DIY Metal detector with 20ft range

rednammanor

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Hi all,

I am really new to metal detecting and i am looking forward to building my own metal detector. I am experienced in building electronics.

Can someone point me to ay resources/plans that i can use to build a metal detector that can detect objects that are buried under 20ft of soil ? Please help...

Thanks in advance, any help greatly appreciated.
Rednam
 
For $22,000 you can purchase an OKM detector that claims to achieve targets buried as deep as 26'-0".

Considering the leading manufactures (Garrett, Whites, Fisher, Minelab) have been researching MD technology for 20+ years, making a detector to achieve such depths does not an appear easy and/or cost effective.

As mentioned in this artice, http://detectusa.com/how-deep-in-the-earth-can-a-good-metal-detector-detect-gold/ , typical detectors can reach depths of around 12". The size of the target, soil conditions and equipment may increase the ability of a detector to find an item. That said, most hobbiests have never dug anything below waist deep.

The discovery channel featured a 1 hour special on precious metal mining and how geologists use specialized equipment to detect such materials deep below the surface. I'd encourage you to search for this show and see what all is involved....(drilling, probes, sampling techniques, and satellite imagery).
 
Thanks for the suggestions, i will look for the discovery channel show and see if i can use any of the methods mentioned in it. 22000 USD is a bit steep of a price, that was why i was wondering if there are any DIY options out there....
 
I'm with Curt on this one, post some pics of the holes you dig. I'm guessing if $22,000 is too steep then the $125,000 you spend on a 20ft backhoe will really set you back..... :laughing:
 
This site has a lot of DIY metal detectors in the Projects section, as well as a whole bunch of other things. http://chemelec.com/ He does a good job explaining how things work, why he did it a certain way, and what you can expect, and why. No 2 foot detectors as I remember.

Did a lot of looking for a while myself. I didn't expect any DIY projects that would perform anywhere near what you could buy cheaper at Walmart. Was mostly looking for a simple and cheap project, that could be converted to a nice pinpointer.

Think two feet is very ambitious, doubt you are going to find much on the internet, that doesn't involve a pendulum/plumb bob, or bent coat hangers. I'm sure if 2 feet were obtainable, it would be on the market, before the secrets are made public. Doubtful too many people would be interested in digging that deep for a $12 piece of silver, definitely not on a maybe. Such a machine would sell pretty good though, lot 'my machine, is deeper than your machine'... I don't mind digging 6-7 inches, a foot occasionally. Don't see digging deep, unless are pretty sure there is something good there.
 
There is a book by Carl Moreland (Electrical Engineer for Whites) called "Inside the Metal Detector" ( http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Metal-...456&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+the+metal+detector ), that goes into detail on how to build every part of a metal detector... from simple PI circuits, to more advanced VLFs with discrimination and ground balance, and a big section on making coils.

Also check out the Geotech forums at http://www.geotech1.com/forums/forum.php , a place where some very knowledgeable individuals (including Carl) talk about the different aspects of building different machines (mostly PIs). There are also sub-forums on the geotech forums dedicated to different user designed PIs, with walkthroughs on PDF files and discussions on the different machines. You must register now to read the forums, it used to be an openly viewable forum.
 
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There is a book by Carl Moreland (Electrical Engineer for Whites) called "Inside the Metal Detector" ( http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Metal-...456&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+the+metal+detector ), that goes into detail on how to build every part of a metal detector... from simple PI circuits, to more advanced VLFs with discrimination and ground balance, and a big section on making coils.

Also check out the Geotech forums at http://www.geotech1.com/forums/forum.php , a place where some very knowledgeable individuals (including Carl) talk about the different aspects of building different machines (mostly PIs). There are also sub-forums on the geotech forums dedicated to different user designed PIs, with walkthroughs on PDF files and discussions on the different machines. You must register now to read the forums, it used to be an openly viewable forum.


Vedi-vedi cool!

nonetheless, what's the goal of having a 20'-0" depth/range?
 
Hi all,

I am really new to metal detecting and i am looking forward to building my own metal detector. I am experienced in building electronics.

Can someone point me to ay resources/plans that i can use to build a metal detector that can detect objects that are buried under 20ft of soil ? Please help...

Thanks in advance, any help greatly appreciated.
Rednam

Yes, you can go that deep... magnetometers will detect 55 gallon steel drums up to 20 feet and may be more.

Don't expect to find an aureus that deep.

You did not mention what your targets will be...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetometer

http://www.foerstergroup.de/FEREX-API.417+M52087573ab0.0.html

http://www.geotech1.com/forums/search.php?searchid=86167

May be this is what you're after? ...
 
Thanks, I will look into building a magnetometer for this purpose. Will post back build details and pictures of the holes (if everything goes well)
 
I've learned to not worry about the depth as much. Most people say they find 100-200 year old coins only a max 6" down. Now I have found newer quarters that far down already, but it is really a chance of luck. They usually don't go too deep though.
 
I've learned to not worry about the depth as much. Most people say they find 100-200 year old coins only a max 6" down. Now I have found newer quarters that far down already, but it is really a chance of luck. They usually don't go too deep though.

:yes::yes::yes:

Found a uniform button from 1850 right on the surface. Scanned by the MXT. But without the detector I still had missed it. So it is not only a detector, it's also what you're after for I think.
Or as Confucius would say: "Every work need it's tool."
 
http://www.md4u.ru/download/file.php?id=44164
file.php

file.php
 
I can probably detect a car at 8-10 feet with my ATpro. Unless you lost your Buick in quicksand or something 20 feet is really pushing things, not sure a 2 box would even get a large object at that depth.
 
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