First Question

[No.CalTresure]

Looking to buy my first MD, I have been reading all the post and comparisons that all people new to MD seem to ask. So I am going to try and not ask the same old questions. You guys put out a lot of great information. I have learned so much all ready. So here is my first newbie question. Is there advantages to having a display screen(like on the Ace 350) versus a MD without one (Like the Tesoro's line of MD"s) Is one easier to use than the other. Do you get more useful info from one with the display screen? Any input would be helpful.

 

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[Qball]

A lot depends on the kind of hunting you want to do. If you are beach hunting you probably do not need a vdi on your machine because you are going to dig everything any way. If you are relic hunting or hunting parks, lawn areas and the like a vdi meter is really handy to have so you can avoid a lot of useless digging and destruction of property. Most signals are fairly shallow so you may not need a super powerful machine hunting in areas where deep targets do not exist like newer parks etc. I have a T2 and still dig plenty of trash even with the target ID I can only imagine how much more I would dig without it. Think how happy your neighbor would be if you dug every good sounding signal on his front lawn including the iron overload signals. With a vdi meter you can run your discriminator down low for better depth and quickly see what is trash on the surface

 

[cudamark]

Welcome to Tnet! I like having a target I.D. screen myself. It gives you one more bit of information before you decide to dig. Can you get by without one? Sure, just as blind people can sucessfully detect also, but I'd rather have all my senses working.

 

[Twinkletoes]

I personally like as much information displayed as possible. First I use tone ID to locate a likely target. But once I have a good tone, I analyze the information displayed on my Whites XLT. Here's the thing, you can't dig everything and still have fun. If you choose not to dig, you will never know for sure what was down there. Therefore the more information you have to decide "dig or not" is helpful. The idea is to be selective and dig more good items than junk. "I don't always use VDI, but when I do, I prefer XLT." HD

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[Terry Soloman]

Us Tesoro guys encourage you to buy machines with cute little number readouts, and to believe the numbers! That way there is a lot more gold left in the ground for us to dig! I love the fellas that say a digital readout gives you "more" information than a strong, repeatable signal. Love it!

 

[Twinkletoes]

Thanks, we love you too! But what we're talking about here is the difference between diggers and searchers. I personally search an area before I dig and get a reading of what might be there. Then when I'm ready to dig I usually hit about 60% good targets. Using Tone ID alone gives you less information, but more time on the shovel. Both work well and you now have all the information you need to decide. Name your poison son!

PS Read the post, I use Tone ID also.

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[No.CalTresure]

Thanks for all the great replies. I was leaning towards a VDI MD, but Terry always makes a good argument the other way. I guess like everything else it is personal preference. I will have to do a little more research.

 

[ZR2guy]

Us Tesoro guys encourage you to buy machines with cute little number readouts, and to believe the numbers! That way there is a lot more gold left in the ground for us to dig! I love the fellas that say a digital readout gives you "more" information than a strong, repeatable signal. Love it!

Cute little number readouts?Learning tones is obviously the first thing with any MD but I like the display on my Xterra so I can verify which coil and frequency I am using when I switch coils. Oh ,that's right, Tesoro doesn't have the option of hunting in 3 different frequenciesDoesn't Tesoro make a model or two with a display?Can't be all bad if you "Tesoro guys" also have TID machines .To each their own but if you hunt behind me ,there won't be "a lot more gold" for you to dig but I will leave you some pull tabs.

 

[G.I.B.]

My GTI 2500 is great on the beach, dry sand. The visual cues tells me the difference in sizes. Pull tabs, gold rings, and beer cans are close enough to get confusing. The size and depth visual readout helps me to eliminate big aluminum.

I was out on the beach today and the pull tabs look a lot like rings. I dig them all. Every now and then I'll dig the can, and yep... the size is correct, still a can.

My Infinium (PI) does not give a visual size. I use this in the surf. Gold has it's own very quiet whisper tone. Being a PI machine, I get to dig really deep sometimes for small things. It finds smaller gold than the GTI.

My Sand Shark screams at everything and anything metal that's really deep, deeper than my other machines.

The only 'final' answer is to have a handful of machines. Each one works a little differently depending on where you are hunting and what you are hunting for.

 

[Twinkletoes]

I have a Minelab Excalibur for sand and surf. Tone ID only, dig everything!

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[Terry Soloman]

Thanks, we love you too! But what we're talking about here is the difference between diggers and searchers. I personally search an area before I dig and get a reading of what might be there. Then when I'm ready to dig I usually hit about 60% good targets. Using Tone ID alone gives you less information, but more time on the shovel. Both work well and you now have all the information you need to decide. Name your poison son!

PS Read the post, I use Tone ID also.

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That's cool Twink! Whatever works for you - because "you" are the only person you have to please in this hobby. Now, for me, that would be a complete and utter waste of my valuable hunting time. I even know guys that plant little flags or golf tee's instead of just digging up the target right away. Again, if it gives you a thrill - Go for it! Oh, and Twink, I know you really DON'T love us Tesoro guys and gals, because we leave you nothing..

 

[Terry Soloman]

...To each their own but if you hunt behind me ,there won't be "a lot more gold" for you to dig but I will leave you some pull tabs.

You just illustrated my point better than I ever could ZR2! Thank You! By the way, My Vaquero allows me to hunt in three-different frequencies, and I don't even have to change - or buy another expensive coil to do it!

