Makro Racer 2

[Dr. Witty]

A few weeks ago after I found that big gold ring in the ball field, I mentioned that I really wanted a Makro Racer 2. I figured it was going to be a while before I got one. Then last Tuesday my AT Pro died. It's still under warranty so i sent it back to Garrett. I sent it to Garrett on Tuesday, ordered a Makro Racer 2 on Wednesday and received it via UPS the next day, free shipping!! I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the place I ordered it from, but this guy throws in a free Garrett Carrot with the purchase. I assume the AT Pro will come back to me in like new condition since one of the screw pillars on the housing was completely broken. Anyone who has the AT Pro knows what i'm talking about, and the unit wouldn't get out of the initial power on mode which displays all indicators on the screen, not to mention the condensation behind the display. I love my AT Pro, and will hang onto it, but this Racer so far is the bomb. I've only hunted with it for about 1/2 hour in a place that I totally covered, but this time i was pulling out clad from way down. I'm not sure the AT Pro would have seen it, or if it had maybe it would have sounded like junk. I haven't found anything other then clad yet since only 1/2 hour in use. I'll be going out after work and hopefully have more luck, maybe with some deep silver. I'll keep you posted. I'm really excited about this new racer. I'm thinking it will reopen all those places I've already hunted out.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

thanx for the report on the comparison.

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

FOLLOWING

 

[Dr. Witty]

I'm going to be searching a pre-1860's house early tomorrow with friend. I haven't gotten used to all the tones this thing creates, but one thing that stands out with this detector instead of the AT Pro, is that i had to dial up my default setting of the Garrett Carrot from setting 2 to setting 3. I'm digging deeper targets with the Racer 2 than I did with the AT PRO. I'm also finding that bumping the AT Pro on the ground or tree makes it false, this Makro Racer has yet to false after a bump, or anything, like waving it in the air, and I'll bet that water detecting, that is, going from sand to surf wont false this detector either. I hunt fresh water beaches, and every time i move from sand to surf i get a false with the AT Pro. I also have to turn the gain way down on the AT Pro for it not to false in the water. I'll post my finds from this house later in the day tomorrow.

 

[Minelab Matt]

A few weeks ago after I found that big gold ring in the ball field, I mentioned that I really wanted a Makro Racer 2. I figured it was going to be a while before I got one. Then last Tuesday my AT Pro died. It's still under warranty so i sent it back to Garrett. I sent it to Garrett on Tuesday, ordered a Makro Racer 2 on Wednesday and received it via UPS the next day, free shipping!! I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the place I ordered it from, but this guy throws in a free Garrett Carrot with the purchase. I assume the AT Pro will come back to me in like new condition since one of the screw pillars on the housing was completely broken. Anyone who has the AT Pro knows what i'm talking about, and the unit wouldn't get out of the initial power on mode which displays all indicators on the screen, not to mention the condensation behind the display. I love my AT Pro, and will hang onto it, but this Racer so far is the bomb. I've only hunted with it for about 1/2 hour in a place that I totally covered, but this time i was pulling out clad from way down. I'm not sure the AT Pro would have seen it, or if it had maybe it would have sounded like junk. I haven't found anything other then clad yet since only 1/2 hour in use. I'll be going out after work and hopefully have more luck, maybe with some deep silver. I'll keep you posted. I'm really excited about this new racer. I'm thinking it will reopen all those places I've already hunted out.

I

switched from a Garrett to a Makro Racer 2 and can honestly say I absolutely LOVE the racer.

I use it 70% of the time on a 800 acre farm permission i've got and the rest of the time on the beaches, wet or dry and it performs amazing

Awesome bit of kit!!


Matt

 

[Dr. Witty]

