Tips for a beginner

ElCidofValencia

Well, I've never done anything like this before, but I would like to. The property my family owns used to have a one room schoolhouse on it, so I figure that would be a good place to start looking.

So, what would be a good detector to start off with? I want something that's not uber expensive, but is also able to find old silver coins, if they happen to be out there.

I know this might be broad and has probably been asked before, but i would appreciate any help. I'd love to get into this hobby.

I live in SE Michigan if that makes any difference to anything.

pcgs69

Some nut on this forum is selling his e-trac so that might be worth looking into .

What you get really depends on how much you want to spend. It's like buying a car...find your budget then research what's available in that range. For around $200 a lot of people use the Garrett Ace 250. Good everyday shooter except in salt water areas. You could always get that used e-trac

ElCidofValencia

I hope you're not offended when I say that's a bit out of my price range right now!

Haha but have you used a Garrett Ace 250 before? Or has anyone else? That's the kind of price I would be willing to pay, assuming that it's worth buying. It has good reviews on Amazon but I trust you guys more than them.

WhiteTornado

My first detector, which is the one I'm still using, is a Tesoro Cibola. The next step down would be the Tesoro Compadre. Both have good reviews. The Cibola offers discrimination (ability to "tune out" a majority of certain types of metal such as pull tabs). I think that is the main difference between the two. There is no display on it, but from what I've experienced and heard, you really need to learn a machine's tones before worrying about a display.

In addition to the Garrett Ace 250, other popular entry-level machines are the Whites Coinmaster and the Fisher F2.

Is there a metal detector dealer anywhere in your area? It would be good if you could test drive a couple of machines before buying. Treasurenet.com has a lot of good information: Treasurenet - Metal Detecting forum

When I first started out, I actually rented a Whites M6 from a local equipment rental company. That allowed me to try one out for a couple of days to see if I'd even like metal detecting. Look for a place that rents out construction equipment and tools.

Best of luck and happy hunting!

ElCidofValencia

Sadly, there aren't any stores in my area The closest are a few hours away.

But there is a place nearby where I can rent a Garrett for 26 dollars a day or 61 a week. Is that reasonable?

WhiteTornado

<< <i>Sadly, there aren't any stores in my area The closest are a few hours away.

But there is a place nearby where I can rent a Garrett for 26 dollars a day or 61 a week. Is that reasonable? >>



I think I paid about that or slightly more when I rented the Whites M6. I was able to rent on a Saturday for one day, but since they are closed on Sundays, I was allowed to keep it until Monday morning.

pocketpiececommems

My thoughts on renting. If you are going to pay $26 a day or $61 a week I would buy one. Then you can use it when you want for a couple of hrs at a time. I would hate to spend $26 and get rained out.

ElCidofValencia

I think I am going to end up just buying one-- a friend of my dad thinks he can get me one cheap. So I guess I will wait for word on that.

Another question I have, is have any of you dug up old outhouses? There are two stone ones on my property from ~1860-1930. Is it worth looking into?

ElCidofValencia

Plus, is a pinpointer a necessity? Or can you get by without it?

WhiteTornado

Definitely try old outhouses. I haven't had the chance to dig one, but have always heard they can yield good stuff. People using them would lose coins, jewelry, etc, while fumbling with clothes, especially if it was nighttime.

I would highly recommend a pin pointer as it will significantly speed up the recovery process each time. You can get by without one, it will just take a lot longer. Instead of: locate target, dig hole, use pin pointer to greatly narrow down the location in the hole....you will be doing: locate target, dig hole, use detector again on hole and/or the sod plug over and over until you find the target.

Best of luck and let us know how you make out.

ricko

The 250 is a great first machine and well worth the money. A pinpointer is a valuable accessory and will save time and also find things you will otherwise give up on..... Cheers, RickO

ElCidofValencia

I found a brand-new Garrett Ace 350 for $175, so I think that's what I'm going to go for

GBurger717

buy a pin pointer and save yourself a lot of time......

ElCidofValencia

I did get a pin-pointer! I went a few days without it and was having fun but kind of frustrated. It's a great tool.

Haven't found any silver yet but I did find my first coin (1980 penny lol) and a copper stake (not sure why it's copper). Also lots of iron artifacts and car parts lol.

It's a fun hobby and that's for introducing it to me! That's directed at the entire metal detecting community here haha

coinnut86

Do you all dig every hit? I went out today for my first time and was getting lots of hits but most were 8+ deep, it didn't seem worth it. Most every hit around 6-8 inches that I did dig resulted in nothing. I managed to find an old smashed rusted can at 2 inches. :-/

ElCidofValencia

You might want to get a pinpointer in that case. I was having the same sort of trouble, but once I got the pinpointer I could find much smaller objects.

I used to dig up everything but I got tired of getting nails so I became a little more specific. Still mostly nails though lol buT I'm having fun.

WhiteTornado

<< <i>Do you all dig every hit? I went out today for my first time and was getting lots of hits but most were 8+ deep, it didn't seem worth it. Most every hit around 6-8 inches that I did dig resulted in nothing. I managed to find an old smashed rusted can at 2 inches. :-/ >>



I'm not familiar with the ACE 250. Does it have a discrimination setting? My Tesoro Cibola has that and I often keep it up beyond halfway. This tends to filter out stuff like nails and pulltabs. I realize I could be missing some things (for example, pulltabs, nickels, and some gold rings often provide a similar signal back towards the detector), but I'm still learning my machine and this helps me avoid digging too much junk. I'm trying to cherrypick the better signals as I learn to interpret my machine's sounds.

Another trick is as follows. If you get a signal, try lifting up your coil, as much as a foot above that spot. If you pass over it again and still get a signal with the coil that far above the ground, chances are it is a large piece of junk. I would probably not bother digging those.

Keep trying, it definitely takes a bit of patience.

Zot

<< <i>Do you all dig every hit? >>



I do, at least most of the time. If I've found something good in an area, I definitely do.
It can be a grind at times. For example, on a trashy beach a few years back I dug 180 pieces of junk before I got a coin.

pcgs69

<< <i>

<< <i>Do you all dig every hit? >>



I do, at least most of the time. If I've found something good in an area, I definitely do.
It can be a grind at times. For example, on a trashy beach a few years back I dug 180 pieces of junk before I got a coin. >>



I try to, but as Zot said, sometimes it makes you want to punch someone in the face. It seems like a lot of parks here have been picked over and mostly pull tab signals are left. There is probably gold hiding in there, so you have t remind yourself of that after your 32nd piece of junk in a row.