Advice needed on metal detector purchase.......please

numisma

Hello everyone. I am looking for a metal detector that works under water and on the beach (or land). One requirement is that the detector be compact in a travel state. In other words, it will break down to fit in a suit case. We are going to visit the BVI in a couple of months and I want to detect on some beaches.

A couple of questions come to mind: 1) are metal detectors allowed as checked items at airports?, 2) what are the rules in Caribbean countries regarding metal detecting and claiming items found?

I am looking for suggestions on a detector per the above criteria. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have not metal detected since I was a teenager, but I sure remember how much fun it was.

Thanks, Dennis

CROCKofCOINS

Look at this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Whites-whites-Beach-Hunter-ID-Metal-Detector-NR_W0QQitemZ170053686274QQihZ007QQcategoryZ58057QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Whites-Surfmaster-II-2-Underwater-Metal-Detector-Broke_W0QQitemZ180055569232QQihZ008QQcategoryZ67778QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And:
http://cgi.ebay.com/WHITES-SURF-PI-PRO-METAL-DETECTOR_W0QQitemZ160056197289QQihZ006QQcategoryZ67778QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you want new, I would go to:
http://www.whiteselectronics.com/

My pick:

<DIV class=headline7>Surf PI Pro</DIV>
<DIV class=bodytext>PI Pro's new power circuit reaches new depths especially for the most prized beach targets, smaller gold, platinum ad white gold. Pulse Induction for exceptional depth even in the worst conditions like black sand. Also available at the same price is a weighted search coil version of the Surf Pi Pro for underwater treasure hunting.
$699.00 NEW
http://www.whiteselectronics.com/surfpiprow.php

Good Luck
Jerry</DIV>

lordmarcovan

I used to have a Fisher 1280-X Aquanaut that was a good submersible detector. It could be broken down and fit into a hardshell travel case, which is what I shipped it in when I sold the machine.

lordmarcovan

Here's Kellyco's page on Beach/Surf/Water detectors.

I dunno what to tell you about customs and local laws where you're headed, though.

numisma

Thanks guys! That's great information.

numisma

Does this one seem reasonable??

Thanks!!!

lordmarcovan

Hey, that is the exact same model and carrying case I used to have!

At its current bid level of $305 at this posting, yes- absolutely- that one seems very reasonable, for one which was only used four or five times. I sold my 1280-X on eBay after I'd owned it about a year and the bidding topped $500. (Which seemed a tad high to me, considering you could get a new one for not very much more at the time. However, I had thrown in some other goodies like an expensive recovery scoop).

I would expect to see the bidding go a bit higher on that one, though.

PS- in case you didn't read it when I posted in another thread recently, I found THE coin with my Fisher 1280-X, though I wasn't using it on the beach at the time.

It made a nice relic hunting machine when I tired of beach hunting. I also liked that the main control housing could be taken off and worn as a chestmount. I didn't have a proper harness for a chestmount but I improvised with an old leather belt, worn around my chest. It made the detector easier to use because it is a tad unwieldy. I never used my machine underwater and only waded with it one time.

One thing about the Fisher 1280-X is that it does not offer a target ID meter- if you are coinshooting in trashy parks that might be a downside. However, on beaches, or rural relic hunting sites where you're likely to dig just about every target, the lack of an ID meter is of no concern. In fact, sometimes it's better to have a barebones-simple machine like that with only a few knobs and no meter, 'cause the meters can make one a bit lazy. I do think some of the other models out there offer at least a rudimentary ID feature (I think C.O.C. pointed one out). The fella I bought that 1280-X from replaced it with a Minelab Excalibur and loved that, though he liked the 1280-X, too.

If you aren't actually going into the surf or going diving, you could get a nonsubmersible machine with a salt elimination feature- my Garrett GTI-2500 has that. Most detectors out there nowadays have submersible coils even if the main control housing isn't submersible. Something like that would be sufficient for beachcombing or hunting in calm, very shallow water. The pros of getting something like this is that you would have a more versatile coinhunting machine for regular sites if you were willing to give up full submersibility. But you wouldn't be able to lay the machine down or drop it, since you couldn't let the controls get wet.

lordmarcovan

You know who you should ask, maybe? He doesn't post here but everybody on the Coin Forums knows MadMarty. A lot of folks probably don't know he's done any detecting. He went to the Caribbean a couple years ago (Dominican Republic? I forget), and the lucky schmuck dug a gold coin while beach hunting! I forget what the coin was- as I recall, it was from the mid-1800s, from a Latin American country, though not from the country Marty found it in- I think it was from Peru. It was a pretty big coin, too. I thought he was puttin' me on when he showed the pics, but apparently he found it while detecting! I don't know what kind of detector he used.

I'll shoot him a PM and invite him to re-share his story.

numisma

LM, thanks for sharing. I was just talking with MadMarty via pm right before I checked this thread. I will shoot him a pm as well. Thanks for your help.