MXT or Quattro for the beach?

YumaMarc

Sr. Member
Dec 12, 2004
493
667
Detector(s) used
White's MXT
Minelab Quattro
Fisher F2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I plan a trip to the north coast of Honduras relatively soon, and I'm needing some advice from those more experienced in beach searching. I have a White's MXT, the original, not the Pro, and a Minelab Quattro, before it morphed into the Safari. I considered buying a dedicated beach machine, but I know it will not get much use and I can't justify the cost. Also, I can't find anyone who will ship one down here at any price, so the above two are my only options.

I've never searched the beach before, but I've heard the MXT can handle the salt if it's in the correct setup, and the Quattro, with it's FBS, can also. But then again, I've heard others say that no VLF can effectively hunt in wet salt sand. Any info is appreciated.
 

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Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Its true what you heard about the wet salt sand. VLF's can hunt the wet sand but only with reduced sens and even then you will be second guessing false signals. You only need one nice find to pay for the detector. Order a Excal II or CZ-21 or a PI like a Sand Shark.

Good Luck, :hello:
Sandman
 

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YumaMarc

YumaMarc

Sr. Member
Dec 12, 2004
493
667
Detector(s) used
White's MXT
Minelab Quattro
Fisher F2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Its true what you heard about the wet salt sand. VLF's can hunt the wet sand but only with reduced sens and even then you will be second guessing false signals. You only need one nice find to pay for the detector. Order a Excal II or CZ-21 or a PI like a Sand Shark. Good Luck, :hello: Sandman
+ Thanks for your reply, and for the info. As far as ordering one, I looked very closely at the Sand Shark, but I would have to fly to the US to pick it up. That changes the cost considerably.
 

gunsil

Silver Member
Dec 27, 2012
3,863
6,204
lower hudson valley, N.Y.
Detector(s) used
safari, ATPro, infinium, old Garrett BFO, Excal, Nox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Excal is a VLF BBS, your Quattro is VLF FBS and will work well in the salt sand. It is only the single frequency VLFs that don't perform well in the wet salt, the Minelab multi frequency machines all do well there. The Excal is waterproof so you don't have to worry about dropping it in the water, but the Quattro will do just fine as long as you don't get any water in it. Many beach hunters use the Minelab Sovereign which is also VLF BBS for the wet salt sand. Good luck, and let us see what you come up with down there!!
 

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