Inferior equipment, or inferior operator?

[DirtPoor]

Short and sweet- I just got a Prizm 3 from Whites, so the return period is still in effect. I've spent considerable time with it, and yes, I have found some coins, but no where near what I know to be out there. My question - there's an XLT on ebay at the moment for under 300$, and a Minelab Explorer XS for 700$. Would I see a significant increase in finds if I returned my detector and bought one of these, or have I just not learned my machine well enough, and should stick with it?

-Sean

 

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[jeff of pa]

Your Prizim 3 Will Do Good When You Learn It Well & Hit the Right Spots.

? ? the XLT will Do Better When You Learn it & Hit The Right Spots.

? The Explorer Will Do Better Then All When You Learn it & hit The Right Spots.

? ? ? ? ? You May Just Be Expecting TOO MUCH - TOO SOON

SORRY, But This is the Best Answer I can Give At This Point.

AS LUCK DOES PLAY A PART IN DETECTING.
You MUST SWING your Detector Over The Right Spot in the First Place .

? ? ? ? HH

Jeff

 

[ZumbroKid]

First off, what have you found? Where do you set the discrimation level at? Second where do you hunt? You might be hunting the first place everyone else does. I do not know how long you have been hunting. Give us more info to go on. I think it is too soon to spend money on another detector. There are changes that can be made to bring you more successes. Let us know.

 

[DirtPoor]

First off, what have you found? Where do you set the discrimation level at? Second where do you hunt? You might be hunting the first place everyone else does. I do not know how long you have been hunting. Give us more info to go on. I think it is too soon to spend money on another detector. There are changes that can be made to bring you more successes. Let us know.

I've found exactly 1.27 in clad, one wheat penny, one anonymous token, and the usual slew of foil and pull tabs.
As for hunting, my yard and my neighbors yard, which aren't very old, so I don't expect much from them, my grandmother's yard, parts of which date to the 20's or 30's, a local park, and our county fairgrounds. I'm positive the yards haven't been hunted, the park and fairgrounds may have been gone over lightly, but I doubt they've been decimated.
Got the detector on September, 27th, which doesn't sound like too long, but I've seriously spent every spare minute with it. I've been using the discrimination at the factory pre-set, iron and foil.

 

[jeff of pa]

If your Getting Foil & Pull Tabs, Your Detector Is Definately Set Right & Working.

Just Keep After It. Once You Have Most of the Trash & New Coinage Out The Deeper Coins & Finds Will Be Easier To Find.

Just Realize The Older Deeper Items are Weaker Signals & The Shallow stuff Is Distracting you From Hearing them yet.

 

[ZumbroKid]

Good answer; now where ever you live go to your local libary. Check out a few books on local history. The start of your community. Make notes of where the first houses and businesses had been. Hunt as close to those areas as possible. If new construction takes place get in those areas where the dirt is moved around. This will help reach those deeper older coins.

 

[AK in KY]

I had a Whites about a year ago. My ground is extremely mineralized and the Whites had quite a bit of trouble with depth. I now have a Minelab and the problem is gone.

AK in KY

 

[southern gent]

Anyone who has read my posts know what I'm about to say. I love my Minelabs. They work best for me. I have used Whites quite a bit and still own one. That being said, give yourself some time to learn the detector. I don't know what your experience with detecting is, but my experience says that any yard may or may not have treasure in it. Just because it's old means nothing aside from it's just old. There are a bunch of variables in hunting. How you swing, how fast/slow you swing, how high you hold the coil. Every hunt is different. There's alot to this treasure hunting stuff. Any way, my advise is, give yourself some time to learn the detector before you step out or up. I used my first detector for a year with very little to show for it besides learning the hobby. In short I paid my dues. Then I stepped up to a better detector, and the rest is history! HH and good luck. Chris

 

[Uncle Willy]

Until you have spent at least 100 hours with your machine you basically know nothing about it yet. All machines have a learning curve, some short, some long. If you keep swapping machines you'll just have the same problem with the next one. These things aren't magic, you have to learn how to use them and every machine is different with its own set of quirks.

I've been at this for 42 years and each time I get a detector to field test I have to learn it as it is different than the last one I used. Patience is a prime requisite in this hobby.