So here's a follow up on the 1860's house dig i did this past weekend. I think my lack of knowledge on the Racer caused me not to have the kind of day I should have had. I did find an old pocket knife, concho like button, and 1943 Mercury dime, but knowing what I know now about this machine would have helped me more for that dig. First thing you should know is that you will need a long handled Lesche or similar digging tool. The Lesche hand digger is too short for the depths you will be digging with this machine. I am saying this as someone who has found silver in a place that I had hunted out, or thought I did last year. Last fall I started hunting an old ball field and was pulling Rosies and Merc's out on a regular basis. I even found a 1916 silver Egyptian piaster there. The spot is no longer a ball field as the company who owns it is going to expand on the property so now it's all overgrown and abandoned. This evening i want back there and found a 1946 rosie and 1942 Merc, in an area that I know i went over with my AT pro, but these coins were really far down, about 9-11 inches. and since the area is overgrown, I'm forced to raise the coil higher then what I would have had to do with the AT Pro. I'm mostly listening for those soft high tones and planning to dig deep. I'm running this machine primarily in 3 tone cause I want to hear those highs for silver. I like how if you get a clean high tone, you can instantly switch over to deep mode and possibly get a VDI reading on screen. I'll also use 2 tone because it's the second deepest discriminated mode. So my settings are 3 tone in trashy sites, ID filter- 2 Iron Audio 0 or 1, and gain up as high as it can go without interference. This racer is breathing new life into frequently pounded sites.
Other things I have noticed:
This Racer doesn't hurt my elbow or hand. Maybe it's because the control pod for the batteries and the screen are spaced out on the rod, but my arm no longer tires after a few hours of swinging. My tennis elbow is gone and my hand no longer cramps up.
I love the backlight. After-work detecting is going to be the thing soon as the weather gets cooler, and daylight savings time kicks in, it will be dark as soon as i get off from work, that back light will come in handy.
I love having volume control.
I love how every option is right there on the screen with the exception of the LED flashlight and Frequency Shift.
I love how this machine is so stable and there is no falsing when you knock it on a tree or rock, and I love the quick response.
Things I don't like:
Those crappy Koss headphones that come with this machine. In both the standard and pro packages you get them. They are just awful. The wires are too short and thin and there were several times I wanted to throw them across the field. Makro should have left them out, no one will use them and some day we'll be digging them up instead of pull tabs. If you need headphones you can do better at the dollar store, or a 5 And Under store. I have already ordered a pair of 2.4 GHZ Rapoo headphones off of E-bay. Non-proprietary means that i can use them on any of my detectors, and I hear they have no lag.
I hate the pro packages on any detector, and this includes the Makro. Who needs another carry bag, finds bag or rechargeable battery set? Get that stuff on Amazon if you need it, chances are you'll never use them. If anything the pro pack could have included a cheap Bluetooth or 2.4 ghz headphone option, or maybe even the Makro 2.4 phones. I heard there was a lack of volume control on them, and I haven't heard if that issue was fixed or not. The only thing i opted for were the rain covers, but I'll most likely only use the bottom pod cover, as I've heard that using the screen cover tends to introduce condensation behind the screen, plus I've heard that it can actually scratch the screen if you're not careful. I'm planning on covering my screen with a Zagg Invisible Shield film.
So that leaves the small sniper coil. I believe you can get that for about $119.00. I'd say try the included coil first and switch to the smaller one later if you want, you'll save a bunch of money and you wont have a lot of useless junk collecting dust.
In closing, this Racer is the bomb. It will replace my AT pro, for everything but water detecting where I'll need to wade out over my knees. There are so many settings that you can adjust and stuff that I haven't really looked into. I got my Racer 2 online from a reputable dealer who will throw in a Garrett AT Pro- Pointer for free. For $749.00 that is a killer deal. Thanks Bart!

 

[Minelab Matt]

Very nice post mate.

Can't fault it at all.

I also have the racer 2 and absolutely LOVE it.

I've used 2.4ghz NON-bluetooth headphones and they are brilliant, but have not tried the official Racer 2 headphones and dongle.

When I first got the Racer 2 I made the mistake of thinking all I would need was my handheld Evo Digging knife..lol.....So many targets are soooo deep, i'd be there digging 12-18 Inches....so ended up buying a Evolution Pro digging spade.

My go to settings for my local farm permission:

2-tone
Gain = 80=85
ID Filter 20

The depth i've dug some big stuff with the racer, like horse shoes etc is just mental and insanely deep.

Found a nice coin couple of weeks ago, only 2 inches below a field that had just been ploughed....

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[Dr. Witty]

Thanks Staffydog33 for the comments, and that is a real sweet coin. I'm in the process of securing a new permission, and cant wait to see what I can pull out of it. For a while I was digging some really deep targets of high tones that I thought were silver only to find that they were square nails. I'm sure that will change as I get used to that high tone and just taking it slow and listening better. I've been reading a ton of posts about this machine and there is a lot to know, so i tried to compile some key factors from those posts here. I really like how Makro incorporated a dongle to fit onto the side of their machine, but at that price there are so many better options out there that are less expensive and lag free, and since the headphone jack is way out at the end, there's less worry about smacking the dongle it on something.
The fact that this machine doesn't hurt my arm or hand when i swing it is an added benefit that i wasn't expecting. I know this is an issue for a lot of people and I went so far as to get a straight shaft for my AT Pro and it only helped a little. both machines are 3lbs. but i think that the Makro is just laid out better. That AT pro has quite a large display housing and maybe that top heaviness is causing that arm pain.