Another NEWBIE question?

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I first want to say Hi to everbody out there in this forum. I'm looking into purchasing my first detector for saltwater use and my research has raised alot of doubts in my mind. The Whites Pl Pro seems to have a easy learning curve but... I know i will have to dig everything till i figure out all the tones. Also I hear alot about Excal on here, not sure its right for a newbie just learning. Oh yeah i'd like to keep the first purchase less than a grand. I sure would appreciate any input on this. Thanks, Shawn

 

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[Tin Nugget]

Both those machines are proven but you would have to buy used to get one under 1K. Garrett has a new machine that might fit your needs under 1K. PRO AT or AT PRO? Something like that.

 

[rehless]

You can get a new White's Pi for less than a grand. Excal, you would have to buy used.
I have two White's PI machines and really like them both, but I don't hunt salt water.
Good luck to you.

 

[Smudge]

Welcome!

Well, you've picked a couple of great beach detectors to decide from: White's Dual Field or Minelab's Excalibur II.

I have used pulse induction and I have now used the Excal also.

I sold the Excal and am going back to a PI machine, very likely the Dual Field. The Excal, I was surprised to find, was not the detector for me.

The Excal is a great multi-level frequency (MLF) detector. You can go from dry sand, to wet sand to the surf without altering the settings (though the surf will sometimes require an adjustment to your sensitivity). Users love the Excal because you can eliminate a lot of junk and the detector will, in air tests, mask iron and pick up on a coin underneath it. Other junk, like bottlecaps, will give you a different tone. Learning the tones on the Excal is the biggest challenge. The Excal is largely considered the best beach detector made so far.

The Dual Field will offer you amazing depth. Targets 2 feet deep are not unheard of. This can be a real advantage in dealing with sanded in beaches. It is also a benefit because the PI will go deeper than the Excalibur will, often twice as deep. This means you can go behind all the Excal users and get everything they missed: trash and treasure. You will get tones on the Dual Field, but identifying a target will have more to do with the length and crispness of the sound than it will the actual tone. A PI detector is a beep-and-dig machine. Any target you don't dig might be a missed find of a lifetime. Or another tie wrap.

So what you need to decide, and this can be tough one because I didn't figure out my answer until I used both, is which strain of the metal detecting disease you have: PI or MLF.

"MLF +" detectorists have an aversion to digging junk. In their mind, there is no bigger waste of time or energy. They'd rather sacrifice some depth and just stick to digging targets that they're almost positive are worthwhile, even if that means they will swing their detector for a hour and never get a single signal. They look at the PI detectorist who digs 18" only to come up with a burnt sparkler wire as borderline psychotic behavior. You will often see MLF+ detectorists saluting one another at the beach or grouping together at parties. Some are thought to light candles and burn incense in front of their Excals, but this has never been confirmed. They are the Cary Grant's of beach detecting.

"PI+" detectorists have an aversion to missing any target, especially those deep ones. It's ok with them if they have to dig 100 pulltabs at 18" if that means finding one worn gold ring at the same depth. Put an MLF detector in their hands and the whole time they'll be in a panic wondering: "Is this thing masking a good target?", and "What kind of targets is this thing missing because its not going deeply enough?" PI+ detectorists will often be seen using a sand scoop that's bigger than your head. They look at anyone who doesn't finish their day with a bag full of junk as total sissies. They tend to avoid other people at the beach, dress strangely, and will clean out the buffet and then leave the few parties they get invitied to. They are the Danny DeVito's of beach detecting.

But one thing is for sure: digging at the beach beats digging on land by a country mile. Just keep scooping sand til you hit your target. No plug cutting, no root cutting, no laying out towels for excess dirt. Just kick the sand back in when you're done and move on. My advice: don't be afraid to dig.

I discovered I'm PI+. Both strains are ultimately fatal, you just need to figure out your poison. Remember, everyone in this hobby is nuts. We dig madly for a penny that most people will walk right past if its laying on the surface. There's no hope or cure. Once you're truly infected, you're done.

Good luck and hope to see you at the next group session!

 

[Sandman]

Smudge about nailed it. You didn't say you were going to do fresh water or salt, but being your from Florida I guess it's salt. Everything Smudge said about the Excal and Pulse detectors was true. It depends really on how much you want to dig, but sand is easy to dig anyway.

The Garrett AT Pro hasn't proven itself as a good saltwater detector yet and it will probably depend a lot on where you use it. One thing is it should be fine on the dry sand for all the detecting, but still not as deep as a PI. In the wet sand I expect it will be unstable, but still not as deep as a PI.

Pulse detectors for you to research are: Tesoro Sand Shark-Out of production right now due to lack of a part, which is silly.
Garrett Infinium LS and Sea Hunter Mark II, both fine pulse detectors with the Infinium being more expensive of the two.
White's Surf PI Pro and Dual Field machines. Both these detectors work fine but the coils will float. This isn't any problem out of the water, but I hunt in the water and thought it was a lot of extra work holding them down near the bottom.

One thing is certain, you are going to need a first rate scoop, and I can highly recommend the Sunspot Stealth for water work and a screen sifter type for the dry sand.

 

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Thank you for all the info it definitely helped me make up my mind, I'm going with the Whites duel field. Sandman it's funny you mentioned that scoop, because that is the exact one i am buying. I tried to make one myself and it wasn't strong enough for the amount of digging i hopefully have to do, but it does work pretty good for sharks teeth down in Venice beach. I will be heading back down there to hunt for Meg's next weekend. Wish me luck and thanks again. HH