Very broad question

[can]

I have never owned a MD. I hear alot of good things about $500-600 machines. What is the difference in that and a $2500-3000 machine. I am just starting my research and will be buying my first unit very soon.

 

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[CA Gold Hunter]

It depends on what you plan to use it for. I believe there's also a concensus that an experienced person behind a cheap machine will do better than an inexperienced person behind a high end one.

 

[bill from lachine]

can,

I guess the first info you should provide is what type of detecting you wish to do...coin shooting, relic hunting, water, fresh or salt, etc....then it's easier to narrow down which machines will do the job for you and at what price.

One thing to keep in mind is the high end machines generally have a lot of bells and whistles and a steeper learning curve than the mid range ones.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[can]

Thanks for the replies guys. I probably will at some point want to do it all. There is an old civil war fort around where I live that I would like to hunt. I guess that would be relic hunting. I live near the beach so I would like to do at least some beach hunting fro coins and jewelry.

 

[can]

can,

I guess the first info you should provide is what type of detecting you wish to do...coin shooting, relic hunting, water, fresh or salt, etc....then it's easier to narrow down which machines will do the job for you and at what price.

One thing to keep in mind is the high end machines generally have a lot of bells and whistles and a steeper learning curve than the mid range ones.

Regards + HH

Bill

So do the bells and whistles tune in targets better or just sing better?

 

[Peyton Manning]

don't go all out till you get experience

 

[bill from lachine]

Can,

The fact is most of the bells and whistles are just fluff...stick with a simple beep and dig machine and see if you want to stick it out in the hobby first and don't blow the budget up front....you can always trade up to a fancier machine down the road if you so choose.

Regards + HH

Bill

So do the bells and whistles tune in targets better or just sing better?

 

[can]

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

 

[Fletch88]

I'll save you a lot of money and frustration. You want a multi-frequency machine like the CTX, Etrac or Explorer SE Pro. All 3 will work beautifully on wet salt sand with only the CTX being submersible. They will also do well for coin and relic hunting.

BR,

Walt

 

[can]

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

 

[fyrffytr1]

I have always used White's detectors but whatever you get learn it and practice, practice, practice. The machine is only as good as the user. My brother used to out hunt everyone using an old detector because he knew it and what it was telling him.

 

[can]

I'll save you a lot of money and frustration. You want a multi-frequency machine like the CTX, Etrac or Explorer SE Pro. All 3 will work beautifully on wet salt sand with only the CTX being submersible. They will also do well for coin and relic hunting.

BR,

Walt

Thanks for the help.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Go with your first instinct... research the snot out of the AT Pro, think about it, dream about it, picture yourself swinging the machine like a champ... then buy it. You cant go wrong with the Pro, its versatility will target all of your hunting styles.
Most importantly, use one of Tnets supporting vendors... several will offer packages to sweeten the deal. If you would like me to advise you which vendor to use, PM me, I'll highly recommend one vendor in particular...Also, the At Pro holds its value if you should ever need to sell/upgrade the machine.

 

[digger460]

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

Throw in a 5 x 8 coil, and your good to go!

 

[Cletus]

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

Great choice!!
The AT pro is a great machine!!

 

[bill from lachine]

Can,

The At Pro is a good machine but I've been told it doesn't like the salty sand or water.

Regards + HH

Bill

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

 

[can]

thanks for the info bill

 

[tomhighland]

I started with an at pro. Steep learning curve but if you have patience not a bad machine. Keep in mind the history of NC. Colonial coins and relics, civil war, gold mines, and the legend of confederate gold buried along railroad leaving Mcleansville. Of course you also have the coast where over 600 known shipwrecks can put things on the beach after a hurricane.

 

[SoCalDesertFox]

As tom has put it, NC has a rich history and lots of mineralized soil. If you want to just hunt relics and general trove, your best bet will be either a BFO running VLF range (30KHz will do it) or a T/R Induction Balance VLF (19-20KHz will work.) If you don't care about discrimination much, and just want to pick up on every target, an older Induction Balance T/R VLF or a BFO running at ~6KHz will work pretty well and those are both fairly cheap and easy to learn the basics on.

Once you've mastered those, I would suggest moving up to similar models with better features. There's a really steep ROI from what I've seen. If you're gong to spend in the 2-3 thousand dollar range, you might as well just get a fully-computerized ground-penetrating radar instead of a metal detector, and learn how to read that output.

 

[Fletch88]

Thanks for the help guys. Any suggestions? I am thinking something like an AT Pro.

You mentioned living near the coast? If you said I may travel to the coast once or twice per year, then I might agree with the ATPro. Yes it will ground balance down to salt and you will have to reduce sensitivity both will cause a loss of depth and performance.

Single frequency detectors do not work well on wet salt sand or in water. It does not matter what brand or machine it is a matter of physics.