2 Equipment problems, No good answers!

[SniffingBloodHound101]

Dear Fellow Hobbyist,

Of late, I have been considering purchasing a new detector.

I currently use a Tesoro Silver UMax, a detector made in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s. The detector I have detects metal great, I can find pull tabs, coins, nails, wire & all other kinds of metal fairly easy. I haven’t tested various valuable types of jewelry, relics, or coins because it’s my belief to get an accurate test the items would need to be buried & the soil naturally settle with extended rain to get a fair representation of real life conditions, something I wouldn’t want to do with valuables.

So what is available based on the information I have? Basically it almost seems I would not benefit from buying a new detector *BECAUSE* in order to train it like a dog I would need some of all the relics, jewelry, coins, gold, & whatever else I want to find to bury & set up the machine. So imagine paying close to $2000 + Tax for a new detector, going detecting & passing up a 10 carat diamond tennis bracelet because it was discriminated out of the search. What about an English broach dating to the 1700’s?? I don’t have one of those either! I can’t bring myself to understand how a computer can be better unless the software that tells the hardware what to do continually becomes smarter.

With each of the newer digital technology detectors I have looked at, they have different modes for the user to select as desired. I understand soil mineralization & the complications that could cause, but other than that reason I cannot convince myself why all those selections (beach, park, ballfield) would be needed. I don’t know a single person who would wish to only find coins & pass up other valuable items. If the reason is setting up the discrimination settings shouldn’t they essentially be the same no matter how much of it there is or where someone would be?

So, in order to be 100% sure I don’t pass up a very valuable piece of jewelry I have read many people’s opinions I should dig every detection. If that is the case and my older detector works fine (The one I gave $3 for at a Yard Sale) why would I need a newer detector and how would a newer detector benefit me & my hobby?

Looking forward to your response but I am not in a big hurry to get an answer. I have put a lot of effort into researching my view on this matter & I would appreciate a thorough response to help in my decision of: Should I buy a newer detector with new technology??

Before chiming in keep in mind the discrimination setting is used to block unwanted alerts, but those alerts could actually be something very valuable!

In addition to that, Problem #2 is really disappointing. I have a pinpointer, it detects metal which is why I bought it. My friend decided he needed one after seeing it work so I decided to give it to him and purchase a newer more expensive model to test. The new pinpointer arrived, I removed a few pieces of metal I use for tests and this pinpointer also fails to recognize a gold ring as metal. So what type pinpointer is needed to detect gold? The ring is a ladies, yes it’s thin but I would have expected 10k to be easily detected by a $125+ pinpointer! What exactly am I missing here!

Thanks in Advance for your time,
Barry

 

[hoser]

I haven’t tested various valuable types of jewelry, relics, or coins because it’s my belief to get an accurate test the items would need to be buried & the soil naturally settle with extended rain to get a fair representation of real life conditions, something I wouldn’t want to do with valuables.

First off welcome to the forum. And yes, you are correct about burying coins and other items, leaving then in the ground for about a year to develop the halo effect, but it isn't entirely necessary. Even buried for a short time will give you a good idea what these items will register at on whatever machine you use. And no two detectors are going to react the same. At least none of mine have when I use my test garden. An air test is not as good as a long-buried target, but it definitely will give you a baseline to go from. That being said, don't discount the Tesoro. They may not look as "pretty" as the newer machines, but they will be a strong competitor.

 

[HungryGhost]

I started metal detecting with a Tesoro Vaquero beep/dig detector, and used it happily for years. I now use an Equinox 900. All I can tell you is they are worlds apart. I dig way less trash and have found more gold in 3 months with the 900 then I did in 2 years with the Vaquero. Sure you can’t be absolutely sure what’s in the ground with any machine until you dig it but there is simply no comparison in performance. You don’t need to train it like a dog, you need to learn what it’s telling you.

 

[jmaclen]

The Tesoro Silver Umax was introduced in 2001. It was one of my favorite Tesoros. Simple and effective for surface to around 6" deep coin sized targets depending on the coil being used and the level and type of ground mineralization. Instead of me training it, I let it train me and learned a lot.

Any newer detector with a numeric display, more than one tone, ground balance and onboard pinpoint function will also be effective and relatively easy to learn. No need to spend $2000. $600 will get you a great detector like a Nokta Legend or Minelab Equinox 600 (on sale for $499) and a little less will get you a very good one like the Minelab Vanquish models or the Nokta Score/Double Score. Those detectors will tell you by tone and target ID number a lot about what it under the coil very accurately once you learn their language.

Maybe you can tell us what brand of handheld pinpointer you recently purchased for $125 that will not detect a small 10K ring.

