Who has used a metal detector?

[John Schmidt]

Any suggestions re. model and different attachments and capabilities. We're headed for Florida in a couple weeks, barring any health hiccups, and want to do some strolling on the beaches...among other places. We thought it might be kinda fun to take along a metal detector, who knows...might find something interesting or valuable. I have a number of parks and certain beaches that might make good search grounds. Public parks, not so much...don't want get caught digging there. Beaches, both the Atlantic side and Gulf, are fair game. Hotels don't like you to be doing any searching on the beach in front of their location but it's still public. They sometimes will send a security person out to confront you but generally they can't do anything about it but try to intimidate. I watched a little granny type lady and her lady friend rip into a dude on a public beach once, judging by her language calling her a lady might be a bit of a stretch but was kinda amusing. She threatened to use the detector on him to see if he had any nads. 

[DIGGER]

Cant metal detect on Texas beaches.  Ive been run off 3 times.  I have complied each time. Never heard of  anyone being arrested for it though.  Its fun to do it though.  Heard a long time ago in Texas there was a big court battle between beach home owners and the metal detector groups.  The metal detector groups won in court and were allowed to detect on the beach.  The home owners went to the hardware store and bought bags snd bags of small brass washers and scattered them all over the beach areas.....ha

[Timbo1]

Any suggestions re. model and different attachments and capabilities. We're headed for Florida in a couple weeks, barring any health hiccups, and want to do some strolling on the beaches...among other places. We thought it might be kinda fun to take along a metal detector, who knows...might find something interesting or valuable. I have a number of parks and certain beaches that might make good search grounds. Public parks, not so much...don't want get caught digging there. Beaches, both the Atlantic side and Gulf, are fair game. Hotels don't like you to be doing any searching on the beach in front of their location but it's still public. They sometimes will send a security person out to confront you but generally they can't do anything about it but try to intimidate. I watched a little granny type lady and her lady friend rip into a dude on a public beach once, judging by her language calling her a lady might be a bit of a stretch but was kinda amusing. She threatened to use the detector on him to see if he had any nads.  

I'm a hobbyist metal detectorist.  There's a lot of detectors out there ranging from fair to excellent in ability and features.   Of course the more features the larger the learning curve and higher price point but generally better performance.   I run a Minelab Equinox 800, it's waterproof,  multi frequency,  has good discrimination and goes pretty deep.   When I got it a couple years ago it was just under $1000.  Add on a pinpointer, carry bag, shovel or sand scoop, diamond tester,  gold tester kit etc and you can add $500 more.   The point of that info is you need to identify what you plan to do with it and what your budget is.

 I have several other detectors that detect fine but don't discriminate as well because they're single frequency so that causes me to dig more trash when using them but they cost half as much,  still good detectors just not as good.

A major factor is learning the detector, whichever brand and model you choose so your less likely spending time digging up ketchup pouches, foil or trash in general.

Decide if you need water proof, or even if you just need the coil to be water proof or are you only going to use it in the dry.  


But for just a basic starter machine here's a couple to look at.
Minelab Vanquish 540.  It's what my wife uses, is easy to operate & discriminates well.  You might also look at the other Vanquish 340 & 440 models they're probability a little cheaper but I don't remember the spec differences between models.

Nokta Makro Simplex is another model I've heard is very easy to use and works well as a starter machine.


Best bang for the buck is probably a Nokta Makro Legend or Tripple Score.


If you get overwhelmed researching or comparing models you can give these folks a call and explain what you want and budget and I'm sure they could help you out.

https://kellycodetectors.com/


And always make sure you have permission and leave property as good or better than when you arrived.   Some city,  county,  state property require permit or daily use fee some don't,  just check with the property management before digging

[DIGGER]

Check to see if there are sny detecting clubs in your area.  Sometimes as a group you can get access to places you normaly cant.  Also some clubs I have been in have a show and tell once a month while out to eat and you can see what has been found that month. 

[DIGGER]

I have a brother who is a realtor and mostly lists farms and ranches.  Sometimes while listing properties that have old abandoned homeplaces he will ask if they would mind if we could metal detect around the old structure and sometimes they say we can.  Never have found anything valuable but lots of old tractor and car parts under the old oak tree in the shade...ha.  Also there are millions of 22 rifle hulls and the old aluminum pull tabs around

[John Schmidt]

Timbo, thanks...good info. 

[Timbo1]

Timbo, thanks...good info. 

No problem.   It's a fun hobby and the only one I've ever had that can pay for itself.  I haven't found much precious metals here in Ok.  a few silver rings and coins,  mostly relics from a time gone by and I really enjoy researching and learning about the items.   I think the earliest item I've found is either a ammunition buckle patented 1881 by Anson Mills or a US Calvary Rosette.  The story behind Anson Mills was very interesting, if your interested in reading about such things his story is on Wikipedia.  Like I said it's a fun hobby and good exercise to boot.  Hope you find something and go find some treasure.

