Jakk
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2008
- Messages
- 301
Ok, so since I've had this detector for a week or two, I decided I had enough information to write out a semi good overview of it. Use it or don't, but read it first.
The Pirate Itself
Ok, these are the "Technical Specifications"
* Operating Search Frequency: 2.4kHz quartz crystal controlled.
* Searchcoil: 8 inch Concentric, Co-Planar, RF insulated against static interference
* Headphone Transducers: Piezo Electric
* Audio Frequency: 400 Hz
* Search Mode: Silent search, Slow Motion Discrimination
* Operating Environments: Salt water, Fresh water, Land
* Water Resistant: Accidental drops in water and you can hunt in the rain.
* Length: Adjustable from 43" to 53"
* Weight w/Batteries: 3.5 Pounds
* Batteries: (2) 9-Volt Carbon Zinc (included), Alkaline, or
Rechargeable
* Battery Life: up to 50 hours (when alkaline batteries are used in the detector)
* Warranty: 2 years
* Specifications subject to change without notice
Now for the detector itself. Here you are, the disassembled detector.
To start it off, there are 3 main pieces to the shaft. The longest of which, the arm rest, is approximately 21.5". The Arm rest in this picture is currently disassembled as it can be moved between two spots, 1 at the end and 1 lower down on the shaft. The shaft is completely metal, but the arm rest is plastic as well as the screws which hold it on. The detector can be fully assembled to be between 49.5" and 57" from top of the arm rest to tip of the coil.
Next we can move onto the coil. The coil is 8" in diameter and is connected to the headphones. The cable connecting the 2 is approximately 94". There is no box on the shaft as the headphones house all of the electronics.
The headphones are not sound stopping. You can easily hear people talking or people playing all around you while wearing them. There are 2 knobs on the "right" earphone. This is just whichever earphone is opposite of your detector hand for easy use. The 2 knobs are for "Volume" and "Discrimination". The "Discrimination" knob has "notched" numbers to gently lock it in place to ensure you don't slip out of your desired discrimination level.
Inside the earphones are all of the electronics as well as the batteries. The "Left" cup holds the batteries while the "Right" cup holds the electronics. They close tightly but with no rubber or o-ring type device, so they're not water sealed so keep them from dropping in while hunting the beach.
The Headphones
The "Right" cup
Inside of the "Left" ear. The Batteries
Inside the "Right" cup. The Electronics
My Review
Ok, so now to the part that really matters. It's my own personal thoughts on the Pirate. I have not personally used any detector aside from this one, so it's kind of 1 sided, but I will give as much information as possible.
* First Thoughts *
From the beginning I loved this detector. It was light, looked good, was specified as a "beach" detector and it didn't have a pesky box. I did soon discover that the phones were not waterproof when I put the batteries in because there was actually a small gap between the plastic which would easily allow the water in. I also noticed that the only real metal was the shaft, the arm rest and the connection of the coil are plastic. After the batteries went in, I started assembling the shaft which was a breeze to assemble. You just insert shaft A into hole B and insert shaft C into hole D. Easy as that. After that, was time for the coil to attach. It was a tight squeeze but it made it in. You use a small screw to hold it in so that it doesn't fall off, even though it took an act of god to squish that sucker in. On the shaft of the detector there are 2 Velcro spots for securing the cable onto the shaft so you can leave as little or as much slack as you need. All in all, I was very happy.
* First Use *
On my first trip out, I just went to a small tot lot on a school playground. It was a little disappointing, but that's mainly because the tot lot only had screws and staples. I never use the discrimination so that I don't miss any good stuff. When you take the detector onto pea gravel, you will notice some unwanted noises. It makes small chirps when moving over the uneven pea gravel. I learned quickly which chirps were targets and which weren't, but it's still pretty annoying. The earphones get pretty loud, I usually just have my phones around my neck and have the volume up so I can still hear it beep. I also noticed that you cannot get within 3" or 4" of large bolts/ screws or metal playground equipment or your detector will find these. It likes to beep whether you're under or beside these things, so under low toys or beside metal ones is a no way.
* Field Overview *
It took a little bit of time for me to actually get out to a field, but after I did, I loved it. The first BIG plus I have to give about the field use of this detector is that I did in fact find a Penny at about 1'. I know this because my Ame's Digger is also exactly 1' long and it was completely below the surface of the dirt. I could find everything from staples to pop cans without a problem. Pinpointing is in the hands of the holder. You basically have to wave it side to side then front to back to be able to pinpoint as there is no pinpoint function. I'd say, stay away from fields with shallow irrigation systems as you'll find the pipes and maybe even damage them. I did find re bar and water pipes in my hunting. As there is no visual display, you'll have to learn the sound of each metal or just dig EVERYTHING. I am currently using the "Dig Everything" method.
