Best detector for the beach

[captd]

Can anyone recommend a metal detector for ocean beach hunting? I am trying to keep it under $300.00 if possible.
Thanks for the help.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Can anyone recommend a metal detector for ocean beach hunting? I am trying to keep it under $300.00 if possible.
Thanks for the help.

Sorry CaptD, but that's not going to happen. There are different metal detectors designed for fresh- or, salt- water use. For instance, a "VLF" or very low frequency type metal detector works extremely well on dry sand and in fresh water. It does not work as well in saltwater, or on wet ocean-water beaches. In highly conductive saltwater conditions pulse induction or "PI," and multi-frequency VLF "BBS" metal detectors excel.

The VLF metal detector sends 4,000 - 80,000 radio waves per-second into the ground. When the radio waves hit something conductive - like an iron nail, gold ring, coin or aluminum pull-tab, a magnetic field sets up around the object and a particular signal frequency is transmitted back to the detector's receiving coil. VLF metal detectors have the ability to "discriminate," or tell what type of metal they are seeing by "reading" the return signal frequency.

An iron nail for example, has a different frequency than a silver coin. The processor in the metal detector knows the difference between the two, and can be set to remain silent when seeing the nail. However, the radio waves bounce off everything that is conductive in the sand or water. This is why VLF detectors must be "ground balanced" to work effectively in highly mineralized soil, or on highly conductive saltwater beaches. You must tune or adjust the machine to see through the "fog," or white-noise created by the salt and iron in the sand or water you are detecting. Unfortunately, this usually leads to a loss of depth and stability with most VLF detectors.

Minelab has a fully submersible VLF beach machine that can discriminate out iron in wet sand and saltwater. The “Excalibur” uses Broad Band Spectrum, or “BBS” technology, and retails for about $1,300.00. According to Minelab, their BBS operating system, “simultaneously transmits, receives and analyses a broad band of multiple frequencies to deliver substantial detection depth, high sensitivity and accurate discrimination for a wide range of target types.” The key takeaway here is “multiple frequencies.” Unfortunately, radio waves regardless of their frequency still have to be filtered and balanced in heavily conductive wet-ocean sand and highly mineralized saltwater. That limits the systems depth capabilities.

The magnetic iron sands (“Black Sands”), salt, and high concentrations of other minerals in the water and sand conspire to bounce the radio waves away from the target. Conductivity and mineralization act like a shield around the target and create white noise that must be filtered electronically. Think of it as turning on your bright headlights in a heavy fog at night. All that powerful light is diffused and causes a complete white out – you can’t see anything three-feet past the hood of your car! However when you turn on your yellow fog lights, you can see a little further – not as far as you could in clear daylight, but further. That is why all radio wave machines must be “ground balanced” or tuned, to maximize their depth potential, and why BBS filters and multi-frequencies are so effective – yet still limited.

Unlike BBS and VLF metal detectors which constantly send and receive thousands of low frequency radio waves per second, a Pulse Induction (PI) metal detector (Tesoro Sand Shark $600.00) fires high-voltage pulses into the sand several hundred times per second. If no metal is present the electric pulse decays at a uniform rate with no anomalies. When metal is present a small “eddy” current flows through it causing the voltage decay time to increase, which creates a measurable anomaly. Unlike VLF radio waves, electronic pulses are impervious to the effects of conductivity and mineralization, and are unaffected by salt or black sands.

Using the same heavy fog at night metaphor that I referred to earlier, pulse induction is like headlights that cut completely through the fog as if it were not there at all. The trade-off for that added depth and clarity is the inability to discriminate, or block out iron targets that you generally don’t want to waste time and energy digging. While a pulse induction machine detects all metals without discrimination, the minute differences in the signal tone and quality can give a skilled and experienced operator a clue as to what the target may, or may not be.

Then you'll need a sand scoop ($60-$250.00)

Do some more research, or just get a Garrett Ace 250 and stay in the dry sand. Good Luck!

 

[captd]

What do you think of the Garrett Sea Hunter? Think I could use it in the water say waist height and then use the Garrett 250 on the dry beach? Also, would it be worth the extra money to get the Garrett 350? Thanks for your help.

 

[Terry Soloman]

What do you think of the Garrett Sea Hunter? Think I could use it in the water say waist height and then use the Garrett 250 on the dry beach? Also, would it be worth the extra money to get the Garrett 350? Thanks for your help.

