Greetings from NJ!

kevlar

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
Messages
8
Location
NJ
Newbie here! New to MD'ing. I've been lurking around this site for a few days trying to get a handle on what may be a good starter MD. I live just minutes from great NJ beaches, and... have been wanting to hunt the beaches south of Sandy Hook.

I'll probably be MD'ing dry sand to ankle/almost-knee deep water in the surf!! Just about every webpage I hit... I'm seeing the ACE 250 mentioned as a very good starter MD. I'm thinking of ordering today through Kellyco.. the ACE 250 with the sports package that provides the 9 x 12 coil.

With the 250 which would be more beneficial for what I wanna do?? the 9 x 12 coil or the V4 pinpointer?? The bigger coil for added depth or the pinpointer for more accuracy??? Decisions decisions. Please let me know what you think!! It would be great to get some of your expert opinions before I place the order LOL!!

I've seen quite a few NJ folks on this site, any advice or tips for a "newbie" would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!!
 
Welcome from Cental NJ! Island Beach State Park is fair game in Ocean County. All you need is a permit from the main office. HH Andy
 
Welcome good sir from North Jersey! If you're going to get a pin pointer I can't recommend the Garrett Pro Pointer enough. It is nothing short of fantastic! Good luck and happy hunting!
 
Ace 250 not good for NJ beaches

Hi, and welcome! I have an Ace 250 and it is certainly a great starter detector. However, I recently left southern NJ and can say that the 250 is not good for NJ's beaches. To begin with, the 250 is too sensitive for salt water (so it falses) although if you turn down the sensitivity you might be able to detect some. Dry sand is fine. However, NJ beaches are loaded with metallic sand, showing up as black streaks/swaths against the otherwise light greyish sand. When I tried to MD the beaches I was restricted to the dry sand areas without the black. It was very frustrating.
Basically, the Ace 250 is a great detector, but I highly recommend it for dirt detecting.
 
Hi, I'm down in cape may co. I also started with an Ace 250. But the Ace is only good in the dry sand and not in water or the wet sand. I went out and spent a few extra bucks and got an excal. I also like how the excal nulls out on the iron....
 
Welcome aboard Kevlar.... definitely NOT the 250 for saltwater or wet sand on the beaches.... If you are going wading... you need a PI and a sand scoop... The pinpointer may help in the dry sand, but I just use a scoop. Pinpointers are very valuable for dirt digging.... RickO
 
Hi Kevlar, Welcome from Monmouth County. I have a Whites Prism V and I have been very happy with it in the sand. I do need to turn down the sensitivity when I get into wet sand. Not sure exactly where you are, but stay away from Sandy Hook, or you will get your detector taken away from you and a stiff fine.
 
Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!! I really appreciate it. I'm a little disappointed about the ACE 250 not being able to work well in wet sand. I'm not so disappointed I rushed to order it today LOL!!
I'm back on kellyco's website looking at other MD's. Also... patbick9... thanks for the Sandy Hook tip, I'm also in Monmouth County Hazlet/Middletown area and I'm thinking good beaches to hunt... Sea Bright, Long Branch, and from Bradley Beach all the way down to Manasquan. Island Beach State Pk after Labor Day for sure with proper permit... Thanks again, Kevin
 
Hi, and welcome! I have an Ace 250 and it is certainly a great starter detector. However, I recently left southern NJ and can say that the 250 is not good for NJ's beaches. To begin with, the 250 is too sensitive for salt water (so it falses) although if you turn down the sensitivity you might be able to detect some. Dry sand is fine. However, NJ beaches are loaded with metallic sand, showing up as black streaks/swaths against the otherwise light greyish sand. When I tried to MD the beaches I was restricted to the dry sand areas without the black. It was very frustrating.
Basically, the Ace 250 is a great detector, but I highly recommend it for dirt detecting.

The ACE 250 cannot work in high mineralized soil such as wet beach sand as it contains Salt. The Minelab Excalibur II is in my opinion the best one for that purpose and is 100% submersible however don't dump your Ace 250. It's a great detector and it works VERY well in fresh water. I used mine in many rivers and streams in North Georgia and recovered countless targets in there. Unfortunately, nothing to brag about.

I always recommend people to keep their ACE. It's a great backup detector in case yours fails, or if you have a friend that your going to take along with you and they don't have a detector, now you can bring them along and they can have some fun. If you decide to sell it, send me a PM. I'm interested for use with teaching Cub Scouts how to MD.
 
Most State Parks you can't detect in without risking losing your Metal Detector to the rangers.


Most State Parks that have beaches you are allowed to detect on the sand dune to the water line without anything special. Each state might be different but that is the general consensus I have gotten upon my research.
 
Really? I asked a couple of people when I was heading down to Cape May Point beach and they said don't even think about it. Same with Sandy Hook and a few others I've asked about in NJ.
 
Did not know that you need a permit for island beach state park.How much does it cost ?

Its free, but I forgot to add that your only allowed to detect from 8-10 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. until labor day. After labor day I think there is no time limit until memorial day, then back to the same time limits as stated above. There is also a rule anything over a $50 value has to be turned in and held for 90 days. Then its yours. :lol: Quite a few rules but its still fun. :grin:
 
Really? I asked a couple of people when I was heading down to Cape May Point beach and they said don't even think about it. Same with Sandy Hook and a few others I've asked about in NJ.

Yeah, I just asked the main office and they said all you need is a permit. Its probably allowed because theres no rumors of pirate treasure being buried there. :lol:
 
Back
Top Bottom