Ok experienced users....what's the up and downs with this machine? (I'm really itching for a new toy. lol)
Ok the good is it will hit hard on a bobby pin at 2ft down// bad is it will hit a bobby pin at 2ft down.
Seriously- it will find small coins and small jewelry at 2+ ft. I even put the 10x14 coil on ours they rock for depth. If there is anything metal beneath the coil within 2-3ft it will sound off. I have found plenty with mine.
Downside is discrimination does not do much. It is pretty much an on off machine.
Lucily when you are in the water targets are fewer and usually better quality, so discrimination does not matter.
I use the Excal on the beaches from soft sand to waist high water ONLY. Anything deeper I will only use the Sea Hunter.
It is a fine machine like Mr. Excavator mentioned. When it comes to iron objects, you'll recognize a halo effect as the coil passes over. When in doubt, dig. Also, look to hip mount the control unit. Leaving it on the shaft is like swinging a cinder block. Makes for a long hunt, but your arms will be buff.
It is a fine machine like Mr. Excavator mentioned. When it comes to iron objects, you'll recognize a halo effect as the coil passes over. When in doubt, dig. Also, look to hip mount the control unit. Leaving it on the shaft is like swinging a cinder block. Makes for a long hunt, but your arms will be buff.
diver-down, I've heard this claim that pulse machines like that will give a different sound for iron. You know the drill: pulse users will claim nails give a different sound or whatever. But when you press those invidividuals, they'll confess that a) this trick only works on straight nails, not bent nails, and b) nagging doubts have them going and digging a bunch "just to be sure".
I'd be skeptical of some things like odd-shaped jewelry, or elongated chains, etc... giving a "halo" or "double-beep" too. All I know is, that some of the pulse guys I've heard make this claim, leave very quickly when they encounter nail-riddled beaches after beach storm erosion .
The only exception to this I've ever seen, is a particular Fisher pulse machine (where the ground balance needs to be perpetually fiddled with), where..... in fact .... I saw a user be able to go into a nail-riddled patch, while digging little to no iron. But .... as said .... he may also have been compromising on odd-shaped signals (even though conductive).
I am extremely confident when I have a nail or fish hook - my Sand Shark gives a very distinct double signal. I am also learning to identify iron by lifting the coil, but with much less confidence. Right now, I dig everything because the beaches I hunt are not trashy. If I was in a competitive situation after a storm, I feel like I can skip digging the nails and not miss much.
I realize this post is about the Garrett PI machine, not the Tesoro. I assume that with time the user should be able to learn the subtleties of the Garrett machine too.
Thanks much! How's the stability? Is it chatty at all?
Such are the claims I have often-time heard. But .... when we've seen conditions beneath piers or whatever, after erosion, where the nails are so thick they resemble toothpicks lying all over the ground ....... well ....... those guys are sad-fellers indeed Not sure about your Tesoro. Maybe it's different ? I just know that I've seen a lot of guys make the claim, then disappear after 20 minutes on certain beaches.
I just received mine and took it out yesterday after work. I went to a beach here (Lake Michigan) well known for iron trash (actually, all trash). Really, if people knew how much rusty iron sharpness there is they wouldn't jump around in the water there much less let their kids play in it. Its everywhere! I have an AT Pro and its fine in the water, once you get 2 or 3 ft in, but right along the wave crash it always gets a bit squirrely. I really wanted to see what I could find there. In an hour I dug 50 chunks of iron (nails, screws, sharp whatsits that look like shivs, bolts, ect ect) and 1 penny. This iron is all very old with huge concretions. However even with the disc set to max these iron chunks still sounded off (but it would ignore the ptabs I could see on the surface). I learned a lot about whats going on in the water at this particular beach. I was impressed actually believe it or not! It never falsed, if I got a hit I could find it pretty easily and noticed quickly I could get a feel for the size and depth of the target by the volume and the shape of the sound. If the threshold was much past 3 there was a lot of background noise...it could be this beach is just crazy, but what can you guys normally run it at? I wish I could have gone in deeper water, but the water was way too cold yesterday, even colder than a week ago when it was too cold. I'm confident this is going to work for me at cleaner beaches and in the salt when I'm on vacation. Looking forward to spending more time with it!
I could see really good headphones for a machine with multiple pitch tones, I tried the standard Garrett ones with my ATP and it sounded like a broken Casio. However with a single pitch PI machine will it really add much to the wahh bwahhs?