Excal or PI Detector? What one?

[Pauln]

For those of you who have owned both the Minelab Excalibur 2 and the PI.Whites Dual Field or any pulse detector, what one do you like better or use more often?

 

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[OBN]

I have both, And use the Excalibur 99% of the time. Beach hunting is site dependent, my beach's are best hunted with the Excalibur. Yours could be different.

 

[DewGuru]

I've owned an excal and a PI and used the PI 99% of the time. It was a depth preference for me.

 

[Les West Central Fl]

I, same as OBN, have several detectors. I prefer my old Excal but have used my PI and Aquasound in other areas. If you hunt a real trasy area with a PI you will do a lot of digging for some unwanted target.To give you an example, some time back Ken and I hunted South Beach, I used an Aquasound and Ken used an Excal. While Ken dug bottle caps (32 of them) I dug 3 gold rings and no bottle caps. On our next trip Ken had purchased and Aquasound and we both got gold without a single bottle cap. If Ken had used a PI he probably would have dug over twiice the amount of bottle caps including bobby pins and other unwanted junk. In an area that is fairly trash free a PI is deadly on finding deep targets. I use different detectors for different conditions.

 

[lawrence_1md]

I'll try not to get to technical here...

PI (pulse induction)- sends out 1 short signal out then stops and listens for a return signal. Like talk then listen. Typically it uses 1 coil.

BBS (broad band spectrum)- sends out multiple signals and listens at the same time. This technology uses 2 coils within the search coil.

As you know the return signal varies as it bounces off the target. The more information returning from the target helps identify the target.

Different frequencies (signals) penetrate the ground better than others and helps the processor determine what the target is or helps discriminate false signals.

The Excalibur ii uses BBS technology and this is what I use.

Good Luck with choosing your detector!

 

[MBbeachrat]

I have both, And use the Excalibur 99% of the time. Beach hunting is site dependent, my beach's are best hunted with the Excalibur. Yours could be different.

Hour for hour I found ten times more items with my PI. PI machine go deeper and are much more stable. you can pick up small gold chains with a PI in the surf. Try that with and Excalibur!!!!!!!!!!

 

[zigzag]

I have both machines and a ctx3030. I use the excal 95% of the time and love it. I hate my ctx.

 

[OBN]

Hour for hour I found ten times more items with my PI. PI machine go deeper and are much more stable. you can pick up small gold chains with a PI in the surf. Try that with and Excalibur!!!!!!!!!!

You need a good set of headphones for that Excalibur and the remote discrim toogle MB, a stock Excalibur is like swinging a Ace 250 compared....

 

[dewcon4414]

Here in Fl we get good depth out of the VLF.... add better phone and you get even more. People have different hunting styles.... some that water hunt and dont mind digging deeper target like the PI. Others like me.... prefer to cover more beach especially during recent drop periods or times the sand is being cut. Nothing worse than getting to a beach and having to use a PI in the dry sand because you cant hunt the water or because of the trash. Areas also dictate how much work is involved. Dont get me wrong there is gold down there we miss...but it takes time and willingness to do it.

Dew

 

[MBbeachrat]

I have both machines and a ctx3030. I use the excal 95% of the time and love it. I hate my ctx.

Ditto, I hate my CTX 3030 also. Always digging deep and having sides cave in. I don't know if I should smash it up or sell it on EBay for a couple grand. Hour for hour you will dig a real lot more with a PI. I only wish a PI could discriminate so I wasn't digging 99percent junk with it. But hour for hour I find a lot more with the PI.

 

[MBbeachrat]

You need a good set of headphones for that Excalibur and the remote discrim toogle MB, a stock Excalibur is like swinging a Ace 250 compared....

You need to make me a good set of waterproof phones for the Dirty 30!!!! Excalibur in da closet, unless I'm going under.
LOL LOL LOL HA HA HEHE LOL LOL

 

[MBbeachrat]

OBN also may need a water tight rubber battery case cover for the Dirty 30.

 

[Fletch88]

Many say Excal because of discrimination! I'm fairly new to beach detecting and went with a pi machine for first beach detector. Will be trying Soverign GT my next trip. I'm leaning towards discrim over depth. I believe it really depends on how trashy a beach you're detecting, conditions, amount of time you have, etc. as to which is best. That's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

 

[Pauln]

Thank you everyone. I just sold my Beach hunter ID and upgraded to the Excal and enjoy it. I know as I get to learn the tones I'll like it even more. I see some people on the beach with the PI and say they love it. I may get one in the future. For now Ill enjoy the Excal.

 

[bigscoop]

You need a good set of headphones for that Excalibur and the remote discrim toogle MB, a stock Excalibur is like swinging a Ace 250 compared....

Agree. And I can safely say this, since adding the headphones (skullies) and the remote switch I'm hunting just as deep as most PI machines in PP "when I want to." In fact, put on the 12 x 15 SEF and the depth is actually too much for my liking most of the time, even on bobby pins. This is the advantage of the Excal mods, headphones, remote switch, and the ability to exchange coils, provides a lot of "waterproof" versatility.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have same setup as scoop and OBN, using wot on one excal and 12x15" sef butterfly on the other. In all metal I get depths 16-22"+ when hunting..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Buzzlitebeer]

Being a noob to the sport I love the Excal vs PI threads. I love my Excal and with the help of OBN hope to make my rig mo better.

No opinion from me just love for my Excal!

 

[MBbeachrat]

I have same setup as scoop and OBN, using wot on one excal and 12x15" sef butterfly on the other. In all metal I get depths 16-22"+ when hunting..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

That is very impressive. 22" ? What are you picking up at 22"?

 

[dewcon4414]

I was at 24" with the Xcal yesterday on a penny....... then realized it was setting at the top of the hole. Its kind of like never using a VLF machine before and all the conditions are right for the choice you made..... you think perfect why do you guys want a PI. Yet move from say NJ to Fl and pick up a VLF and you go.... wow was i missing something all this time. Not really it was just the right machine for location.

Dew

 

[bigscoop]

That is very impressive. 22" ? What are you picking up at 22"?

I have no want or need for anymore deep bobby pins. I didn't have a ruler with me the other day when I pulled a 8.6 gram 14k man's diamond band out of the depths but I'm guessing it was down about 15 - 16" (very shallow water, could see what I was doing).........it started out as just a very faint threshold break. Recently I pulled a fat silver ring from the +20" range. Also hit a lot of coins around the 18" - 20" range when PP hunting.