What the hick should I get?????

Hello All;
My name is John. I am knew to this sight and to the creepy underworld of metal detecting. I started getting really in to my research about a month ago. I have researched just enough to now I am way in over my head!

Yes it would be very nice to go purchase a couple of OKM's or maybe 5 or 6 of those nifty GPX-4500. That isn't going to happen. Guys and Gals, if you have any suggestions as to what kind of detector would be good to start with I would very much appreciate that.

I want to crawl all over and under the mountains I want to be able to detect in the rivers and streams. I would like for the the detector to have the ability to change out coils quickly. Maybe an 8 to a 14 I don't know what do you think?

I really don't think my wife will allow me to spend over $1200 on such a new hobby.

Thanks for reading.



Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,16981.msg109035.html#msg109035

I was trying to reply to him, but like I said the post was locked, now is ok! 

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,16981.msg109049.html#msg109049

It will help to do a realistic analysis of what sort of detecting you will do most.  The Ace 250 is an excellent beginners machine but there is no such thing as a truly "do it all" detector.  A machine that does well in relic hunting and coinshooting will usually be less than ideal for gold nugget hunting and vise-versa.  That's why there are machines designed specially for prospecting.  I don't own one because there just isn't much opportunity to prospect for gold in my area.  My Ace 250 does well for everything else until I take it to the beach.  There I have to back off the sensitivity and therefore the depth.   My "go-to" detector is an old Garrett Grand Master Hunter CX II.  It's like and old friend and we work well together.  I can tweak the adjustments to get the most out of wherever I'm hunting.  I do mostly coin/jewelry shooting with an occasional relic hunt thrown in.  As I said, analyze what you will do the most of.

You mentioned changing from an 8" to a 14" coil.  The 8" is a good all-round size.  The 14" would be mostly for relic and deep cache hunting.  I'd suggest getting a smaller, circa 4", coil that is great for coin shooting in trashy areas and also lets you get up closer to sidewalks, benches, etc.  The 4" is an asset in prospecting streams as well.

Speaking of streams, all good quality detectors are waterproof up to the box.  You do have to avoid getting water into the box however.  There are detectors made to work in water and if you plan to do a lot of water detecting you might want to purchase one.  Again, we are back to there being no all purpose detector.

One last thing..."the creepy underworld of metal detecting"?  LOL!  Never thought of it that way!

John

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,16981.msg110241.html#msg110241

Thank You;
For your post. My birthday is on the 29th of this month, and I still haven't figured it out yet. One more week and it will be pull the trigger time. I do like the apparent sales that Kelly.com seems to have. It seems if you buy a detector for some $1000.00 you get quite a bit for free or greatly discounted anyway.

Have you seen these adds?

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,16981.msg110844.html#msg110844

		Quote:			Posted by newbee
	Thank You; For your post. My birthday is on the 29th of this month, and I still haven't figured it out yet. One more week and it will be pull the trigger time. I do like the apparent sales that Kelly.com seems to have. It seems if you buy a detector for some $1000.00 you get quite a bit for free or greatly discounted anyway. Have you seen these adds?

Hello NB . My personal advice to you is take your time and do not be in a hurry !! Even though your budget is higher than most MD beginners , does not mean you have to spend it all on just ONE "single high priced machine" and then regret it later because it does not work as you expected or as advertised on the internet . If you have a $1000 or $1200 budget , make $800 your limit and you will have 2 or even 4 hundred dollars for treasure hunting travel expenses if you need it .   Will it be for salt/fresh water beaches or for Inland areas/mountains or "Both" ?  From reading good reviews I think the new Whites Prism 6T will be an excellent choice for all areas , if you can find one in stock at a Whites Dealer or the Big K . For only Gold/mountain/river areas check out field tests on the Minelab xterra 705 , it has the option search coils . After the New purchase then you can search for a used Tesoro /Whites or Garrett on Craigslist.org in your city for a back-up or wife's machine . The final decision is up to you but let us know what you decide before you "Pull the Trigger on your wallet" . 

HH............Eugene



Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,16981.msg110938.html#msg110938