Help!

[redlined]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and new to THing (less than a year).I bought my son (9) a metal detector for his birthday last year and togather we've found some clad change,junk and a few silver coins but nothing much of any real concern.We are currently using a BH 202 that cost around $200.My concern is that in places with thick fescue and even in grass we have trouble getting good signals very deep (past 2'')and I think we are missing the good stuff.Are we doing somthing wrong? Would a different model be better?I,d like to upgrade to a model in the neighborhood of $500.We were thinking of getting a Land Ranger or Landstar.Is there somthing else out there better for the money?We don't want somthing so complicated it takes NASA to get it set up.Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks!

 

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[Earl]

For that price range, I would buy either a Tesoro Tejon or a Garrett GTP1350. Just my 2 cents. For ease of operation I think the Tejon may be the best. Earl

 

[JakePhelps]

I would go with a different brand with more depth, such as a tesoro or something. I just ordered a cibola, they are supposed to have real good depth. I have a bounty hunter and the depth on it was terrible, so it probably is the machine not the area.

 

[Monty]

ACE 250, a little over $200.00 and will do all the lad will need until he gets a little older. I have a BH Land Ranger that I will sell if you'd rather go with BH. It's like new condition with all the coils, warranty. Good Price. Contact me personal message if interested. Monty

 

[frogsmile]

bounty hunter is a good starting machine, you should be able to get as much as 6 or 7 inches with that machine. you might be having problems because the ground is to dry. ground conditions should be some what damp to get the best depth.

 

[DigEmAll]

In thick grass, the grass itself may be the main problem. The grass is holding your coil up off the ground. You lose depth due to the hold off. The Bounty Hunter isn't a bad machine. Don't get me wrong, it isn't top of the line either. It will do fine for a youngster. Now, take that five hundred bucks and get something like the Fisher 1270 or the Garrett GTP 1350 if you are serious about hunting. If you are going to hunt a weekend or two a year, get something like an ACE 250 or a Whites Classic 4 or 5 or a Fisher 1225. I am just getting into a love affair with the Garrett machines, after a lifetime with Whites and Fishers.

My two cents.... I'm done.

 

[littlehugger]

It is probably a combination of factors.
Bounty Hunters are good machines, just not great. And the model you have is not their best. So upgrading should help.
Another factor is the grass. While some machines are deeper than others, almost all have the best ID on shallow targets. A few inches down, your detectors ID gets iffy, and if it does not ID it as a good target, you will not dig it
Last factor is as I stated before. There are lots of Target ID detectors available in all price ranges, but almost all do their best work in the first few inches.
Something you could do here is upgrade to a detector with a double DD coil. Or, a detector that has a double DD available, like my wifeys Garrett GTAx 1250.
Standard concentric coils work fine, but their zone of detection is cone shaped, and gets smaller the further you get from the coil. If you have thick grass keeping you 2-3 inches higher than what would be normal, its a double penalty.
A Double D coil probably has about the same depth as a concentric, but it has a wide scan, the full length of the coil, which does not shrink with distance. So you lose some depth with the grass , but do not miss huge chunks of ground. The depth you get is thorough.
The Garrett GTAx 1250 is like a GTI, without the imaging. Its a lot of detector for the money, and I did see it on sale somewhere priced at $559. Right in your range.
Garrett does make a double D coil for it too. Problem is, its an option, of around $150.00 discount.
But, you would get a lot for your money.
There are other mid price detectors available with DD coils also.
Hope this helps,
Hugger
Hugger