Id like your opinion on something ....

[treasurecoasteric]

I'd like your opinion on something ....

Here is my question and everyone's opinions are important.

Is it possible for someone to successfully hunt the beach, without a machine made specifically for beach use? In other words, could an average detecting enthusiast take a proven major brand land machine ( Fisher F 70, Garrett AT Pro, Whites MXT, Teknetics T2 etc ) and come hone with pirate coins, jewelry and other precious scottish metals, or will you only find anything good if you have a ( Fisher CZ 21, Minelab Excalibur, Whites Beach master PI, Tesoro Sand Shark etc )

There is a reason I ask and will give my story later

Sent from my BNTV600 using TreasureNet

 

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[R.Danneskjold]

My experience tells me that you certainly could hunt a beach with those detectors but will be at a disadvantage once you hit the wet salt sand. The ATP is very noisy in the salt in my area. I have found lots of great things in the fresh water with the ATP though. So if you are talking salt.......you could find things but will not likely do as well as those with an Excal, Sand Shark, ATX etc etc. JMO

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

I would say yes, but you would be at a disadvantage..

 

[zurc]

I have hunted a few beaches here in Broward with the AT Pro... Hollywood, Hallandale, Las Olas and Dania... Ground balancing helped a lot both in dry and wet sand, but then again all I found was bottle caps, pull tabs, some clad and one piece of silver (it was actually a Jesus necklace charm)... Now this all could be due to location, the lack of my worthy finds, but I also haven't put more than 20 hours combined on these beaches.

If you are going strictly beach hunts, I would find a detector that's built specifically for that, but if you want to do land as well, definitely check out the AT Pro.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sure you can hunt, but you aren't going to have any depth because the detector can't handle the salt. Anything you find would have to be almost on the surface.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

In the dry sand no problem, in the wet sand they will be constantly falsing because they see salt minerals as metal everywhere.

You would have to turn your sensitivity way down to cut down on the false signals and they well still false. False signals means you would be digging signals (targets) that aren't there.

Also you would have to cover controls up to protect from the salt in the air. ..

Answer is yes they can be used but not very effectively.....If you go to beach once a year then go for it, if beach hunting often get a good beach detector..

I posted the same answer in your same thread in metal detecting forum.

I'm curious why you are posting exact same thread in multiple forums?






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[TooManyHobbies]

Treasure Hunter nailed it. I use my MXT on the beach, it's the only machine I have. But, I want to detect wet sand and the MXT just won't cooperate. Way to sensitive and too much falsing. Up on dry sand, sunbathing areas it works great.

 

[Iron Patch]

Sure you can, but you have to be more selective, and choose the ones that work well on the beach. There's really nothing special about an Excal or CZ21 as far as the guts go, they're just packed into a waterproof housing.... so as long as you don't get the housing wet a Sovereign or high end multi freq. Fisher would do as well. As for the PI that's a little different because they are not made for land at all.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Remember there is salt in the air so protect the controls from the salt in the air, not just a splash of salt water...






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[lookindown]

On Florida beaches, I can set my AT pro up to run stable in the wet sand and the salt water. Its only about 2 inches shallower than my CZ21. I used it one whole Summer in the saltwater and found some nice gold and silver rings with it. I don't run mine in the same mode that everyone says to use in the salt...when I set it up like everyone says to, its too unstable to use. Ive helped several people set their AT PRO up to run stable using my settings, so its not just my machine, its the settings. Florida has different mineralization than other states so the AT pro works differently here. My friend has used a CZ21 for many years and one day his CZ quit working at the beach. I had my AT pro in the car for a back up. After using it for about thirty minutes and digging several targets including a ring, he said "I don't know why people say the AT pro wont work in saltwater".

 

[treasurecoasteric]

OK - Here are my answers.

1. I am posting this on multiple forums because they all have readers who are capable of answering this question.

2. The other day at the beach I met with up with 2 other guys detecting. You could tell everybody have been around a bit. They were both carrying Minelab Ecaliburs and I had my Whites MXT Pro with the 12" 300 coil. Of course the conversation was metal detecting and we were having a great time until one of the guys commented that I am "Completely wasting my time" on the beach with my unit.

OK - At low tide and in the wet sand, I am sure that a Minelab would definitely outperform it. In dry sand, I am not so sure, but to say that I am wasting my time? Seriously I live on Florida's Space Coast......

