overwhelmed by all the new detectors

[history_buff]

Hi Guys,
New to the treasure forum have been out of detecting for a bit but have did quite a bit just not lately.Started out with a whites 600di pro and later upgraded to a whites spectrum.Not the xlt but the origional.Did well with it and located several coins.Later added a fisher 1265x to do some relic hunting with and found it to be a good detector for relics but a little too sesitive to iron to be a good coin machine where there was lots of trash.Later on traded in for a xlt and it wasnt quite as deep a machine and got rid of it and havent detected in about 6yrs.Im going to get another and cant figure what to buy.
Not wotrried about a learning curve I can deal with that but I do like visual and tone id.Just want one that will go good and deep and find the oldies if they are there.Seems like I read good and bad posts on every machine whether its the teknetics T2 or the newest minelabs.Im going to have about 1200 to spend.What would you buy and why?..........Thanks.......Don

 

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[history_buff]

never owned a tesoro myself.What model do you use and get some good old ones with her?Thought about the dfx but wasnt absoluty happy with the xlt.Maybe the dfx is better though...D

 

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[rmptr]

History,
I'm using an old Silver Sabre and a Pantera.
They are dandy, and all Tesoro machines come with a lifetime warranty.

You mentioned you would be yard hunting...

To me, that would suggest a metered ID would talk you out of digging a hole in someones lawn, from time to time, which is probably not a bad thing.

You had mentioned Whites, and the DFX is best they offer, today, and within your budget.

I would get a Tesoro Cortes, an additional small coil, an electronic pointer, and some spiffy turf digging tools if I had your budget to work with and intended sites you mentioned, and have cash left over.

Tesoro is just a pleasure to use. Liteweight and handy, with quality workmanship second to none.

Lot's of fun reading through all the reviews of the diferent machines now available, isn't it?

HH
rmptr

 

[guzz1]

What did I tell ya Don,, These people on T Net Are the Real Deal , there all more than willing to help out , There a good bunch ,,, Guzz1

 

[guzz1]

I prefer  the  minelab  sov GT  easy to  use  turn on  and go  its  a hunting  fool  and  a great land  hunter . . I have  had  them  all  and  they all  have  there  + - 'S  it comes  down  to  personal preference .. good luck,,,, guzz1

 

[history_buff]

(lol)....Dern guys ya"all got me about ready to write all the different ddetects on a pieces of paper fold them up and put them in my ol hat and just reach in and grab one! .........Never owned a manual ground balance machine.I have saw it done but mines always been a turn on and go.
Guzz The minelab ever give you any troubles?Any probs with pinpointing?
Good depth ...What part of the country you hunt in? Not tryin to whiff your hunting spots outa you just wonderin about soils. D

 

[history_buff]

rmptr.......I just like a visual Id....just another way to decide whether to dig.The xlt was accurate except on stuff like a piece of copper tubing or a flarenut or something good metal.Actually though I often wondered if ID meters dont cause you to ingnore things you shouldnt.........D

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Gonna stay away from the sovereign? No taget Id so whats the next best model for the cash?

For your $1,200 kitty you can get the Sovereign GT with a VDI add-on meter. Heavy, but a good, solid unit. I was agonizing over that or the F-75 from Fisher (now around $1,000 - just had an increase with some upgraded features) and went with the latter 9 months ago. Still think I did right. You could add an FX-1 probe (as I did) and still stay in your budget. IMHO it's easier to figure out than a DFX, but I've only played with the Whites in passing. We only have one MD shop locally, and he only carries that brand and has blinders to all others so much that I get a rebellious streak to find alternative choices.

A fellow in our club that's a hard-charger for old coins just added a F-75 to his Sov GT w/meter and I'm eager to see how he does returning to his "usual" sites.

For a good performing close-n-play detector the Minelab Xterra -70 would be a good choice. They won't give Sunray the propriaritary coil chip info to allow them to build a probe to fit, but if you're not looking to add one that's a moot point.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Just looked at some of the new detectors by Fisher. They all had made in China or Taiwan stickers on the under side of the control box.

I just got a response from Bill Crabtree at Surfscanner Detectors (where I bought my F-75):

"I have all of them in stock [Fisher models], and I have not seen a made in China sticker on any box. I think someone is blowing smoke at ya."

Still waiting on a response from Fisher (I did take the time to write and ask). As the CEO of my company says: "Sunlight is a great antiseptic" The best way to kill a rumor is to expose it to the light of day.

 

[MD Dog]

Fisher was only recently purchased by the parent company of Kelly Co. So there's been no time for there operations to have been moved overseas as "Yet". But again just because there's a sticker on the control box saying made in America, that's no real guarantee. The U.S. trade commission allows that label as long as at least 25% of the product actually is manufactured within the U.S. So although Fisher is claiming made in America status the reality is most of the component parts were probably manufactured overseas. When you open these things up and look inside most of those circuits, relays, resistors and other assorted gizmo's were manufactured some where in Asia most likely. While the composit materials could have been manufactured just about anywhere, but not likely here in the good ol'e U.S.A. One of the factors which allot of people glaze right over is that the manufacturing process for many of these types of products used to involve many toxic substances and resulted in allot of really nasty pollution. So the truth is many of these manufacturing jobs were encouraged to move over seas by a increasingly tree hugging population. In other words we willing sent allot of these higher tech manufacturing processes overseas with the intention of exporting the pollution problems as well.


