Detecting on the beach

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
First, Welcome to the Tnet forum.

You can turn down the sensitivity but his won't help much on the wet sand. For the wet stuff you should get a Excal, Sov GT, a CZ-21 or Tiger Shark. Or you can go with a pulse detector which would be very deep but lack good disc. Sorry about your F-2, but that is like bringing a Toyota to NASC. It just can't handle the salt and black sand together.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,429
54,807
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sandman is correct, the problem your experiencing is your detector is seeing the minerals in the salt and giving you false signals...

Turning the sensitivity way down will help, but you will lose a lot of the depth and gold sinks fast in sand. Basically what your doing is the same as Teeing Off with a putter on a golf course.........If your going to hunt the wet sand, water or water's edge you will need to pick up a salt water detector.
 

Smudge

Bronze Member
Jul 9, 2010
1,532
44
Central Florida
Detector(s) used
A Propointer tied to a stick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
All of the above is correct. That's the curse of a single frequency detector. Most don't handle wet salt sand well at all.
 

OP
OP
P

point2make

Newbie
Apr 10, 2011
2
0
Thanks for the responses everyone I appreciate the tips. I know I will have to upgrade, especially for ocean beach hunting, but will the F2 act the same at fresh water beaches?
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,429
54,807
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
point2make said:
Thanks for the responses everyone I appreciate the tips. I know I will have to upgrade, especially for ocean beach hunting, but will the F2 act the same at fresh water beaches?

No, no salt minerals, just junk and rusty iron to worry about...
 

Keppy

Gold Member
Nov 19, 2006
8,318
2,870
N.E. Ohio on lake Erie
Detector(s) used
** WHAT ONE I FEEL LIKE ON HUNTING DAY *****
Primary Interest:
Other
Sandman said:
First, Welcome to the Tnet forum.

You can turn down the sensitivity but his won't help much on the wet sand. For the wet stuff you should get a Excal, Sov GT, a CZ-21 or Tiger Shark. Or you can go with a pulse detector which would be very deep but lack good disc. Sorry about your F-2, but that is like bringing a Toyota to NASC. It just can't handle the salt and black sand together.
Sandman...........Is there a reason why the Whites Beach Hunter ID or 300........ was left out ..?
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Keppy, I too wondered why I left out the BHID 300. It just slipped my mind. :icon_scratch: It is a decent beach detector for above water and the only reason I don't llke it in the water is because I need to hold down the coil as it is not "neutral-buoyant."

I didn't list the AT PRO because I am not at the sea shore anymore to play with mine in the saltwater and have to go by Max's advice which I trust.
 

Keppy

Gold Member
Nov 19, 2006
8,318
2,870
N.E. Ohio on lake Erie
Detector(s) used
** WHAT ONE I FEEL LIKE ON HUNTING DAY *****
Primary Interest:
Other
Sandman said:
Keppy, I too wondered why I left out the BHID 300. It just slipped my mind. :icon_scratch: It is a decent beach detector for above water and the only reason I don't llke it in the water is because I need to hold down the coil as it is not "neutral-buoyant."

I didn't list the AT PRO because I am not at the sea shore anymore to play with mine in the saltwater and have to go by Max's advice which I trust.
My AT Pro i just am not happy with it................. Even all i do is fresh water.......... I am looking at the..... Tiger Shark ...or the BHID 300 .........
 

stevemc

Bronze Member
Feb 12, 2005
2,121
277
Sarasota, FL
Detector(s) used
Whites Surfmaster PI Pro and Whites Surfmaster PI, Minelab Excal NY blue sword. 2 White's Dual field pi, Garrett sea hunter pi II (but don't use it for obvious reasons) 5' x 3 1/2' coil underwater Pi
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Yes, as all the above said, salts are a metal compound, and when it is wet, it appears to the detector as a metal, similar as a hot rock or black sands. When salt is dry it does not ring off, so you could search the dry sand, and of course fresh water. Even a dedicated saltwater detector will pick up saltwater, but will ground balance it out. It does this when a wave rolls over the coil or when diving deep with the detector on, it will drive you nuts until you hit the bottom. Once the coil is on the bottom, it is stable, but as I said a wave can make it go off in shallow water, sometimes you can get used to the sound and rythum, but it can be a pain. But they dont have the constant chatter and falsing that a non saltwater MD does.
 

blackbeard1717

Full Member
Sep 10, 2010
172
17
New Jersey
Detector(s) used
Fisher IV
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have a Fisher F4 have the same issue but water line wet sand no problem. I am thinking of getting a water detector
 

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