Low Cost Land Pulse Detector

[Michigan Badger]

For years I've wondered why someone doesn't make a low cost simple land version PI detector. Compared to VLF, pulse detectors are simple to make for those with the electronic knowledge.

When Hill first came out with his GoldPic kit I tried many times to talk him into producing an entire, easy to assemble (Knghtkit style), PI kit. He told me back then "sorry I'm too busy."

Okay, this is my try for 2010. Does anybody know of anyone in the world who makes low cost light weight simple pulse machines for land use (I don't care if it's only China)?

I've been saying this for years and some day somebody with electronic knowledge will either take Hill's simple plans and ready board (or make up his own) and make these PI detectors.

I'm talking about a light weight (Tesoro Silver uMax style) all-metal pulse detector with a 10" coil.

Hill claims his unit once made gets 10 inches on a ring with simple homemade coil.

I don't know why I even ask but I guess it's a habit.

Badger

http://home.global.co.za/~trh/

 

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[GibH]

I'm really surprised there aren't Chinese knockoffs. The Surfmaster PI schematic looks pretty simple. I couldn't do the soldering on one though, my eyesight is rapidly going downhill.

 

[turtlefoot13]

Try here.
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Metal/Detector1-Prices.htm for a kit

and here
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Metal/Metal.htm for free plans.

Doug

 

[turtlefoot13]

This is one I might actually try to build.

http://oldradiobuilder.com/MDET.html

Doug

 

[Michigan Badger]

Try here.
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Metal/Detector1-Prices.htm for a kit

and here
http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Metal/Metal.htm for free plans.

Doug

Yes, I've seen Gary's work.

The trouble with all these is one must have some knowledge of electronics to make it work.

I'd love to see the Chinese do a low cost clone.

Actually if the machine were done right it could be made low cost and would be a lot deeper than VLF machines. But for some reason nobody does it.

 

[Keppy]

All i can say is that if i had to build a detector i would never hunt again.I am really bad at doing things like that.

 

[Michigan Badger]

All i can say is that if i had to build a detector i would never hunt again.I am really bad at doing things like that.

Me too Keppy.

I did a couple but I'm no great tech that's for sure.

If I had the time and money I start a little PI factory in a pole barn.

The parts aren't all that expensive. At $200 a crack one could make serious money. After a couple years Whites and the others would jump into the game.

Loads of THers would like to have a deep PI as a support or backup machine for those bad soil or super deep target sites. But for some reason the makers can't figure this out.

 

[Iron Patch]

They don't make em because a PI land detector wouldn't sell. Do you actually use a pulse on land? I did once, for about 20 minutes but decided I should switch detectors if I wanted to leave the 4' x 4' square I had been stuck in.

 

[Michigan Badger]

They don't make em because a PI land detector wouldn't sell. Do you actually use a pulse on land? I did once, for about 20 minutes but decided I should switch detectors if I wanted to leave the 4' x 4' square I had been stuck in.

That's not the type of site they should be used at.

Make a low cost deep PI and they would sell like crazy. Not as main machines. I'd love to have one for some low trash deep finds sites I know about.

 

[Iron Patch]

They don't make em because a PI land detector wouldn't sell. Do you actually use a pulse on land? I did once, for about 20 minutes but decided I should switch detectors if I wanted to leave the 4' x 4' square I had been stuck in.

That's not the type of site they should be used at.

Make a low cost deep PI and they would sell like carzy. Not as main machines. I'd love to have one for some low trash deep finds sites I know about.

But I don't think pulse will do anything over a good true allmetal unit on land. Another reason they won't be building one anytime soon. (just for land) I really can't think of any type of land site I'd rather a pulse than a good land detector. I have a feeling a PI detector uses the water as a great advantage for depth, but I don't know enough about the technology to say for sure.

 

[U.K. Brian]

There's no real call for a cheap land P.I. as however cheap it is its not as cheap as using the all metal mode of your present detector or if you haven't got an all metal mode, open up the discrimination fully.