Now back to the main body of this thread. I too am a Sov. Gt fan. As far as the best all around general use detector I'd have to vote for this one for many reasons but the most prominent one being its' use of 17 frequencies 1.5 kHz to 25 kHz. this alone puts it at the top of the list for IDing targets. Although somewhat heavy and awkward balance these things can be rectified with the use of hip mounting as well as the use of a straight shaft. BTW Charlie is correct that a TID meter is an add on.

 

[Montana Jim]

History Buff -

Welcome to Treasure Net.

- I spent over 24 years in the US military
- I only use BHs because there is not any MD dealers around
- I will stack my finds against anyone (except crackbadger )
- Yes - I bought them at Walmart - the price was right
- They are neither heavy or awkward
- I could CARE LESS where it was made - Made in China is not illegal
- These are my opinions...

- As stated : The KEY is getting out there, knowing the machine, and actually BEING someplace where you will FIND STUFF!!!

I wish you the best of luck in your metal detecting hobby I don't know what kind of MD you'll need if you're making political statements or trying to rewrite NAFTA trade agreements. You should be having fun researching and deciding which machine

 

[MD Dog]

Muffler sticks that still cracks me up Jim.


BTW no one no matter what detector can compete with the amazing Crackbadger god.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Lot of good detectors out there to choose from, but before you buy I would seriously check out some of the Minelabs. I have Sovereign GT's and Excal 1000's and they are fantastic machines. I have come to really love the Sov GT, it is a fantastic machine.

Some hunters need the meters and displays and I have a meter for my Sov that I occasionally use, but I am primarily a beach hunter and don't use it there due to the salt water and the salt spray, It is the nulling of iron and the multiple tones that I love the most.

Made in Australia and they have some pretty serious soil conditions there. .....


Just my opinion.

Good lucK and good hunting...........

 

[history_buff]

charley P........You pretty much cinched my decision im thinking...Now you can see how long Ive been out of it.i didnt kow you could add a visual Id meter to any machines.....I know Ive been reading field tests and reviews for a month and Ive heard all good about the sovereign.Everybody brags about the iron mask feature and the multiple freqs.Also dont know anything about the probes or how they work but I"ll hit the net on that. I do realize mines must be good machines they have a high resale +very few used ones to begin with.It also tells me mine lab listens to their users if they came out with a visual id adder.
Theres no Minelab dealers around here called Chuck at Clevengers he doesnt carry them anymore but I"ll hit kellyco or somewhere no hurry anyhow.We got a solid inch of ice here last night.beautiful but what a mess(lol)...And us poor Ol heating techs has gotta get out in this crud too!!!!
Guys youve been a major help cant wait to get mine and start lettiing you know how Im a doin.I"ll be back of course with some fine tunin tips for sure......Be watchin the posts in the meantime....Thanks...HH to all you guys....D

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I just got back to work and had a response from Fisher waiting:

Yes. All our products are now currently manufactured in the U.S.

Granted, the chips and components may be imported. My firm makes technical furniture but our hinges are imported. We couldn't compete in the current market if everything we purchased as components was 100% American made, sadly.

The Soverign GT VDI is a purpose built unit for that detector that mounts on the shaft. I'm not sure if it's Minelab produced or an after-market add on.

 

[guzz1]

HEY  Don Pinpointing  was a problem I was  having  not  being familiar  enough  with  the GT ,,, issue   solve  once  I  got  the The  hang  of  using it  . I  don't  like  manual  ground  balancing  machines, The  GT  automatic  turn on and  go. You just have  to  adjust  sens  thresh  disc  once  you  dial  in  you  done  .  I  live  on the  west coast  of  Florida . I  hunt  the  beaches  mainly . I  have  taken the  Gt  to  park and  it  does  well its  extremely  Stable on  the  beach and  inland  . Targets  8-12 inches no  problem with  stock  tornado  coil getting  gold  and  silver  and  clad  , I  got this nice  ring  second  day  I  had my  GT  I was  sold   to  say  the  least . Diamond was   CZ  ,,,wish it  was  real   but still , a heart  stopper , I also have the digital ID on mine and I love it ,, minelab digisearch, Really,, read up  on  the  Gt  before  you  buy anything, definitely  consider it,  let us  know  what  u end   up  with.. Treasure hunter hit  it  right  on  the  head, nice post  ..HH Guzz1

 

[history_buff]

I am sure pinpointing gets better with practice.Does the add on pinpointers help ?not sure how they work.

