Newbie - Hello from upper Michigan!

[spaceshark]

Welcome from Auburn, Alabama.

 

[cliff92]

Welcome from marquette michigan! Try the at pro. Easy to use and very versatile. Plus the it's water proof

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[IDXMonster]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[rreahard]

Welcome from Louisiana!

 

[Liminga]

First post. Registered last summer.

I haven't done any detecting, but I have long been interested. I saved my paper route money to buy a metal detector as a kid (I'm 50) and my Mom and Dad did their best to talk me out of it, and they won. I think it was being young children during the depression, raised on small farms with big families that they had the mindset that you shouldn't spend money on 'frivolities'.

But I laugh now because I think of the times that I was told to get out of the house to get some fresh air. Gee, I think that's what I was after when I wanted the metal detector... Plus I had a strong interest in electronics.

Now I again want to learn about detecting. For exercise for one thing. I have a dog (a lab) that I hike every evening over my Dad's land. I'm two miles from Lake Superior. A friend showed me his heavy bucket of float copper he said came from the overgrown farm next door. He said by checking the rock piles with a detector. I have permission to hike and hunt that farm too.

The float copper ignited the bug because I love that stuff. My brother in law found an interesting zippo and a pen knife near my old barn last summer with a $5 garage sale detector (I didn't recognize the brand name, maybe would now). He also found lots of nails and wire - which is good too because I had two flats last summer from nails in the yard.

So I've been reading all winter. Not sure what type of detecting I will do. But I know I will search rockpiles or fields for copper. My Dad owns what was the area dance hall in the 20s and 30s but that has been the family storage building for 60 years. I remember someone asking permission to detect the outside about 15 years ago and my uncle gave permission. Probably lots of people have as it's near the road. But I intend to check it out. And get in that deep crawl space with a detector to see if anything fell through the floorboards. The outside access through the stone foundation has been padlocked as long as I can remember and see no signs that corroded old lock has been disturbed. I may send the dog in first to check for skunks...

I planned to spend $500 or $600 or more, new, and get something I could really grow into. But I priced headphones (windy around here) and a good pinpointer and now I'm thinking a quality used machine under $400, maybe with a second coil so I can learn the difference. It's not bells and whistles I want but I think having as much information as the machine can give and let me adjust will let me learn the most. I love technology so I think that will be a big part of the fun, trying to learn to use my machine well. Thinking used Omega 8000, or an F5, or an At pro, or an x-terra 705, and others. Pricing around what good versions of those run used. But I don't know yet. I probably should just pull the trigger on an entry detector to go get a coil over something, upgrade if needed later. But there's still snow cover... Although that dance hall may be an idea. No snow under there. I'd like to find a club and go on an outing, that will tell me more about what I need than anything.

Long winded, but it's one post in 9 months since I found the forum - so the words per day isn't too bad. Thanks for the high quality information everyone. Good forum.

Time flies. Life gets in the way sometimes. And other hobbies.
I need more exercise, turned 59, getting a lot harder to keep weight off. A lot of, and many more, chores to do. But I find myself putting them off way too often... to loaf. So I figure, if avoiding chores, at least be outside moving!
I'm jumping back in with both feet. Grabbed my X-terra 705 and discovered I had ruined it. Got wet in a bad storage spot. That was the only machine I have used, and I really liked it. Didn't hunt but half dozen times a year until a few years ago, then none. But I found copper nuggets, a lot of silver dimes. It was so easy to use. Separation was frustrating but worth it with the easy target ID. Deep machine in my limited experience around some others. Plenty deep enough anyway.
This time I decided to go again with a Minelab, got a Manticore on the way. Watched lots of videos and was set on the 900 but since I shouldn't spend that much.. I guess I figured it was even better to spend more. Ordered it yesterday. In the meantime, I bought a Patriot. Paid $250 from First Texas . (I didn't know they took offers...someone said on this site.) It arrived today. It's going to be my carry with me everywhere I go machine in the car. Don't want to do that with the more expensive one.

Very happy with the Patriot! I half expected a cheap feeling annoying to deal with machine... But it's nice! Feels solid, works solid. I love it right off the bat. Different... I thought maybe I would not like the sounds. But at least at the start we meld. Buried a few test targets yesterday, detector came today. Was very dismayed when 2 zincolns buried 5-6", a half inch apart, gave a good tone in only two sweep directions 90 degrees to each other and a lower grunt in the opposite sweep directions. Didn't seem deep enough for that. I finally figured out the grunt was about an inch to the northeast of the targets. It was hitting the targets clean, I was even able to get a grunt then clear tone swinging from the trash side once I figured that out.. I at first didn't think of that since my 705 probably wouldn't have separated them so clearly. Doesn't seem like it'll be as good on copper as the Xterra 705 which really had chunks of float copper scream out. But very pleased anyway, really good unit in just the three hours so far.

TLDR; Good forum, thanks all. Been reading for years.

 

[Liminga]

Sorry, thought this post I replied to had been in a newbies-only forum.

 

[yooper69]

How has the detecting been for ya? What detector are you currently using?

 

[Barefoot]

Hello and welcome from Central Illinois!

 

[Liminga]

How has the detecting been for ya? What detector are you currently using?

I only had used an X-terra 705, but this spring it quit. Found a fair no of silver dimes. Some float copper. Nothing big, one fist sized, but never put in many hours in a year. First time out walking the back forty years ago, I found half a dozen small pieces, and almost none since. A mechanic a few farms over hunts the rock piles, but I never figured out how, tons of rusted barbed wire down in the rocks, I never figured out the ground balance I think.

I have a manticore arriving in a few days. Thought I had a deal on a 900 but it fell thru so I bought that one. I want something as good or better than my 705 was on copper and silver. I was thinking used Anfibio and run it at 4 khz, but reading this forum convinced me to go multi-frequency.

Yesterday walked the forty for three hours with the Patriot, found nothing. But first time out with it, don't know it. Didn't run it hot either.

Thanks for asking. I've enjoyed your posts. You put in the work. If you ever want to try your luck on the farm you're welcome.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[yooper69]

I'm just south of ya . Lanse. If ya want to send me a pm i can get ya tuned in on some float.