[Thunderbolt]

John I have been metal detecting since 1992.  Originally using a White's Eagle Spectrum.  I just gave that one to our youngest grandson.  It was the best I thought you could buy at the time.  I kept records of everything I found with it and eventually found enough $$ to "pay" for itself.  Of course minus the gasoline to go to each of those places. 
I bought another White's later on and have it as a spare.  They have gone out of business now.  My detecting friend swore by Garrett detectors but it usually depended on which direction out of the truck that we started detecting who found the best treasures.
My latest detector is a Minelab Manticore.  Newer, lighter, Lithium batteries, Bluetooth headphones.  Still learning this one.  The newer ones are much better at discriminating out the junk than they used to be.  Timbo gave good advice on leaving it better than you found it and permissions.  Get a pin pointer, several of the dealers sell a package with pin pointer, digging shovel, small digging instrument etc.

[Robert]

Good information and fun idea, but anyone have one that specializes in 10MM sockets. 

[LadyDraco]

I used one  30 yrs ago it was fun on the  old  farm, found  a  10K gold  ring (NOT mine)
and  an old  coin...

I bet they have  come  a long way since  then...

[Robert]

I used one  30 yrs ago it was fun on the  old  farm, found  a  10K gold  ring (NOT mine)
and  an old  coin...

I bet they have  come  a long way since  then...

Wow that was a great investment, maybe should have played the Lottery. 

[DIGGER]

Good information and fun idea, but anyone have one that specializes in 10MM sockets. 

Haha....now that there is fuuunnniieeee

[LadyDraco]

I used one  30 yrs ago it was fun on the  old  farm, found  a  10K gold  ring (NOT mine)
and  an old  coin...

I bet they have  come  a long way since  then...

Wow that was a great investment, maybe should have played the Lottery. 

The  best part , It was a  friends  Metal detector. He  said  here play with this !

[DIGGER]

My wife and I got heavy into metal detecting in the late 90's early 2000's.   Best thing we found was I was detecting around an old homeplace finding not much and my wife wandered into an old barn on the place and was looking in old cardboard boxes.  She came out screaming TERRY...TERRY...TERRY... running towards me with something in her hand.   It was a very old BANK BAG!!!!!   It was bulging with contents.   The zipper was rusted shut so we had to cut the bank bag open.   To our dismay the contents was not a bunch of money but the contents was the paperwork for that piece of property in 1917.   However....stuffed down in the paperwork was a 20 dollar bill dated 1914.   It was a lot larger than a modern $20 bill.   That was the standard size back then.  They called them "saddle blankets".  One corner of the bill had been eaten off by some critter probly termites.   I took it to a coin shop to see value of it and the guy said not worth much more than $20 as the corner was missing.  Was a fun find though.

[ridingron]

And I bet he was happy to take it off your hands for "not much more than $20".

[DIGGER]

And I bet he was happy to take it off your hands for "not much more than $20".

I thought the same thing but he didnt make an offer.  I think he was legit.

[DIGGER]

Was detecting another old home place and I got a strong reading under the old oak tree next to the remains of the old house. Started digging with my hand size digger and it soon became evident it was deeper so the wife went to the truck and got a shovel and a piece of rebarb i cut about 2 ft long for probing.  The probe found that the object was about 12" down and about 10" wide and was round.  We were having visions of a buried treasure chest.  Dug on down and now we have a "HANDLE!!!"    Dug on down and finally pulled hard on the handle and up it came.   It was a skillit lid buried about 12" down.   Nothing under it....just a skillit lid.  Oh well, was exciting while it lasted.

[Hook#3287]

I acquired a old beat up one years ago that I used in my contracting business. Mainly to locate property line iron pins and it worked well.

I used to locate a well head once for a property owner that had no clue where his well was.

I bought a new fangeled one, can't remember the make and model, but have only used it a couple times. 

Never found anything except some arm and shoulder muscles that I hadn't been using much.

[John Schmidt]

I just ordered a unit recently marked down 20%, now $90, and a pinpointer also marked down for $20. Both seemed to have decent creds and I figured we can keep costs down at the beginning to see if it's something we want to pursue. If not, then not much invested. We can always spend more down the road if we find it an interesting hobby. Might even hire out to help locate 10mm sockets. 

