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Which Detector model should a newbie buy?

maxxkatt

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Joined
Sep 20, 2015
Messages
3,487
Location
North Atlanta, GA
Welcome to a great hobby. I hope to be able to save you some time in learning your new machine.

The make and model of your machine has little to do with learning how to use a metal detector effectively. I will not even begin to compare different makes and models. This has been and always will be covered quite well by others on this forum.

Sorry for the misleading title, but I did this to make a point that you should focus on the below regardless of which detector you buy.

1. Read your manual carefully.
2. Have the following treasure test items: a gold or silver ring and a silver dime, quarter, 50 cent piece and a wheat penny, Indian Head Penny.
3. Have the following trash items: modern penny, square pop tab, older ring pull tab, beaver tail part of old ring pull tab, ring part of old pull tab, can slaw, foil, rusty nail, aluminum screw cap, big piece of iron, tin can and of course a modern and rusted bottle cap (where do you get these items? In an old trashy park by finding them with your detector).
4. Lay these out on the ground (where you have cleared the area of any other targets) and get used to the VDI and audio signals that the good treasures produce and the junk trash produce.
5. After you get good at this mix the good target with a couple of trash items in an areas the size of the width of your coil. Get used to picking good stuff out among trash. Like rusty nail and pop top on either side of a silver dime.
6. If there is a book on your detector by an independent author, then purchase the book and read it.
7. View Youtube videos of detectorists using your make and model detector. Look for the videos where the detectorist will show you the display readings and have good audio so you can hear the tones.
8. If you are specializing in ocean beach hunting, then look for books and videos specifically about ocean beach hunting. Same goes for relic hunting and coin hunting.
9. Don’t give up too easy. Not finding any good targets after 30 – 50 hours? Then you should change your hunting locations.
10. Learn to do research to hunt places which actually have a better chance of having good treasures in the dirt.
11. Re-read your manual carefully.

Other hints:

1. Adjust your detector settings for the type of hunting you will be doing.
2. If you really want to take the time bury these items in a test garden and remember to mark the location of each separate item.
3. Start hitting local parks for testing what you have learned.

Which detector to use? Read the forums and find the best one you can that will fit your budget. Keep in mind a general rule is with most major manufacturers, the detectors with the best capabilities for your type of hunting will cost more. For a really decent detector with the better capabilities look to spend in the $700 range or higher.

There is nothing wrong with starting out with a lower priced detector like a Bounty Hunter or Garrett Ace model. In fact, you can spend more time learning metal detecting techniques than fooling with learning all the advanced features of a higher priced more advanced detector.
 
Good post MaxxKatt…..I especially agree with the very last part of the post about starting with an easy to learn machine such as an Ace. Many times a newbie has asked on this forum which detector they should buy to start up in this hobby and many (not all) suggest an Equinox which is not the easiest machine to learn on based on what users have said about it. There's plenty of time to upgrade AFTER you've been hunting for awhile and become more knowledgeable. Additionally, this hobby isn't for everyone so if they start but don't enjoy it, the entry level detector won't have set them back a large sum of money.
 
Good post MaxxKatt…..I especially agree with the very last part of the post about starting with an easy to learn machine such as an Ace. Many times a newbie has asked on this forum which detector they should buy to start up in this hobby and many (not all) suggest an Equinox which is not the easiest machine to learn on based on what users have said about it. There's plenty of time to upgrade AFTER you've been hunting for awhile and become more knowledgeable. Additionally, this hobby isn't for everyone so if they start but don't enjoy it, the entry level detector won't have set them back a large sum of money.

I use myself as an example. I was not a total newbie, but was very comfortable with the AT Pro for the 3 years prior to selling it and going to the Nox 800.

Here are the mistakes I made with the Nox 800.

1. Not sticking to the standard modes and putting in the hours using the machine in park 1 or 2 or field 1 or 2.

2. I wanted to unlock the extra features that were totally new to me. So I spent time playing with features that are useful, but only after you master the basics. The 800 is a very different machine and a more sensitive machine than the AT Pro. The AT Pro is a darn fine detector and it is not going away anytime soon despite the Equinox hype.

3. not really understanding some of the science behind metal detecting. The 800 forced me to learn more about the physics behind metal detecting in general. Many thanks to Vferrari on another forum for his patience and great advice and answers to my questions. He is truly one of a kind.

Yes it would be sad to see a newbie buy an 800 only to give it up after being frustrated with it. Not knowing how to adjust the settings for a trashy environment would drive a sane man batty from all the digging trash and micro-trash. Until a Equinox user understands that their detector sees darn near everything under the coil, they will not have begun to master the 800.

In the British TV series Lance was goaded in to letting a less experienced detectorist named Hugh use his CTX 3030. Lance said something like "Well this baby is not for just anyone". And he was right, a CTX 3030 or Nox 800 is only as good as the user using it. By the way, the British TV series "The Detectorists" is the absolute best TV series about a British metal detecting club and its members. It is a great short series of 2 or 3 seasons that has that low key British humor and does not make fun of the hobby but does show funny moments. I was astonished at the rich array of truly great targets that the British have under their feet.
 
When I purchased my first detector I was in over my head. I bought a Minelab Sovereign GT as suggested by my brother in law and had no idea what the machine was telling me. I became quite frustrated digging lots and lots of trash. A time or two I looked for a sturdy tree to wrap the machine around. Then I got a 180 meter for the machine and it lit a hint of a light at the end of the tunnel. Now a few year later I love the GT.
 
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