Fisher F2, Fisher F2 DD, or Garrett 350 ?

[customcutter]

Thinking of getting into the MDing. I've been trying to do my homework, spent the last 2-3 days reading lots of info here. Thanks for the great site.

I live in central Fl, about 45 minutes from beaches in Tampa, St Pete area. Are any of these suitable for shallow salt water, wet sand, or strictly dry sand use? Also plan on searching the normal areas, but am thinking more jewelry gets lost at the beach. Lots of traffic, lots of area.

Are any suitable for meteorites?

Should I invest in a DD coil on the F2? What advantage does the coil have over the standard coil? Should I buy the F2 with regular coil and buy the DD coil later?

I would probably be MDing with the wife. Is it possible to use 2 detectors 20-30 feet apart without interference if they are different frequencies? I thought about getting the F2 and maybe a Compadre if they would be OK together.

I'm leaning toward the F2 right now. Quicker reset and 5yr warranty. I would like to stay around $300 for one, or up to $450 for both.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Maybe dropping in on Flphil tomorrow.

thanks in advance,
CC

[jwebs]

I'm no expert, and have no actual knowledge of how the F2 works in sand, but I think I remember reading that in dry sand, as in regular dirt, the F2 is pretty good. I bought the F2 8"/4" coil package in mid september, and recently(and without any regret now) purchased the DD coil(wish I had it come with it initially). I seem to get more depth in my heavily mineralized AL soil, and I've gotten much more stable VDI readings on deeper targets. . . I dug an old liquor bottle cap at the same VDI I normally dig them--slightly bouncy zinc signal-- at about 8" down the other day...I wasn't upset that it was trash...I was thoroughly impressed with my new coil.
GL on choosing your machines, and HH to you and the Mrs., whatever you choose to go with!

[Patton]

Love my F2 but you will need to get something with a different frequency to hunt close together. The second F2 I got for my wife prevents us from hunting close beside each other. We have to stay at least 50 ft or more apart when we hunt. Tried to get her something different but she loves her F2 like I do.

[marcus118]

Hope I can help here. The F2 and ACE 350 are single freq. VLF machines so they're not built to handle salt in wet sand or water. But thats not to say you cannot use them on the beach. My advice would be to get something with a DD coil with an auto or manual ground balance feature (preferably both) - the F2 and ACE 350 only have fixed ground balance so I would not recommend these for salt (dry sand they'll work great).

I think it's going to be tough to find something in your price range for the beach. Take a look at the F4 - that may be the closest thing (http://www.hollandsbrook.com/fisher-...ors/fisher-f4/).

Hope this helps! Send me a message or give a call with any other questions.

Thanks!
Marc

[customcutter]

thanks for the replies.

I'm still looking and reading. Hoping to find a good deal on a used machine on Craigslist. Still haven't been able to make it to flphil's or other dealers in the area.

I like the controls on the Ace 350. I also like the quick recovery on the F2. Still trying to do my "research" so I can make a good decision.

thanks,
CC

[ChuvakFromUSA]

f2 dd

[Crumble]

F2 with a dd would be a good low cost coin/jewelry hunting machine... for dry sand. I had the F2 for a few years, and always longed for the DD coil for more coverage per swing.

[jwebs]

Originally Posted by Aka Nameless

F2 with a dd would be a good low cost coin/jewelry hunting machine... for dry sand. I had the F2 for a few years, and always longed for the DD coil for more coverage per swing.

and whooohooo...more coverage it is!

[customcutter]

Thanks guys, I was really leaning toward the F2 DD. However, I ran into a great deal on a used Umax. We're going to try it out next week in LA (lower Alabama) and if we get bitten with the bug, I may be going back to the F2 or possibly something with ground balance for the wet beaches.

thanks,
CC