[JimmyG]

I still have one and a pointer.  My old one was a custom build detector and was really sensitive to gold, but alas, it got messed up and the old guy that built it was not around anymore.   Anyhow, my neighbor lost her wedding ring in their front yard, and they asked me if I had a detector?  Yes, have you ever used one? No.  "No problem"  I said, I'll come try to find it for you.  spent a few minutes and said look right here, they looked and couldn't find it,(thick grass).  I pinpointed it again and said, right here.  they still couldn't find it and I think they thought I was full of it.  I pinpointed it again and I got down and started pulling back the grass, got all the way down to dirt and threaded my way through the last tangles of grass and roots and there she was.  My neighbor was thrilled because she really thought it was gone.  It was a nice gold and diamond ring.  Now I'd love to find that out searching. 

[Timbo1]

I still have one and a pointer.  My old one was a custom build detector and was really sensitive to gold, but alas, it got messed up and the old guy that built it was not around anymore.   Anyhow, my neighbor lost her wedding ring in their front yard, and they asked me if I had a detector?  Yes, have you ever used one? No.  "No problem"  I said, I'll come try to find it for you.  spent a few minutes and said look right here, they looked and couldn't find it,(thick grass).  I pinpointed it again and said, right here.  they still couldn't find it and I think they thought I was full of it.  I pinpointed it again and I got down and started pulling back the grass, got all the way down to dirt and threaded my way through the last tangles of grass and roots and there she was.  My neighbor was thrilled because she really thought it was gone.  It was a nice gold and diamond ring.  Now I'd love to find that out searching. 

A year or two ago I had been digging a permission and late one evening the land owner came by and as we talked and I was showing & telling her things I had found I mentioned I found a non precious silver plated ring the previous day with weird symbols on it kind of like Roman numbers.  She lit up and pulled up her sleeve to show me a tattoo she had on her arm and asked if it looked like this?  And it did,  the ring had a glyph for a band "30 seconds to Mars" that had sentimental meaning to her.  She had forgotten about the ring and didn't know how long ago she had lost it but she was tickled to get it back.  It was a great feeling knowing I had reunited the owner with something that meant so much to her.

[Thunderbolt]

John, buying a cheap metal detector is like buying cheap tools.  You get what you pay for.  I don't know what you bought for that price but suspect it won't discriminate out many nails and bottle tops and pull tabs.  Now that being said there are times and places that you detect that you want to dig every signal so you may get rich finding gold and silver doubloons from some Spanish ship. 

[DIGGER]

John, buying a cheap metal detector is like buying cheap tools.  You get what you pay for.  I don't know what you bought for that price but suspect it won't discriminate out many nails and bottle tops and pull tabs.  Now that being said there are times and places that you detect that you want to dig every signal so you may get rich finding gold and silver doubloons from some Spanish ship. 

Dont know about the newer detectors but my detector if you discriminate out the nails and aluminum tabs you also take out the gold.....so I dig every signal

[DIGGER]

When my wife and I got our first detector on a very cold day in January we went to the Galveston beach to get rich off things people lost during the summer.   While there we met a young couple with their brand new detector who was there for the same reason we were.   In conversation the guy said his dad had retired in December and they bought him a detector for retirement.   The day after his fathers retirement party the dad went across the street where a very long time ago there used to be a school there.  He was deecting and found a jar full of gold coins.   You just dont know what is buried in the ground.....every beep could be a treasure.

[DIGGER]

some of my finds

[HayHauler]

some of my finds

Very cool Digger.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[JimmyG]

John, buying a cheap metal detector is like buying cheap tools.  You get what you pay for.  I don't know what you bought for that price but suspect it won't discriminate out many nails and bottle tops and pull tabs.  Now that being said there are times and places that you detect that you want to dig every signal so you may get rich finding gold and silver doubloons from some Spanish ship. 

Dont know about the newer detectors but my detector if you discriminate out the nails and aluminum tabs you also take out the gold.....so I dig every signal

I learned that a good pair of earphones is a great help because, you will actually hear the difference of the tones  that different metals put off.  I could always tell gold because of the tone, compared to a nail or bottle cap. so be aware that discriminating out to much will cause you to miss things.
 

[John Schmidt]

John, buying a cheap metal detector is like buying cheap tools.  You get what you pay for.  I don't know what you bought for that price but suspect it won't discriminate out many nails and bottle tops and pull tabs.  Now that being said there are times and places that you detect that you want to dig every signal so you may get rich finding gold and silver doubloons from some Spanish ship. 

Terry, I agree re. buying cheap. This is a discontinued model and has five different sensing settings. Also comes with a set of headphones which I found quite good while testing it on Nancy's ring. I told her the shop where I bought it cheated me cuz it showed it was gold covered pot metal. She got this real serious look and I couldn't keep a straight face. 

There's an old silo and farmhouse foundation a block down the road so thought I'd give it a test before we leave for Florida next week.