Hi,

OU812

Jr. Member
Nov 19, 2014
95
24
I'm a newbie but treasure hunter at heart!! lol
Is there any advice for a newbie,
Regarding the do's and don't when buying a detector??
I have $800 to spend, and need something that penetrates very deep, and can pick up the norm,
Gold rings/coins, silver coins,
Chains ect,
Also I have locations i will be searching, being from the maritimes,
The grounds are a mix, sand, gravel,
Beaches, shorelines, hillsides,
Farmlands ect.
So I need a effective and good detector, also can anyone help with,
Coils size?? Best two sizes??
Oh and needs to be water proof as well, I want to water search too.
Now although I say $800 I can go as high as $1200 IF I need to but,
I'm trying to buy smart not foolishly,
If that makes sense lol.
I just really want to have a detector that gives great results at a descent,
Cost is all.

So any help is great help and much appreciated from here.

Thanks and good day!!

Steve/OU812
Canada
 

G.A.P.metal

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
6,468
7,387
"Kan-a-we-o-la" Head on a Pole N.Y. Seneca Territo
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, 11" Low Freq. , 9" X35 Coils, MI 6 Pointer...
Land or Sea Pointer
King Of Spades 40" KS-D SA and 40" KS-S-SA
L
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hi Steve and Welcome to Tnet !
Stick with the Brand Names...you know... Whites,Fisher,Minelab. Teknetics,Garrett,and some others.
Save some money for a pin pointer,digger and headphones.
Buy from the Dealers here like Fort Bedford Detectors....the Dealers on here will treat you right and are on here all the time for advice.
Gary
 

BosnMate

Gold Member
Sep 10, 2010
6,916
8,441
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT, Whites DFX, Whites 6000 Di Pro
Primary Interest:
Other
I know nothing about water detectors so can't help you there, and some of the high end, high dollar machines have complicated programs with (for me) a difficult learning curve. I have a White's MXT, and the more complicated DFX, and I've never really got good with the DFX, mostly because my pick up and go machine is the MXT, and I"ve never mastered the programs in the DFX. That said, the more expensive, more difficult to master machines have dual or more circuits, and where my MXT on a salt water beach won't go from dry sand to wet sand, in fact the MXT doesn't work on wet sand on salt beaches, but the DFX is dual circuit and isn't bothered a bit from wet to dry, but it's not water proof, getting the box wet can be an expensive goof.
 

Diggin-N-Dumps

Gold Member
Sep 9, 2009
6,046
3,781
Fort Worth,Texas
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 / AT PRO / Etrac w/ NEL
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi Steve and Welcome to Tnet !
Stick with the Brand Names...you know... Whites,Fisher,Minelab. Teknetics,Garrett,and some others.
Save some money for a pin pointer,digger and headphones.
Buy from the Dealers here like Fort Bedford Detectors....the Dealers on here will treat you right and are on here all the time for advice.
Gary

Agreed 100% A pinpointer will be your best bud and buying off here will save you some bucks

good good luck man!
 

Diggin-N-Dumps

Gold Member
Sep 9, 2009
6,046
3,781
Fort Worth,Texas
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 / AT PRO / Etrac w/ NEL
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Oh course I'm going to say an ATP is a good machine for what you are looking for and in that price range with money left for a pinpointer and digging tool. But again it's what I use now and love it. a lot of people love that machine and swear by it and others hate it..lol

for sure do some research if your spending that much money
 

bigfoot1

Silver Member
Nov 1, 2011
3,765
3,399
so.cal.mtns.
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
garrett,minelab,fisher,,,atp current weapon of choice
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
sounds like the at pro might fit your buget and needs.I love mine.get the underwater headphones,pro pointer(new water proof one)quality digger and water scoop.watch youtube vids on any machine you consider but know not all the vids are made by skilled users.
Dig everything untill you correctly id 8 of 10 targets.100 hrs is prolly minimum time to settle into your machine..be patient,you cant rush that.
If possible hook up with an expierienced detectorist as you can learn a ton quickly.Wear gloves !!
As said already...buy from reputable dealer,some really good ones here who will treat you well.Many counterfeits of all high end equipment on ebay type sites...they suck.

Have fun,welcome,and say goodbye to life as you once knew it..:headbang:
 

lookindown

Gold Member
Mar 11, 2010
7,089
4,936
Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
ACE 250,AT PRO, CZ21...RTG pro scoop...Stealth 720
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Look into the AT PRO...if you want a good all purpose detector, it will do the job...you can get it new for $500...the only other detector that is as versatile as the AT pro is the Minelab CTX3030 but it costs $2000...people say there isn't one detector that does it all but the AT pro is as close as you can get to an all around detector...if you find that you like a certain type of detecting, you can always get a machine that is specifically designed for that type of hunting...the AT pro is a great machine to get you into the hobby.
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,424
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Welcome OU812,

I agree with the AT Pro enthusiasts. The machine is fairly easy to learn and is reasonably priced. You will definitely need a pin pointer and good digging tool (some of the forum sponsors may have a package deal). The most important advice anyone could give is to take the time to learn the machine. Most of us have multiple machines to suite our individual hunting styles, needs and locations. Lastly, try to hunt by tone and use the VDI …etc. to only reinforce the audio information, this does take time, but worth the effort.

Good luck in your detector search, there are a lot of good ones out there.

Happy Hunting
 

OP
OP
OU812

OU812

Jr. Member
Nov 19, 2014
95
24
You guys rock!!
Thank you very much for all the great advice!!!

I love this site and everything everyone posts, and the fantastic finds and the lost and returned as well, I hope to be successful in my searches and hope to be apart the lost and returned club too lol
I'm pumped about getting out there and seeing what awaits!!

Again thank you!!

All the best!

Steve/OU812
 

lookindown

Gold Member
Mar 11, 2010
7,089
4,936
Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
ACE 250,AT PRO, CZ21...RTG pro scoop...Stealth 720
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You guys rock!!
Thank you very much for all the great advice!!!

I love this site and everything everyone posts, and the fantastic finds and the lost and returned as well, I hope to be successful in my searches and hope to be apart the lost and returned club too lol
I'm pumped about getting out there and seeing what awaits!!

Again thank you!!

All the best!

Steve/OU812
Yeah, returns are by far my favorite part of the hobby. Ive made seven returns at the beach since I started four years ago. Nothing like the look on some ones face when they see the ring they thought was lost forever...gives you a great feeling to know you made someone that happy.
 

CincinnatiKid

Bronze Member
Nov 5, 2013
2,079
1,220
Cincinnati Ohio
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Garrett ProPointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Welcome. Nice post.
The requirements you request are severely limited.
As most state, there's only one. ATPro. I have an ATP and love it. Waterproof, reliable, deep, accurate, etc.
There are better detectors is same price range, that if "waterproofed" would be huge sellers.
I think "waterproofing" any detector by any company, would open more warranty repairs. Look what happened when Minelab released the CTX. Many failures.
The future of MDing is to have all detectors waterproof.
I'm quite confident to toss an ATP into water, yet no other machine under a grand, would I even consider it.
GL
Peace ✌
 

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