BH300 batteries-

[deadringer]

anyone used rechargeable batteries in a BH3300? it says specifically not to use them, but i want to get radio shack rechargeables- 9V's are expensive!

 

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[Monty]

Never tried them but I can see why you would want them. My 3300 is a real battery pig and others have complained of the same problem. About 5 hours is about the longest I have been able to run my 3300 on regular alkalie batteries, usually gets to showing low at 4 hours. As a comparison, my ACE 250 and my GTI" 2500 will run for about 11 hours on the AA batteries. Of course the 2500 uses 8 batteries. Monty

 

[deadringer]

yeah im really going through them, also my battery clip got caught on a battery while i was changing them and snapped off, im thinking about getting an ace 250, everyone on this site raves about them, the BH is really cheaply made, but its very easy to use. im not sure it has the depth im looking for though, i have only found clad so far. ALOT of clad and iron junk

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

yeah im really going through them, also my battery clip got caught on a battery while i was changing them and snapped off, im thinking about getting an ace 250, everyone on this site raves about them, the BH is really cheaply made, but its very easy to use. im not sure it has the depth im looking for though, i have only found clad so far. ALOT of clad and iron junk

Have no fear dead ringer. I too use the 3300. The speaker is what hogs the juice from the batteries. Using a set of headphones reduces battery consumption. The samll speakers in the headphones require very little current to activate them. To further the savings you can use a mono adapter and only one headphone. I use the same set of batteries every single day of the week. I can hunt 15-20 hours using my mp3 player headphones. No voume control though. You have to back them outta yer ears a bit, but, they work. It needs a bit longer cord too. The BH 3300 detects silver. I have dug 7 silver coins the last couple of month. One from a schoolyard and one from the woods. My area has only been built up since the 50s. 5 of those 7 silver came from my yard alone.

As many times as I have scoured that yard I only get a silver occasionally. I too am thinking of getting the ace250. GL.

Laater...

 

[Sandman]

The Ace is hot right now because it is a low priced good detector that suits a lot of hunters requirements. But for a little more $$$, you can do even better. Tesoro's get good running time on batteries. The Fisher 1280 seems to run forever on 8 AA alkalie batteries, but it is a water detector that has no pinpoint to help in the grass, besides it is built like a tank and heavy.

Many detectors will not run correctly on the rechargables and manufactures warn against them. Some of the Tesoro's run a long time on one 9 Volt.

We just have to adjust. It's better now, I remember all them C or D batteries we had to carry.

 

[Monty]

I think I'm doing OK with the 3300 but when I go back with my ACE 250 I am seeing what I have missed. I think the 3300 is really a pretty good coin shooter but I was using it today in some pea gravel at a playground and it dawned on me that I haven't found any silver with it. Not even a lost earring, etc. Now I don't know if it's coincidence or if it's the difference in the two detectors? But for the $119.00 including tax I paid for the 3300 it is definately worth that. But I must agree it is a battery hog even with headphones when I use it. My earpphones have a sterio and mono setting but I haven't used it on mono. In fact it won't work on mono on the ACE. Just my observations after a bit of experience under my belt with both detectors. The Tesore, I don't know, but a lot of people have switched to it lately and I have noticed several were former Fisher users. Another coincidence? I don't know but Tesoro seems to have a real good reputation. Although I have a couple of Garrett detectors I am not opposed to experimenting with another brand. Monty

 

[deadringer]

The Tesoro is another detector that has caught my eye, mainly for the lifetime warranty and how people rave about the service. I feel bad upgrading so soon because my parents bought the 3300 for me for xmas and the didnt know about the deal, they are currently fighting with radioshack about the 200 dollar difference, especially when i went to the store they bought it from and they still had one in stock. looks like the sales guy was trying to make some extra commission. I would love for them to get all their money back and i can upgrade to a better quality detector for the money. Otherwise i intend on getting the most of this detector.

