Best Detector for Competition Hunts

[Treasure_Hunter]

Would like to get some opinions on what some think is the best detector to use on competition hunts. I attended the Great Southern Beach Shootout At Daytona this weekend. I had a great time, met some really nice hunters and learned a lot. I really enjoyed the hunt and talking to the other hunters from all over.

I tried in order my Minelab Excal, my 6000 Pro XL, and my Beach Hunter ID. It turned out the one with the least amount of interference from other units was the Beach Hunter.

It seems the Garretts and especially the little small Garretts Yellow head unit (model ?)caused the most interference for me.I am not complaining about them as a unit, only that they seemd to have the most interference with mine.

Suggestions or hints?

 

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[stoney56]

Myself, I prefer either the Tesoro Cibola or the Fisher 1236X2. A frequency shifter would definitely help to cut down on interference. Also it depends on the area of the hunt. I find in my area that the vast majority of detectors are Whites and Fishers with a sprinkling of Garretts and Minelabs.

 

[bill gent]

i agree with stoney although i didnt see any fishers and the majority was minelab or white---------- we have a huge club hunt here in new jersey

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

There were about 200 hunters, a lot of Whites, Minelabs, Garrets and Fisher, and it seemed for me the Fisher and especially Garretts caused the most interference with what I was using.....Again, I am NOT complaining about or putting down the units, only what works best in competition hunts and what I need use or do next time to decrease the interference.

 

[stoney56]

Most of it is caused by mismatched frequencies of various machines. Sometimes I will change frequencies, other times I'll notice that it's a particular model that's giving me fits-in which case I'll just vear off and go in a new direction. I had one machine that wouldn't operate properly in that environment but the interference was a rhythmic throbbing and I ran in pinpoint mode and listened for a difference in the tone.

 

[hollowpointred]

ive never hunted in a competition, but i would imagine that my GTI 2500 would do a good job. its a pretty fast machine and the size feature would be very usefull in finding planted coins amongst scattered trash items. as long as the targets werent super deep i would probably use it over my minelab. i love the minelab but its a slow swing machine.

 

[warsawdaddy]

Depends on the hunt in general.For club hunts,the targets are usually not more than 1 - 2".I use my CZ5 most of the time but I have also used the 250 in small club hunts.The Vaquero or Advantage in relic type hunts.I have never had another detector interfere with my units and I have been almost up against some of them including the 250.The 2500 I have is too heavy for a fast speedy hunt,for me anyway.Haven't tried the XT30 I have yet or the 3300.

 

[stoney56]

ive never hunted in a competition, but i would imagine that my GTI 2500 would do a good job. its a pretty fast machine and the size feature would be very usefull in finding planted coins amongst scattered trash items. as long as the targets werent super deep i would probably use it over my minelab. i love the minelab but its a slow swing machine.

You'd probably be better off with the 250, but the drawback there is no changing frequencies. The 2500 is nice in that aspect but a bit heavier in a quick moving situation.

 

[erikk]

I was there and it was my first hunt. The first hunt I used a Fisher cz7a pro and had a lot if interference. I then switched to my EX 2 with a 12 inch sun ray and did very well. I noise canceled just before the hunt when all the other detectors were hot and eliminated all the interference. The 12 inch coil really covers the ground and went for some deep ones that were around 8 inches. Also got lucky with a marked coin in the last hunt and won some $$$ One thing I did notice is that the others with different detectors gave me a wide berth because the minelab was messing with their units.
It was a great hunt and very well run. I will be there next year. .02

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

erikk,

Sorry we didn't get to meet in person, I would have enjoyed meeting you. I did get to meet The Buligarian, and Ocaliman, both really nice people.

I also plan on attending next years hunt, I really enjoyed it this year. I went to it with the same attitude I use when I go to Vegas or a Riverboat, I'm there to have fun, and enjoy the people as well as the event, I have no high expectations of winning so not real disappointed when I don't, ............wwwwwell, I did miss the first raffle by one number for the Minelab Excal, and then the same guy winning 3 detectors in a row on the raffles, well if it was me it would have been great, but since it wasn't I was disappointed. BUTTT nothing against him, its all in the luck......

