Caught MD Fever On This Forum & Have Questions

[The_Piratess]

I normally engage in other sorts of Treasure Hunting excursions that usually require travel. Since I can't do it as often as I'd like, I've taken a real interest in MDing specifically on beach and in shallow water. I appreciate the many posts shared that I have read on this forum. I've been doing some research on my own too. I have a few questions that I'd like some advice on.

I am wanting to purchase my first MD for beach and shallow water hunting. I will be using it in fresh water lakes and in salt water oceans and seas. I definitely want a discriminating one for iron so I won't be digging up iron all of the time. I need one that isn't too heavy for use when not in water. I also need one that is fully submersible for snorkeling and scuba as well. If it could also be used occasionally on land would be nice as well, although my primary use will be on beaches, the shoreline and in water. I know I'm asking a lot, but any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

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[dewcon4414]

You are asking a lot lol. Since you want to dunk it occasionally you really limited your options........BHID, CZ, Xcal, CTX or PI. Id not suggest a PI for anywhere other than the water and only then on some beaches. The best choice as an all around machine...... CTX ive seen a couple of used on sell recently reasonable. Extremely capable machine with a TID screen which most water salt water machines dont have. Going from fresh to salt water requires multi freq to be an effective machine. You can hip mount the CZ and Xcal..... making the shaft lighter. You never have to open the Xcal for battery charging..... which can save you if you flood it. These machines can be used in the dirt...... but a little more challenging than those with a TID screen. IF you werent snorkeling ....... id go with a used Sov since it has the ability to coil swap and headphones. Dont forget to add the price of a scoop in there.

 

[ARC]

Excal 2 with upgrades.

 

[The_Piratess]

You are asking a lot lol. Since you want to dunk it occasionally you really limited your options........BHID, CZ, Xcal, CTX or PI. Id not suggest a PI for anywhere other than the water and only then on some beaches. The best choice as an all around machine...... CTX ive seen a couple of used on sell recently reasonable. Extremely capable machine with a TID screen which most water salt water machines dont have. Going from fresh to salt water requires multi freq to be an effective machine. You can hip mount the CZ and Xcal..... making the shaft lighter. You never have to open the Xcal for battery charging..... which can save you if you flood it. These machines can be used in the dirt...... but a little more challenging than those with a TID screen. IF you werent snorkeling ....... id go with a used Sov since it has the ability to coil swap and headphones. Dont forget to add the price of a scoop in there.

Thanks! Yes and a long handled and short one too at that Lol!

 

[The_Piratess]

Excal 2 with upgrades.

Which upgrades? Thanks!

 

[ARC]

Which upgrades? Thanks!

Contact Moderator TreasureHunter via private msg... he has direct relation with the correct people to have a brand new Excal 2 modified.
Through KellyCo Metal Detectors.

I think the stock coil and headphones are fine... but a pinpoint mod with new balanced shaft would be a good choice as far as "upgrades".

The only thing about Excals is... The stock setup makes this unit a bit heavy swing... but alternate setups can compensate this.

 

[ARC]

I will add that the Excal is a detector for serious hardcore MDr's...

It has a learning curve and is a "sound" sensitive machine... and has the abilities that you are seeking and is a great addition to any detectorists "tools"...
I personally would never own a detector that is not fully waterproof that I intend to use in or around water.

You will need to learn this detector via its soft sounds... what the detector is saying via signals.

The depth is unsurpassed out of the box and setup correctly IMO.

 

[kingskid1611]

If you don't want to go expensive until you see how you like it try a Garrett AT Pro. Waterproof and easy to learn.....not sure on weight.

 

[sprailroad]

I myself cannot be of much help here, only what I've learned from others on this Forum (Beach & Shallow water) for salt water hunting (and beaches) a Full band spectrum type of detector seems to be the one of choice, where as a single freq. has problems. AARC & dewcon 4414 has good advice that I would believe is based on their own experience. These detectors are not small cost items of course, but will give you years of use for what you want to do and where. It will open up a whole new area of detecting. If I were to hunt ocean beaches and water most of the time, I know I would look into what they suggest. Different detectors for different jobs. I think that's why many of us have more than one. The best of luck to you our "Piratess"

 

[adamBomb]

If you don't want to go expensive until you see how you like it try a Garrett AT Pro. Waterproof and easy to learn.....not sure on weight.

NOOOOO, this is single frequency. You need a multi frequency machine for salt.

I am wanting to purchase my first MD for beach and shallow water hunting. I will be using it in fresh water lakes and in salt water oceans and seas. I definitely want a discriminating one for iron so I won't be digging up iron all of the time. I need one that isn't too heavy for use when not in water. I also need one that is fully submersible for snorkeling and scuba as well. If it could also be used occasionally on land would be nice as well, although my primary use will be on beaches, the shoreline and in water. I know I'm asking a lot, but any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

You only have a few that could work in all of those conditions. I think the CZ21 or Excal are your best bets. I think the CTX would be best if you weren't talking about scuba. The problem with the CZ and Excal is that they are not light because they are fully waterproof. The CZ needs a mount you can buy from ebay to be easier to swing and the Excal needs a new shaft to be easier to swing. If I were in your position, I would get the CZ21 if I were definitely going to scuba or the CTX if you were mostly hunting on the beach, land, shallow water, etc. The Excal is a bit too fragile for my liking otherwise its an awesome machine and after you do all of the upgrades, which void the warranty, you might as well of just gotten a CTX which doesn't need any upgrades and has a 3yr warranty. The CTX is the best all around metal detector and much more suited to fresh water/fresh beach hunting than the CZ/Excal.

