Returning to Metal Detecting

[Guadalcanal]

Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I've been here, mostly because I moved to China. I'm going to be returning to my hometown for the summer in a few weeks, and I'm interested in metal detecting again. My friend still has my old detector, a Bounty Hunter QuickDraw II (A member of this forum, Hosensack, gave it to me a long time ago. I'm still super thankful to him, he's epic!) and we plan to use it together when I get back.

Although I have one detector to use, I'm wondering if I should buy another one... since my friend and I will both be detecting, I don't want one of us to be sitting out the whole time. I'm not looking for a cheapy junk detector for 50 bucks or something, but at the same time I don't want to drop $500 on a metal detector that I'll only be using in summers.

How much of a difference would the quality of the detector make if I'm mostly going to be hunting parks as such? The areas I plan to search are somewhere around 150 years old and in Southern California, how deep do I need to be able to detect? Will a detector like the Garrett 150 be sufficient?

My biggest concern is not being able to find anything because I don't have a detector that's good enough to find anything. I don't have a big issue with just finding clad and pull-tabs, that's most of the hobby, but I do have an issue with it if I have no hope for finding anything but pull-tabs and clad.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on what websites would be good for tools and other gear for metal detecting I would be very grateful. Previously I just used a kitchen knife and a garden shovel for digging plugs, both of which fell apart over time.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this, any suggestions are very appreciated! I'll keep you all updated on my metal detecting while I'm in California for the summer, whether I buy a new detector or not I'm gonna try and find some cool stuff to post on here. Thanks again to my good friend Hosensack should he be reading this, and thanks to all of you, the metal detecting community is awesome.

Happy Hunting,
Guad

Edit: Just found a post below mine with information about choosing a detector... sorry for being pretty ignorant, I'll read that whole thread. Still if anyone has suggestions that weren't posted in that thread, I'm very eager to hear them, I'm collecting all scraps of information that I can about MD'ing right now.

One more question: is a pinpointer worth the investment? They seem pretty expensive to me, is it worth the money?

 

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[airscapes]

I would suggest you buy a Whites TRX pin pointer. It will make your recovery time much faster, one person can swing, find target, the other use the PP to dig it while the one with the MD moves on to find the next target, switch off every so often. The TRX will pinpoint down to about 4" and can be a lot of fun just using it with no MD.. You won't know what you are going to dig up.. but you will find metal objects. You could also take it back with your in your luggage as it has lot of other uses.. finding wall studs, finding metal objects the dog ate.. or the baby... the ring or ear ring back dropped in the grass.. etc.. It is the newest and best Pin pointer on the market selling around $125-135US.

If you want to buy a MD, I think the Fisher F2 is one of the popular models, I know a guy that had one and he really liked it a lot. Ended up reselling it to upgrade to the AT Pro and got most of his money back.
Good luck and enjoy your tip to your home town!

PS. If someone took my TRX away, I would sell the rest of my gear as it would be no fun MD without a pinpointer that can pick up objects 4" down before digging! So yes they are worth buying.. Obviously I really like the TRX as nothing else can beat it for depth, features and quality!

 

[Guadalcanal]

Thank you for your suggestions! It was really frustrating spending 10 minutes trying to find a signal that turned out to be on the side of the hole, I can see the obvious benefits of a pinpointer. The White's TRX does seem very feature-rich, and given your suggestions I think I will go for it. Thank you for the suggestion of the Fisher F2 as well, that seems like a good detector. Right now my only concern is whether I should get the Eurotek Pro or the F2... debating about dropping an extra $100 for a better chance at finding something good.

Thanks again!
-Guad

 

[topdogintampa]

I agree with airscapes, a new Fisher F2 package with 2 coils, 8" & 4", headphones, pinpointer and carry bag for $215 shipped is hard to beat. The Eurotek pro runs about the same price also with the standard coil but without the pinpointer but looks like it's a little better machine.

Good luck and HH!

 

[Fletch88]

I'm pretty sure in Southern Cal you will need a machine with adjustable ground balance. The Eurotek Pro and F2 are fixed GB.

 

[Pointman]

I'm pretty sure in Southern Cal you will need a machine with adjustable ground balance. The Eurotek Pro and F2 are fixed GB.

I agree. If you need something with adjustable GB, your going to have to spend closer to $400, and look toward something like an F4 or Vanquero. If I was going to detect in highly mineralized areas, there wouldn't be a question that I would get a detector with manual GB.