Need some advice

[chip12977]

Before I ask my question I want to make it clear to the admins that I'm not soliciting the sale of anything, Im just asking advice about what others would do.

With that said I currently own 2 detectors, both are Whites a V3i with wireless headphones and DX-1 sunray pin pointer that a bought in march of this year and a DFX 300 that I got a few years ago.

Im really wanting a good detector that I can take to the lake and hit up the swimming area, I really don't want to go for an Excalibur, but more on the lines of a CTX 3030 or the AT pro because I'm not going to be going deeper than my chest and I like to have a screen to tell me what it is that I'm going after, so here's my problem I can try and sell both detectors that I got, I'm thinking I could get 2500 for both on eBay and buy the CTX 3030, or save up 600.00 for the AT PRO, but I'm not sure what to do, I've never owned anything but Whites detectors.

I really like the 3030 because of the GPS and wireless headphones. The at pro seems like a cheap detector, kinda like a bounty hunter type, but since I never owned a Garrett I can't really knock it

So please help me out and tell me what you would do and which one you would get and why

Thanks, chip

 

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[Terry Soloman]

OR, you could sell ONE machine, and buy a Tesoro Tiger Shark.. Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Check Gary drayton posts here, he is using the 3030 and making great finds with it. The 3030 has great potential. Send him a pm and talk to him about it..


http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/beach-shallow-water/311924-south-florida-gold.html#post2930383

 

[chip12977]

Thanks for the link to the tiger shark, but I'm not looking for a dedicated water detector. I still want to be able to go on land and able to discriminate out the junk as much as possible, and to be able to tell how far down it is.
Thanks for your input nonetheless.

 

[Tom Slick]

I'm not sure but I don't think you can use the wireless headphones on the CTX3030 when using it in the water.

 

[Plug]

wireless signals don't travel very well under water

 

[Landlord Jim]

Sell one of the V3is and the DFX and buy a Beach hunter 300. You will have a V3i for the land and the BH 300 for the water and the land.

 

[Landlord Jim]

I stand corrected. Sell the DFX. Keep the one V3i and buy a Beach Hunter 300. The Beach Hunter is actually a DFX that is waterproof so it is good on land or water. Just dig all the Yellow and green lights.

 

[norbyx]

I stand corrected. Sell the DFX. Keep the one V3i and buy a Beach Hunter 300. The Beach Hunter is actually a DFX that is waterproof so it is good on land or water. Just dig all the Yellow and green lights.

I second that 100%.
Now if the screen is a must than I would go with the At-Pro, but please consider this, a screen in a water machine is near to useless. First you won't care too much of the depth indicator since you are going to use a scoop (and you better get a good one).
Second you will not always be able to see the screen underwater with your head out of the water, due to varios reasons (turbulence, sun glare ecc... ).
So My personal opinion (and most beach and water hunters) is that a screen underwater is not needed.

As for the options for a not screend detector WITH discrimination, there aren't many, Minelab Excalibur, Fisher CZ21, tesoro tiger shark and the Whites BH 300. Of all this I have to prefer the Fisher CZ21 over all, BH300 second Excal third and Tesoro last (it's the only one that is single frequency).

Now all of them are dedicated water detectors but being VLF they could be used in the land as well.

If none of this please you and you are convinced of the 3030 vs. the At-Pro, than it's all different.
First question is: How well do you know your whites machine and how happy are you with it? I ask this because if you aren't happy or are not very practical with it (specially the V3i) than you might just be happier with the 3030.
BUT if you know the V3i well and you are happy with it, than sell the DFX and buy a second machine like the AT-Pro or the dedicated water detectors that I listed before.

I have a V3i and I love it, some time back I thought to sell the V3i and a MXT I had to get myself the 3030. After much reading and consulting some vendors I realized that I was just going to throw away my money. I decided to keep the V3i, I traded the MXT to a forum member for a Whites surf PI dual Field and never looked back. Now I know I will never need the 3030 no matter what.

 

[chip12977]

Thanks for the replies, I would like to think I know my V3i pretty good but I'm always learning, when I said I wanted a detector with a screen to tell me what it is that I'm going after I didn't mean for in the water I will dig everything in the water, I was talking about when on land, as far as the dual pi I have looked at those and I really wouldnt mind getting one of those. I was just wanting a "do it all" type detector so I only had one detector to lug around but the more I think of it the more open I am to a dedicated water detector

 

[lookindown]

The AT pro is a killer freshwater machine and a very good land detector. People say one detector cant do it all but the AT does it all for me.