* Beach Overview *
As this is a "Beach" detector, I had high hopes for it when I made it out to the beach. This is a salt water beach with both sandy areas as well as rocky areas. The detector had no problem finding targets such as money and bottle caps in the wet and dry salty sand. It did have a problem with "black" sand as it would react similar to the pea gravel with the random chirps. Not what I'd expect from a beach detector, but for $300.00 you get what you pay for. The shaft and coil are completely water proof, so you can go in the wake and detect without a problem, I actually had less chirping in the water than out of the water. Like I said before, the earphones ARE NOT water proof, so be careful. 1 drop and it could be "bye Bye" to your machine. As with the fields, watch out for water pipes from local buildings. I found a water pipe around a foot and a half below the dry sand. It was about 3" in diameter.
* FreshWater Overview *
I haven't had a chance to go to a lake or river, yet. I'm planning on hitting the most popular beach after the summer dies down. To my knowledge there are no other detectorists in my town, so it'll be a couple summers worth of pickings just for me.
** Last Thoughts **
I strongly recommend this machine to anyone with a low budget that wants a beach detector. If you're just looking for relics on fields or other land sites, I'd say just go for a nice machine like the Ace 250 or the Silver Umax. They are both machines that were recommended to me that are cheaper than this.
It DOES have its flaws such as highly mineralized areas are a tad bad for the machine, but that's what you get when you can't calibrate your machine depending on the area you're in. It will find small things such as clad at nice deep levels, but you'll have to be willing to dig deep since there is no depth meter or visual meter of any kind. You'll also have to play the guessing game since you won't have anything but sound guiding you.
I love this machine. I will probably buy another machine for strictly land detecting, later, but I will keep this one for the water. Thanks for reading, guys.
* My Discrimination Chart *
Just some things I thought people would be looking for and some trash. If you want to me add something, just tell me and if I have it, I'll add if it discriminates it out or not. Also, the first number that has an "N" on it usually beeps but goes fuzzy so you know it's being discriminated out.
The Pirate Itself
Ok, these are the "Technical Specifications"
* Operating Search Frequency: 2.4kHz quartz crystal controlled.
* Searchcoil: 8 inch Concentric, Co-Planar, RF insulated against static interference
* Headphone Transducers: Piezo Electric
* Audio Frequency: 400 Hz
* Search Mode: Silent search, Slow Motion Discrimination
* Operating Environments: Salt water, Fresh water, Land
* Water Resistant: Accidental drops in water and you can hunt in the rain.
* Length: Adjustable from 43" to 53"
* Weight w/Batteries: 3.5 Pounds
* Batteries: (2) 9-Volt Carbon Zinc (included), Alkaline, or
Rechargeable
* Battery Life: up to 50 hours (when alkaline batteries are used in the detector)
* Warranty: 2 years
* Specifications subject to change without notice
Now for the detector itself. Here you are, the disassembled detector.
To start it off, there are 3 main pieces to the shaft. The longest of which, the arm rest, is approximately 21.5". The Arm rest in this picture is currently disassembled as it can be moved between two spots, 1 at the end and 1 lower down on the shaft. The shaft is completely metal, but the arm rest is plastic as well as the screws which hold it on. The detector can be fully assembled to be between 49.5" and 57" from top of the arm rest to tip of the coil.
Next we can move onto the coil. The coil is 8" in diameter and is connected to the headphones. The cable connecting the 2 is approximately 94". There is no box on the shaft as the headphones house all of the electronics.
The headphones are not sound stopping. You can easily hear people talking or people playing all around you while wearing them. There are 2 knobs on the "right" earphone. This is just whichever earphone is opposite of your detector hand for easy use. The 2 knobs are for "Volume" and "Discrimination". The "Discrimination" knob has "notched" numbers to gently lock it in place to ensure you don't slip out of your desired discrimination level.
Inside the earphones are all of the electronics as well as the batteries. The "Left" cup holds the batteries while the "Right" cup holds the electronics. They close tightly but with no rubber or o-ring type device, so they're not water sealed so keep them from dropping in while hunting the beach.
