PI Detector good for hunted out sites?

BeenFishin

Sr. Member
Apr 19, 2016
289
1,055
Eastern Long Island
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT Pro Detech Ultimate 13"
Whites V3i
Garrett Ace 350
Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ive been metal detecting since 2016 and i have a number of permissions that ive gridded and pounded and theres no targets left with my whites mxt with a detech 13” coil. Most of the permissions have been gone over with my v3i as well as with friends minelabs, noktas and garretts. They are all home sites and farm fields.

I was wondering if it would be beneficial to get a pi detector to get to deeper targets. I know there are deeper targets but the best vlf and multi freqs wont find a dime past 12 inches.

My questions are:

-Can a PI detector give clues to the targets size and depth like a vlf or multi freq

-From what ive read there is very limited amount of possible discrimination. How effective is that discrimination?

-What would be the best PI detector to accomplish finding deeper “good” targets in hunted out places. And i mean seriously hunted out. Maybe the best from three price points. Im not afraid to spend some money.

Thanks for the advice in advance. I tried finding this info on google but google is broken. So im turning to the pros!
 

Upvote 3

oldkoot

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2017
922
1,340
in the Tucson AZ area now
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom
Garrett GM 24K
2-Nokta/Macro Legend Pro Pack
Simplex Plus
Xterra 705
x2 quest X Pointer Max - my favorite
Fisher F Pulse
Nokta Pulse Dive 2in1 kit
Garrett AT Pro (not Used)
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Ive been metal detecting since 2016 and i have a number of permissions that ive gridded and pounded and theres no targets left with my whites mxt with a detech 13” coil. Most of the permissions have been gone over with my v3i as well as with friends minelabs, noktas and garretts. They are all home sites and farm fields.

I was wondering if it would be beneficial to get a pi detector to get to deeper targets. I know there are deeper targets but the best vlf and multi freqs wont find a dime past 12 inches.

My questions are:

-Can a PI detector give clues to the targets size and depth like a vlf or multi freq

-From what ive read there is very limited amount of possible discrimination. How effective is that discrimination?

-What would be the best PI detector to accomplish finding deeper “good” targets in hunted out places. And i mean seriously hunted out. Maybe the best from three price points. Im not afraid to spend some money.

Thanks for the advice in advance. I tried finding this info on google but google is broken. So im turning to the pros!
A PI detector will definitely get you deeper targets, and you can kind of tell the size of a target but you better be willing to dig every good tone you hear because that is the only way you are going to know what those targets are a PI is a beep and dig detector they have no target ID's at all

The new Axiom that is coming out soon sounds and appears interesting, another proven PI is a GPX 4500 or even a 4800, I had a whites TDI which was ok and was definitely deeper than my VLF's,
 

OP
OP
BeenFishin

BeenFishin

Sr. Member
Apr 19, 2016
289
1,055
Eastern Long Island
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT Pro Detech Ultimate 13"
Whites V3i
Garrett Ace 350
Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
A PI detector will definitely get you deeper targets, and you can kind of tell the size of a target but you better be willing to dig every good tone you hear because that is the only way you are going to know what those targets are a PI is a beep and dig detector they have no target ID's at all

The new Axiom that is coming out soon sounds and appears interesting, another proven PI is a GPX 4500 or even a 4800, I had a whites TDI which was ok and was definitely deeper than my VLF's,
Thanks for the reply oldkoot. Ive already dug every signal with my mxt in all metal mode (1-tone relic setting no disc). Zero targets left on 17th and 18th century properties. Some places have fill because of the restructuring of the roadways due to flooding issues around the turn of the 20th century. Im ready to get the deep stuff.

From what ive been looking at, the whites surf dual field would be a great choice but they dont make them anymore. Ill take a look at the gpx.