 

[The_Piratess]

I myself cannot be of much help here, only what I've learned from others on this Forum (Beach & Shallow water) for salt water hunting (and beaches) a Full band spectrum type of detector seems to be the one of choice, where as a single freq. has problems. AARC & dewcon 4414 has good advice that I would believe is based on their own experience. These detectors are not small cost items of course, but will give you years of use for what you want to do and where. It will open up a whole new area of detecting. If I were to hunt ocean beaches and water most of the time, I know I would look into what they suggest. Different detectors for different jobs. I think that's why many of us have more than one. The best of luck to you our "Piratess"

Aye thank you kindly SP and everyone else who has literally blown me down with all of their help and thoughtful suggestions! None of you will ever end up walking the plank at the end of my sword...

 

[Sandman]

Don't get an AT Pro if you plan on any ocean hunting. It'll be unstable and sound off all the time. OBN an I rely on the Excel as it is a proven detector an easy to learn. If it makes a noise its not iron. It comes with a short shaft too for when you want to snorkel. It has no screen to lie to you what's buried in the sand. There is no changing batteries, you just hook up the charger an your good to go. I also use the CZ-21. Remember metal detecting is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

 

[gamiller]

The bhid coil is large and can get tiresome without a harness.
The at pro most likely will disappoint you in salt water. I had one and gave it away.
The cz 21 is heavy but can easily be hip mounted making much easier to swing.
The Excalibur with the mods is a good choice. Straight shaft , knob guard,etc.
The ctx is expensive. Feature laden but you can buy 2 machines for the price of a ctx. (having a back up machine)
All that being said I have never snorkeled with any of these machines. I can not speak to the ergonomics of how they behave while snorkeling .

 

[DeepseekerADS]

The stock setup makes this unit a bit heavy swing... but alternate setups can compensate this.

The stock set up on the Excal put all the weight of the machine on my elbow, so I went with a straight shaft by Plugger which placed the controls & battery behind my elbow. I can swing that all day long. That's about a $100 mod you can do yourself.

Thus, for me the most important modification was the straight shaft.

I haven't done the pin point mod to mine - YET, but will do that later. I just set the discrimination knob to "1" and have yet to scoop a bobby pin or little bits of foil. But I've also not scooped an ear stud either.

Watch the for sale forum here for a used Excal and you might find a bargain.

 

[ARC]

Aye thank you kindly SP and everyone else who has literally blown me down with all of their help and thoughtful suggestions! None of you will ever end up walking the plank at the end of my sword...

Welll..... its not everyday one gets to help a lady pirates..

And as far as "suggestions"...

 

[dsdigger]

Piratess, looks like you have a lot of good advice on a machine to start your choice from. I know that I am looking for a machine to use for beach/sand/water and the MX Sport I have is not the best and my Explorer XS in Beach mode is passable in dry sand and some in the wet sand but can't really go in the water with out fear of dropping and killing it, that and the headphone jack died and I have to fix it. I have to say that I have seen good arguments for the Excal w/straight shaft, CZ-21 and Sand Shark and they can be used on land but just have to learn to forget the screen and learn the machine. I know Whites and Garrett also make machines that are in the group but it starts to get really crowded to make a decision. Then add in you budget and a real good scoop. Good luck!

 

[ARC]

I am actually surprised...

That no one suggested the Seahunter 3

 

[TheRingFinder]

Bang for the buck - Excal. Great machine, sturdy, user friendly, long battery life. I don't understand why people say it's heavy? I've been hunting with mine for so many years and I've never thought or felt it was heavy - and I'm 52.

 

[beerguy]

The Excal is a great machine, but a new Excal II plus mods is equal to a CTX.

Between the two, I would go with the CTX. Especially for a new detectorist.

 

[bigscoop]

From experience, you're really down to just two machines, the Excal, The CZ-21, both of these machines I have used for both land and water hunting. While there are other machines, the CTX, AT, etc., they place limits on you that you can't get around, depth, per example, as they are only good up to 10 feet and both create a lot of drag in the water due to their fixed assemblies. On the other hand both the Excal and the CZ-21 can be hip mounted or modified to a long/balanced shaft which makes them lite and easy to use all day long and both are right at home in both fresh and saltwater environments with good discrimination capabilities.

The Excal, unlike the CZ-21, can also be fitted with an aftermarket waterproof coil connector which will allow you to swap coil sizes, you can't do this with the CZ-21. Once you've done this, the balanced shaft and coil connector, and upgraded the headphones to higher quality, you'll have about $2000 + extra coils in your all terrain setup if you purchase everything new.

I use my modified Excal as my main machine both land and water and it performs extremely well for me. With the smaller coil I can weed through the trashiest of areas and with the larger coils I can increase my coverage area and depth when the conditions are right. I can, and do, hunt everything from trashy city parks to those wide open saltwater beaches with this setup. But this is all tone hunting, no VDI if you desire such visual aids. The CZ-21 has no visual aid either. If you desire visual aid in an all-terrain discrimination machine then you're pretty much stuck with either the CTX or the Garrett AT series of machines. Hope this helps?

You can also follow me on Youtube at "Man Alone"....just look for the same avitar that I use here on Tnet. I do have a few videos on the Excal and also a couple of them using this machine on land.