 

[oldkoot]

Dear Fellow Hobbyist,

Of late, I have been considering purchasing a new detector.

I currently use a Tesoro Silver UMax, a detector made in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s. The detector I have detects metal great, I can find pull tabs, coins, nails, wire & all other kinds of metal fairly easy. I haven’t tested various valuable types of jewelry, relics, or coins because it’s my belief to get an accurate test the items would need to be buried & the soil naturally settle with extended rain to get a fair representation of real life conditions, something I wouldn’t want to do with valuables.

So what is available based on the information I have? Basically it almost seems I would not benefit from buying a new detector *BECAUSE* in order to train it like a dog I would need some of all the relics, jewelry, coins, gold, & whatever else I want to find to bury & set up the machine. So imagine paying close to $2000 + Tax for a new detector, going detecting & passing up a 10 carat diamond tennis bracelet because it was discriminated out of the search. What about an English broach dating to the 1700’s?? I don’t have one of those either! I can’t bring myself to understand how a computer can be better unless the software that tells the hardware what to do continually becomes smarter.

With each of the newer digital technology detectors I have looked at, they have different modes for the user to select as desired. I understand soil mineralization & the complications that could cause, but other than that reason I cannot convince myself why all those selections (beach, park, ballfield) would be needed. I don’t know a single person who would wish to only find coins & pass up other valuable items. If the reason is setting up the discrimination settings shouldn’t they essentially be the same no matter how much of it there is or where someone would be?

So, in order to be 100% sure I don’t pass up a very valuable piece of jewelry I have read many people’s opinions I should dig every detection. If that is the case and my older detector works fine (The one I gave $3 for at a Yard Sale) why would I need a newer detector and how would a newer detector benefit me & my hobby?

Looking forward to your response but I am not in a big hurry to get an answer. I have put a lot of effort into researching my view on this matter & I would appreciate a thorough response to help in my decision of: Should I buy a newer detector with new technology??

Before chiming in keep in mind the discrimination setting is used to block unwanted alerts, but those alerts could actually be something very valuable!

In addition to that, Problem #2 is really disappointing. I have a pinpointer, it detects metal which is why I bought it. My friend decided he needed one after seeing it work so I decided to give it to him and purchase a newer more expensive model to test. The new pinpointer arrived, I removed a few pieces of metal I use for tests and this pinpointer also fails to recognize a gold ring as metal. So what type pinpointer is needed to detect gold? The ring is a ladies, yes it’s thin but I would have expected 10k to be easily detected by a $125+ pinpointer! What exactly am I missing here!

Thanks in Advance for your time,
Barry

I actually switched to two beep and dig detectors from these new Whiz Bang so called hand held computer detectors, most have unstable target IDs and for me personally just confused everything when I was detecting, I have never swung a Tesoro but the two newer beep and dig detectors I switched to are the Deep Tech Vista X and the Golden Mask Pro 4 WD, yes I still have my so called top of the Line Whiz Bang detectors but as of a couple months ago they are just sitting against the wall collecting dust, why because I am actually having fun detecting again with the two new Beep and dig detectors that I recently purchased
personally from my experience these new hand held updateable whiz Bang hand held computer type detectors find no more than a detector that has a single tone or two tone setting, you are correct in your thinking that you really never know what something is until you dig it up and no amount of technology is going to change that fact, at least none that is currently on the market at this moment, those unstable target IDs are a probability number that really for me personally means nothing simply because a pull tab and a gold ring can ring up the same IDs a nickel can ring up the same numbers as a piece of gold jewelry, a bottle cap can ring up just like a quarter or a .50 cent piece, yes they can discriminate iron targets but even that can be deceiving with a detector that has target ID
a beep and dig can discriminate iron targets just as well if not better is what I am finding out with the two beep and digs I purchased ,again the only way to actually know what a detector of any kind is telling you is to dig the targets out of the ground in my mind
the two beep and dig detectors I purchased can actually pull a coin or non ferrous targets out of a bed of nails with the nails laying on top of said non ferrous target, my so Called Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer type detectors can not even come close to doing that.

am I trying to convince you to not purchase a high tech Whiz Bang hand held Computer type detector, (NOPE) only you can decide what is correct for you and what makes this hobby fun for me personally I am enjoying detecting again and in the end that is all that really matters to me.

All I will say is these new so called top of the Line whiz bang hand held computer type detectors are not all they are cooked up to be.

