Night vision for metal detecting.

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Minelab Matt

Hero Member
Oct 19, 2014
548
603
S.Wales UK
Detector(s) used
Minelab X-Terra Pro
Deteknix Pi Pinpointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I just hunt in complete darkness on the beach....just turn my headlight on when i wanna see what's in the scoop.

Don't leave it on all the time, attracts to much attention.

Night vision?

Navy seal style - I like it!
 

BLK HOLE

Silver Member
Aug 3, 2017
4,725
6,501
Northern Virginia
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
AT MAX/AT PRO/GPX-4500, Equinox 800, Garrett Pro Pointer,NEL Attack Coil, Lesche diggers, and the custom made in the USA Freeloader Pack Mule Pouch!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think you will find Night Vision pretty expensive, I go with a headlamp that has a red light so I don't ruin my night vision.
 

OP
OP
vince76

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I just hunt in complete darkness on the beach....just turn my headlight on when i wanna see what's in the scoop.

Don't leave it on all the time, attracts to much attention.

Night vision?

Navy seal style - I like it!

I have tried searching without light but after a while I get bored. With the light doesn't work for me. The people notice the light but they they don't dare asking what am I doing but just stand there gazing at me! :dontknow:
 

OP
OP
vince76

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I think you will find Night Vision pretty expensive, I go with a headlamp that has a red light so I don't ruin my night vision.

I haven't tried the red light. I have to. Is it less attractive?
 

BLK HOLE

Silver Member
Aug 3, 2017
4,725
6,501
Northern Virginia
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
AT MAX/AT PRO/GPX-4500, Equinox 800, Garrett Pro Pointer,NEL Attack Coil, Lesche diggers, and the custom made in the USA Freeloader Pack Mule Pouch!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I haven't tried the red light. I have to. Is it less attractive?

Well I don’t know about attractive but I have used red light for night adaptation and during many watches at sea to maintain night vision.
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,500
139,012
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
There's different versions of quality, buddy lent me ones that worked off basically starlight. Going out under the city lights was blinding. Now this going back in yje mid 90's and I'm sure the quality has to be better. Military surplus is an option for getting a pair as he did.
 

Peyton Manning

Gold Member
Dec 19, 2012
14,536
18,687
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
MXT-PRO
Sandshark
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
sunscreen, trust me on the sunscreen
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,714
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a night vision device, a decent unit. My neighbor got it for me. I use it to see monsters in the woods outside at night from inside the house! I don't night hunt, I'm too big a chicken for it. Thing works very well. Any ambient light will have the landscape going green. You'd still need a real light for the relic or coin recovery.
 

mendoAu

Sr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
349
603
SW Oregon
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I saw a program, I think on Discovery Channel, where a guy, I think in Africa, used an image using infrared radiation camera very soon after dark that would spot metal objects that remained hotter from the heat of the sun than the surrounding ground for awhile. On a drone and then pinpointed the objects with a metal detector. Makes sense and seemed to work.
 

Rookster

Gold Member
Nov 24, 2013
29,382
111,597
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, F75Ltd., AT PRO, Garrett pointer
Primary Interest:
Cache Hunting
The Good Lord gave us the option. Day or night. I'll stay with day. That way I can mow the grass at night.:thumb_up:
 

Geobound

Hero Member
Feb 21, 2017
614
867
Ontario
Detector(s) used
XP Deus (2019)
Fisher CZ-21 (2019)
CTX 3030 (April 2017)
AT Pro
Garrett Carrot
Pro Pointer
Stavr Scoop Moonstrik 6
Stealth 720i (BNIB)
Home made beach scoop
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a pair of quality night vision glasses, and I can say they are definitely not for metal detecting.

It's not that you can't see the ground, but they cause a weird sense of vertigo........or at least something similar to that.

You would also constantly be focusing them if you want to look at something close on the ground, versus something a few feet away.

Not only that, but they are surprisingly heavy. The weight of them to carry around in your hand isn't bad, but strap it to your head and you will know what I mean.

I would either go with red flashlight as suggested or an LED flashlight, but look from something (if possible) in the 2700 degree kelvin to 3000 degree kelvin range.

Anything higher than that, and it will look like a blue light out in the middle of a dark field.

If somebody approaches you at night and asks what you are doing, tell them you are looking for a shallow grave and would they mind helping............they don't stay long. :laughing7:
 

OP
OP
vince76

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a pair of quality night vision glasses, and I can say they are definitely not for metal detecting.

It's not that you can't see the ground, but they cause a weird sense of vertigo........or at least something similar to that.

You would also constantly be focusing them if you want to look at something close on the ground, versus something a few feet away.

Not only that, but they are surprisingly heavy. The weight of them to carry around in your hand isn't bad, but strap it to your head and you will know what I mean.

I would either go with red flashlight as suggested or an LED flashlight, but look from something (if possible) in the 2700 degree kelvin to 3000 degree kelvin range.

Anything higher than that, and it will look like a blue light out in the middle of a dark field.

If somebody approaches you at night and asks what you are doing, tell them you are looking for a shallow grave and would they mind helping............they don't stay long. :laughing7:

Thanks John for making me laugh, funny idea to keep the people away.
You're right on the focusing. There are others with auto focusing but the price is unreasonable for what im going to use so I go for the head lamp.
I got the Coast FL85 this morning. I will try it on Monday.
 

OP
OP
vince76

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks guys.
I got the head lamp Coast FL85
Thanks for the advices
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,500
139,012
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Thanks guys.
I got the head lamp Coast FL85
Thanks for the advices

I was a friends place last weekend and he was showing me the FL85 headlamp and the red option, and the auto focus beam when you get close up to an object. They're really happy with the lamp using it around the farm, and milking of the goats, chores. I think that you'll be very pleased with this headlamp.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Just go on a full moon night, and you don't need lights of any kind.
 

Johnnybravo300

Bronze Member
Jan 3, 2016
2,365
2,857
South of Gunnison, Gold Basin
Detector(s) used
F2
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I collected all the night vision and scopes I could in Iraq and traded them for guns when I got home.
I wish I would have kept a few more things but it wasn't like the US quality anyway. I couldn't imagine mding with any of that especially anywhere close to a city. They sound lot cooler than they really are.
 

OP
OP
vince76

vince76

Bronze Member
Oct 2, 2015
1,222
3,093
Macedonia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, XP Deus, Garrett GTI 2500.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
You mean once in 15 days! This is terrible idea! :tongue3:

Haha. Well... when I said "full", that also includes any moon that is ~ 2/3 or more, is still bright enough.

Also note : Get the moonrise and moonset charts. Because sometimes the moon might not come up till later in the night ... long after sundown. Or might set at midnight, leaving you in total black.
 

G.A.P.metal

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
6,468
7,387
"Kan-a-we-o-la" Head on a Pole N.Y. Seneca Territo
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, 11" Low Freq. , 9" X35 Coils, MI 6 Pointer...
Land or Sea Pointer
King Of Spades 40" KS-D SA and 40" KS-S-SA
L
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Full or any moon light is no help in the woods or under a single tree get a red light !
Gary
 

Last edited:

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top