Serious new member with questions

[Sparky.KCMO]

Hello all, I am a Sparky ( electrician ) from Kansas City Missouri. I am a long time treasure hunter - auctions, garage sales, estates sales, etc. My next step is a metal detector. By the time the weather breaks next spring I plan to have one. I am looking for a quality machine, not looking to spend $100 or $5000, just someplace in between. Here in my area I have many public places to access. Along the missouri river and bluffs that surround are many abandoned homes, old cemeteries, of course the Pony Express route. While hunting way out, I have found rocks carved up - one that is in my mind often is carved "William 1896" and its on private property. I dont even think the owner knows its there. I have been told over time items settle deeper into the ground. I have been told buy a machine with a small head for deeper treasure and larger head machine will cover more ground. Here in the midwest what are you guys hunting with? What do you recommend I look into? Depending on where you are at the soil could be black dirt, sandy or clay. I know I will find much more junk than treasure. Any help is much appreciated.

 

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[luvsdux]

There are a number of good choices for what you mention by all the major manufacturers. I'd recommend a Whites MXT pro or M6 as I'm very familiar with them. They're built like a tank, have good factory backing, relatively quick to master and most importantly (in my opinion) offer an excellent selection of accessory coils. However, Fisher, Garrett, Tesoro and Minelab all offer models that would serve you well. By the way, the statement in your post on small coils being deeper is in error. They offer LESS depth. However they are great in trashy areas as they can nose out the good targets mixed in with junk. The large coils do cover more ground and give better depth, but can drive you crazy in areas with much trash as they try to read too many targets at a time. Hope this is helpful.
luvsdux

 

[kayden]

Sparky
After you purchase your detector go to youtube.com chances are your detector is there on a video (how to use) Then for the rest of winter start researching where you are gonna hunt in the spring

 

[Tuberale]

The stone carved with "William 1896" may well be a grave marker. Not everyone could afford a gravestone, and resorted to carving one themselves for a child, family member or beloved pet.

I can't suggest an MD for you: you must decide what make and model works best for you in your particular area. Lots of trash? The targets under a larger coil are apt to drive you batty, but will also find deeper goodies. Smaller coils are better for pinpointing a good signal within a carpet of junque, and also help with finding Gold (Au) and Silver (Ag). But they don't cover much ground very fast. Everything is sort of a trade-off. You have to find what works best for you.

Oh, btw, Welcome to TNet, where everyone will be happy to share their own opinion with you.

 

[relichunters]

Tesoro is the way to go. Silver uMax is only $250 with a Lifetime Warranty.

 

[CWnut]

Hi sparky and welcome to the forum..I would suggest buy a midrange detector from a reputable manufacturer and take the time to learn what your detector is "telling you" as each detector as a learning curve, some more than others..check the warranty, ask questions and see what others are using..here's a link to help you understand search coils..good luck/happy hunting


http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_searchcoil_tech_sheet.aspx

 

[U.K. Brian]

My God, a link to a site where there's at least a little understanding of coil types/designs. You have made my day CW !

Back to detectors. No one can tell you what you would be best getting because we don't know your physical capabilities or the ground type where you would be searching.
One thing for certain, treat any and everything on YouTube with a large pinch of salt. You have people pushing one brand and others who have found just about nothing but consider they are expert enough to tell others what to do.

If there's a club in your area you would be able to try a few different detectors for weight and balance and also the audio output. If you have hearing loss due to working in heavy industry it could make all the difference to what you find.

You should definately spend a little more to have a detector with ground balance adjust. This will enable you to get the best out of each site and just as important allows the maximum performance to be obtained from any new coil size/type you might buy in the future.

One difficult decision you will have to make is if you should buy new or used. Mid range new cost would buy you a top of range used detector either from a dealer who offers warranties or if you went for a brand such as Whites there's the confidence that there will be the balance of the two year warranty remaining that can be transferred to you. Some brands will not honour a warranty on a week old detector if its changed hands.

Best of luck !

