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Graduating from radioshack

ozarktroutbum

New Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Spanish Fort
It looks like I'm getting into metal detecting. My "relic hunting" has long been centered around hunting native american artifacts, but having recently moved on top of a civil war battlefield my interest in relics might be broadening (at least for the moment).

I have an old radioshack detector from the 90's my dad bought to find lost arrows. Prob equivalent to the $100 or less detectors on the market today.

If I do spring for a $300 or so model, how much of an increase in performance will I see? I am going to be likely looking for lead.

How deep can I go with the radioshack? ( I don't have detector at the moment)

*Also, I think it is the 3000 model? It has the blue writing on the screen and I remember it's powered by a 9 volt batt.
 
I would recommend looking for a used AT Pro or maybe a Simplex....but I haven't tried it out yet. The AT Pro will serve you well, its simple to learn, has great performance and won't break the bank. I own a Fisher an Equinox a Kruzer and an AT Pro they all have there place but if your on a budget the AT Pro is hard to beat
 
It’s definitely time for an upgrade. I’d recommend the lightning fast XP ORX or the Nokta Makro Simplex+ (Loosely based on youtube video reports) and your particular interests. Good luck!
 
He found arrow heads with a metal detector? Like...copper culture? I’m not sure how he was doing this, unless the arrow heads were made of rock that had such high mineral that they responded...
Most guys getting “serious” about targeting and FINDING what they are looking for will generally assess HOW MUCH they can spend on a machine that is geared toward the task at hand. Looking at it from a “how little can I spend” standpoint mostly ends up in a sale of that machine, and THEN getting what they really need. While some are flush with high end machines, not everyone is in that position, I get it. A few things to consider...
99% of machines manufactured have a fixed transmit signal, you cannot make it “see deeper” via any controls. You CAN make it see deeper by attaching a huge coil. If you’re looking for LEAD(which is HEAVY and will inevitably sink DEEP) you’ll want a machine that has a larger than stock coil available.
At this stage in the game you can get WAY more machine for the money if you consider a USED machine. I know many people would like to say their “so and so” machine will see bullets and coins down to 12” without a problem....the actual problem is that this is quite unlikely in most scenarios. Can you get a squeak or a grunt MAYBE? Maybe. But if you want ANY kind of ID between ferrous and non-ferrous, you’ll get better features AND RESULTS by getting a used mid range unit.
Anyway...good luck. It’s a lot more fun being able to find what you’re looking for with skill and good equipment than it is stumbling around hoping that chance will be your friend. It hardly ever is...
 
He found arrow heads with a metal detector? Like...copper culture? I’m not sure how he was doing this, unless the arrow heads were made of rock that had such high mineral that they responded...
Most guys getting “serious” about targeting and FINDING what they are looking for will generally assess HOW MUCH they can spend on a machine that is geared toward the task at hand. Looking at it from a “how little can I spend” standpoint mostly ends up in a sale of that machine, and THEN getting what they really need. While some are flush with high end machines, not everyone is in that position, I get it. A few things to consider...
99% of machines manufactured have a fixed transmit signal, you cannot make it “see deeper” via any controls. You CAN make it see deeper by attaching a huge coil. If you’re looking for LEAD(which is HEAVY and will inevitably sink DEEP) you’ll want a machine that has a larger than stock coil available.
At this stage in the game you can get WAY more machine for the money if you consider a USED machine. I know many people would like to say their “so and so” machine will see bullets and coins down to 12” without a problem....the actual problem is that this is quite unlikely in most scenarios. Can you get a squeak or a grunt MAYBE? Maybe. But if you want ANY kind of ID between ferrous and non-ferrous, you’ll get better features AND RESULTS by getting a used mid range unit.
Anyway...good luck. It’s a lot more fun being able to find what you’re looking for with skill and good equipment than it is stumbling around hoping that chance will be your friend. It hardly ever is...
Arrows not Arrow heads. He must of been missing his bow target alot:laughing:
 
Hi,
welcome to the forum.
I believe your Radio Shack had a 6" coil. So, on most detectors the diameter of the coil is the maximum depth for coin sized objects. Might go a bit deeper for larger stuff.

If you want to buy new, the Nokta Makro Simplex looks really good for the money you spend. It has just been released and there have been a few bugs, but Nokta Makro will definitely take care of any future problems. Waterproof, wireless audio, 12 kHz (I think) which is a good relic frequency, nice screen and ergonomics. If you are not in a big hurry you could wait a couple of weeks and see all the posts about the Simplex on this and other forums as people start to get their shipments in.

There are some deals on the forums and on Ebay for excellent used mid-level detectors for around $300. There is a Teknetics T2+ on this forum's classifieds. Outstanding detector if you don't have lots of EMI.

A used ATPro, Makro Racer 2, Fisher F19, F44, Teknetics Patriot, Omega 8500, T2 Classic or T2+, Whites MXT, M6, MX5, Minelab X-Terra 505 or 705.......All would be a good upgrade for your current detector.

Jeff
 
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Huh, strange, thought I responded to this thread. Even the Fisher F44 would do you right. contact the vendors here on the site for a better deal than you can get on fleabay.

The f19 is doing well and, as has been said, the Teknetics line is great. Really, any detector in the range you are looking to spend is gonna wipe out that old radio shack job.
 
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