I the years that I used to detect here 2000-2004 and this last year 2013, I have found more stuff than you would believe ! As far as the dry sand ( towel line ) and moist sand there is plenty to be found. The wet sand ...... well I don't have the capabilities of people with other machines, but with the proper use and RESEARCH, you are actually at an advantage. Now realistically, I can only get 6-8 inches MAX in wet sand, but when I start nailing sinkers in a section of the beach that is slightly lower than the rest, than I know Gold is around, and I have found plenty of that too.......

It's just being familiar with your beaches. I know them all and where their low spots are. I know where things tend to settle and gather. I know to work that area around the lounger and umbrella rentals. I look for imprints of coolers in the sand because that indicates that people were there.......It's a SCIENCE.

I one day, forgot my detector ( no kidding ) and worked the wet send in a bout a foot of water with a mesh dry sand scoop ....... I found $2.85 and a Gold ring !!!!!

You can get a $2,000.00 plus detector, but you have to understand the beach and how it works. I saw some tourist yesterday checking seaweed for reales with his CTX 3030 and I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was probably the metal eyelets on his sneakers were making his machine false LOL.

 

[SoCalBeachScanner]

-
Hi treasurecoast (eric)

It seems you have the answers to your own questions ... you've been detecting before. Any detector at any price will easily detect dry sand ... and most detectors with waterproof coils will detect wet sand or shallow saltwater. When detecting the wet sand or saltwater it all boils down to either de-tuning the machine down where you lose a ton of depth or if you have the capability to here mid and high tone targets through the constant faint low iron sound.

My first detector was a $40 Harbor Fright 9-function detector, it had a waterproof coil, and I found my first ring with it in 12" of saltwater.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I use my mxt pro to detect belly button rings when ladies sun on their stomachs. works well

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Still don't understand why you posted your question. Everyone who replied told you that you can hunt with single freq detector if you had too, but it is not the best choice for saltwater....

Can you bass fish with a cane pole? Answer is yes but it isn't the best choice or most productive.









American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[treasurecoasteric]

Just wanted too see if people agreed with me that knowledge of your machine and terrain outweighs the cost / model of your detector

Sent from my BNTV600 using TreasureNet

 

[R.Danneskjold]

Well. Truth is a PI will go further in the salt. Seen it many times. Not quite sure why we got this one going.....

 

[scaupus]

Sounds like you did ok. A used Beach Hunter for $350-500 is good for a budget beach machine that is good in water and on land.

 

[lookindown]

Any quality detector will work fine in the dry sand, it doesn't have to be a beach detector, as long as you stay in the dry.

 

[TampaTroy]

On Florida beaches, I can set my AT pro up to run stable in the wet sand and the salt water. Its only about 2 inches shallower than my CZ21. I used it one whole Summer in the saltwater and found some nice gold and silver rings with it. I don't run mine in the same mode that everyone says to use in the salt...when I set it up like everyone says to, its too unstable to use. Ive helped several people set their AT PRO up to run stable using my settings, so its not just my machine, its the settings. Florida has different mineralization than other states so the AT pro works differently here. My friend has used a CZ21 for many years and one day his CZ quit working at the beach. I had my AT pro in the car for a back up. After using it for about thirty minutes and digging several targets including a ring, he said "I don't know why people say the AT pro wont work in saltwater".

If you don't mind me asking, what settings do you use? I've got a atpro and am planning on hitting a beach in the next couple of weeks for the first time. I was planning on following the manual but I would love to hear the voice of experience.

 

[lookindown]

If you don't mind me asking, what settings do you use? I've got a atpro and am planning on hitting a beach in the next couple of weeks for the first time. I was planning on following the manual but I would love to hear the voice of experience.

I use the auto ground balance at the waters edge and it usually balances around 13...then I manually drop the number about two more down, say to 11. If your having trouble balancing just set it on 12 and it will be fine. I run STANDARD mode...zero....I run six of eight bars sensitivity and if I get false signals, I drop down to five bars...keep your coil sweeps level with the bottom and don't let the coil come above the ground at the end of your sweeps...You will be surprised at how deep some of the targets are that you dig...you don't have to change balance from wet sand to water but if you go in the dry you have to re balance...should balance in the dry around 70...tape the coil wire in several places up the shaft, the water will move that wire if you don't and you will get falses...my first tape is about three inches from the coil ...good luck, let me know how it works and feel free to ask more questions.