Guzz that is a beeyuteeful ring man.If I came in with that you"d have to pry my ol lady off with a spatula(lol) Not to mention you"d have to wash it to get the smell off it....Im with you too bad its CZ but still a prize.
I was in West Palm beach in 87 and 88 working on typewriters and timeclocks.I miss the beaches and the saltwater fishing plus the wintertimes(sigh).On the other hand I dont miss the traffic and the sirens.I started there with a whites 6000di pro.and had good luck on clad stuff only a couple silvers.Wasnt there too long after I got my detector though....hey you ever think it was weird the coins are in a strip?Sometimes Id dig 20 or 30 coins out of a 40ft long strip.Didnt find much jewlery just a little herringbone gold chain with a cross a small one.
Didnt find too much jewlery here either maybe runnin to high on the discrim.
I will definitly read up on the sov and all the reviews I can find.Startin to swing that direction I think.
I will let you guys know what I end up with and my progress as spring and summer advances.Will read the posts too and help anybody I can just like you guys did me.
hey let me know how the pinpointer works Ok?...Like to keep my holes small as possible in yards especially.Wouldnt want Ol mr smith to get jarred off the ridin mower on account of something I did(lol)
Guzz dont get sunburned down there in FL dang it.Like I said we are locked Under a inch of solid Ice here....But on the otherhand I know you NY boys has got er rough too....Got a friend there in Smithville flats that Ive sure been trying to talk into getting into detecting.....later.....D

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Smithville Flats! That's just down the road!

Pinpointing with the Sovereign GT, like any Double D coil, is a little different but evert bit as precise as a concentric. It just takes a little longer. Think of the DD as a paint roller as you sweep it side to side. The field is long but narrow. WHen you get a hit, keep yoir eye on the ground (leaf tip, blade of grass, bit of dirt, etc.) and turn the coil 90º and swept perpendicular to that original path. Adjust your focus until you're looking at a spot that doesn't move as you "X" the spot. There's your target.

An alternative is to "wobble" the coil over the hit and back it up towards you. When it stops registering the target is right in front of the center of the coil. The Sovereign (and Musketeer) work with a wobble. Other Double D coil detectors nees a wider sweep. My F-75 likes a four coil width minimum arc done fast. No slow wobble for her.

And all this is without using the pinpoint features, of course. With that you just pull the trigger and put the coil where the signal is strongest. Then flip 90º and repeat if it's a Double D.

 

[guzz1]

Hey  Don
That  ring  was  one of  my  best  finds  this  year, 2  days  after  I  got  my  sov Gt.   The  line  of  coins   your refer  to is  a  coin line , I hit  one  last week , all  quarters  in  a  straight  line ,unbelievable . I can't  explain why on earth it  does  that , but it  happens  quite  often,, Right  now  the  beaches  are sanded in big  time , we need a  big storm to  strip off a foot a sand,  in fact were getting one  hell of  a storm tonight  50 mph  winds , you can bet  your life I'll be at  the beach  tomorrow ..Anyway  good luck on  your quest .Just get a  high  end  detector.  if don't like you can always sell it  and  re coop most of your  money , I went  3 detectors  in  one  month  before  I got what  I needed . I settle  on  minelab  ex-cal 1000 for  the  water  and  the  sovereign GT for the beach and inland,  There breeze  to operate and  the  hunt like  hell,,,, Don't  buy  no low  end  stuff because there to tough to  get  rid  of..They will  end  up  in  the  closet . stay in touch ,,HH  Guzz1

 

[WV Hillbilly]

I certainly have nothing against minelab . Have heard nothing but good about them except
weight & balance . If you're a made in the usa person you're out of luck with minelab just like
all the rest . I also wonder if minelabs componets are all made down under . Somehow I doubt
it . Check & see where your computer , tv , dvd player & even your farm tractor is made . I saw
a tv program a few years ago when everyone was up in arms about all the imports flooding the
U S markets & everyone was hollering buy american made products .
The tv program I saw featured an old farmer in bib overhalls . He was buying a new tractor
and wanted one made in the good ole U S A . Guess what , there wasn't one . I once bought a
tv off the shelf that had made in the U S A stamped in bold letters on the box . When I opened
it up the tv was made in tawian . I guess the cardboard box was made in the U S A .
By the way , if you think used minelabs are hard to find , look on e-bay or findmall or the
treasure depot , they're everywhere .

 

[history_buff]

Charley P...thanks for the tips on pinpointing.i'll get plenty of practice...i met the guy though a flintknapping forum anout 4 yrs ago and we send one another a christmas box every year.i send him flint from missouri and he sends me flint from NY.(lol)...he collects coins and loves history I mean C"mon!!!...get a detector Dude!!!....I wish I was where the chance is there to find colonial era coins and rev war stuff!( but not where it doesnt turn spring till june!)
Guzz...Good luck out there today wish I was there with ya.Wish I could remember the name of the park at lakeworth I hit all the time.I found quarters by the handfulls.i honestly believe It hadnt been detected.Id come out of there with a double pocketful everytime.was probably off limits to detecting and I didnt know it(lol)....You"ll hit er big soon maybe today!...!??
Hillbilly.....Those minelabs go for 2/3rds what a new one goes for so I figure might as well buy new and get the warranty though.
Ahh its a screwwy world we live in today big diff from 30 yrs ago isnt it?..............Don