 

[skierbob]

You need a MD with a built in frequency shifter for competition hunts. Otherwise, if you have a MD with a sensitivity control, you can turn the sensitivity way down to try to eliminate the interference from other machines. I use my Troy Shadow X3 for competition hunts because it has a frequency shifter on it. I rarely ever get any interference from other detectors, but if I do, I just turn to another frequency to get rid of it. My buddy uses the X5 model for the same reason. I think that Tesoro also makes at least one detector with a frequency shifter and I believe it is a lot cheaper than the Troy Shadows.
Bob

 

[stoney56]

You need a MD with a built in frequency shifter for competition hunts. Otherwise, if you have a MD with a sensitivity control, you can turn the sensitivity way down to try to eliminate the interference from other machines. I use my Troy Shadow X3 for competition hunts because it has a frequency shifter on it. I rarely ever get any interference from other detectors, but if I do, I just turn to another frequency to get rid of it. My buddy uses the X5 model for the same reason. I think that Tesoro also makes at least one detector with a frequency shifter and I believe it is a lot cheaper than the Troy Shadows.
Bob

That definitely helps. I believe you're refering to the Cibola. There is one little trick that helps a lot if they use stamped dimes as tokens. Run your disc. at about 8 or so and your sens. at around 4. Most targets are surface or just an inch or two below. You don't need much to catch those signals.

 

[swingman]

I like the Whites IDX Pro - you may still be able to get one for around $400. It's an excellent machine for the money.
It has a 'frequency adjust' knob that will tune out other machines. Pinpointing is very good. For me, it has found stuff missed by my more expensive detectors.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I had my sens turned way down, as I knew most targets were buried 4 inches or less. I think some had theirs turn up very high as I heard others commenting on it.

I may have to consider if I want to do more of these hunts, I might need to look at a detector with a freq shifter.

 

[erikk]

Would have liked to have met you as well. So many people and being my first hunt I was like a kid in a candy shop. I went with no expectations of finding anything -maybe a couple of coins . The EX2 worked for me, probably because I hunt with it 3-4 times a week and am comfortable with it. I turned down the sens to 8 and even that low it would hit on the pretty deep ones with no cross talk or inteference with the 12 inch coil. The rig is pretty heavy ( also has a sun ray probe) but as you know, 10 minutes and it was pretty much all over so that was not an issue for me. I think the big secret is the scoop. If you are using a DD coil like I was I had a wide scoop that was flat on the bottom and could run the length of the hot part of the coil with one swipe without having to pinpoint. But...bottom line- speed & LUCK

 

[MEinWV]

Depends on how many comps you plan on entering.

IMHO---Get an old, lightweight, one or two knob unit, and practice, practice, practice!

Targets are never deep, unless it is a special item, and I am sure it would not be all that deep.

If you are going for speed sweeping, stay away from the slow motion units.

I always went for extreme sweep speed, kept my rod real short, and pretty much stayed bent over for the full hour of each hunt. Bad on my back, but I always got my entry fee back in the clad I found.

Good luck!

 

[stoney56]

I had my sens turned way down, as I knew most targets were buried 4 inches or less. I think some had theirs turn up very high as I heard others commenting on it.

I may have to consider if I want to do more of these hunts, I might need to look at a detector with a freq shifter.

I wonder if you can get a frequency shifter box for either the Whites of Minelab instead of a whole new detector.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Hummmm, that or maybe it might be better to get one that is good for competition hunts with the freq shifter built in and with a good reputation, maybe one that has a lifetime warranty.

Darn, that would mean I would have to buy another detector, and me with a $200 Am Express gift card I just got for no sick time taken at work the last year, and trying to figure out what I should do with it. Hummmmmm Tesoro Vaquero.

 

[stoney56]

The Vaquero would probably be a good choice and with the manual ground balance, you might find yourself using it for other detecting as well. But I'd expect to pay a bit more than $200.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Yes, I know it will be more then $200, TonynCt has it on their website for about $420, I am sure I can scrape up another $200 with out much trouble.

Now, getting it in the house may be a different story. Wife ->

Still trying to explain that different detectors work better for different circumstances.

I currently have:
ML Excal 1000 for Water
Whites BHID currently backup for water. (also had least amount of interference on comp. hunt)
Whites 6000XL PRO for Parks and Playgrounds.

The one thing I try to do is buy units that if I need to resale I can get a lot of my money back. I know I can get 90% of my money back on my Excal, 90% of the 6000 and 75% for the BHID right now. BHID is only one I bought new, others were used in excellent condition and with warranties. 6000 still has 18 months warranty, Excal still has 2 yrs extended warranty if I send it in through the original owner who lives near my brother and agreed to it as part of deal, BHID has 18 months left on warranty.