I think the Garrett Sea Hunter is overpriced and overrated. I use a Tesoro Sand Shark on wet sand and in the water, and a Tesoro Cibola on the dry sand and dirt. The Ace 250 with a 12" coil, is just about the same as an Ace 350, just not much difference. Both are GREAT machines in the dry sand.

 

[Sandman]

Terry is right....When we say dry sand we don't mean the wet sand near the water as the two are very different. Please note that the Garrett Sea Hunter is a Pulse detector with almost no discrimination so you will be digging hairpins very deep. Your much better off with a Sand Shark for the water and wet sand and about any detector for the DRY SAND.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

sandman makes a fair point on the fact of the seahunter being a pulse. A lot of newbies fall for the pitch, and you can't blame them. All such beach pulse machines are touted heavily as being for the beach, and you "won't miss anything", and can "cut through all minerals" and so forth. This is all true. But the problem is, heaven-help-you if you end up on a beach where there's too many nails. I have hunted side by side with guys who've shown up at some of our beaches, after winter storm erosion, when there's no shortage of targets to choose from. And after they start getting ratios of something like 1 conductive target to each 5 or 10 nails, they end up leaving the "greener grounds" (ie.: they go look for a cleaner beach).

Some of them might tell you that they have learned to tell the difference between conductive vs iron by sounds and tones (eg.: double-beeps, etc...). Yet if you press them, they'll admit that bent nails don't always obey those various "tricks". And that "nagging doubts" have them returning to dig a bunch "just to be sure", and so forth. On the other hand, persons working beaches without as much industrial type commerical usage history, and beaches that have historically not allowed beach-bonfires, and thus don't have a lot of iron, then yes, they can't be beat.

 

[jfeeney]

Terry and sandman - just so I am clear what you mean by dry sand. Would that be parts of the beach above the high tide mark? Or would it be some areas below the high tide mark at low tide as well?

The reason I ask is I am heading to Florida and was planning on taking my Outlaw with the wide scan 12x10 coil. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

[Terry Soloman]

Terry and sandman - just so I am clear what you mean by dry sand. Would that be parts of the beach above the high tide mark? Or would it be some areas below the high tide mark at low tide as well?

The reason I ask is I am heading to Florida and was planning on taking my Outlaw with the wide scan 12x10 coil. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
John

John you'll be fine with that machine in DRY sand, ABOVE the high water mark. Once you get into damp or wet saltwater sand, you will have problems with falsing and need to drop your sensitivity so low you'll lose almost all your depth.

 

[jfeeney]

Thanks Terry for the clarification. That's what I was thinking.

 

[Kaywood]

Hey guys I'm new to metal detecting, I have been doing it for 6 mths with a detector I got from canadian tire for about $80. It is a very basic detector. I enjoy it alot but I want to move up to a detector that can tell me the difference between trash and good objects. I live in newfoundland so I do alot of detecting on beaches,fields,playgrounds and ball fields. I have looked at some different detectors online but I'm not sure which way to go. I like the garrett a t pro but I hear people say that the minelab e trac is a much better machine and that if I could fine a used machine it would be the way to go. I know I'm new at this but I dont want to buy a detector and wish i'd spent the extra 200 and got the proper one. I'm hoping to make the purchase in the spring and I would like to keep it at $1000.00 or less. Any advise would be great!!

 

[Terry Soloman]

Hey guys I'm new to metal detecting, I have been doing it for 6 mths with a detector I got from canadian tire for about $80. It is a very basic detector. I enjoy it alot but I want to move up to a detector that can tell me the difference between trash and good objects. I live in newfoundland so I do alot of detecting on beaches,fields,playgrounds and ball fields. I have looked at some different detectors online but I'm not sure which way to go. I like the garrett a t pro but I hear people say that the minelab e trac is a much better machine and that if I could fine a used machine it would be the way to go. I know I'm new at this but I dont want to buy a detector and wish i'd spent the extra 200 and got the proper one. I'm hoping to make the purchase in the spring and I would like to keep it at $1000.00 or less. Any advise would be great!!

Welcome from White Plains, New York! In your price range there are machines from Tesoro; Garrett; Whites; Fisher; and Minelab that fit the bill. Don't let us tell you what you need. Do your homework and decide what YOU want and need. Just remember that any good VLF detector can discriminate out iron, and if you knock out aluminum and nickel, you also lose gold. NO machine can tell you the difference between a pulltab and a gold ring - not one.

