Question from an interested noob.

[dvs720]

Ok first off its tax time and i will have a bit of money to play with. I have always been interested in metal detecting and prospecting since i was a kid and watched my great grandpa douse (may not be the correct spelling) however i dont really know what machines are worth a 300 price tag and what is not. Any advice on a good mid level detector that my girlfriend and i can get into the hobby with?

Also i will be digging mostly in Georgia and in the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky. I would like to know what i should expect. I understand here in Georgia the red clay might be a pain in the summer months. also will this change in dirt types affect the readings any?

What are some good digs and locations to check out in and around Monroe Ga and Barbourville KY?

Any tips an old timer wants to pass down will be more than welcome.

Thanks!

Edit* i accidentally some words

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Welcome from White Plains, New York! Yes, red clay is highly mineralized and high in iron content. This can be a real problem for VLF metal detectors with a pre-set ground balance (which are all the machines in a $300.00 price range). "Mid-level" machines start at $450.00 (Tesoro Vaquero), and go up to about $700.00 (a gold nugget hunting Tesoro Lobo Super Traq).

Get a machine that you can manually ground balance. Good Luck!

 

[dvs720]

What exactly goes into self ground balancing?

Also with displays, are there any units that site you a basic shape off the item?

 

[Jay In NewKen]

The displays on most MD's show the metal conductivity of the target under the search coil. IE lead, brass, iron etc. As for manual ground balance, its a way to adjust the MD to the soil conditions to help eliminate false positives associated with minerals in the ground. This feature is primarily on machines $450+. I suggestion watching some vids on youtube to get an idea of the basic features of an MD. It helped me alot, along with trolling this site for info

Jay

 

[Pulltab Parson]

DVS,
You definitely want to consider a manual ground balance for you have really mineralized soil. In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with a Tesoro, at least take a look at them. If your looking for a machine with a visual ID, with a manual ground balance , that will put you back at a min. of $500. If I'm not mistaken, Tesoro is the only machine you can get for less than $500 with a manual ground balance. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will let me know.

Good luck with your search.

HH
PTP

 

[dvs720]

Hey man thanksz ive looked into that brand and i dont mind that price for a quality unit. The dill you are talking about being highly meneralized... Its that the clay in Georgia, or the mountains in Kentucky?

 

[olfacere]

The cheapest detector featuring a manual ground balance, as far as I know, is the [see further posts]. If there is a way you can check to see if manual ground balance is something you really need, I would suggest investigating it. If you don't really need it, you could save some money by getting a unit with fixed ground balance. The MicroMax Silver (for about $250) does pretty well with interference on low sensitivity and minimal sensitivity can still achieve 7" on most target items. Getting a better machine may be something to consider later. I like the idea of making the first unit pay for the next unit.

 

[Terry Soloman]

The cheapest detector featuring a manual ground balance, as far as I know, is the Tesoro Cibola for about $360..

The Cibola has a Pre-set ground balance, and it cannot be adjusted by the user. The Vaquero, is the most affordable Tesoro with a manual ground balance option.

 

[Terry Soloman]

What exactly goes into self ground balancing?

Also with displays, are there any units that site you a basic shape off the item?

Ground balancing a machine is like tuning in a radio to get the clearest signal. It is very easy, and allows you to get the best depth in all soil conditions. There are NO displays on any VLF or PI metal detector that graph the shapes of items under your coil. You need different technology for that. Displays are NUMBER readouts, that are "supposed" to tell you what type of metal it is - but they all lie like a rug!

 

[olfacere]

Yes, you are correct, Terry. I just realised that and then came to check this thread. I had too many pages loaded when I wrote that!

 

[olfacere]

Well, I hate to have to say it, but KellyCo has the Vaquero for $446 and the Fisher F4 (featuring manual ground balance) for $399. If I had to choose one for my own machine, I would take the Vaquero, but the Fisher F4 is now the cheapest detector I've heard of with manual ground balance.

 

[Pulltab Parson]

I just picked up the Vaquero from Miller MDz, and have taken it out once for a couple of hours. I was really impressed with it, and I know it's a machine that I will use most often. It is deadly with the 5.75, at least in the minimal amount of time I have been able to run it, and I'm looking to pick up the 12X10 for it as well. I don't know what kind of coil selection you can get for the F4, but I don't know too many detectorists that get an F4 and not trade up. I don't think you would have to with the Vaquero, but if you did, the coils are the same for the Tejon, which is a deeeeeep machine!

HH
PTP

 

[dvs720]

Awesome! Yeah i don't want a machine that i will just trade in later, kind of just looking for a solid unit for my self and the girlfriend to hunt with. Ill probably be using it more often out if the two of us.

I've read a lot and the V comes up a lot!

Thanks again everyone for the responses!



Is it important to get back up coils? You said the 5 works great, is there any reason why you are looking to upgrade?

 

[olfacere]

Different sizes and coil designs are useful for different tasks. The concentric coil (made evenly around a center point) has good balance in its field, goes pretty deep, is cheap to build, and has overall good performance. It's weak with ground interference, though. To overcome interference, you might choose a double-D coil, which has a deep, narrow field shape, effectively exposing the field to less ground, but still providing wide coverage for each swing. The coverage at various depths is more consistent. A concentric coil's field narrows quickly beyond a certain depth. The double-D coil takes a deep, thin slice of the ground. Then there are also specialty coils. Some are elliptical, but basically concentric. Some are made of two ellipses overlapping at an angle, similar to double-D, but with its own advantages.

In terms of size, it is generally true that it's easier for large things to harmonise with large things and small things to harmonise with small things, and it's easier for bigger coils to reach farther. So, if you want to hit small and deep, the coil size can only be a part of the consideration. Shape may be the more important factor. A relic hunter in the woods, who is looking for things that are generally larger and often deeper, might like to first use a large coil to find a good site and then switch to a smaller coil (or a machine with a smaller coil) to sweep it more finely. The increased coverage-at-depth of the double-D would be greatly appreciated. A coin-shooter in the park, on the other hand, doesn't want to dig deep and wants to cut through a lot of trash to leave most of it behind, being very picky about targets. The decreased coverage and superior discriminating ability of a small concentric coil would be most appreciated.

I think the general consensus is that sweeping large areas quickly and searching deep should be done with a double-D or specialty coil. Being picky about targets and skimming near the surface should be done with a small concentric or elliptical coil. I've heard of someone making a double-D that's only 7 inches. If it's made correctly, it should cut through trash like a scalpel. So, anyway, pick your primary targets and get a coil that will hit those. When you want to expand your effectiveness on other kinds of targets, there are coils for that.