Anyone still using a PI on the beach?

[cristiano.sar]

I like to build my own metal detectors and have built a Goldscan 5 (from Eric Foster, similar to a Whites TDI) but never hunted with it on the beach yet.
In the meantime, I bought a Minelab X-Terra Elite and I am happy with it, but still learning a lot about target IDs, etc, and sometimes I am afraid of losing good targets because of that.
Is there anyone here that still uses a PI on the beach and consideres it better than the moder VLFs like Manticore, etc?
Thanks.

 

[metaladdict]

I think surfmaster has one?

 

[Cfmct]

I like to build my own metal detectors and have built a Goldscan 5 (from Eric Foster, similar to a Whites TDI) but never hunted with it on the beach yet.
In the meantime, I bought a Minelab X-Terra Elite and I am happy with it, but still learning a lot about target IDs, etc, and sometimes I am afraid of losing good targets because of that.
Is there anyone here that still uses a PI on the beach and consideres it better than the moder VLFs like Manticore, etc?
Thanks.

OBN does, I haven't in years.

 

[OBN]

I like to build my own metal detectors and have built a Goldscan 5 (from Eric Foster, similar to a Whites TDI) but never hunted with it on the beach yet.
In the meantime, I bought a Minelab X-Terra Elite and I am happy with it, but still learning a lot about target IDs, etc, and sometimes I am afraid of losing good targets because of that.
Is there anyone here that still uses a PI on the beach and consideres it better than the moder VLFs like Manticore, etc?
Thanks.

Love the Eric Foster PI machines.
I use a AQ PI at several places "in the saltwater" where Nothing else can find anything and I know there is deep gold and silver.

If your going to hunt the dry to the wet sand on fresh drop beaches I would say the Manticore, a lot more versatile and fits the bill the best. From my testing once the manticore coil is submerged in saltwater the sensitivity has to be turned down there for loosing a lot of it's depth, where as the PI is unaffected by the saltwater giving it a major advantage..

What machine you use at the beach comes from the knowledge of knowing the beaches you hunt. I have places I would not even dare use my AQ PI. There I use the old Dinosaur ..the Excalibur.

If you don't know your beaches get Manticore.

 

[itsaring!]

Other than me, I have only seen 3 pi users in my area in over 15 years. One was an expensive blue minelab he said he was never taking to the beach again. Can't water hunt with it anyways. Another my old hunting partner had a tesoro sand shark. After he ran it against my ctx with a 17 coil he sold it and bought a ctx. Of course then he flooded his ctx twice and went back to a Excalibur 800. Not many opportunities to use one in my area. But one of my best hunts ever was with a whites dual field when I hit some old gold. Gold class ring and wedding band were both 1950's.

 

[goodmore]

In my opinion PI machines in the wet are an off season tool. During fresh drop season discriminating out the trash and covering ground are a better option.

 

[Cfmct]

Other than me, I have only seen 3 pi users in my area in over 15 years. One was an expensive blue minelab he said he was never taking to the beach again. Can't water hunt with it anyways. Another my old hunting partner had a tesoro sand shark. After he ran it against my ctx with a 17 coil he sold it and bought a ctx. Of course then he flooded his ctx twice and went back to a Excalibur 800. Not many opportunities to use one in my area. But one of my best hunts ever was with a whites dual field when I hit some old gold. Gold class ring and wedding band were both 1950's.

You hunt in never ending sand, its not like that up here, depending on beach if its a sand beach under the sand is gravel and under the gravel is clay, on a muddy beach under the mud is gravel and mud mix and under that can be a sticky clay or peat bog to reach the clay a PI is a good option. Been working on getting another PI, a friend of mine passed who I used to take hunting and he only used his PI twice, been talking to his daughter about buying it.

I don't care what the white coats opinions are, I'll take a pulse over anything he swings and out hunt him.

 

[Pete e]

You hunt in never ending sand, its not like that up here, depending on beach if its a sand beach under the sand is gravel and under the gravel is clay, on a muddy beach under the mud is gravel and mud mix and under that can be a sticky clay or peat bog to reach the clay a PI is a good option. Been working on getting another PI, a friend of mine passed who I used to take hunting and he only used his PI twice, been talking to his daughter about buying it.

I don't care what the white coats opinions are, I'll take a pulse over anything he swings and out hunt him.

Never used a PI...What's the score with regards iron? Do you have to dig everything or are there ways to avoid iron?

