I would suggest learning a bit about Metal Detector and what the additional options do for you. Price goes up as options (bells and whistles) increase. The have MDs with a single knob and no screen that will find just as much as the ones with the goodies. However you will need to dig up every signal to know what it is until you learn the difference in sounds the machine makes. There are others with a screen that will give you depth, an icon with what the machine thinks is there, icons and a VDI number, Multiple tones associated with particular groups of VDI number, Manual Ground balancing or auto ground balancing with tracking, Notch discrimination and more.
For reference and as I have never seen it explained in a post .. what is ground balancing in a nut shell.
The coil at the end of a MD has 2 coils of wire in it, one transmit the other recieve
The MD send out an electromagnetic field into the ground with one of the 2 coils of wires. That field creates a voltage in the receive coil. When a piece of metal be it iron base (ferrous/magnetic) or Non ferrous (non magnetic or called conductive) enters the field, it changes the voltage or the timing of the signal in the receive coil.
This difference in voltage or timing phase is how the machine can tell what the metal is and produce those VDI number if displayed.
The ground is made of minerals be the conductive (salts) or ferrous (iron magnet) which the machine also detects. Ground balancing is the process where the MD figures out what VDI the ground is and then ignores it. A manual ground balance machine let you do this manually. If the machine does not have auto track of some sort, this will need to be redone as the ground changes. The ground can change rapidly as you move along from the spot where you first ground balanced.
Some of the entry level unit have a preset ground balance that is set and is not adjustable. This may work fine or not depending on the ground in your area.
Auto GB will pick a starting point when you turn it on and perform a short procedure. Auto track will continue to recheck and adjust as you move along. If you do not have a good ground balance you will pick up signals from the minerals in the ground making it hard for the MD to see real targets you are interested in.
This is something to consider being in a mountain area were the ground matrix can change frequently.
So do some research into the MD in your price range as well as those a few hundred dollars above your price point. Those better models can be found used at considerable savings. Many people buy many MD, use them for a few months or a year and then sell them to try something else, this is very good for those coming in and looking to get the best machine for their money. Many still have warranty on them since they are typically guaranteed from date purchased and it does not matter how many people own them within that time.
Good luck with your choice!
