Your first metal detector?

DeepseekerADS

Gold Member
Mar 3, 2013
14,880
21,725
SW, VA - Bull Mountain
Detector(s) used
CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
Primary Interest:
Other
Magazines on a rack in a convenience store, 1983 and bought my Garrett Deepseeker ADSIII from KellyCo :) Yep, KellyCo has been around a while and they are still here = great company, spent a day in their store in Florida a few years ago and got to meet our friend and Moderator Supreme - TreasureHunter = great guy for those who never had a chance to meet him. I have an ADSIII now, but not my original.....
 

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miserman

Jr. Member
Oct 25, 2007
67
118
Indiana
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75LTD F-pulse and Tek-Point pinpointers Sunray Pro gold headphones
A Garrett Groundhog in 1982 and I also still have it.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,714
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It was a White's. I think some kind of 6000. That was in another century, literally.
 

Slingshot

Bronze Member
Apr 3, 2004
1,074
1,204
Southern Appalachia
Detector(s) used
Whites CM2 BFO, Harbor Freight 9 function, BH Pioneer 202, Fisher F22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
1st - Fisher M scope T-20 BFO in 1965, which produced the first steps of a long journey of metal detecting.
 

Goldiver

Bronze Member
Sep 15, 2006
2,345
1,150
Fremont, Ohio
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, Fisher F-75 LTD2, CZ-70, CZ-21, 1280x, Vibraprobe 560, Minelab Pro-Find 35
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Micronta 3001 from Radio Shack in 1978. It was 36 dollars if I remember right. Found my first Buffalo nickel and first silver coin which was a 1939 Merc. Other than that lots of big iron stuff. (Photo borrowed from internet)

micronta.jpg
 

MSpeiser

Full Member
Nov 5, 2019
122
607
NW Ohio
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
My first detector was one I bought off a man on my paper route in 1983. It was a Bounty Hunter 840. I found a lot of stuff with that old machine. I no longer have the original one but have one just like it for display 20191124_093915(1).jpg
 

eyemustdigtreasure

Silver Member
Mar 2, 2013
3,602
5,581
California
Detector(s) used
Fisher Gold Bug Pro
Tesoro Cibola
Nokta Pointer; Phillips SHS5200 phones
Nokta Macro SIMPLEX +
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Tesoro Cibola - and is STILL my Favorite machine...!
 

CoinHunterAZ

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2013
858
1,498
Flagstaff, AZ
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sidewinder Umax, Garrett ATPro, Minelab Equinox 800, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Mine was a cheap Bounty Hunter that my girlfriend at the time (she's my wife now :icon_thumleft:) got me for Christmas many, many moons ago. I don't remember the model, but I did find quite a few silver coins with it. I threw it in the trash just a few months ago, it had stopped working years ago. Next was a Tesoro Sidewinder Umax, then the AT Pro, now the EQX800. I was pretty much hooked from day one.
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Like most others mine was a Radio Shack Micronta 3001, where I grew up in my back yard literally filled a large pickle jar filled to the top full of way too many pennies, then dimes, a few dozen or so quarters and very little nickels.
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The Radio Shack Micronta back in its day was no slouch. Precise although not deep, and hit on ever singnal you knew what popped out was a coin every time, and batteries lasted a long time too. Easy grabbing pennies every time then on to the next quickly thus didn't take long to fill that large jar. Thing is you just keep on swinging the area over and over again different directions, always was able to pick up something in my old back yard, and again if I did to this say I would want to take just something just a simple say the Tesoro Compadre if I could just not sure the old man would want me to dig up his perfectly now groomed back yard now that he spend thousands replacing nearly 40 years ago to have me destroy.. but I was always good at burring my holes afterwards. :notworthy:
 

SanMan

Bronze Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,514
5,004
West Coast
Detector(s) used
AT Pro, AT Max, AT Gold - Tesoro Euro Sabre - Tesoro Bandido II uMax - Troy X2 - Tesoro Stingray - Mojave - Fisher 1280X- Fisher 1235X - and many more.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
FISHER 1235X

Found a bucket full of coins, jewlery, pocket knives, bobby pins,..... LOL

24540605118_a35318d4bd_o-1.jpg

Still have one and a spare around.
 

Clad2Silver

Bronze Member
Jul 17, 2018
2,052
5,648
Eastern Connecticut
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Max/ Garrett AT Pro/ Garrett Ace 400/ Garrett Pro Pointer 2 / Garrett Z-Lynk AT Propointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I bought my first detector in 1983, a Garrett American Series 2. Believe me when I say that detectors have come a long way since that one. Don't have any pics of it though and it was put out to pasture in 1984 when I upgraded to a White's 6000di.
 

Rawhide

Silver Member
Nov 17, 2010
3,590
2,185
SouthWestern USA
Detector(s) used
Nox 800, Etrac, F75, AT Pro. Last two for sale.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
First detector was a magnet on a stick. I was fascinated in meteorites and still am. I eventually picked up a bounty hunter 202 and moved on to minelab.
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,827
17,744
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
an El Cheapo TC 1023, it paid for itself in 60 days. I then upgraded to a Fisher F4 because I wanted (1) to see target ID numbers, (2) the ability to notch, & (3) a larger coil which was also a DD type.

TC 1023
61hmT77btvL__SL1500_.jpg
 

No gold in NY

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2015
1,688
2,921
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master,
Whites Gold Master GMT, Whites MXSport
High banker/dredge,
DIY hand trommel,
DIY Miller table,
DIY fluidbed gold trap sluice,
Keene A-52 A-52s
2186 Wheaties
Primary Interest:
Other
Whites Coinmaster. In two years it more than paid for itself.
 

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