Do the PI machines give a clue on the size and depth of the target? Like with a vlf the pinpoint feature will be a good indicator of the size of the target, and the faintness of the target audio reflects the depth?
 

oldkoot

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2017
922
1,340
in the Tucson AZ area now
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom
Garrett GM 24K
2-Nokta/Macro Legend Pro Pack
Simplex Plus
Xterra 705
x2 quest X Pointer Max - my favorite
Fisher F Pulse
Nokta Pulse Dive 2in1 kit
Garrett AT Pro (not Used)
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I will PM you

to answer your question about depth and size you can tell if a target is deep or shallow according to how loud the response is that also works for the size of the target
 

oldkoot

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2017
922
1,340
in the Tucson AZ area now
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom
Garrett GM 24K
2-Nokta/Macro Legend Pro Pack
Simplex Plus
Xterra 705
x2 quest X Pointer Max - my favorite
Fisher F Pulse
Nokta Pulse Dive 2in1 kit
Garrett AT Pro (not Used)
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Thanks for the reply oldkoot. Ive already dug every signal with my mxt in all metal mode (1-tone relic setting no disc). Zero targets left on 17th and 18th century properties. Some places have fill because of the restructuring of the roadways due to flooding issues around the turn of the 20th century. Im ready to get the deep stuff.

From what ive been looking at, the whites surf dual field would be a great choice but they dont make them anymore. Ill take a look at the gpx.

Do the PI machines give a clue on the size and depth of the target? Like with a vlf the pinpoint feature will be a good indicator of the size of the target, and the faintness of the target audio reflects the depth?
just sent you a PM check your in box and let me know what you think
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,173
14,463
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For coin sized objects, a GPZ7000 would probably give you the most raw depth. The type and amount of mineralization might change that recommendation though. PI machines don't really have discrimination anywhere close to what a VLF will give you. Add the fact that you'll be using it for DEEP targets and you can forget about it. Some PI machines have a bit of ferrous/no-ferrous I.D., but, that only works so-so on shallow targets. I find them too inaccurate to rely on and just dig everything when using a PI machine. I find sizing a target is harder with a PI than a VLF. Coil choice will help in that respect.
 

TheGreenBoy

Sr. Member
Nov 10, 2017
399
462
Countryside
Detector(s) used
DBP2010, eeTH, tx850
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hmm. I am using a PI most of the time, and my experience is a bit different. I am using mostly a DBP2010 which is a rather deep PI, it can go down to 4m (ie 12 ft) and it is quite a little monster. But for small coin size items the difference in depth between a PI and a good VLF is not that much. My 2010 can find a 50 cent euro coin at aprox. 30 cm - which is closly to your 12 inch- but so can Relic Striker VLF, and i belive most of last generation detectors you guys have. If you are after small items, i do not belive it is worth investing in PI, unless the terrain you are after is mineralized and otherwise unfriendly for VLFs.
As target size increases however, the PI will quickly outperform any VLF and you might get signals for large targets down to 8m with some machines.

The depth and the size of the target can be guessed rather well with any PI, but it will take some expirience, a few coils with different sizes (and depth) helps.

The discrimination with the PI is a tricky part. Some specialized deep hunting PIs such as my 2010 have none at all. Frome here on, i would divide PIs in two groups; the chip ones in price range from 1000 EUR to aprox. 3000 EUR and expencieve ones with prices over 10000 EUR. The chip ones are usually equiped with some sort of ferrous - non ferrous discrimination. This will work fairly good with shallow items i.e. down to 10 in. it will quickly become a guess for somewhat deeper targets and merely a machine cosmetics for real deep stuff.
The expencieve PIs mostly have a fairly reliable discrimination, but it will still be a ferrous-non ferrous type rather than what you are used to with a VLF.
I hope this help.

So bottom line, if you are after a small coin size items, maybe a VLF capable of powering larger coils such as Nexus, would be a better choice.
 

Last edited:
OP
OP
BeenFishin

BeenFishin

Sr. Member
Apr 19, 2016
289
1,055
Eastern Long Island
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT Pro Detech Ultimate 13"
Whites V3i
Garrett Ace 350
Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks for the info guys. After careful consideration i think im just going to keep it going with the mxt. Maybe look into an even bigger coil and Get new permissions.
 

CASPER-2

Gold Member
Jan 3, 2012
17,153
19,933
NEW ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
WHITE'S XLT, PI PRO, GARRETT 2500, 3- FISHER CZ21s, JW FISHER 8X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i get goodies with my old whites pis at 2 ft but also do the same with my cz20 in all metal
 

OP
OP
BeenFishin

BeenFishin

Sr. Member
Apr 19, 2016
289
1,055
Eastern Long Island
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT Pro Detech Ultimate 13"
Whites V3i
Garrett Ace 350
Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i get goodies with my old whites pis at 2 ft but also do the same with my cz20 in all metal
Ive had my eye out for one of those for a while but none have popped up on craigslist yet.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top