 

[Xxray]

I'm with ya, I think lots of people are.
I use my lowly Ace 400 most of all because it is reliable and accurate. I give up depth, give up bells & whistles, but I can be sure that nothing is left behind, if I don't want it to be.[100% certain is too much to ask for when it comes to metal detecting]

That said, I have a Legend in case I find a promising spot and want more depth, want to use more bells & whistles. I have an AT Pro when I want to go in the water. So consider that, you don't have to have only 1 detector.
Far as pinpointers, I wouldn't leave home without my Garrett Carrot, if its metal, it will alert. [Don't fall for cheap knockoffs or fakes on Amazon, best to buy from a forum sponsor]

 

[HungryGhost]

I actually switched to two beep and dig detectors from these new Whiz Bang so called hand held computer detectors, most have unstable target IDs and for me personally just confused everything when I was detecting, I have never swung a Tesoro but the two newer beep and dig detectors I switched to are the Deep Tech Vista X and the Golden Mask Pro 4 WD, yes I still have my so called top of the Line Whiz Bang detectors but as of a couple months ago they are just sitting against the wall collecting dust, why because I am actually having fun detecting again with the two new Beep and dig detectors that I recently purchased
personally from my experience these new hand held updateable whiz Bang hand held computer type detectors find no more than a detector that has a single tone or two tone setting, you are correct in your thinking that you really never know what something is until you dig it up and no amount of technology is going to change that fact, at least none that is currently on the market at this moment, those unstable target IDs are a probability number that really for me personally means nothing simply because a pull tab and a gold ring can ring up the same IDs a nickel can ring up the same numbers as a piece of gold jewelry, a bottle cap can ring up just like a quarter or a .50 cent piece, yes they can discriminate iron targets but even that can be deceiving with a detector that has target ID
a beep and dig can discriminate iron targets just as well if not better is what I am finding out with the two beep and digs I purchased ,again the only way to actually know what a detector of any kind is telling you is to dig the targets out of the ground in my mind
the two beep and dig detectors I purchased can actually pull a coin or non ferrous targets out of a bed of nails with the nails laying on top of said non ferrous target, my so Called Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer type detectors can not even come close to doing that.

am I trying to convince you to not purchase a high tech Whiz Bang hand held Computer type detector, (NOPE) only you can decide what is correct for you and what makes this hobby fun for me personally I am enjoying detecting again and in the end that is all that really matters to me.

All I will say is these new so called top of the Line whiz bang hand held computer type detectors are not all they are cooked up to be.

Which “Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer type detector” do you have? You never mentioned.

 

[TheFrood]

Compared to my MXT, when I use the Legend I make more of a game of it... I'm digging a nail, I'm digging
a zincoln, I'm digging a blobule or can-slaw...

Whereas with the MXT there was less variation in what could be displayed.

When it comes to digging targets though, I am basically following a beep and dig type procedure

Although sometimes when something does show up as iron I'll let laziness rule and pass it by, especially if
it's later in the day and I'm heading back to the car.

 

[oldkoot]

Which “Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer type detector” do you have? You never mentioned.

Well I have three legends well one Legend now, have tried the equinox 800 and 600 that some friends own also own an XP ORX, have tried the Deus 1, haven't had the opportunity to try a Nox 900 or 700, Manticore or Deus 2 yet, so I have tried quite a few, only own the Legend though as well as a Simplex Plus which I would not consider the Simplex plus real high tech, also own a AT Pro, an a Mine Lab Xterra 705 and then just recently acquired the Vista X and the Golden mask 4 WD, I also own a Garrett Axiom and a Garrett 24K, but the detectors I am referring to as Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer detectors are detectors like the Legend, equinox 800 and 600, Deus 1, deus 2, and Manticore

 

[HungryGhost]

Well I have three legends well one Legend now, have tried the equinox 800 and 600 that some friends own also own an XP ORX, have tried the Deus 1, haven't had the opportunity to try a Nox 900 or 700, Manticore or Deus 2 yet, so I have tried quite a few, only own the Legend though as well as a Simplex Plus which I would not consider the Simplex plus real high tech, also own a AT Pro, an a Mine Lab Xterra 705 and then just recently acquired the Vista X and the Golden mask 4 WD, I also own a Garrett Axiom and a Garrett 24K, but the detectors I am referring to as Whiz Bang high tech hand held computer detectors are detectors like the Legend, equinox 800 and 600, Deus 1, deus 2, and Manticore

For me personally, that’s too many machines to learn. I like to dedicate at least 100 hours of detecting to any given machine to get to know its nuances.

 

[oldkoot]

For me personally, that’s too many machines to learn. I like to dedicate at least 100 hours of detecting to any given machine to get to know its nuances.

