New Poster about to Purchase Detector

Hi, and welcome to the great hobby of metal detecting.

It's difficult to advise on what machine you should buy, I know nothing about the Bounty Hunter, but a lot of people reckon they are OK.
You may find that a used machine is better value, as they aren't the sort of things which wear out, and a lot of people are upgrading all the time. There's a chap in our club who has a different detector every time I see him.
Whatever you get, it'll take a while to get used to it, so don't be disheartened if at first, you dig up a lot of rubbish, we?ve all done that.

Good luck

And if you dont dig some trash, your not doing the right thing. Get the best you can afford. Try to buy from a local dealer or Tony on here. Avoid e-bay where possible. Everyone has there favorites. Tony can help if you have questions. HH............Doodle

Beerdoodle is right. Buy the best you can afford. Do your homework on the detectors available in your price range then go at it. Good luck

I have had the tracker 4 for a couple of years now. It is easy to operate and the batteries last quite a while as well. Its a good all around machine.
There are other machines in that price range as well. The ace 250 goes for about 212.00 and is highly rated. Give Tony a call. He can help you out and answer any of your questions you may have.

Hi  z118.........Welcome to the forum !! 

I have the Ace250 and am very pleased with it !  Check out the photo-by-photo operating instructions
on this forum. I'll even guide you to the spot........First, goto the Detectors and Gear board, next
goto the How to Use Your Metal Detector forum, then goto the Ace250 LCD Visual Explanation topic.

A good book I can recommend highly is titled the Urban treasure hunter, A Practical Handbook For Beginners, written by Michael Chaplan and copyrighted 2005. It's all about TH'ing in New York City.
I purchased my copy this past June from Amazon.com for $12.32 + 3.99 S&H.  It's loaded with information
that goes well beyond most TH'ing books I've read.

I look forward to reading about your future MD'ing adventures here on the forum.

Todd

I've got the same book too. It was interesting to see the places that could be hunted in a major city, gave me a lot of ideas. I agree, get the best you can afford, even if you have to wait 2 more weeks to sweeten the pot. Don't buy junk, and don't buy the first one that comes along. Good luck. Let us know what you get!

Thank you all for the responses...

After my initial post I went back and reread some of the other folders in this forum, in particular the ones involving detector recommendations.  It would seem that the large majority favor the Ace 250.

This really put me in a bind, as the Ace runs about $100 more than the Tracker IV, and sadly, $100 is a good chunk of change for me right now.

So after hemming and hawing, I opted to "settle" for the Tracker IV.  I hope to get it next week.  I figure that if I have a great time with this perhaps lesser model, then after a time I will be able to upgrade, perhaps even using funds found with the Tracker IV.

At any rate, thanks again for the responses...

Does anyone have an answer however, to my question regarding magnets?  Will an extremely strong magnet impact a detector, or even cause it lasting damage?  How do normal run of the mill magnets effect detectors?  Will a detector "see" a magnet in the ground?

Thanks!

As a post script, I should add that what ultimately put an end to my hemming and hawing was that the 6pm Simpsons episode was the one where Bart and Lisa find Granpa's old metal detector...

My favorite lines:

Bart (dumping bottle caps and junk on the table): Woah! Excellent haul!
Lisa: But it's all trash.
Bart: Exactly. Now there's nothing left out there but treasure.

also:

Bart: Okay, here's the deal. Crowns and dubloons are mine, snuff boxes and cameos are yours. Now, as for wands and scepters...
Lisa: It's a bottle cap.
Bart: Jewel-encrusted?


I took it as a sign that I should purchase a detector NOW!!!

I have a lightly used Tracker 4 that's 2 months old for 75.00 plus shipping if that helps you out. Let me know.

Thanks Tony! I wish I had known this prior to buying one new... Hopefully I will find enough change to upgrade, at which point I'll give you a call.

Thanks again!