The cheap XinG Jang (Chinese), Skladak (Polish) etc didn't last to long as on soil they came well behind VLF's such as the Whites Classic and Bounty Hunter Quick Draw.

As for the Goldpic I always thought it was sold as a beach machine where the drawbacks become more acceptable. Even then its non motion, only takes one sample, you can't change the delay and SAT speed adjustment is more necessary on land than the beach though its pretty essential there as well.
Even if fitted with a large coil your still only be hitting relics near surface. A dedicated P.I. hoard hunter takes you down several feet with no problems and if you don't want to detect larger iron you don't have to.

 

[Michigan Badger]

They don't make em because a PI land detector wouldn't sell. Do you actually use a pulse on land? I did once, for about 20 minutes but decided I should switch detectors if I wanted to leave the 4' x 4' square I had been stuck in.

That's not the type of site they should be used at.

Make a low cost deep PI and they would sell like crazy. Not as main machines. I'd love to have one for some low trash deep finds sites I know about.

But I don't think pulse will do anything over a good true allmetal unit on land. Another reason they won't be building one anytime soon. (just for land) I really can't think of any type of land site I'd rather a pulse than a good land detector. I have a feeling a PI detector uses the water as a great advantage for depth, but I don't know enough about the technology to say for sure.

You may be right.

I had in mind a really low cost machine with no bells, etc. A machine that it super light weight and could be sold for maybe $150 to $200 new and would hit gold rings 12+ inches at the salt water beaches. Okay, maybe I'm wrong but I have this feeling they'd sell.

Granted, we don't live in a world of all-metal mode detectors any more. But I watch the online classifieds and WTB's and have noticed a big increase in PI desires lately.

I'm in the process of taking a water unit and converting it to land use. I want it to help locate old house sites hidden in wooded areas and for some forgotten swimming holes that have been covered over by weather and landscaping. Maybe PI isn't the thing for them? There's one way to find out.

So why did I even bother to post this thread? Easy, the companies who make our machines read these forums. How bout it guys? Why not give it a try?

Badger

 

[Old Silver]

MB, I agree with you. I would buy one in a heartbeat.

What is involved in converting a PI water machine to a land machine?

 

[Iron Patch]

They don't make em because a PI land detector wouldn't sell. Do you actually use a pulse on land? I did once, for about 20 minutes but decided I should switch detectors if I wanted to leave the 4' x 4' square I had been stuck in.

That's not the type of site they should be used at.

Make a low cost deep PI and they would sell like crazy. Not as main machines. I'd love to have one for some low trash deep finds sites I know about.

But I don't think pulse will do anything over a good true allmetal unit on land. Another reason they won't be building one anytime soon. (just for land) I really can't think of any type of land site I'd rather a pulse than a good land detector. I have a feeling a PI detector uses the water as a great advantage for depth, but I don't know enough about the technology to say for sure.

You may be right.

I had in mind a really low cost machine with no bells, etc. A machine that it super light weight and could be sold for maybe $150 to $200 new and would hit gold rings 12+ inches at the salt water beaches. Okay, maybe I'm wrong but I have this feeling they'd sell.

Granted, we don't live in a world of all-metal mode detectors any more. But I watch the online classifieds and WTB's and have noticed a big increase in PI desires lately.

I'm in the process of taking a water unit and converting it to land use. I want it to help locate old house sites hidden in wooded areas and for some forgotten swimming holes that have been covered over by weather and landscaping. Maybe PI isn't the thing for them? There's one way to find out.

So why did I even bother to post this thread? Easy, the companies who make our machines read these forums. How bout it guys? Why not give it a try?

Badger

So you consider hunting a salt water beach a land dig? I assume I'm not the only one who figured you were talking sites well away from the beach.

...and why not just hip or chest mount a PI?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

None of this makes sense (as IP and UK are pointing out). Like..... if you're so fixed on using a pulse at land sites, why not simply pick up ANY beach pulse machine, and simply take it to a land site right now?? I mean, just because they're called a "beach" machine (like, waterproof or whatever, and typically used on beaches), doesn't mean they can't hunt land as well. What's to stop you from just taking the machine to a land site, just like the machine is now?