Bill

 

[ZumbroKid]

Follow up on the libary research, then get in some of those older parts of town. Those areas are where the most people over the longest period of time have been. There will have been the most coins dropped there. If you dig nickles and pull tabs you know your machine will enough to find some older coins, just a matter of time. I too upgraded from my first machine. But i had found nice stuff with them before i did so.

 

[bakergeol]

By the way$700 for a used Explorer XS is a bit steep. I don't really recommend an Explorer for a newbie- Some can handle the learning curve but a lot don't. Just look on an Explorer forum and view the incredible coins found by folks who have mastered this machine.

George

 

[Monty]

I couldn't count the posts that are made by new detectorists who say they aren't finding anything.? Come to find out they are finding everything they should be finding in the areas where they are hunting.? Generally expectations for new detectorists are way too high.? They seem to think there is gold and silver under every plug dug out of their yard!? That is an extreme example but probably more true than not.? ?They have bought a "Barn Burner 3000", one of the finest beginners units on the market and are ready to move up to a professional detector after two weeks of "failures".? Then when you get into it, you find they have done no research , are hunting local parks and kiddie playgrounds that probably have been detected a thousand times this year, and nine times out of ten they haven't even read all the manual!? Happens all the time, and I am guilty of it to some extent.? One thing I have found about the difference between mere metal detecting and treasure hunting is site selection.? You have to pay your dues to overcome the learning curve first and then put that coil where it is most apt to find treasure.? This takes time, diligence and patience, those things to which the human psyche are not well adapted.? Everyone seeks instant gratification.? If it comes that way it is more than likely blind a$$ luck rather than skill.? So, how does one develop the necessary skills to deal with the forementioned short comings?? Research, research, research!? I find myself spending more time doing research than actually using my detector.? I have researched and located several potential sites for this winter.? I am waiting for the grass and weeds to die out and for the bugs to get frozen out. In one case I am waiting on the local government to get a grant to replace some old sidewalks.? Meanwhile, I am frittering my time away at the local parks and kiddie playgrounds with my detector, not seeking treasure particularly but practicing and experimenting and honing my skills.? I so far have no great finds to brag about, but I am hoping to cash in when some really well researched sites become available. So until then this is frittering Jim, aka Monty!

 

[jeff of pa]

Which Brings Up a Question.

Did you Go with Whites After Seeing Their Commercials ?

 

[Cfm]

Uncle Willy, Monty... You're both right on ^5's to you Patience and Research are #1

 

[Born2Dtect]

The current Minelab Explorer is the Explorer II so the Explorer is an older model and depending on use should go around $700.00. The real worth is a personal value we each place on things, kind of like coins values, it is worth what someone is willing to pay.

Jeff,
You Hit it on the nose. A better detector is only better for you if you learn it. A detector does not operate itself, people do. A detector does not pick the site, pick how we hunt, or choose when to dig. It is just tool to let you know if you might be near a metal object. In the end the the operator decides if he should dig.

Ed Donovan

 

[ZumbroKid]

Which Brings Up a Question.

Did you Go with Whites After Seeing Their Commercials ??

I have a Whites, but i also believe the commericals are very misleading. But then how much can one fit in a i minute time period.

 

[jeff of pa]

Which Brings Up a Question.

Did you Go with Whites After Seeing Their Commercials ??

I have a Whites, but i also believe the commericals are very misleading. But then how much can one fit in a i minute time period.? ?

Yea I? agree, Not Enough Time, But When He Says What He Claims to Have Found "The VERY FIRST DAY" I'm sure a Few Think It's That Easy?

 

[Born2Dtect]

I first tried metal detecting in 1983. Found 1 dime (on top of the ground), 2 pennies. and lots of trash. After about a dozen times (20 hours) I put the detector in the closet and forgot about it. No it was not easy.

Today I belong to a club and have learned a lot in 2 years. When we go on club hunts everyone finds things, with various detectors, Whites, Minelab, Fisher, Garret, Tesoro, you name it. The best finds are usually made by a few, they are the ones who hunt slow and have many years of experience. They do not all use the same model or brand or detector but they do know their detectors well.

Ed Donovan