Any metal detector guys here? I need help??????

Hello and thanks for any help ahead of time, pm me if you want!

Anyway here is my deal, I don't know anything about metal detecting! never done it never knew anybody who does,and I want to try it out, here's the thing, like any new hobby I don't want to dump tons of money into it only to find out it is not for me, I have a bad back and don't even know if I could do it very well. I live in nebraska so the soil comp is mostly black dirt with the odd clay spots around nearer the river areas, I also have alot of family in Kansas where there is a ton of limestone, but on family ground there is some very likely areas that I know of one is a schoolhouse that was from the early 1800's and we even have a indian burial ground about near the house though that doesn't seem right to me to detect there. What I really need to know is brands and makes of lower priced easy to use units that you would reccomend for mainly nebraska dirt. I really liked a whites pro 2010 coinmaster I saw recently used for about 170 dollars but honestly don't know what I need for the best and easiest use. any help would be great! thanks all!!!

 

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Buy the best you can afford. If you go cheap, you'll just get frustrated digging nails, pull tabs and bottlecaps. There are a couple of models in both the White's and Garret that run about $250 that a lot of newbies use and some pros have these models as their second machines. Also buy a good digging tool. Regular garden trowels will break right away. You'll need a heavy duty digger available on line or at metal detector shops.

Also, do your research in respect to the areas you want to hunt. Make sure there was something there in the past that would warrant spending a day or weekend hunting. Old parks, homesteads, etc. are good places to find coins, jewelry, old toys, artifacts and in general, good stuff.

It does take some work to dig but after a few outings, you'll get used to it.

 

I just started last December and I picked up a Garret Ace 250 for my first detector. I use a AMES 6-in-1 digger that works great in most types of ground (struggles a bit in hard packed dirt) and it comes with a lifetime warranty for about $15. I like using it but it does take a toll on your hands. If I go digging for more than two hours the insides of my hand start burning. Over time your hands will callus though so it's not a bid deal

 

The Garret 250 is one of those I was speaking of. A good reliable machine.

 

I have the Garret Ace 250 and thoroughly enjoy it. It's a great buy, and will definitely find you some goodies if you're looking in the right places

 

To repeat what has already been said, buy the best MD you can afford. If you go cheap you will regret it. I have used a White's Spectrum XLT since 1999 and I would recommend it. I'm not sure if they still sell that model but, if not, you should be able to find a used one.

I would recommend that you:

Learn how to use your MD before heading out to search an area. Make a point of learning how to use the Discrimination Feature on your MD. It is used to block out certain signals that are normally trash so the signals you receive are in the range of coins (or treasure). But the Discrimination Feature can be a double-edged sword - it can also block out signals that could be coins (or treasure).

Make a practice area in your yard so you can get some hands-on experience. Bury some cull coins - different coins at different depths - so you can fine-tune your detecting skills. You might want to bury some of each of the following coins - Indian Head cent; Steel Cent; modern zinc cent; standard nickel; War Nickel; silver dime, quarter, half, dollar; clad dime, quarter, half, Ike Dollar; SBA; Sac Dollar. If you expect to search areas with obsolete coinage you might consider including a few of them, too. Bury the coins at different depths so you can perfect your detecting skills, especially on the small coins and coins buried deeply. Don't dig up the coins in your practice area. You want to practice your detecting skills here, not your digging skills. Plus, the longer your coins are buried the more they will be like the coins you will encounter in the field. Make a map so you know what is buried where.

In your practice area bury different types of trash you will encounter so you can learn how the different trash appears on your MD. You can acquire all the trash you need simply by swinging your MD in any park - pull tabs, bottle caps, gum wrappers, cigarette pack foil, nails, washers, bolts, screws, buttons, etc.

Get creative with your practice area. Bury a cache of coins and see how your MD detects it. Bury a coin with a pull tab. Bury a coin with a pull tab above it. When you are out in the field you will run across every conceivable situation. You want to be able to sniff out the coin (or treasure) from the garbage.

Practice, practice, practice. Learn how to swing the MD. Learn how to zero in on a target. With practice you will have a fairly good idea of what your find is and how deep it is before you dig it up.

Get a pinpointer. It will help you locate your find in a hole and save you a lot of digging (and patching).

Learn how to cut your holes, dig them and patch them. One method is to pinpoint your find, cut out a round section of turf and place it - intact - on a cloth (or cardboard, etc. to keep dirt off the lawn), dig the hole and place excavated dirt on the cloth. Once you are done with the hole replace the dirt and compact it with your heel. Replace the section of turf and tamp it down. If you do it right the hole will be almost undetectable. Be sure to take any trash you find and dispose of it properly.