 

[cyerby]

For a club in you area, check out mwas. You can find us at www.mwas.org I have an AT PRO that I can bring to the meetings and there are plenty of others. Why don't you come to our next meeting?

 

[LuckyLarry]

Exactly Brian. And thanks for showing the nice Garrett site CWnut...

Luvsdux, nice way of putting it.

But here are some things that are also important to consider.

Many dealers don't know jack squat about the detectors they sell, but they tell you what you want to hear so they chime in to make a sale. I've seen this going on with the biggest dealers - more often than with the little guys. The smaller dealers are usually more (personally) experienced and they know which one works best in their area, but that's not always true, some are brand-loyal too due to high markups on expensive brands. I personally know two dealers who are Whites nugget hunter shills but when they nugget hunt out of town they use Fisher GB's. SERIOUSLY examine EVERY common brand used, and don't take anybody's word for it, mine included.

On metal detector review sites the dealers and brand-loyals push their agendas too, and oftentimes they aren't being truthful or helpful at all, or they live in the shadow of a small world of not knowing enough about other brands too. Many dealers pipe in pat responses, pat statements too. I can see them coming 100 miles away, and so can most other people too. I've seen that pawn-shop behavior since 1971 when I built my first BFO detector.

The most important thing to do, after you cruise the forums for awhile and view first-hand several different detectors in action, is to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. Try it in real and undisturbed soil too, not in some "phoney baloney" "test bed".

HH, hope this helps.

 

[Sparky.KCMO]

Thanks for the info you all have shared. "T" has given me an interesting twist on "William 1896" marker. "UK Brian" was helped with the ground balance adjustment. I have been on the fence of buying for a long time. Most everyone ( even before I posted to this board ) says buy a White MD. I lean towards them due to the fact they are made in the USA. What White model has the ground balance? I will probably buy a MD from eBay, looking for a seller with a good feedback and something gently used. Some may not know, some may not, eBay has come a long ways in the last year or 2 protecting the buyer from items falsely advertised. I have found when you buy something taken care of at a good used price, it tends to bring about the same when you goto resell it. "Cyerby" I will do my best to be at the next meeting - I have sent you an email. Andrew

 

[Sparky.KCMO]

One more thing, what is a pin pointer? What exactly does it do? Is it stand alone or do you add it to your MD? Andrew

 

[gleaner1]

One more thing, what is a pin pointer? What exactly does it do? Is it stand alone or do you add it to your MD? Andrew

The pinpointer is hand held and either a cordless stand-alone probe or added in-line with the machine coil. It can probe into the hole where the coil cannot go. You actually know where the target is dead on, no guess work and extra digging needed. Saves a lot of time. But dont sweat the pinpointer yet. Worry about the machine first. All members have given good advice. The toughest part is deciding on a machine and laying out the bread for it. You almost cannot make a bad move on your first machine, just keep it simple, you can always upgrade later on.

 

[cyerby]

Hey Andrew,
I did not get the e-mail. If you PM me here or join the mwas forum and e-mail or pm me there I can answer any questions for you. Good to hear you will try to make our next mwas meeting. The December meeting is our Christmas party, so it is not the usual meeting. Starting in October, the meetings are indoors. Once spring rolls around, we will meet outdoors at a site and detect for a bit as well as conduct club business and have a pot luck lunch. We have contests each month as well as a really great annual seeded hunt. If you come to a meeting, you will be able to see some of the cool stuff that is found that month. Let me know if you have any questions. You can find more info on the website

 

[U.K. Brian]

Sparky its easier to say that all models below/cheaper than the Prizm 6T don't have ground balance.

If you would like a Whites and your not wanting to match pulse machines on wet salt beaches then you could go for a single frequency M6 or MXT.
Both solidly built without being arm breakers, good performance and reliable.

 

[chukers]

Everyone will have a different opinion on what detector you should get even the Dealers will have their favorites... what you need to do is decide what kind of hunting you will be doing and then find the group of detectors that will do that best.

for example... and I only know a few so I am relying on the others to add to this list and add more detectors to it... copy and paste keep adding to it.


