dang man, i have a 14 yr old Granddaughter i wish you could meet! man with a plan!
mny first unit to use was a loaned $19.99 Radioshack i found a gold ring with! . the next was a $3 dollar yardsale BFO dinosaur i gave away. discouraged and raising family, it was years before i met a new friend that was a pro and he got me started with an affordable used unit my wife got for Christmas from him. and i was 40 then and have not stopped since! bad health and all.
now i use an AT PRO SIMPLEX Tesoros troy Shadow and a couple junkers for kicks.
you hang in there. some people like Vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. they even make onion icecream..yuk... but its your choice. your taste your budget.
several of the worlds greatest finds were made with the cheapest detectors and people who had no idea how a unit functions. pure luck.
some of the posters should take a different tone on these forums. i appreciate your maturity and effort.
i see great finds and above all good clean fun in your future.