 

[Twinkletoes]

I agree with you on most of these points. But your wrong about the Tesoro guys. I am happy when anybody finds something valuable or just fun. I honestly find all I want...I hope that lasts forever. But I hope you find more and better targets every time you go out. Go get the gold, I'm counting on you! Post your finds. HD

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[ZR2guy]

You just illustrated my point better than I ever could ZR2! Thank You! By the way, My Vaquero allows me to hunt in three-different frequencies, and I don't even have to change - or buy another expensive coil to do it!

14.3, 14.5, 14.7 is hardly 3 different frequencies with only a range of .4 The Xterra offers 3khz, 7.5kHz and 18.75kHz. Heck, just the noise cancel range on a 7.5kHz coil for example goes like this:
+ 2 = 7.580 kHz
+1 = 7.540 kHz
0 = 7.500 kHz
-1 = 7.460 kHz
-2 = 7.420 kHz

So if we do the math based on your definition of # of frequencies then each of the three Minelab coil frequencies has a potential of 5 frequencies within each of them which when multiplied by 3 (distinctly different) coil frequencies, equals 15 frequencies. WOW , now that is alot of variety. Thank you for motivating me to show this example based on those 3 frequencies that the Vaquero can produce. Don't you just love math?

 

[wheatymike]

I hunt with a Vaquero and do pretty good. Some days my trash to treasure ratio is close to half which I say is pretty good. I have used target segment ID machines like the ace 250 and various bounty hunters. I will say that I have never used a actual number read out like the Mine labs. My trash to trasusre was no better with the segment ID than with the tone ID. Often my segment ID would jump around and I still didn't know for sure what was under the coil. I have seen many demo's on target number ID machine and to tell you the truth they do seem more accurate at telling you what is under the coil.However, what is really down there? You must dig to know. I guess when it comes to the question of trash to treasure maybe a ID machine does have an advantage? Until the day when they come out with a machine that can really get down to telling you what's down there the debate will continue. I think there are just too many variable for there to be that much certianty with the technolagy we have now. When they come out with a machine that can tell the difference in a pull tab and a gold ring I will be the first in line

 

[ZR2guy]

I have no problems with any other brand of MD.To each their own. I just have a problem with half truths.Sorry if I offended any one.I just really know the specs on my X-Terra 70 and it's accessories. Apparently some people want to boast about their brand/type of MD while criticizing other brands/types without fully knowing/understanding the specs of the MD they use. Amazing what reading can do.

 

[smokeythecat]

I had a Garret AT PRO with the meter and hated it. The tonal differences was totally annoying to me and the meter was not all that reliable, especially when it came to brass objects. I got three Tesoros and in the last 3 months they have paid for themselves 3 times over. I have a Cibola and it has the three different frequencies and I can easily discriminate out iron and keep the good stuff.

 

[Terry Soloman]

14.3, 14.5, 14.7 is hardly 3 different frequencies with only a range of .4 The Xterra offers 3khz, 7.5kHz and 18.75kHz. Heck, just the noise cancel range on a 7.5kHz coil for example goes like this:
+ 2 = 7.580 kHz
+1 = 7.540 kHz
0 = 7.500 kHz
-1 = 7.460 kHz
-2 = 7.420 kHz

So if we do the math based on your definition of # of frequencies then each of the three Minelab coil frequencies has a potential of 5 frequencies within each of them which when multiplied by 3 (distinctly different) coil frequencies, equals 15 frequencies. WOW , now that is alot of variety. Thank you for motivating me to show this example based on those 3 frequencies that the Vaquero can produce. Don't you just love math?

You missed MY point completely. At $200.00 (18.75kHz); $165.00 (7.5kHz); and $750.00 for the machine - I'm saving a lot of money and finding EVERYTHING you are.

 

[CaliShawnNokc]

I'm going to add my two cents in here. I have a MXT Pro, I had noting but problems when I started using it because I was relying on my VDI read out. Then after I used it over and over again, it started to make more sense. I have 3 different modes (Coin and Jewelry, Relic, and Prospecting mode) and a pretty good ground balance that helps me when the ground is heavy in minerals (or even hot rock). When I'm in the city, I run Coin and Jewelry. In the sticks, I run Relic.

The thing I started to learn was that if I wanted to just scan an area and see what kind of coins were there I would look at my VDI's and just cherry pick the high tones. If I found some older wheat's or silver, I would come back when I had more time and hit it hard and listen to my tone ID's. That being said, I'm sure I missed some gold, but that being said, I have bench tested my machine and found that gold is a whisper, and I always dig whispers! NOW, just yesterday I was at an old homestead and ran Relic mode. I pulled about a thousand nails, but I also found some cool stuff in the process.

Some guys like to use VDI's for specific reasons, and some guys like to dig everything, every time. THAT is the choice that you should be making......how much flexibility do you want with your machine? I hated my friend that ran his Cibola because he would find some sweet stuff, and it was accurate, but now I can do the same and more with my XLT. Sometimes I want to coin shoot, and other times I want to hunt jewelry whilst other times I want relics. I like my options. It's like trying to compare Honda's and Harley's really. Some people are loyal to the core, but let's face it.....It's all about the hunt!

So my advice is, decide what you want to spend first, then check out some at a local shop and see what options each one has that you like (weight, sounds, coils, blah, blah, blah). Chances are you'll fall in love with the brand you choose if you do your research and don't get pushed into a sale. Good luck brother hunter!

Oh by the way, think about where you're at. I plan on hitting the Sierra's when I come home to visit and I love that mine can do prospecting mode for the gold out there in Cali!

 

[Ism]

NoCal, heres my two cents....
With an audio only, I wouldn't have that extra piece of information to persuade me not to dig. Ergo, I find more stuff but dig more.
I personally like a display but have both. I have found a lot of goodies I wouldn't have dug with a display unit.
Ran