

[justajester]

Well if im on the beach where digging is easy, im not sure I mind digging trash. But, will it detect as well in dry land as a vlf?

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[R.Danneskjold]

Well if im on the beach where digging is easy, im not sure I mind digging trash. But, will it detect as well in dry land as a vlf?

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By "detect" meaning depth.....it will probably be deeper......the ONLY downfall to a PI is digging trash......

 

[locater]

So now I've been looking at the pi machines, sandshark, im a bit confused. I see people saying they may not work as well on dry land. Is this true and what would be the reason for that? The sand shark seems like an interesting machine but I dont fully understand what im gaining and losing in a PI machine.

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I strongly suggest you go to a site such as Kellyco or a manufacturers site and use their information on types of detectors, coils, and technologies. Learn the what they do. Only then can YOU make an informed decision. Right now you seem to be spinning your wheels. Good Luck.

 

[R.Danneskjold]

A PI digs it all and goes deep. a VLF discriminates but you may miss stuff. Thats what it comes down to. Research and use make it all easier to grasp....

 

[justajester]

I have been researching but there is alot of info out there and it is a little confusing. Everyone seems to have good and bad opinions on everything. I'm just trying to clarify and pin down what makes the most sense for me. I'm just fixing to make a large investment on my first detector and im nervous about buying the wrong one I guess.

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[Terry Soloman]

Relax, take a breath, make a purchase, find some booty!

 

[justajester]

Haha...good answer terry...im thinking of buying a tesoro silver umax and a sand shark and having my roommate tag team the beach with me. He has always wanted to get into metal detecting too...so maybe that's the answer. I see sand sharks going around 420ish and umax for 250...i think I can swing that

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[Sir Gala Clad]

Justajester:
As you are starting out, you should stick to the dry sand on the beaches as that is where it is easiest to learn and refine the skills that you will need to be successful.

If it rains a lot where you will be hunting and/or there is salt mist in the air. I would not purchase any detector unless it was waterproof, this way you do not have to worry about it getting wet, or frying it if you drop it in the water and you can easily clean it off under a beach or home shower/garden hose (gently).
From what I have read about where you will be hunting, there is a lot of iron in the water and on Gulf beaches. So you will need a detector with discrimination, unless you are willing to dig everything (not wise – if you are starting out).

I am surprised that no one has recommended the Garret AT Pro. It is your price range, easy to learn and use, is light for dry sand hunting (where you should start out at) is waterproof to ten feet, and is flexible (supports different coil sizes and headphones) which is great as you can use a small coil for trashy areas or a larger coil to cover more area on clean beaches in a given hunt. From everything that I have read, it is a great detector.
If you watch Metal Detecting in Hawaii, you can see Pat and an associate hunt with the AT Pro on Dry Sand, on Wet sand and in the Water (I was surprised to see him water hunt, with success – finding gold and silver jewelry. Including coins) as there is a lot of black sand, hot rocks, and mineralized sand in Hawaii, which most metal detectors cannot handle. Hopefully Looking Down who hunts Florida with an At Pro will chime in on this.
Even if Pat had to turn the sensitivity way down, sacrificing depth, I would still recommend this detector as you should be able to later purchase a Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II PI which works well in salt water, and also supports multiple coils and head phones. You could even use the same head phone (recommend Grey Ghost Amphibian which lets you control the volume – easier on the ears).

Another alternative would be to purchase a used Fisher CZ21 multifrequecy detector. It has discrimination, is waterproof, built like a tank and is not as expensive as a used Minelab Excalibur. It is hard wired like the Excalibur, on either detector I would prefer the smaller coil as they are easier to pin point with and have less drag in the water. I started off with an Excalibur with the ten inch DD coil. It took quite a while before I was able to effectively retrieve targets with it in the water.

The Tesoro sand shark (PI) detector is a good detector for shallow water hunting and wet sand.
The Tesoro tiger shark (VLF) detector is very sensitive to small gold.
However, I would not buy a used Tesoro metal detector as the lifetime warranty is not transferrable.
I hope the above helps; your progression should be Dry Sand first, and then Wet Sand at salt water beaches, then Shallow Water /diving.

Hey y'all, im a new resident to the beaches of south Texas, corpus Christi, and looking to get into metal detecting. I've been reading on this forum and a few others, trying to get some advice but it all seems a bit confusing. I was looking at a tesoro silver umax as my first detector probably but, im not sure how well it will work on the beaches here. I've read that if you are going after rings and jewelery you need a detector that will do well in wet sand and what not. I've also seen people detecting in the actual water. I'm not sure the tesoro is appropriate for either task but it seems some people are using it this way. What do you guys think? If not the tesoro, what detector would suit this purpose in a semi budget price range. I dont want to miss treasure but I also dont have a grand to spend. I'm thinking under 500 would be ideal. Any thoughts?

 

[SocalJim]

Lots of great info here. Whichever machine your considering a simple search on this site and others will bring up all of the pro's and cons of each. I've never seen anyone use a PI machine here in California on the dry sand. I'd go with a VLF machine in the 300 -400 dollar range for the beach an Ace 350,Fisher F4 or a Tesoro Cibola Some thing with one of the larger coils which helps a lot on the dry sand you want to cover as much ground as possible with each swing. I'd seriously consider buying used though there are a couple of older Minelab Sovereigns on E-bay now for less than 500. The old ones work as well if not better than the new ones and if your going to hunt the beach exclusively it's probably the best choice and if you decide detecting isn't your thing you can recoup most or all of your money. Good Luck

 

[sponge]

You better hurry up theres a gold storm coming. And its a cat. 5. Goldnato warning has been issued. Sand Shark is a good starter. Get u digging alot while teaching u the beach. It can identify heavy target areas. Those areas can be the sweet spots. Someday I will upgrade but for now still getting lessons from the shark. Good luck.

 

[Fletch88]

You better hurry up theres a gold storm coming. And its a cat. 5. Goldnato warning has been issued. Sand Shark is a good starter. Get u digging alot while teaching u the beach. It can identify heavy target areas. Those areas can be the sweet spots. Someday I will upgrade but for now still getting lessons from the shark. Good luck.

Bring on that Goldnatocain. This sand is still thick!

 

[justajester]

ahhh a goldnato and here me with no gold survival gear. One last question guys. Would it be worth my while to consider some older detectors? I saw a whites coinmaster 6000di and Garrett sea hunter XL500 selling locally for a couple hundred bucks. Anyone got any other suggestions for older machines that might be worthwhile?

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[S.S.Tupperware]

I found a BHID used for 400 like new, I'm really liking it, after the 4th I get tired of diggin sparklers with the DF... Whites will repair any machine, so used is a good option.