Need detector advise

[chipperd]

Ok guys here we go. I had a Garret gti 1500 about ten years ago. I have move to Florida and live close to the beach. I also live near an area that could be "target rich" on land. I am doing my research as to what detector to get. When I go to search at the beach, I will only be in about a foot or two at the deepest in water. Money isn't an issue, just want to get the best detector I can for the areas I'm in. The comparisons I have seen online are very confusing. One youtube video had a Garret 150 get blown away by a Pirat in a field test. I am still leaning with the Garret AT Pro, the Garret GTI 2500 or maybe a Whites. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Glad to be back!!!

 

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[tonyc10k]

chipperd you will come across whites users minelabs users etc. its mainly what your plan to use it for. i personally like minelabs but have read alot about the AT pro or the whites MTX pro. if money is not a issue and you plan to use it more then a hand full of times i would say look into a minelabs CTX3030 its waterproof up to 10 meters or maybe a high end fisher or the at pro. i myself am about to pull the trigger on a minelabs E-trac. would buy a CTX 3030 but i dont have that kinda money.
mainly the detector you need depends on how and where you plan to use it. how many time you plan to use it. there is no since in buying a $1500+ detector and only using it a few times.
if you plan on hunting dirt then might wanna get a pin pointer it makes recovery so so so much better and faster

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hello from White Plains, New York! Sounds like you are looking for a multi-frequency VLF detector like a Minelab Sovereign (Box is not waterproof). The Minelab Excalibur (Completely waterproof), uses Broad Band Spectrum, or “BBS” technology, and retails for about $1,500.00. According to Minelab, their BBS operating system, “simultaneously transmits, receives and analyses a broad band of multiple frequencies to deliver substantial detection depth, high sensitivity and accurate discrimination for a wide range of target types.” The key takeaway here is “multiple frequencies.” Unfortunately, radio waves regardless of their frequency still have to be filtered and balanced in heavily conductive wet-ocean sand and highly mineralized saltwater. That limits the systems depth capabilities.

Single frequency VLF machines (Very Low Frequency), have even more limitations in the harsh saltwater environment. Take for example the Tesoro Lobo Super Traq. This VLF single frequency machine (17.9Khz) is one of the finest and deepest gold nugget finders on the market today. The Lobo Super Traq, is capable of finding BB-sized gold nuggets eight-inches deep in heavily mineralized ground, or a nickel in dry beach sand at 14-inches. Put that same nugget – or even the nickel, seven-inches deep in wet saltwater sand and the Lobo could walk right over it while chattering, or maybe without seeing it at all. Why?

The magnetic iron sands (“Black Sands”), salt, and high concentrations of other minerals in the water and sand conspire to bounce the radio waves away from the target. Conductivity and mineralization act like a shield around the target and create white noise that must be filtered electronically. Think of it as turning on your bright headlights in a heavy fog at night. All that powerful light is diffused and causes a complete white out – you can’t see anything three-feet past the hood of your car! However when you turn on your yellow fog lights, you can see a little further – not as far as you could in clear daylight, but further. That is why all radio wave machines must be “ground balanced” or tuned, to maximize their depth potential, and why BBS filters and multi-frequencies are so effective – yet still limited.

Unlike BBS and VLF metal detectors, which constantly send and receive thousands of low frequency radio waves per second, a Pulse Induction (PI) metal detector fires high-voltage pulses into the sand several hundred times per second. If no metal is present the electric pulse decays at a uniform rate with no anomalies. When metal is present a small “eddy” current flows through it causing the voltage decay time to increase, which creates a measurable anomaly. Unlike VLF radio waves, electronic pulses are impervious to the effects of conductivity and mineralization, and are unaffected by salt or black sands. Big drawback is you cannot discriminate, or block out iron with a PI detector. Good Luck!

 

[Rick60]

Garrett Infinium would be a very good selection, I personally do not like Minetrash the way they are produced and operate the more I have used the 3 that I have owned the more I hate them and Flute music.To me they are overpriced and overrated. Garrett makes a couple of P.I. machines and there service department is second to none. I really like the way P.I.s work they find targets most VLFs miss whether they are multifrequency or have a GPS mounted to the Minetrash deluxe, Whites and Garrett P.I.s are your best bet for the type of detecting you plan on doing, but make sure you have a chance to test your detector before you buy!!

 

[beerbarrel]

Hello chipperd, I agree with Rick60. I using the Infinium at the beach and have great results wading the surf.

beerbarrel

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have been using Minelabs for 5 years here on Florida beaches and have had no problem reaching depths of 14 to 18 inches with my excals and sov gt, I had no problem reaching. 12-14 inches with the stock 10 inch coil before I switched to custom coils on them.

On a clean beach hard to beat a pi unless your using a custom mod on a VLF detector. Problem is finding a clean beach, digging tiny pieces of iron 24 + inches deep is not my idea of fun. If your on a beach with lots of tiny pieces if iron think about it first. As far as minelab tones they have never been a problem for me. I currently own 2 excals, a sov gt and a etrac, have also owned a safari.

I can go anywhere on the beach with my excal from chest deep to dry sand and never dig single piece of iron unless i chose to.