 

[Monty]

My cousin got a 3300 with the BH logo on it from Kellyco for Christmas. His wife paid around $300.00 for it and she says she was told it was nearly identical to the BH Land Ranger. Believe me it isn't! Meanwhile Radio Shack still had the same detector for $119.00. I think she got screwed on the price and I urged them to file a claim under Kellyco's 120% ad for anyone with a lower price. They haven't yet. Monty

 

[diggummup]

I use a 3300,the only problem I have with it is,it's no good for the saltwater beaches in wet sand,won't ground balance there.You have to reduce sensitivity all the way down and it still gives off ghost signals which are erratic if the sensitivity is too high,i've learned to live with it for now and distinguish what signals are "real" and which aren't.I blamed it on the batteries at first,but it wasn't.I use headphones with mine and the batteries last 12-16 hours in my experience.I have found both gold and silver jewelry with mine.Small earrings to be exact,plus a diamond tennis bracelet.I've had no problems on "dry" land.

 

[deadringer]

yeah, im really happy with it's performance, but i do find it to be cheaply made( i broke a battery clip already) and definitely not what i would have chosen for $300

 

[Merf]

I got my 3300 for $96 six months ago and [with headphones] am getting between 15 and 20 hours out of each set of Ray o Vac alkaline batteries. I have found a lot of silver a other old coins with it and for the money [$96] it cant be beat.
www.metaldetectorrweviews.com was rating it a little better than the Ace 250 the last time I checked.
It is a cheapo detector but it will find coins.

 

[deadringer]

Thanks for rubbing it in-

 

[Merf]

My mistake- the site is metaldetectorreviews.net

 

[Monty]

Well, I'm no pro, but I have both the ACE and the 3300 and I would rate the ACE far above the 3300. This isn't from any textbook test it is actual use in the field. If I just want to kill some time coin shooting at a playground or to evaluate a target of opportunity, I keep the 3300 handy. If the area looks promising from the surface and shallow targets I hit with the 3300, I will go back with the ACE and continue to find targets I have missed with the 3300. If the ACE had adjustable ground balance and/or a salt elimination setting I would never have to buy another detector.
Speaking of ground balance, I still have a terrible time trying to manually ground balance the 3300. Following the manual instructions sometimes it works but often I work at it until I give up and go with the default setting. Thank goodness I have a pretty stable soil condition around here except for some slag here and there. Monty

 

[deadringer]

yep, i notice the same thing. if the soil is stable the 3300 gives me no issues.. but any irregularities and its all over the map. The default setting is really the only setting i have been successful at using. luckily the ground here is pretty stable for the most part as well. I think im going to just save up and buy a 250.. then i can take someone hunting with me.

 

[diggummup]

I guess we can all agree on the ground balance with it then.The only good is the preset mode it seems.

 

[Merf]

The ground balance is very easy to regulate. If you start getting a lot of falsing or beeping just turn the ground balance knob a little bit at a time counterclockwise until the extra beeps stop. The way I hunt with mine is to set the sensitivity to the max and then adjust the ground balance until I just get a few extra beeps.
Once you get the hang of it it is a breeze. I found a Mercury dime yesterday and a Barber quarter today in an area that has been pounded for years. Good hunting and I hope this helps.

 

[Monty]

I'll have to try that method of gb. It certainly seldom works as described in the manual. Monty

 

[Merf]

Here is a tip on pinpointing with the 3300.
Say you find a target and push the pinpoint button and you get no sound.
This can happen on very deep targets or on surface canslaw.
All you need to do is raise the coil an inch or two off the ground, push the pinpoint button again and lower your coil back down to the ground. The higher the coil is off the ground when you push the pinpoint button the louder the signal becomes when you lower it. Good hunting and I hope this helps.

 

[deadringer]

thats a good tip, ive noticed a few things about pressing the pinpoint button twice, couldnt figure it out.. thanks!