Coins High End
Garrett 1500 & 2500
Minelab E-Trac
Whites V3i, Vx3, DFX

Coins Low end
Garrett Ace 250 & 350

Water
Garrett AT Pro

Relic
Garrett AT Pro

Gold

Chukers

 

[j.dean]

I have owned a whites DFX and v3 and both were amazing! However they are expensive, so you may wanna start a little lower and make sure the sport is for you. I bought my Girlfriend(now wife) an Ace250, and it kept up with my whites stuff very well for a fraction of the cost. She had to dig a little more trash than I did with my units, but I would go behind her and never found a target that she missed, so it can compete very well with depth, just not as well with discrimination. But any one that I have owned sould SCREAM silver quarter at 8inches, so it's the other deeper finds that the whites descriminated better on.

I am currently considering buying another v3i or etrac, and actually I am really thinking about gettingthe Nokta Goldengate 3d, but I wanna see it in action or at least get some field reviews first. Good luck and welcome to the hobby!

 

[treasurehound]

There are several machines that will work for you. I currently use the MXT PRO because I mainly hunt for colonial and civil war relics. But I am seriously considering getting the E-trac for my coin hunting that I do in the summer months. I will keep my MXT as I love it. I would recommend talking to Mike of Woodland Detectors on this site. He can make some great recommendations for you. His customer service is the best. One reason why he was Dealer of the Year. He knows his machines because he uses them as well and is always there when you call.

 

[Mzjavert]

You need to decide if you want a display or no display. While I have owned display machines, and presently have an Ace 250 as a back-up, I find that they are a bit skitzophrenic when a target doesn't match a preset label precisely. Still I find it useful when I'm done digging pull tabs for the day and just want coins. My main machine is a Tesoro Sidewinder and I can't say enough about it. Add in the lifetime warranty and you just can't beat the deal. I bought my Sidewinder used back in '98 and Tesoro still honored the warranty when I needed a minor repair. Call some of the dealers here and definately call Rusty at Rusty's Detectors and Nuggets in Arizona.

 

[63bkpkr]

Hello Sparky and Welcome to Tnet and soon to Detecting!
I started out making my own detectors from electronic magazine articles. My first "real" detector was a White's 6000D Coinmaster, then an XLT and a GMT hence, I tend to lean towards White's. Their customer service is terrific, if you send in your honest stories especially with pictures and IF they want to post your story on their site they offer a $100 gift certificate towards "accessories" and possibly other things(ask them).
I can add nothing that everyone else has told you, they are all spot on BUT I've not seen one thing........in Tnet on the home page there is a large selection of items to choose from, go to brands and read some of the comments. Lots more info all throughout Tnet!

I would stay away from any detector that is NOT a name brand item. Almost any "modern" detector from a name brand company, that's a company that has been in the business for a long time, will work. Due to trash targets, and there ARE a LOT of them, discrimination is almost a must have option. Going to a club meeting and asking for help is likely The Best suggestion given BUT even these folks will have their brand loyalty, just understand that. BUT when a machine consistently leads the user to "good" targets heck yes I'd be loyal to it.

You've a lot to explore, try not to get overloaded by all of it and as others have told you even some of the low end modern machines do a really good job at detecting.

Note: Once you find your first silver coin, gold ring/necklace/earring/etc. you will be hooked. Enjoy the fresh air and relaxation that comes as a part of this hobby...............63bkpkr

The picture uses a silver half dollar that is used as a backdrop (ie; I did not find it) BUT the gold on top of the half dollar I did find with the help of my GMT.

 

[CanadianTrout]

Welcome to T'Net.

A couple quick points i didn't see covered yet that usually come up when a new person asks.

1. Please don't go digging around in a cemetary (that one should be fairly obvious)

2. It is always wise and generally good for our hobby if you ask for permission (if you haven't before) before you go wondering through someone's private property.

3. Research research research = location location location. Take the winter months to scour the internet for leads on good detecting sites in your area. Old maps may show locations of past homes, inn's, fair grounds etc etc.



Oh ya, and take lots of pics of your finds and post'em for all to enjoy! Happy Hunting!