metal detector for beginner

[eupharies]

Hey guys, im looking to get a metal detector, im new to this, but dont really want a beginner one...

Id be using it in france, the region is very rocky / stoney therefore would want 1 that could penetrate rock to a degree... maybe they all can i dont know haha
SO wondered what makes you would recommend, should i buy new or 2nd hand.... Also i wouldnt want to spend over say £200... really....
Any ideas. I looked on ebay at a brand called Seben, but a review told me to stay away from seben...

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

A Whites 6000 Di pro is a good all-around coin/relic machine. Easy to use (when you get used to the swing speed characteristics), versatile, adaptable to most ground-types, fair TID and depth, time-proven, etc.... Can be had on ebay for around $200 to $300 (USD) me thinks. Be sure you're getting the kind with the 950 loop, and not the earlier 6000 type/generation.

 

[eupharies]

ok cool, i think id definetly need 1 which is good with rock tho

 

[eupharies]

anyone

 

[blacktoe]

How much does your 200 translate to in American $dollars?

Maybe more people could help.

blacktoe

 

[eupharies]

around 400 dollars, has to be good in rocky areas

 

[Tom_in_CA]

eupharies, I think the reason you're not getting a reply to your "rocks" criteria, is that .......... ALL detectors penetrate rock, ground, air, etc... I mean, that's the definition of a "metal detector" afterall, right? Or are you talking about something super mineralized or something?

I recall a cheapo detector, years ago, where the advertising on the outside of the box proudly claimed that it would "penetrate rock, sand, soil, etc..." A guy I knew bought one, and joyfully showed me how it would detect a coin "right through his hand", and told me he'd bought this particular model, because the text on the box had made such claims (as if only this one could do it, but not other brands/models ). I had to laugh, because, ALL detectors "see through" things (so to speak). So the way your "rocks" question sounded, it seemed along the same lines. Unless you meant to be asking something else?

 

[eupharies]

i just thought maybe some are better than others at rock, the area is extremely rocky, more rock than actual soil....

 

[robertcansler]

If you are a beginner I would recommend the Garrett Ace 150 Metal Detector . around 179 US you can find it cheaper. or if your budget want let you get started with that a Bounty Hunter VLF Metal Detector for around 89 us
is a good for a beginner also. you can find good deals on both of these at http://www.searchingforloot.com

I have taught kids and adults with both of these with good results.

Bob Cansler

 

[Keppy]

Well if you have around $400.00 i would go to the Garrett Ace 250 at $212.00 then there is the Garrett GTAx 550 at $424.00 i think you would be better off with them than the ace 150 but $400.00 i would shoot for the GTAx 550... The Whites 6000 Di Pro is a older model not in production now i would not want something out of production.

 

[gilfordberry]

I've had good luck with white's machines, but the best bang for the buck, imho, is the tesoro. They are very fast, very light (that's makes a difference after you swing one for a few hours), and good on batteries. If you have enough $, buy one with a digital readout, otherwise, just make sure it has a good discrimination control - and I think even their cheapest one is pretty decent at that...

Metal detectors send out a radio signal. Just like the radio signal reaching your boombox, that signal penetrates most things with very little problems - BUT if there is any metal there, the signal is blocked. That's why it's very hard to find a good target, like a silver dollar, under a handful of bottle caps. We call it "masking". A really good detector and a lot of experience can help overcome this problem. Some rocks do have metal in them, especially nickel and iron, so, they can be a problem. Others are very reactive to radio signals and are very difficult to detect around (we call them "hot" rocks). Most rocks, though, are transparent (or nearly so) to the radio signals. The biggest problem you usually encounter in a rocky area is damaging your coil by accidentally banging it on a rock. Coils are very sensitive to physical damage - misalign the transmit/receive coil relationship on a vlf detector and the coil is trash.

A metal target responds to a radio signal. Some detectors look for a return signal generated by the movement of electrons in the target (vlf machines). The relative conductivity, shape, and size of the target determine the returned signal, so a vlf machine is easily capable of determining whether your machine "sees" a penny, a nail, a dime, or a silver dollar - and the machine is right probably 90% of the time (remember, for every good target, there is some piece of junk out there that reflects a signal back identical to that reflected by the good target).

Other machines look for changes in the length of time the electromagnetic field takes to collapse back into a coil when the power is shut off because of changes in inductance of the coil (and the size of the field) when a metal target is in the field of a coil. By rapidly switching the power on and off to your coil, and monitoring the time it takes the field to collapse, it is possible to detect a metal object in the field of the coil (this is a pulsed induction, or pi, detector). Pi machines are almost impervious to changes in ground mineralization so tend to "see through" background signal reflection that drives a vlf machine crazy. They are very good, therefore, in salt water or mineralized soils. Unfortunately, they are unable to tell most metals apart (some experience with some machines can USUALLY determine ferrous from non-ferrous, but little else other than the relative amount of metal in the field (target size)).

No matter what detector you decide on, whether a radio shack $79 cheapo or the V3 from Whites at $1700, you'd better plan on using it at least a month BEFORE your big trip. Despite what you might think from watching TV, these things require time to learn what the detector is trying to tell you. Others might disagree with me, but I think at least a few months of using your machine 2 or 3 hours every day is needed before you really learn how to use it.....

 

[blacktoe]

For the money you are talking I would consider a Minelab Xterra 305. It has 2 frequencies with coil changes and also ground balance. I have never used one but a lot of people praise them. It also seems to be a detector you can grow into. If I didn't have my Tek Omega this would probably be one I would have got. A lot of machines in your price bracket don't have ground balance and sometimes they don't perform in certain areas of high mineralzation.

If you go into the $500 US dollar range your choices open up even more. Fisher F5 and Teknetics Gamma come to mind.

Remember these are opinions and base your decision on research of detectors. I think there is a brand made in France that also gets good reviews from the overseas guys but I can't think of it.

Good luck and good hunting.

blacktoe

 

[eathabs]

What ever you get make sure you also purchase a coil cover to protect the coil in the rocky terrain.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

habs

 

[snyper77]

Another vote for the Ace 250. Very good machine for a beginner. It's a lot of fun to use.

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

If you hav $400 to work with, go for the ACE 250 and use the remaining money to get your digging tools, apron, pin pointer, extra batteries, coil cover etc....

Ray S

 

[sniffer]

check your area for a MDing club. see what others in your area are using and how good their machines are working.
we can sit on this side of the pond and tell you what works here, but I only know of one person here that has traveled to France and went MDing.
One other thing, if you want one that can "see" through rocks, are you going to dig through those rocks ? LOL