Best beginner MD for Southern CA (high mineral?) ground?

[Lash]

Hello,

It seems, from posts I've read on this forum, that not all machines work well in ground west of the rockies due to higher mineral content. Is the soil in central to southern coastal CA high-mineral? With this in mind, which modestly-priced detectors should I consider for dry ground and beach? How about the Tesoro Vaquero because of its ground adjustment?

Much obliged,

Lash

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

You're on the coastal lowlands, so you'll be ok. The "west of the rockies" stuff you're hearing about is probably the mountainous regions. But the lowlands are pretty bland. True the ground may change (thus requiring auto-tracking or manual adjustments) as you move from one end of a school yard to another, or from a creek edge to a high enbankment, or from the wet sand to the dry, etc... But nothing that requires anything special. Guys in the flat plains states have practically zero difference no matter where they move in a hunt, but ours does require some re-balancing now and then. Not sure about the Tesoro you reference. It all depends on how hardcore you want to be, how much your willing to spend, what you're looking for, etc... There are some people who say you'll need a pulse on the So. CA beaches. But I've done ok with land machines like the Explorer on the beach there. An exception may be the gully washes with that gun-powder black/grey looking sand. Wherever those stretches of beach is, you'll loose serious depth without a pulse. But the advantage of a standard coin machine is that you can pass nails. So it's sort of a toss-up, and depends, once again, on your goals, where you're hunting, etc.... For land, the machine of choice, at present, in CA, seems to be the Explorer. But then again, it all depends on how much you want to knock yourself silly learning tooty-fluty sounds. If you want a turn-&-go easier detector, then the Tesoro would be the choice. So it all just depends.

 

[Lash]

Thanks, Tom for the info. Encouraging to know my area isn't highly mineralized. Checked the price of the Minelab Explorer $$$! Won't be getting one today.

Thanks again,

Lash

 

[Ant]

The wet sand on the beaches down here is highly mineralized, as is most of ground around too, it can vary. I don’t know about that machine but it should work as long as you use it, that’s the key. Once you grasp what’s happening you can upgrade.

If you are in the area the Riverside Treasures have a meeting tomarrow.
http://www.riversidetreasurehunters.com/home/

 

[extractor]

What type ot targets are you going after?

 

[Lash]

What type ot targets are you going after?

Probably anything, anywhere I can: Parks, saltwater beaches, etc.

 

[extractor]

Probably anything, anywhere I can: Parks, saltwater beaches, etc.

Ace 250 would be my pick , Crackbager does very well with his. He hunts a lot of beaches.