oldwormwood
Jr. Member
- Aug 17, 2015
- 20
- 50
- Detector(s) used
- Still doing research, but I still have my Micronta (Radio Shack) 3000 from the late 1970s!
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Well, I got my "first" metal detector today. For accuracy’s sake, it is not my first metal detector. That honor goes to the Micronta/Radio Shack 3000 that my parents got me in the late 1970s. With that detector, I recall finding a lot of foil and pull tabs, some clad coins, spoons, an old clock face, etc. – nothing of great economic value, but certainly got a lot of enjoyment. But as I got into middle and high school, my interests began to shift to other things.
Anyway, some forty years later I have thought about getting back into the hobby. I have been doing some research on entry-level detectors, and am leaning towards the Teknetics Patriot. However, I saw another detector and thought I would first give it a try. It is … and please don’t smirk too loudly if you must ... a National Geographic Pro, which is a re-branded Minelab GO FIND 40. The ML logo is stamped on the coil and armrest, and a ML serial number tag is affixed to the shaft. The price was right (around $100), so I thought I would pull the trigger. The Patriot is still clearly on my radar (and closing in fast), but I thought this foldable Minelab would help me get back into the hobby, and be a good second detector if it performed as well as some have said. If things didn’t work out with it, then I am out $100 instead of $400.
The NG Pro arrived this morning. I assembled it, read the minuscule manual, found a pair of JVC headphones, and then spent about a half an hour swinging it in a small area (maybe 20’ X 20’) of my back yard. The sensitivity was set to 3 (out of 4), and I discriminated out iron. I ended up finding three things.
First find: a 1960 Lincoln Memorial cent. It was about 6 inches down. The NG Pro identified it as a coin. Keep in mind this is my first dug hole. The hole is pretty sloppy, and I am glad this was in my yard and not someone else’s. Yikes!
Second find: a 1990 Lincoln Memorial cent. Likewise, the NG Pro identified it as a coin. It was about an inch below the surface.
The third find is a piece of metal with a rounded end. The NG Pro was jumping all over the ID range, and I thought maybe I would just ignore the signal. But, my stubbornness prevailed. I eventually pulled out what looks like the end of a fork or spoon. It was ten to eleven inches down.
On all three finds, I used the pinpoint feature, which worked great. But long term, I definitely need to get a good pinpointer. The digger that I am using is one that I had for gardening. It worked fine.
I will go back out in the yard a bit later in the day. So far, the detector is a keeper. However, I am certain that it won’t be my only one.
HH one and all!
Jonathan
Anyway, some forty years later I have thought about getting back into the hobby. I have been doing some research on entry-level detectors, and am leaning towards the Teknetics Patriot. However, I saw another detector and thought I would first give it a try. It is … and please don’t smirk too loudly if you must ... a National Geographic Pro, which is a re-branded Minelab GO FIND 40. The ML logo is stamped on the coil and armrest, and a ML serial number tag is affixed to the shaft. The price was right (around $100), so I thought I would pull the trigger. The Patriot is still clearly on my radar (and closing in fast), but I thought this foldable Minelab would help me get back into the hobby, and be a good second detector if it performed as well as some have said. If things didn’t work out with it, then I am out $100 instead of $400.
The NG Pro arrived this morning. I assembled it, read the minuscule manual, found a pair of JVC headphones, and then spent about a half an hour swinging it in a small area (maybe 20’ X 20’) of my back yard. The sensitivity was set to 3 (out of 4), and I discriminated out iron. I ended up finding three things.
First find: a 1960 Lincoln Memorial cent. It was about 6 inches down. The NG Pro identified it as a coin. Keep in mind this is my first dug hole. The hole is pretty sloppy, and I am glad this was in my yard and not someone else’s. Yikes!
Second find: a 1990 Lincoln Memorial cent. Likewise, the NG Pro identified it as a coin. It was about an inch below the surface.
The third find is a piece of metal with a rounded end. The NG Pro was jumping all over the ID range, and I thought maybe I would just ignore the signal. But, my stubbornness prevailed. I eventually pulled out what looks like the end of a fork or spoon. It was ten to eleven inches down.
On all three finds, I used the pinpoint feature, which worked great. But long term, I definitely need to get a good pinpointer. The digger that I am using is one that I had for gardening. It worked fine.
I will go back out in the yard a bit later in the day. So far, the detector is a keeper. However, I am certain that it won’t be my only one.
HH one and all!
Jonathan
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