 

[cudamark]

Hey guys I'm new to metal detecting, I have been doing it for 6 mths with a detector I got from canadian tire for about $80. It is a very basic detector. I enjoy it alot but I want to move up to a detector that can tell me the difference between trash and good objects. I live in newfoundland so I do alot of detecting on beaches,fields,playgrounds and ball fields. I have looked at some different detectors online but I'm not sure which way to go. I like the garrett a t pro but I hear people say that the minelab e trac is a much better machine and that if I could fine a used machine it would be the way to go. I know I'm new at this but I dont want to buy a detector and wish i'd spent the extra 200 and got the proper one. I'm hoping to make the purchase in the spring and I would like to keep it at $1000.00 or less. Any advise would be great!!

Between the AT pro and the E-trac, I'd choose the E-trac. It's more versatile but also has a higher learning curve. As Terry mentioned, there are a lot of detectors in your price range and they all have their plusses and minusses. Check out the today's finds and best finds sections here and you'll see what people are using to get those great recoveries.

 

[captd]

I would like to thank everyone for their help. Now, armed with this information, I have to do some research and make a decision on which one to get. The SandShark sounds interesting instead of the Sea Hunter. Would the Sand Shark work on dry sand?
Any suggestions on where to get the Sand Shark?
Thanks again.

 

[gleaner1]

Can anyone recommend a metal detector for ocean beach hunting? I am trying to keep it under $300.00 if possible.
Thanks for the help.

captd do you mean to ask literally "can anyone recommend a metal detector for ocean beach hunting"? A lot of us can give a good recommendation, but you wont like the price. Are you asking "What is the best ocean beach hunting tecer for under 300, if possible"? Well, anything is possible. Just get an ace250 and get a decent wire screen sand scoop, you should be at about 300 or so. You will do good for sure. Just dig it all.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I would like to thank everyone for their help. Now, armed with this information, I have to do some research and make a decision on which one to get. The SandShark sounds interesting instead of the Sea Hunter. Would the Sand Shark work on dry sand?
Any suggestions on where to get the Sand Shark?
Thanks again.

The Sand Shark works in dry sand, farm fields - everywhere. The PROBLEM is it does not DISCRIMINATE, so you hear EVERYTHING - nails, tin cans, old iron.. All of the sponsors here carry them. Remember that MOST folks only use their Pusle Induction machines in the wet sand and water because their is less "trash" there.

 

[freddy williams]

Myself I reccommed the Tiger shark for the water and the minlab 705 for dry sand and dirt but also I use an XLT for dry sand and dirt, anywhere else my coil may take me. But the price is not what your looking for so I'd go with the garrett 250 and a 12" coil. But don't get the housing wet cause it is not water proof HH everyone

 

[Terry Soloman]

Myself I reccommed the Tiger shark for the water and the minlab 705 for dry sand and dirt but also I use an XLT for dry sand and dirt, anywhere else my coil may take me. But the price is not what your looking for so I'd go with the garrett 250 and a 12" coil. But don't get the housing wet cause it is not water proof HH everyone

Freddy the "Tiger" Shark is a freshwater detector. It sucks in saltwater.

 

[eagle927]

Hey there guys I am Brian and a newbie to detecting I am from Indiana and I will be using the Discovery 2200 Metal Detector and figure that would be a good to start off with. Just wanted to introduce myself and I am sure I will be asking alot of questions I will be starting my first hunt on Wed. as I am still waiting for my unit to arrive.

 

[TerryC]

Hey there guys I am Brian and a newbie to detecting I am from Indiana and I will be using the Discovery 2200 Metal Detector and figure that would be a good to start off with. Just wanted to introduce myself and I am sure I will be asking alot of questions I will be starting my first hunt on Wed. as I am still waiting for my unit to arrive.

Welcome eagle, to this INSANE hobby of digging things (mostly) from the earth. I say insane because it can be very addictive with no going back to "normal" I go see the shrink twice a month ...... to see what he found! TTC

 

[eagle927]

Thanks Terry can not wait to start digging and as I see the shrink as well so not new to that VA seen. I want to thank you for serving as I am a brother in arms as well.