Low end unit vs High end unit questions

[southmsfiveo]

I have a Fisher F2 for a first detector. My experience level is newbie. I have had the detector for 2 or 3 months. I have used it about 30 hours or so.
I have dug up TONS of trash. If there is a nail, screw, bottle cap or tab close by the F2 gets it. I have also picked up 5 or 6 bucks in change. I hunt the dry sand beach (salt) and an old school site.

Wet sand and water I use the Sand Shark.

My question is this, other than added bells and whistles what is the difference between a low end (F2) md and a higher end (AT Pro)? Are the machines more sensitive, more transmit power, better filtering, etc?

I like the hobby and I am ready to step up some. Just want to make sure I know why I am stepping up in metal detectors

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Being able to manually ground balance your VLF machine makes a HUGE difference in sensitivity and depth - Like night and day. That is the REAL difference between the F2 and other pre-set ground balance machines, and those with an adjustable ground balance. Best of luck to you!

 

[Rawhide]

Terry is correct. GB makes a big difference. I would also think the ability of the machine to discriminate, depth, notch, sensitivity level, number of tones, number of processes, threshold, audio pitch, manual gb, and stat/motion in the all metal mode is just a few things to consider. Of course if you want a water proof machine, you know in case you want to take a bath with your detector, you could get a AT Pro. But since you already have a water machine, any detector you decide on would have a learning curve. You mentioned high end detectors, check out OKM and Minelab detectors. That's high end. Being average, I bought the best detector I could afford. So your wallet is your best friend or your worst enemy. I don't know anything about the Sand Shark, but you cant use it for land hunts?

 

[Jason in Enid]

The AT-Pro isn't a high level machine. For that you need to be looking at V3i, E-Trac, CTX. All those "bells and whistles" people pretend are worthless garbage are actually what allows you to adjust the GB, the amplification, the discrimination, the tones, etc. In other words, the "bells and whistles" are what allow a high end detector to perform better than basic models.

 

[woodstock]

But those "bells and whistles" can be a hindrance at times and one can work against the other when learning and understanding . I find a optional add on amp between the control box and headphones deals well with extra amplification and tone . Any mid-range detector with the right sized coil in the hands of a user that is experienced the the machine can have depth results close to the more pricey machines . Even the boost mode offered on two of the popular machines can confuse a experienced user and that comes from my own experience with one . Unless your relic hunting , most finds are closer to surface and can be found with good mid-range name brand machines . Moving to a higher end machine should only come when your ready to spend lots of time learning the curves of the top of the line machine and not any sooner . IMHO , Woodstock

 

[Jason in Enid]

I absolutely agree. Some people are not able to use all available features of some detectors, either because they refuse to take the time to really learn their machine, or they feel an uncontrollable urge to CONSTANTLY change settings.

The one piece of advice I tell every new E-Trac owner (since I have used one for 4+ years) is to put it in a stock mode and leave it alone for 100 hours of use. You really aren't missing very much, and it allows you to learn the machine's language. Read the manual multiple times and read the Sabich book (which he has many books for many different detectors). Truly understand what the settings do before you go making changes. This is true for every detector more complicated than a Tesoro Compadre.

 

[Fletch88]

Terry is correct. GB makes a big difference. I would also think the ability of the machine to discriminate, depth, notch, sensitivity level, number of tones, number of processes, threshold, audio pitch, manual gb, and stat/motion in the all metal mode is just a few things to consider. Of course if you want a water proof machine, you know in case you want to take a bath with your detector, you could get a AT Pro. But since you already have a water machine, any detector you decide on would have a learning curve. You mentioned high end detectors, check out OKM and Minelab detectors. That's high end. Being average, I bought the best detector I could afford. So your wallet is your best friend or your worst enemy. I don't know anything about the Sand Shark, but you cant use it for land hunts?

You can use SS on land but being a PI machine it has no discrimination. Not very feasible since you pick up everything conductive to approximately 18-20" deep. It loves iron as I've dug a small rusty nail at 22" just to see what it was.