Beach metal detector

[grubstake]

Beach detecting covers two very different areas:

1. Dry sand is easy - almost any detector will handle it OK, some better than others of course.

2. Wet sand is a whole different ball game, with only a select few detectors coping well.
Minelab multi-frequency machines - Sovereigns and Explorers - would be your best bet, although neither are waterproof if you want to go wading/diving: for that you need a more specialised machine such as the Minelab Excalibur.
Single frequency detectors (eg. Minelab XTerra 705, Garrett AT Pro, Fisher F5, Whites MXT), aren't impossible to use on wet sand, but they're noisy, making them harder to work with.

Good luck, whatever you choose!

 

[jamie]

another machine that is easy to use, somewhat on the cheaper side compared to some detectors and is versatile enough for most situations is the garrett infinium, it is waterproof doesnt have a lot of switches and dials to confuse its user, but it doesnt have a screen for any sort so it is just switch on, ground balance and go for the most part

 

[Paulene]

Thank you all for your replies, it's helped a lot I'm really excited about getting started on my new hobby!
Thanks for taking the time to reply

Paulene

 

[jamie]

your welcome Paulene, if you dont mind me asking and don't answer if you aren't comfortable to but where are you from maybe someone local to you can show you a detector your interested in if they own one

 

[Goldpick]

Another couple of detectors to consider would be the Fisher Gold Bug DP or Teknetics G2 (essentially the same detectors, just different shaft set up). These are very light and easy to swing, much more so than the heavy multi frequency Minelab detectors, and will ground balance to salt to provide surprisingly quiet operation on the wet sand. The ground grab button makes ground balancing an easy process, and you have the option to manually adjust it should the need arise. Setting up discrimination to knock out some of the iron or unwanted junk is also very easily done. The Goldbug DP and G2 come with the same 11" coil, and only require one 9 volt battery for many hours of detecting. Both of these detectors are especially good on small gold jewellery. Hope that helps.

 

[nesral]

What's the depth like on the above Gold Bug DP and G2 when you ground balance to the wet salt water sand near the water edge ?

 

[Redfin]

Have a gander at Barnsy's video on utube, there are quite a few and all informative.

[video=480,360]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OvclYXvjRo[/video]

 

[Goldpick]

What's the depth like on the above Gold Bug DP and G2 when you ground balance to the wet salt water sand near the water edge ?

It's not too bad for a VLF's detecting on the wet sand, but we are not talking about BBS/FBS type depths here. Although I prefer multi-frequency detectors for the beach, a light weight detector was one of the requirements of the original poster, hence the suggestion. I have found the G2 balances to salt better than many other VLF's I've tried in the past, some of which don't have enough ground balance range to cope.

 

[Paulene]

Hey Jamie,
I live near Lismore, NSW. It's between Ballina and Byron Bay.
I have seen a couple on Gumtree but nobody lives nearby with a terra 705 which I feel would be the best one for me.

 

[Paulene]

Thank you Moderator, I think I need to look into the Fisher a Gold bug a bit before I make any decisions, thanks for the feedback ....

 

[nesral]

I like my Racer with the RC29 (11x7") coil at the beach and the smaller RC13 (5 x 4.5") for play grounds or when prospecting in hot ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbOWCLfWuFU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pRW_3ZeVuw

 

[Goldpick]

The Racer looks like a good deal being cheaper than both the goldbug and G2, and of similar weight (G2 1.27kg, Racer 1.4kg). The G2 does struggle in the water with falsing, though not my first choice for such detecting.

 

[Chase]

Hi everyone any advice on sand detectors and what sort of money to shell out

 

[Heatho]

What's your budget? Do you want it for just dry sand or wet sand also, the mineralisation (salt) in wet beach sand will send some detectors crazy and render them un-usable.

