Not Thrilled with my Garrett 2500...

[Delaware$weeper]

Hello all and thanks for reading. As the title implies, I'm not happy with my Garrett 2500GTI. I'm a new sweeper that has tested the beaches of the Outer Banks before, after, DURING summer season, and quite frankly, I can't find squat.

Yes, I use the Salt Elim feature, I've turned up the sensitivity, down the sensitivity, tried every setting that I thought would give me a better chance.

I just thought the locals had out hunted me, until a passed a guy with a White machine. He pulled out a pocket full of metal that made my jaw drop! Yes, it was safely pins and loose change, but I wasn't even getting that!

I'm on my second set of batteries.. I'd dug everything that beeps, but mostly don't find anything.

Could the machine not be calibrated correctly? It struggled to find my wedding band in the sand, too.

Thanks for reading...(and responding..)
Scott

 

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[Daedalus]

I have not used one of those machines , but was the Whites machine a PI type ?
I know that some of the VLF machines do not work well with salty areas and saltwater .
But you will have to wait till someone here who knows your machine type to give you any help on this.

Oh Thanks for joining the forum !

 

[Delaware$weeper]

Wasn't a PI type.. I didn't catch a the model, but i think it may have been an M6.....

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Dwight S]

OK... I'm not familiar with the 2500, but you said you were a "new sweeper". I assume that means you're fairly new to metal detecting. First off, learn your machine. Get VERY comfortable with it. Hunting the beach takes patience and knowledge of the equipment and the habits of people. Pay particular attention to where the people sun and play, sweep those areas.

Dig every target, Zero Discrimination. The salt can play with some of the target ID numbers. Also, remember... If you ain't digging pull tabs, you ain't digging gold...

Patience is important, I've spend hours on the beach and come away with tons of trash and a small handfull of crusty clad, sometimes you'll get lucky and sometimes you won't...
GO VERY SLOWLY... Overlap your sweeps, if the coil doesn't pass over a really good target, you're not going to find it, no matter what detector you use.

Also, are you talking about the Outer Banks of NC? Be careful where you detect, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a NO, NO with a detector, the Feds will take it and fine you heavily..

 

[John-Edmonton]

It's really hard to comment on your post. I have been using the GTI 2500 for many years, and am very surprised at your dismal results. Hunting salt water beaches have many special issues, which I am not going to get into, but examples are where the hot spots are, do you swing parallel with the the shore line or adjacent to it? Dry sand hunting vs. wet sand hunting. Swing the coil parallel to the ground during your swings, distance of coil to ground, use discrimination to your advantage? Use the true all metal mode ground balanced?

Unless there is something wrong with the detector, you should be getting lots of both coins and junk. Often times, your finds increase as time goes on simply because you are learning your machine. I know it's easy to blame the machine because of poor finds. Did you buy the detector new? Does it have the new upgraded chip in it? I wish I could spend a little time to try your machine and observe how you use it, but I can't. Can I suggest you get a hold of a Garrett user and spend some time discussing your issues ? I really believe that would help. The GTI 2500 is a good , capable machine, and in the hands of an experienced hunter will find a lot of targets.

Good luck! Hope things improve for you....

 

[Sandman]

Listen to John.......What I question is you having trouble picking up your wedding band. If you are ground balanced correctly and running at Zero disc it should pick up the band easy. I suspect you have to much disc or have pull tabs notched out. You must not swing the coil like a grass whip. Like John said, keep it level with the ground about 2" up and don't let the coil swing up at the ends of the swing. Over lap your sweeps because the coils field at the bottom is smaller and you have a better chance at having a target get in the field.

Read and learn from ole Norm. http://www.nmhra.netfirms.com/pulltab/
Pics are the differences in coils.

 

[George (MN)]

Did you ground balance? Are you using the stock coil? Have you tried the all metal mode? The all metal mode is deeper than disc mode & will still ID.

Have you tried an air test? An air test may not prove the detector is working properly, but sometimes can prove it is not working right.

Ask others about air test distance. Some detectors air test ranges will vary with ground balance (even though there's no ground in the air). HH, George (MN)

 

[dogpound]

does it seem to proform fine in dirt? have you tried to reset it by holding the power button?

 

[Delaware$weeper]

Thanks to all who responded.
Yes, I did buy it new from Kellyco April 2010, and I've been to the Outer Banks 6 times in that year period. ( Up in Corolla ). I also have been to many playgrounds around my home town looking for loose change off the sliding board. LOL

I think from all the comments, I need to try a few things. To answer some questions, yes, I swing slowly. I think that I need to find someone else local to see if I have things set correctly.

Just looking at the instructional DVD from Garrett isn't really clear on all the features. It's more aimed at a person who already has experience sweeping. Maybe i bought a machine that was over my head, but I hate to always want the next better model.

I don't have anything discriminated out.

What was really helpful was the pictures that Sandman posted. I wasn't aware how the concentric circles had that limited field. I think i need to upgrade my coils and see what happens.

