Before I buy a new detector...

[sandydot]

:idea: I have a vision pro treasure hunter type detector. I have reported my poor attempts in the "field" the beach was my main trial. However, I thought I may need more practice. I have gotten good results finding coins that I put in books, but haven't had much luck when on the actual earth. Is this me (I haven't ruled this out) or do I need a different machine.... if so, which one? I am looking at Garrett, Bounty Hunter and MP3 all on the Kelly Co site.

Thanks for the help.

Sandy

 

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[lab rat]

Hello, sandydot!

For whatever its worth, I recommend you keep practicing. I know it may be frustrating, but it can take time to learn a new detector, especially if you are new to the hobby. In the long run it will be worth it because you will learn just what it is that you like/dislike about your present detector, and you can look for those features when you make your decision to buy the next one. :roll:

:?: How many knobs does your current detector have? Does it have a digital, dial, or flashing light indicator? Do you look at these indicators every time you go over a target? How many sounds does it make (with different types of targets)?

I recently heard the story of a guy who bought a $700 detector, took it out once, and got so frustrated that he put it in the closet for several months. :? Finally a friend asked how he was doing with the hobby, and the guy told him. When the friend asked where he hunted, he told him the area, and the friend said, "That's your problem! You are hunting the trashiest area in the neighborhood! Find somewhere where there isn't as much interference and you'll do better." Following that advice the guy started doing much better. I don't know if this story fits your circumstance, but I offer it as food for thought. :idea:

 

[Chiz]

I agree with lab rat.... I bought my MXT after using my Garrett for several years and got frustrated with it. Then I took the time to practice, the more I practiced, the more it payed off. Get involved in a club also, they can teach you some tricks!

HH
Chiz
8)

 

[sandydot]

My detector has 2 knobs, one for sensitivity and one for discrimination. It also has a LED visual readout of dashes that come toward the center when a target has been detected. Sometimes it make a noise and sometimes it doesn't, even when I am practicing with the coins in paperback books. I look at the visual read out all the time I am making my slow "X". The paper that came with it said it makes more than one sound, but I haven't heard it yet. When I was at the beach, I felt happy that I actually found a tab! I ran the detector over my friends gold toe ring and the detector didn't even know it was there.

I understand that there is a gold prospectors of america association in Augusta. The gem/mineral club I belong to will be having a dig at a nearby gold mine, and they said there will be detectorists there. That's why I really want to have a handle on this so I don't show my inabilities obviously.

I appreciate the support you all have been giving me, it really keeps me trying!

Sandy

 

[Fred]

Sandy; Don't worry about your inabilities. Most of the better detector operators will help you out willingly and not find fault. And if you meet someone who is negative,excuse yourself and move on to talk to someone else. You will meet lots of great folks at that get-together. Fred

 

[Dave (Pa)]

Start making a "Cheet Sheet"! Ask all the Question you want and get all the features explaned buy several differant people. You'll learn a little bore from each of them. If you go to 3 or 4 boths and the 4th guy shows you something that brings up Questions about the past 3, go back and ask again. The shows are usualy two days, spend the whole 1st day going back and forth and don't buy untill you've got all your questions ancered. I'm a shy kinda guy who dosn't like to talk to new people and get intimadated very easaly but I do a lot of listening. If you hang around other people you will pic up on things you havn't even thought of.
You can get a good"At the event Price" but be shure it's what you want. Check out Kellyco and compare features and brands, check the manufactures web pages and call there 1-800 # to get advice. Tell them what kind of hunting you want to do and ask there opinions.
Don't forget! You'll probly never see them again so bug the shit out of em! Thy can handle it, it's there job.........
Have Fun
HH

 

[lab rat]

SandyDot-- It sounds to me like you have your discriminator ON and that is why you can't pick up the gold ring. This would prevent it from making sounds over certain denomination coins. Do you have a manual? If not, I recommend you find a way to get one. Pay attention to how the discriminator works for your unit.

To explain a little about what discrimination does, I'll explain how mine works:

1) I always hunt in ALL METAL MODE. The detector is the most sensitive at this setting,and should sound off over any metal target. When starting out at the beginning of each hunt, I turn up my sensitivity as much as possible. If I need to adjust it later, I will, but I almost never touch it. The loudness (or tone) of the noise depends on how close the target is to the coil when you pass over it (ie depth, off-center).

2) When I locate my target (ie find the spot where the noise is loudest; the target should be under the center of the coil when this happens) I switch through the range of discrimination until the signal is 'dead'. My particular detector has 6 different discrimination settings, numbered 1 through 6. At '1', the lowest setting, I get a clear audible tone, regardless of the metal type. At '2', if the target is iron, I shouldn't hear anything, unless it is a very large iron target, which will still beep at me. At '4', most foil and gold targets (these detect in the same range for my unit) drop out, but I will still hear sound for coins, brass, and other alloys. At '5', I won't hear a sound for nickels. If I am hunting a park with lots of bottlecaps, I -might- set my discriminator past this setting so I don't dig so much trash. The risk is I'm not digging nickels, so if there is a nice Buffalo nickel under me I'll pass right over it. As long as I am aware of the risk, I will make the decision based on circumstances. If my target still makes a sound when I am in setting number '6', I'll dig it, because this indicates to me that I have a good coin or piece of silver.

3) I usually make the decision to dig based on my tone and where the signal 'clips out' in the discrimination setting. This decision is based on practice with my detector, awareness of risk factors (like passing up nice nickels or gold rings) and familiarity with soil conditions (which can alter the responses of some metals).

If you start at the lowest setting and work your way up through the discrimination levels for each target before you dig it up, you will learn a lot. You will have to dig every signal until you are confident of what it is telling you. It will be tedious, but we all go through this learning phase.

 

[sandydot]

Thank you for all of your advise and feedback. I am taking it all to heart and will practice, practice, practice! I will pay more attention to the discrimination / sensitivity too! :-)

Sandy