Hello all. New to hobby - want to make my walks more enjoyable

[Targetseeker]

Have been kicking the hobby around in my head for years, finally decided to "join the hunt". I spend half my time on Long Island, NY and "winter" in Ft. Myers, FL. I plan to hunt mostly on the salty sandy beaches in both locals and am currently researching a MD that will operate in this environment. I have read a number of posts touting the great Excalibur series, but this is just not in my budget at this time. I have looked at few used whites, and a Garrett. The AT Pro looks promising and is near the top end of my expendable cash. While it is a vlf device rather than a pulse, it seems to allow some compromise for a beginner that can lets me "grow" a little with it over time. Most of the other "supplies" I either have or can make or can acquire for far less than the dealers seem to ask. There used to be a dealer right in town but the economy has caused him to drop MDs from his other items. The online stores seem to be the best route and I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with them, and the brand(s)/model(s) of MDs members might recommend. I saw one post that said to avoid the freebies that Kellyco offers, and rather negotiate alternatives. As I plan to "be on the beach" most of the time - alternative suggestions? I hope to learn as I go and am happy to have found a forum that appears to love the hobby so much. Glad to be here!

 

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[SpiritRelic]

Hi targetseeker,the At pro sounds like a great detector to get going.I have never owned a Garret,but have read on different forums that it is very nice.Keep reading and researching,you have done good so far.The beach is a specialized type of detecting.In the dry sand any good quality vlf will do just fine.The problem occurs when you go to the wet salt sand.This will drive most all vlf detectors crazy.Some say the AT pro does ok in the wet sand and some say it will not.One thing you could do is go for the vlf detector you want and latter do like i am going to do.Detector Pro uniprobe is a all in one pinpointer that is a pulse induction pinpointer that is also headphones for your detector,a pinpointer,and can,with the addition of a coil and rod can be converted to a full pi detector for the wet sand. ;-)

 

[A/CMan]

Welcome Targetseeker, we here have MDing in our blood and love this hobby a lot, as for wet salt water beaches I would say Excalibur for water and beach hunts and sovereign for just the beach , GL& HH AC