 

[KOB]

Never used a PI...What's the score with regards iron? Do you have to dig everything or are there ways to avoid iron?

I HATE PI MACHINES ! Look again at my O'MEGA post. Notice all that horrible trash. It sucks. All found with a PI. Never again.

 

[FelixtheCat]

I for one would love to get my hands on another good PI. I am a "dig it all" type of hunter most of the time. I had a Tesoro Sand Shark and I really loved it, and its not in the ballpark from what I've been told, to the better PI's. All I know is my Excal was better than it in air tests and that's when I made the decision to part ways with it.

 

[itsaring!]

You hunt in never ending sand, its not like that up here, depending on beach if its a sand beach under the sand is gravel and under the gravel is clay, on a muddy beach under the mud is gravel and mud mix and under that can be a sticky clay or peat bog to reach the clay a PI is a good option. Been working on getting another PI, a friend of mine passed who I used to take hunting and he only used his PI twice, been talking to his daughter about buying it.

I don't care what the white coats opinions are, I'll take a pulse over anything he swings and out hunt him.

Gold talks! Let me know. Straight shaft mod . Sliders got the zip strap mod. This one is used 3 times. Rubber bands just hold the thing together for storage so the gasket doesn't get ruined. Got a spare gasket. And unlike white coat I run the coil wire up the shaft instead of it flapping around by the coil. Lol

 

[Cfmct]

Never used a PI...What's the score with regards iron? Do you have to dig everything or are there ways to avoid iron?

I only use a pulse on beaches I know hold very little iron, if a beach has a lot of iron I use the Excal or Nox.

I know of a so called expert that used a pulse on a beach I hunt and all he ever pulled was iron, I went there with my excal and hunted his spot and pulled the gold while he wasted hours chasing iron.

 

[Steve]

Never used a PI...What's the score with regards iron? Do you have to dig everything or are there ways to avoid iron?

pi is a different way of thinking when hunting. You are looking for the right size, shape, depth. You can often avoid aluminum, large targets and sometimes iron. but that takes years of experience. In the right hands it is more effective than any mf out there... although depth is now coming into question.

 

[Pete e]

I HATE PI MACHINES ! Look again at my O'MEGA post. Notice all that horrible trash. It sucks. All found with a PI. Never again.

Not doubting PI performance, just asking what the score is with iron...As I said, I have never used one...

 

[Crumble]

Mostly my Deus 2 nowadays, but for certain beaches with really hot sand I'll pull out a PI.

VLF machines are really good nowadays, only time PI has an advantage is on really hot, really black sand where a VLF barely works.

 

[KOB]

Not doubting PI performance, just asking what the score is with iron...As I said, I have never used one...

What exactly do you mean by "score" ?

 

[Pete e]

What exactly do you mean by "score" ?

Same as "deal"....as in: "What's the deal?" .....I forget we speak a different version of the same English!

 

[Pete e]

I only use a pulse on beaches I know hold very little iron, if a beach has a lot of iron I use the Excal or Nox.

I know of a so called expert that used a pulse on a beach I hunt and all he ever pulled was iron, I went there with my excal and hunted his spot and pulled the gold while he wasted hours chasing iron.

Yeah, that's what I wondered, but I am guessing the guys with a lot of PI experience must have ways to tell potential good targets from the tones or do they really have to dig everything?

 

[Cfmct]

pi is a different way of thinking when hunting. You are looking for the right size, shape, depth. You can often avoid aluminum, large targets and sometimes iron. but that takes years of experience. In the right hands it is more effective than any mf out there... although depth is now coming into question.

What is coming up into question? A tester who has never found gold in the wild uses a detector that needs something maybe a do over, then calls a guy a liar that his tests were BS with the depth of the same detector but didn't have the bugs his unit has, his tests were worthless I told his honey bunny that he was buying a lemon...live and learn I guess. That guys testing shows my DF deeper that his $2000 lemon? okie dokie...

 

[Steve]

What is coming up into question? A tester who has never found gold in the wild uses a detector that needs something maybe a do over, then calls a guy a liar that his tests were BS with the depth of the same detector but didn't have the bugs his unit has, his tests were worthless I told his honey bunny that he was buying a lemon...live and learn I guess. That guys testing shows my DF deeper that his $2000 lemon? okie dokie...

there was a link for a guy testing it in France. The TDI gave a blaring signal with stock voltage.