Invest in rechargeable batteries and a charger. They will pay for themselves many times over.

Buy (and use) headphones. With headphones you can hear very faint signals that you might otherwise miss. This is especially true when you are detecting beside a noisy street or in a noisy park. Plus, with headphones the kids that your activities will attract won't be able to hear your signals and pick up your find before you can get it.

Do your homework. Scout out locations that might be promising. Existing old schools and parks have probably already been hunted out but an old school, park, swimming hole, fairgrounds, etc. that is no longer existing (and might never have been hunted) could be productive. You can locate promising locations on old maps, from old newpaper articles, etc. Be creative and scout out the places no one else has found.

Make sure you get permission to hunt. Be sure you have an understanding with the owner regarding your finds. Do you get to keep everything? Do you split the finds with the owner? If so, what is the split? You don't want to negotiate this part after you make a significant find.

 

I like the Ace 250's ability to pinpoint targets. IMO it really saves the need of buying a pinpointer. Then again, the only things I ever dig is modern change and jewelry.

Headphones I find troublesome because of the need to take it off to dig a target. If the cord is too short, it'll be uncomfortable to wear. Too long and you might sever it while digging.

 

If you can get the coil down inside your holes that would be fine. But I try to keep my holes as small as possible and my coil won't fit down inside practically any of them. The purpose of the pinpointer (for me anyway) is to locate the find inside the hole once I have started digging it. The pinpointer helps me determine which side of the hole the find is located and saves a lot of unnecessary digging.

 

I also nominate the the Ace 250. I have one, as well as a Bounty Hunter. IMO the Ace 250 is a great starter for its capabilities and also the money.

 

As Hobo states, I also recommend a pinpointer too, for the exact reasons he specifies. I use one as well, with my Ace 250.

 

The Ace 250 is a good starter unit, but if you are looking for older coins I would get something deeper. I would look into the Tesoro detectors, Silver Umax or Cibola. They don't have the bells and whistles but are simple to use and deeper than the Ace. They also have Tesoro's lifetime warranty. I would also recomend buying from a local dealer. Hands on demonstration, and help after the sale.

 

I only have one metal detector; the ace 250. I've never found anything much of interest with it ,but some of my friends and I have had a laugh or two over it. It's a great inexpensive beginner level detector and it works like a charm and it has the feedback to prove it.

I have never realized how many of us owned a Garrett Ace 250 lol almost makes me want to start up a poll.

 

I also nominate the garrett ace as an excellent first machine. I got started using one, and have since moved up to a white's DFX. The white's will certainly do much more than the ACE, but the basics are about the same, and it costs over $1000 less. A hand held pinpointer, and a sturdy digging tool make everything much easier. Start out by shooting for coins in parks and school yards to get used to using your new machine. There are plenty of targets there to dig, and you will get the hang of it in no time. Also don't let anybody tell you that a place is already "hunted out", some of my best finds have come from such places.

 

It is a good idea to set up a "practice area" if you have the resources, but freshly buried coins and other objects take time to form a "matrix" around them in the soil. For example if you bury a zinc penny six inches, your machine will not respond to it the same as a coin that has been in the ground for a LONG TIME. Not that you wont be able to find newly buried objects, but your machine will have a hard time pinpointing them with any degree of accuracy. Also, watching this video changed the amount of "trash" targets i was digging.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJbsmqj1Wy0

 

I bought an El-Cheapo, Famous Trails. 50 bucks plus shipping and really the only complaint I have is it tells me a nickel is junk. I use an earpiece and the batteries last a super long time due to the smaller speaker size. The discriminator is fairly accurate and it is light weight. Accuracy is so easy a caveman can use it. I use mine on average 5 - 10 times a month (except winter) and its all I really need. I don't recommend buying a junk detector, I'm just letting you know my experience with mine. Buy what you can afford...

 

thanks for all the advise ad help guys , looking around and thinking things over, finally got the age and experience to where I no longer jump in blindly anymore,lol.

 

In my opinion you should get a Bounty Hunter Quick Draw II. A good starter unit. Just as good as the Ace 250 (which is a good unit) but about $100 less.

 

I've heard a few other folks mention the Bounty Hunter. I have the 505 in addition to my Ace 250. I'd still recommend the Ace over the Pioneer for someone just getting started.

 

Took my el cheapo to the park for a couple hours today and got 5 quarters, 8 dimes and 39 pennies. I'm gettin pretty close to the 50 dollar mark in dug up change

 

You're out there in WVA. Haven't you been hitting up any of the abandoned coal towns, instead of parks?