I won't ask for any suggestions as I know everyone has their favorite!

Thanks
SC

 

[dogpound]

other coils esp the DD coils do work well but the bad thing is the only 2 coils that provide the imaging feature(sizing) are the stock 9.5 & 12.5

 

[batcap]

Thanks to all who responded.
Yes, I did buy it new from Kellyco April 2010, and I've been to the Outer Banks 6 times in that year period. ( Up in Corolla ). I also have been to many playgrounds around my home town looking for loose change off the sliding board. LOL

I think from all the comments, I need to try a few things. To answer some questions, yes, I swing slowly. I think that I need to find someone else local to see if I have things set correctly.

Just looking at the instructional DVD from Garrett isn't really clear on all the features. It's more aimed at a person who already has experience sweeping. Maybe i bought a machine that was over my head, but I hate to always want the next better model.

I don't have anything discriminated out.

What was really helpful was the pictures that Sandman posted. I wasn't aware how the concentric circles had that limited field. I think i need to upgrade my coils and see what happens.

I won't ask for any suggestions as I know everyone has their favorite!

Thanks
SC

Hey wait before you start ordering more hardware. . . The 1500 and 2500 are the ONLY detectors with a triple loop coil that can accurately determine both SIZE and DEPTH. I don't own one and have never even seen one in real life, but even I know that this is not just another detector. From what I've read I wouldn't consider a DD coil an "upgrade". Different yes, but better?

I'm adverse to joining anything, but in a club you could have your machine checked out by knowledgeable and experienced people for free. You also have a 2 year warranty, of which only 1 year is gone. You spent more than I can afford on a detector and you let it frustrate you for a year. Either find a club or send it back for testing. You probably don't even have to join the club, just show up at a meeting. They'll probably fall all over themselves offering to check it out (and that's before the meeting even starts).

At minimum Garrett will give it a thorough checkup and send it back within 7 days of receipt. You'll might also find a little bonus in the box when it comes back, and it won't cost you anything more than shipping the control unit and coil to Texas. Then you'll know if it's you or the detector.
Act now! This is the part of the year when you can be outside having fun with your very special detector!

 

[gleaner1]

You got a hell of a good coinshooter on your hands. Might not be the best in the salt beach, but not bad at all. Your 2500 is thrilled with you.

 

[playdan1]

Did you ground balance? Are you using the stock coil? Have you tried the all metal mode? The all metal mode is deeper than disc mode & will still ID.

Have you tried an air test? An air test may not prove the detector is working properly, but sometimes can prove it is not working right.

Ask others about air test distance. Some detectors air test ranges will vary with ground balance (even though there's no ground in the air). HH, George (MN)

I thought (I was told by the dealer) that the newer machines automatically ground balance when you turn them on. Is that true? If not, how do you ground balance? And what exactly is, and how do you perform an air test?

 

[Delaware$weeper]

Well, folks, I sent my 2500GTI back to Garrett to see what they can find. Either I'm messed up, which I'll certainly admit to if I am, or it's off and need some adjustment, or reprogramming.

Hope any upgrade is worth the shipping cost!

I'll keep you posted on what they find.

Happy Hunting!

 

[Daedalus]

Thats not a bad idea , at least you will know what is up with the machine and have a base line to start from next time out.
It takes a little time to learn how they work and to set them up , but you will learn and it is not as hard as you think , things will start to make sense all of a sudden .

Also you might set up a coin garden in your yard and practice with that for a while and learn the settings .
You will have time to try all setups and see what they do and how they work .
Just keep at it and you will get it going and be finding all kinds of things.

 

[Monty]

The 2500 isn't really a beginner's machine. You need quite a bit of experience to be able to figure out what it is telling you. The best way is to get out your manual and start at page 1 and work on learning just the basics. Then you are ready to find squat. Monty

 

[Delaware$weeper]

Ok, after 10 days away, I called Garrett to find out what was going on with my 2500. The bad news was the computer system was "down" and the lady couldn't tell me anything. The good news was about an hour later, UPS delivered it !! yeah!! That was Friday.

Here's what was on the invoice-
Repair $0
Labor Charge $0
Coil MC 12.5" GTI Imaging (which i think means they sent me a new coil. It looks new, at least.)
Recalibration $0
Shipping and Handling $0

Today, I took some coins outside and threw them on the front lawn over my shoulder. Even though i know these were on the surface, I found everyone of them! The wife even took one and buried it 6" down.... found it!

SO, I'm back to square one learning my "new" machine. I can only speculate that the machine left the factory uncalibrated....when is sad.

I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Thanks for reading!
SC

 

[Keppy]

That is Garrett good fast service Keep us posted..............

 

[Sandman]

Some times the detector boxes get very rough handling by the place where you bought it and by UPS. Glad your 2500 is OK and now you just need to learn it.

Good Luck,
Sandman

 

[gleaner1]

No coin can escape the grips of that killer. You are officially thrilled with your machine.