 

[Guest]

Howdy Chase. If you mean beach sand, then you probably want a sealed unit. The next decision is VLF or PI. Most of the waterproofs I know of are PI, like the ML Excalibur and Garrett Infinium- these 2 are probably top of the price bracket for beach jobbies. I have the Infinium, and paid $900 second-hand, with a large and small coil. I think the Excal will be the same or more. Then there's the Whites Surf/SurfPro. I have the SurfPro, but mine was a kit and I have not made it waterproof. That will be a bit less second-hand I think. Tesoro Sandshark I am unfamiliar with. Then there's the Anchor Baracuda apparently the cream of the cream, but no longer in production. This PI is unusual as it gives a (slightly) varied tone for iron. There is a Whites PI 1000 underwater on Gumtree at the moment, for $150 I think-apparently they're all right too, but you would need to check all the seals before taking it in the drink.
That's just a few, but all that comes to mind presently. If you want to spend a few grand there's the Minelab SDC2300. Pretty sure that's waterproof.
Most VLFs will have a hard time with salty ground,(non-dedicated beach PI's too) unless you have a "salt" coil, despite most modern coils being waterproof. The only one that comes to mind is the GC3080(which I also have). It is a super-low VLF (2.4kHz from memory), which must help to cut through the salt(??) I paid $110 for mine off Fleabay (new) and was spewing when they were $89 the following week. However I haven't seen one below $250 for quite a while now. It has a rather large (10 inch) coil, and my suggestion would be to re-position the control box back under the armrest(very easy) because your arm will drop off otherwise. This one will see rings and coins, but probably not earring studs or fine gold chains.
Any un-sealed units will ultimately fail through corrosion if you use them at the beach, and even sealed ones should be thoroughly rinsed in fresh water after a trip to the beach.
I hope this helps.

 

[Chase]

Thanks Tim
I will have a look at what's out there that's really helpful info thanks mate

 

[Chase]

Looking to spend around a grand would want wet and dry sand

 

[Goldpick]

Personally I found using a PI detector on the beach too tiring due to the amount of junk they pull from the depths - and I am talking about the smallest pieces of wire that quickly disappear in the wet sand, not mention bobby pins, tent pegs and used sparklers (all PI favourites). Whilst the Infinium is waterproof, you do waste a lot of time digging junk, better off going with one of the Minelab multi-frequency FBS (Explorer, Safari, Etrac) or BBS detectors (sovereign, excalibur), and have some sort of discrimination to maximise your find rate, especially if only detecting out of the water on wet/dry sand.

Unlike most VLF detectors, the BBS/FBS detectors generally have no issues detecting from dry to wet sand or visa versa, or even straight into the water, pretty much just turn on and go. Most VLF's will require constant rebalancing and a drop in sensitivity to ensure good stability, and as a result depth is ultimately compromised.

Considering you have a limited amount of time to detect at the low tide mark( wet sand) before the next high tide, having a detector that can discriminate will allow you to pass up on any ferrous targets that you might have retrieved using a PI detector. So more time digging good targets = more chance of finding something worthwhile.

The Minelab Sovereign is a tried and proven favourite of many avid beach detectorist, they usually sell second hand at or below your budget. The Minelab Excalibur is essentially a waterproofed version of the Sovereign. The Safari would be the cheapest current model multi-frequency detector if looking to purchase from new (around $1275 for the Pro pack)

As for corrosion, use covers on your detectors and religiously wash/clean them off after each hunt, and you should be fine. Can't say I've ever had corrosion issues with any of my detectors to date from regular beach detecting.

Different case if you want to work in shallow water, there is always the distinct possibility that things will get ugly if any of the above mentioned detectors get dropped in the drink, or cop an unexpected wave, hence do so at your own risk..

Another essential item to purchase is a half decent, long handled sand scoop. The only way to go when retrieving deep targets in wet sand.

 

[Guest]

There's an MD3080 on fleabay worldwide in the UK at the moment Chase-$200 all up, brand new. Search "Altai treasure seeker" if u'r interested. They're already optimised for the wet-like I said, just won't see the super-small stuff in the dry, but do discriminate well.

 

[PhaseTech]

The best units for wet sand around the $1000 range in my opinion

Second hand - IF you can find them..
Minelab Sovereign
Minelab Excalibur
Fisher CZ's are supposed to be really good too

New:
Minelab Safari

In VLF's, the Nokta Fors CoRe (currently under $900) in it's COG (salt) mode really is quite capable, not as smooth as BBS or FBS machines, but definitely workable.
It's also the only VLF that I am familiar with that you can use it in the GEN (all-metal) search mode on wet sand, and still have the benefit of full target ID.
But, as mentioned above you will will suffer some depth loss, but it is still very sensitive.

I'm assuming that the Racer 2 (rrp $1060) will be equally as capable, but haven't had the chance to use it down at the beach yet.