And SURE!! you can pick up gold rings at a foot deep all day long on land. Wohooo! But so too can you do the same "trick" if you merely put an old 6000d, or XLT, or any number of other regular coin/relic machines in to their all-metal mode. Doh! Why think you need a pulse to do it? This ability has been going on since vlf all-metal mode first came out on the GEB Supreme in 1974 for pete's sake. Even then it was no secret you could go to any site (or beach) and ..... if you dialed right in to the soil, you could get a coin a foot deep. The trouble was, and continues to be (and continues to be with pulse) that you won't have any form of discrimination.

Where, on land, would you want to go that would be void of iron, paperclips, birdshot, etc... that you could do it? And if you can find such a clean spot (like is normally thought of in wide-open beach hunting environments), then why not simply 1) use a beach pulse, or 2) get your regular old coin machine and put it in all-metal mode? And yes, you can even work nasty ground, just like the pulse, when doing that, as long as you're ground balanced in (granted, you'd have to adjust the track if the minerals were changing quickly as you moved).

So your question falls down on several fronts. I just don't get it.

 

[Michigan Badger]

You got to remember Iron I'm a Michigan Yooper and anything that ain't under water is land hunting

Converting an underwater unit is fine but costly and usually very heavy. I picked up a Garrett Sea Hunter XL 500 PI and it's about as heavy as your average boat anchor. The machine is a piece of junk and I have a Paypal dispute on right now with the person on ebay who ripped me off. He said it only needed a battery and the whole case is cracked, knob is missing, and the electronics are dead. Other than that it's perfect.

But, if I don't win the dispute the "beast" goes to Garrett and they can fix it for maybe $200-$300. Then I can take it from there to do the land conversion.

The reason these deep six machines are so expensive is all that heavy duty diving paraphernalia. The actual electronics and coil structure are simple. Nothing at all like a complex VLF machine such as an Explorer.

So, a low cost land PI built for extreme depth all-metal mode hunting would sell like mad if it could be bought new for under $300. Once again, not to replace VLF--but to assist it.

Badger

 

[Michigan Badger]

MB, I agree with you. I would buy one in a heartbeat.

What is involved in converting a PI water machine to a land machine?

Hey, I'm glad somebody is hearing me.

Warning! it's dangerous to agree with the Badger.

Basically what we want is a light weight PI so this means shedding as much weight as possible. And too, the best PI's like the Whites DF are not cheap even used. And for that matter if one can afford a DF why not just use it the way it is?

But what this entire post has been about (as you know), is a new line of LOW COST and LIGHT WEIGHT PI units made specifically for land hunting (including beaches).

Imagine a nearly found CW camp with zero modern trash and good old red clay soil. Kind of gets ya ta thinkin, don't it? I mean a light weight PI in that backpack and that hot VLF together at that site could be fun.

Basically look for a good used PI unit you can get as reasonably as possible. Then seek advice from others on how to shed that weight. This is pretty much what I'm in the process of doing myself.

So what will I use this summer 98% of the time? A good VLF machine, of course.

Good luck friend and keep in contact.

Badger

 

[GibH]

Surfmaster PI's can be picked up pretty cheap and they are light if they have the regular and not the diving coil. I saw 2 of them sell the other night for under $300.

 

[Keppy]

If it is dangerous to agree with the Badger..................... then ............... I agree with the Badger.......... but i would agree with him even if it was not dangerous.....

 

[Keppy]

Me too Keppy.

I did a couple but I'm no great tech that's for sure.

If I had the time and money I start a little PI factory in a pole barn.

The parts aren't all that expensive. At $200 a crack one could make serious money. After a couple years Whites and the others would jump into the game.

Loads of THers would like to have a deep PI as a support or backup machine for those bad soil or super deep target sites. But for some reason the makers can't figure this out.

I would to but i do not have the money or the know how ....For you could make it cheap and sell it cheap and make some big $$$$... ...But i sure do have the time ... And Michigan Badger were are you ?