What is the best metal detector for hunting old sites???

[makahaman]

I have a Whites classic idx and everyone said that the depth isn't very good! Is that true? I did have an xlt but sold it to my brother was that a bad idea? I found some good things with that metal detector, does it make a difference on the model from Whites? I mean if I am going to hunt in all metal mode for these old house sites then I won't be losing too much depth because my discrimination will be very low to nil!! Any suggestions would be much appreciated!! Can you give me your opinion on the make/model and why it is so superior to the others or is it a personal preference. Thanks you guys you rock!! Aloha!!!!! 8)

 

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[Night Stalker]

A metal detector is not a magic wand - it has to be learned and studied as to what it's trying to tell you, switching back and forth from brand to brand, model to model is doing nothing for you, except forcing you to learn another machine and it's individual language.

You can put a $1,200.00 detector into the hands of someone who has never used one, and give an experienced hobbist a cheaper no-name model, and I guarantee the experience will outperform the rookie with the $1,200.00 wonder machine.

Nothing competes or stacks up against an experienced hobbist, who knows their machine. You must pay your dues and dig tons of pull tabs and other junk and learn what your Whites Classic IDX is trying to tell you.

There is no magic wand....

 

[Sandman]

Night stalker you are 100% correct! Experience with the detector your using can not be over stated. Having a full range of coils helps the detector be more versatile. Small sizes for trashy areas and large for huge fields where coverage is needed.

Whites DFX has many modes and features to play with. They can also hinder you if you are using the wrong one for conditions. What your using is fine for where you are hunting, it's depth is not an issue. Wet Saltwater beaches now are another matter.

HH,
Sandman

 

[dahut]

What is the best metal detector for hunting old sites...

...One that works! Really the other answers are right on. It aint WHAT you swing, but where that counts. I have areas of dirt right in my own back yard that are:
A. Sites
B. Old

And there aint nut there. Ditto for places like parking lots and construction sand & gravel yards. Both can be old, but the odds are pretty long that anything is there!

Now, it behooves you to have a quality instrument and to learn it well. But most important isnt what you swing, but where. As I like to say, "Know, Before You Go."

 

[Burdie]

All of you have it right! That is why I love this forum.
Burdie

 

[madfranks]

There is no magic wand....

So Harry Potter has been lying to me the whole time

 

[Night Stalker]

​

 

[BuckleBoy]

I've got a story along these lines I'd like to share.

Had a friend who owned a metal detector shop here in town, and there was an older man who came in about every month or two and purchased a new detector. After about six months he came in the final time, and he was steaming! He said "I've spent over $2,000 on metal detectors here and all I have to show for it is a dollar in pocket change and some junk!" What could the store owner say? He had perpetuated this horrible trend by allowing the man to purchase machine after machine in the name of "sales," and never asked any questions!

I'll echo what was said before in the replies to this post. Know your machine. I've had a Fisher 1266-X for almost 15 years now, but it took me a year to find my first old coins and silver coins. In the beginning, dig everything! I incorrectly assumed during that first year that coins would sound the same regardless of age or depth (the instruction manual was decidedly vague on this important point, and obviously not written by someone who "knew" the machine). But there's really more to it than that. Realizing things about where the most productive places to hunt are is extremely important. This was also a facet of my beginner's ideology that was fundamentally flawed. I thought that any old, prominent site was good. My mind went off into fantasy-land whenever I saw a historical marker. Now don't get me wrong. Those obvious spots have been productive for me occasionally, but very rarely. Realizing that what is obvious to us is probably obvious to everyone else with a detector is a big step. After the research bug bit me, my finds took off. I started locating places that weren't there anymore (with no signs remaining of their existence). All of a sudden I had Morgan Dollars, Barber and Seated Halves, Civil War relics, and the like. Now each site took a lot of research, and even in some cases a bit of hit-and-miss in the field. I recall some weeks spending more time in the library than out with the detector! My third problem was that I didn't know what to do about a site being previously hunted, except for to give up. Wrong idea! I have found some great coins at worked out sites. I remember one area where all the obvious places in the immediate vicinities around churches/picnic groves/etc where exhausted, but the brushy areas and fringe areas gave up Barber coins and Indian head pennies!

So in summary, I've decided that metal detecting is a mental exercise at least as much as it is a technological one.

1. (As others have said) know your machine.

2. Find places that are less obvious, and do research.

3. There's no greater thrill than making a great find in a "worked out" site. When you come across a place others have hit, outsmart them!


I wish someone had told me these things when I was a Newbie.


Good Luck, and keep us posted!

Buckleboy

 

[dahut]

Excellent and well said

 

[Michigan Badger]

What is the best metal detector for hunting old sites

The detector that gets decent depth and you know well. This could be almost any brand and model.

Badge P.S. Excellent post BuckleBoy!

 

[The Beep Goes On]

As everyone has said, the machine's contribution to your success, or lack of it, pales in comparison to the contribution made by your knowledge, technique and research.

I will say that I buy the higher end machines simply because, theoretically, it's hard to blame the machine if you're unsuccessful. I want a machine that provides a larger performance envelope than I might be able to take full advantage of. It gives me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling that I have one of the best detectors made.

Does having a high-end detector make me successful? Not even...hard work and long hours do.

HH!
TBGO

 

[kd8hf]

Night Stalker, you hit the nail right on the head. I can add nothing to your comments,
but I too use a DFX and have found that I'll walk right over things when using the wrong settings.

I've only had it about 4 years so I'm still learning.

HH

Gary

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

TBGO,

"It gives me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling"

Life can be good

have a good un..........