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Please help me, I am sure someone in our community has one to sell or trade. I am looking for a discovery TF-900 two box metal detector and seem to be having a problem finding one locally here in Florida. Willing to spend a little more than what its worth, just want it to be in good working shape.
Thank you ahead of time!
James
I agree with frankn & jim: There are several makes/types which will do the same thing. Basically any 2-box will do good for mayonaise-jar sized items down to a few feet. And perhaps a toaster sized item down to 3 or 4'.
I've used the TM-808 quite a lot, and if you get the ground balance *just right* and have it very close the ground and balanced *just right*, you can find objects as small as hinges, can lids, etc.. But realistically, when held at knee height, only objects that are soda can sized or larger.
If you're in a zone where small surface trash litters the site (nails, foil, tabs, etc...), and if larger objects are your goal (like you suspect a bigger cache is there), then this is the perfect tool. Because it simply won't see all that smaller junk, and will see through to *only* the bigger objects. Thus depth becomes a
non-issue for this type of hunting. Because so too can a standard detector see a soda can or toaster-sized item down to respectable depths. But the problem is, the standard detector will be bedevilled with hearing all the small clutter too. And you'll spend all your time trying to second guess big vs little targets, or being thrown off by lots of little targets on the top (which might mimic one big target down deep). But with the 2-box, you simply don't see any of those individual small things, which makes cache hunting easy.
Seems that the going rate on ebay for used tm-808's is about $500 to $550-ish.
A word of caution: Since, realistically, soda-can sized and up is the size range of a 2-box, then that means if your cache is smaller than that (like tobacco tin sized, or fist-sized pill-box kind of thing), then a 2-box can risk missing something that small. So if you suspect you don't want to miss those snuff-can sized targets, then you'll have to be skilled at getting a very accurate ground balance, and scanning mere inches off the ground. When you're that well tuned and close, then you can find objects down to baby-food jar sized items (but even then, they'll only be a whisper
)
