Big Boys Hobbies

White's Surfmaster P.I., good entry level detector?

What about depth?

Just out of curiosity, how deep in the sand should I expect to be able to find gold rings with this rig? It sounds like these pulse detectors go deep.
 
Max, you sure got some nice pictures; do you have to link to a website to display them, or can we load them direct on this forum?

Maybe I'll look around for one of them big ol' scoops, it seems like everybody uses big ones. The ones I see on eBay and online are only about 4" in diameter.
 
Hey China - I was the fella you outbid today...

Hey China - I was the fella you outbid today...on ebay - i also am looking hard for a whites pi pro or whites pi.. thought i had it - you got in in last few secs!
no hard feelings! I hope you enjoy it!
Keep us posted!
JOhn
 
John, sorry about that...really. I've been there before, I wasn't sure if my bid would go through (I have dial-up and a bad network connection). There is another one on eBay a little newer model. It started at $299 and there was one bid on it; it still has a few days left. Look for item # 5863926165, it's brand new and looks like a later model. Good luck with your bidding.
Regards, Rick.
 
Rick,
as I said - no problem - thats ebay.. I got my Beach hunter ID in the last 6 seconds!
Ill watch the other one - the one you bought is not the weighted coil - you may have to add some weight when you are in the water - please tell me how you find it though! the pi pro is what im after, but they are scarce and fethc high used prices!
regards
JOhn
 
China

A gold ring sounds different than a pulltab does.. deep rings are a whisper so you need to listen for the whispers... most times the whispers are good targets because gold sinks fast in the sand whereas a pulltab will not be as deep... Last week I had a slight break in my threshold and the ring I found was 15 scoops down in chest deep water. You need to be persistant and keep scooping until you find the target and sometimes its frustrating but its worth it when you see the gold in the bottom of your scoop.

I posted on one my threads where I can tell the difference by sound what I'm digging... Its important to learn the machine and the tone differences to be successful in the water with this detector.

You also need to read the beach in and out of water to be successful... The PI will find every piece of metal out there and you need to learn where to hunt where you won't find as much junk. When I go water detecting I expect to find a ring or piece of jewelry everytime I go out.. I know I won't but I have learned where to and where not to detect with a PI... The PI is not for everyone, in the beginning for me I hated it, I wanted to send it back, but I stuck with it and have been rewarded.

In 8 months of water detecting I have 81 rings, 32 to date being gold.

Research, perseverance, patience, research, the best equipment are needed water detecting.

Just my 3 cents
 
John,

I don't have a weighted coil and I have no problems.. Its easier to swing and balanced just right...
 
thats good news - I will watch out for either type of coil then!
thanks 4 that.
What do you think of the headhunter PI - i missed up on a chance to trade for one - decided id wait for a whites!
John
 
thanks for posting pics. pictures are worth 1000 words, especially when talking about scoops....... waiting for my stealth (sun-spot) to arrive from Chuck........ the floating handle sold me.......... scoop all stainless steel....
 
I love mine now.. First week I hated it :D Wasn't fun finding staples down a foot.. but with beach hunting you learn where to hunt and where to shy away from ;)

Never use a PI in dry sand to much trash... Wet or water, for me water only.... I'm sure I'm missing some finds in the wet sand but its ok with me, I prefer the water less trash/better finds :grin: .
 
Well, it looks like until summer hits I'm going to be cold, real cold while detecting. I think as soon as my PI shows up I'll take it down to shore and give it a run in shallow water to get used to the sounds. I have some old jewelry and coins I might try burying in the surf to get an idea of the difference in tone that you're talking about. Then, hopefully I can brave the cold waters for awhile and look for "real" treasure.

I guess until then I'll start looking at scoops; I may as well get a good one from the start. That way I won't end up with a bunch of broken cheap ones laying around.
 
China


Here is one of my scoops its aluminum but has a stainless lip and its a damn fine scoop... Its a Bill Babbs heavy duty scoop sold by one of our board sponsors:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Cfmct/P1010484.jpg

Here is his site for the scoops:

http://surfscanner.com/Surfscan3/Babbs_Scoop.html

Here is another excellant scoop... the Sunspot Stealth

http://www.sunspotedm.com/beachscoops/thescoop.html


Water detecting isn't cheap but the rewards can be great... Hope your wife doesn't mind a scoop that costs about what a entry level land detector costs ;) :D
 
scoops

china

again u have to follow the lead of craig, he has again given u some great insight

last year i got the P I urge again and i bought a new surf PI pro, i kept it two days................va beach is toooo trashy for any, b u t the thing i disliked about it the most was the coil

i got the weighted one, but here hunting the big waves, it was constantly flipping up from the wave action..................

MAKE SURE U BUY AN ADAPTER THAT GOES ON THE COIL TO STOP FROM THIS............COUPLE BUCKS, MADE JUST FOR IT.

if u go the the babbs scoop, like i have and like craig, make sure u get the S/S LIP .................Low Tide Tim has one without and he must grind down his often to keep in smooth and sharp.

i keep my pics. in windows, all u have to do is hit the browse buttom below and add them................only 3 at a time here.
 
I just received my Surfmaster PI Plus that I won on eBay; I also went on the White's site and ordered the coil bracket as advised. I loaded the batteries in this thing, turned it on, and, WOW. This thing is not only loud, but is picking up every nail in the floorboards of my house. I took it outside and it is picking up metal beneath my asphalt driveway that my Classic III doesn't even hint it's there! I guess this thing will do OK in the surf; I had to turn down the volume resistor on the circuit board as I could barely keep the headphones on with the noise. My question to other Surfmaster owners is this: do you recommend releasing the clamps that holds that clear cover when not in use? It seems to be molded with a natural curve to make the clamping action that much more effective once the clamps are snapped down. I'd hate to have this added natural curve flatten out after being under compression from the clamps for so long.
 
china-clipper said:
I just received my Surfmaster PI Plus that I won on eBay; I also went on the White's site and ordered the coil bracket as advised. I loaded the batteries in this thing, turned it on, and, WOW. This thing is not only loud, but is picking up every nail in the floorboards of my house. I took it outside and it is picking up metal beneath my asphalt driveway that my Classic III doesn't even hint it's there! I guess this thing will do OK in the surf; I had to turn down the volume resistor on the circuit board as I could barely keep the headphones on with the noise. My question to other Surfmaster owners is this: do you recommend releasing the clamps that holds that clear cover when not in use? It seems to be molded with a natural curve to make the clamping action that much more effective once the clamps are snapped down. I'd hate to have this added natural curve flatten out after being under compression from the clamps for so long.
Click to expand...

China... Congrats on your detector first off... Secondly and very important keep the orange O-ring clean and do not put anything on it and while you are at it buy a couple extra... I have two extra in case one fails it keeps water outof the case...

I keep my compartment closed when not in use unless I wasn't going to use the detector for a while.. When you change batteries try and snap them at the same time closed.
 
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