bottomdweller said:
I'm trying to get back into md, I have a coinmaster 5900 di i got for christmas when I was a kid, I played around with it a little then but never really learned how to use it. I would like to start md again so...
is this a good machine?
any tips on using it?
what is it best suited for?
ideas on a newer, better md?
Thanks for the help, I look forward to getting back out there!
I don't know how long ago you were a kid, so I don't know which 5900 you have. With each release, White's improved the depth of the 5900. They claimed an increase of 30% between the 5900 Series 3 and the 5900 Professional Series. However, all the 5900's are considered good solid performers and command a devoted following.
As far as tips: a good ground balance is imperative, and the 5900 is a manual ground balance machine. Listen to the threshold, if it goes away, simply click the trigger and release. If it doesn't return, re balance. Also, when doing a ground balance, the manual says to adjust it so that the threshold level doesn't change as you lower the coil to the ground. However, if you set your ground balance to just slightly positive, that will enhance small gold items.
The 5900 is the same exact detector as the Blue and Gold, with the exception of the labels on the meter face. The 5900 has always been a popular relic hunting machine. It is also a good coin shooter. With practice you will find that you can pretty reliably differentiate between pennies and dimes, and tabs and nickels.
If you want to move to a newer detector, you are going to want a quantum improvement in performance to justify the expense. IMHO the only detectors that qualify are the MXT and the DFX. The M6 is a fine coinshooter, but doesn't have the adjustability of the 5900, and I hear the XLT is slated to be dropped from the line-up.