The Headphones
The "Right" cup
Inside of the "Left" ear. The Batteries
Inside the "Right" cup. The Electronics
My Review
Ok, so now to the part that really matters. It's my own personal thoughts on the Pirate. I have not personally used any detector aside from this one, so it's kind of 1 sided, but I will give as much information as possible.
* First Thoughts *
From the beginning I loved this detector. It was light, looked good, was specified as a "beach" detector and it didn't have a pesky box. I did soon discover that the phones were not waterproof when I put the batteries in because there was actually a small gap between the plastic which would easily allow the water in. I also noticed that the only real metal was the shaft, the arm rest and the connection of the coil are plastic. After the batteries went in, I started assembling the shaft which was a breeze to assemble. You just insert shaft A into hole B and insert shaft C into hole D. Easy as that. After that, was time for the coil to attach. It was a tight squeeze but it made it in. You use a small screw to hold it in so that it doesn't fall off, even though it took an act of god to squish that sucker in. On the shaft of the detector there are 2 Velcro spots for securing the cable onto the shaft so you can leave as little or as much slack as you need. All in all, I was very happy.
* First Use *
On my first trip out, I just went to a small tot lot on a school playground. It was a little disappointing, but that's mainly because the tot lot only had screws and staples. I never use the discrimination so that I don't miss any good stuff. When you take the detector onto pea gravel, you will notice some unwanted noises. It makes small chirps when moving over the uneven pea gravel. I learned quickly which chirps were targets and which weren't, but it's still pretty annoying. The earphones get pretty loud, I usually just have my phones around my neck and have the volume up so I can still hear it beep. I also noticed that you cannot get within 3" or 4" of large bolts/ screws or metal playground equipment or your detector will find these. It likes to beep whether you're under or beside these things, so under low toys or beside metal ones is a no way.
* Field Overview *
It took a little bit of time for me to actually get out to a field, but after I did, I loved it. The first BIG plus I have to give about the field use of this detector is that I did in fact find a Penny at about 1'. I know this because my Ame's Digger is also exactly 1' long and it was completely below the surface of the dirt. I could find everything from staples to pop cans without a problem. Pinpointing is in the hands of the holder. You basically have to wave it side to side then front to back to be able to pinpoint as there is no pinpoint function. I'd say, stay away from fields with shallow irrigation systems as you'll find the pipes and maybe even damage them. I did find re bar and water pipes in my hunting. As there is no visual display, you'll have to learn the sound of each metal or just dig EVERYTHING. I am currently using the "Dig Everything" method.
* Beach Overview *
As this is a "Beach" detector, I had high hopes for it when I made it out to the beach. This is a salt water beach with both sandy areas as well as rocky areas. The detector had no problem finding targets such as money and bottle caps in the wet and dry salty sand. It did have a problem with "black" sand as it would react similar to the pea gravel with the random chirps. Not what I'd expect from a beach detector, but for $300.00 you get what you pay for. The shaft and coil are completely water proof, so you can go in the wake and detect without a problem, I actually had less chirping in the water than out of the water. Like I said before, the earphones ARE NOT water proof, so be careful. 1 drop and it could be "bye Bye" to your machine. As with the fields, watch out for water pipes from local buildings. I found a water pipe around a foot and a half below the dry sand. It was about 3" in diameter.
* FreshWater Overview *
I haven't had a chance to go to a lake or river, yet. I'm planning on hitting the most popular beach after the summer dies down. To my knowledge there are no other detectorists in my town, so it'll be a couple summers worth of pickings just for me.
** Last Thoughts **
I strongly recommend this machine to anyone with a low budget that wants a beach detector. If you're just looking for relics on fields or other land sites, I'd say just go for a nice machine like the Ace 250 or the Silver Umax. They are both machines that were recommended to me that are cheaper than this.
It DOES have its flaws such as highly mineralized areas are a tad bad for the machine, but that's what you get when you can't calibrate your machine depending on the area you're in. It will find small things such as clad at nice deep levels, but you'll have to be willing to dig deep since there is no depth meter or visual meter of any kind. You'll also have to play the guessing game since you won't have anything but sound guiding you.
I love this machine. I will probably buy another machine for strictly land detecting, later, but I will keep this one for the water. Thanks for reading, guys.
* My Discrimination Chart *
Just some things I thought people would be looking for and some trash. If you want to me add something, just tell me and if I have it, I'll add if it discriminates it out or not. Also, the first number that has an "N" on it usually beeps but goes fuzzy so you know it's being discriminated out.
just because YOU don't see another detectorist doesn't mean that they are not out there! Good luck and continued success!
