Garrett Electronics, BFO All Purpose Metal/Mineral Detector with 5 coils on ebay, is it a good starting set? should I look for something else...Ideas? Trying to stay cheap
to go low -- try a tracker IV (4) - low cost --sound type machine * --it has a "meter' but it is fairly useless -- but it has 3 sounds (tones" it makes --low "grunty" sound for iron -- mid tone for aluminum /nickles/gold --and a high tone for copper , clad coins and silver -- its got a 3 position toggle switch -- (#1) all metal mode -- (#2) tone mode and(#3) discrimation mode -- the first setting finds "all metals" and has only one tone (sound )since you not trying to tell the metals apart from one another , the second also finds all metal but knocks out tiny iron items ( like nails and such) larger iron items (say a sword or gun if relic hunting) will still register with a low (iron) sound being made however it is really geared towards the mid and high tones
the discrimation mode is where you set the "ignore" level of your machine --basically you tell it to "ignore" signals below the level you set it at -- you see metal has a "electrical conductivity scale" that runs from low (iron) to high (silver) --its via a metals reaction with the electrical feild made by the detectors coil that a detector "guesses" what metal it has found in the ground - it sorts the strength and type of return it gets and "processes" it and makes a "guess" based upon it "programming" that this "responce"means that this or that has been found -- one must be very careful when using disc mode --set it too high and you run the risk of losing gold --too low and it not very effective at sorting out pulltabs from gold items -- it must be properly balanced to work to best effect.
Great, thanks for your reply - I found a White's 5900/Di Coinmaster for $100 in great shape. It does has discrimination mode and is like new. Any Thoughts?
Thanks again!