I agree with you it takes at least 100 hours to learn a detector's nuances well, I have way over that on most of my detectors I personally own, my Legend i have well over 400 hours probably closer to 5 or 600 hours, my Xterra 705 I have way over that, not near as many on my AT Pro because I just never could jell with the ATP and I have owned it the Longest it and my Xterra 705 I purchased back in late 2008 or early 2009, the ORX i have just started to learn so I may have 30-50 hours on it and my two new Analogs not many yet maybe 20 hours on those two, my test bed has been in the ground for well over two years and I am always going out detecting when you are retired it gives you that freedom to do the things you love to do, or I am always fittling in my test bed with my detectors, learning them

so tell me what your point is, have been at this game since the 90s but never really got serious until 2008 or 2009

They all have their little quirks but for the most part they all do the same thing and that is find metal objects in the ground some of them just do it better than others

 

[Martin_V3i]

I agree with you it takes at least 100 hours to learn a detector's nuances well, I have way over that on most of my detectors I personally own, my Legend i have well over 400 hours probably closer to 5 or 600 hours, my Xterra 705 I have way over that, not near as many on my AT Pro because I just never could jell with the ATP and I have owned it the Longest it and my Xterra 705 I purchased back in late 2008 or early 2009, the ORX i have just started to learn so I may have 30-50 hours on it and my two new Analogs not many yet maybe 20 hours on those two, my test bed has been in the ground for well over two years and I am always going out detecting when you are retired it gives you that freedom to do the things you love to do, or I am always fittling in my test bed with my detectors, learning them

so tell me what your point is, have been at this game since the 90s but never really got serious until 2008 or 2009

They all have their little quirks but for the most part they all do the same thing and that is find metal objects in the ground some of them just do it better than others

Pardon me for asking a question I probably asked already but, "What factors do you calculate when saying you have a hundred hours, or 400 hours?" How do you calculate that without an odometer or a built in clock on a machine that stays accurate, even during battery charges?

I can't specifically state that any specific detector I have owned, has amounted up 100 hours, much less 400. Do you factor in vehicle driving time? I have always wondered how to posts here saying right at 100 and 400 hours.

Do you have an actual formula? Anybody?

 

[Diga]

Countless times I've come across the statement, "It takes at least 100 hours to learn a detector".

Too bad that assertion is very subjective and generally meaningless

 

[SniffingBloodHound101]

Maybe we should just sell the detectors, make a sifter, rent a mini excavator, and dig up the entire yard to about 3 feet. That would be fun huh?

 

[oldkoot]

Pardon me for asking a question I probably asked already but, "What factors do you calculate when saying you have a hundred hours, or 400 hours?" How do you calculate that without an odometer or a built in clock on a machine that stays accurate, even during battery charges?

I can't specifically state that any specific detector I have owned, has amounted up 100 hours, much less 400. Do you factor in vehicle driving time? I have always wondered how to posts here saying right at 100 and 400 hours.

Do you have an actual formula? Anybody?

Well the Legend has a time of usage tracking hour Glass, that gives you the amount of time you have used it, so it is not a guess it is a factual statement on my part, that time tracking meter gives you the amount of usage in years, months days and minutes, that timer starts running the moment you turn a Legend on and it is separate from the 24 hour clock that the Legend also has on it, it is a actual meter so you know how much you have used your Legend, it does not show that on the main screen you have to access it by going into the menus, Nokta added that feature to be able to know how much usage the Legends had, it is a very handy feature when you decide to sell or trade a Legend or decide to purchase a used Legend from someone.
I received my Legend from the very first shipment that came to the U.S

the other detectors I listed I just estimated how much time I have used them, the Xterra I have no clue how much usage time I have on it, when I purchased my Xterra 705 it was used in late 2008 or early 2009 and when I purchased it I was pretty much detecting every day back then and for the past 17 or 18 years as I said i dabbled a little bit in detecting back in the 90s but never got really serious until late 2008 or early 2009

 

[markinmichigan]

Nokta Legend is just perfect for me. I use the clock often when I get a chance to detect.

Mark in Michigan

 

[LovestheShiny!]

My AT Pro is pretty much a turn on and detect machine. Ground balance and then detect. I use the same settings... Pro Zero, Full Sensitivity, and nothing notched or discriminated out. 3 tones, stable and super reliable VDI, no iron falsing. I've had it for going into my 7th year, and for where I live... semi arid climate, not a ton of organic material buildup in the soil, no highly mineralized soil, and the places I hunt... private yards and curb strips, it keeps up with all my friends who use the Nox 600, 800, and Manticore.

 

[TheFrood]

Nokta Legend is just perfect for me. I use the clock often when I get a chance to detect.

Mark in Michigan

Easier than digging out my phone to check the time.

Just a note but even without a timer on your detector it's easy to get an estimate...
How many sessions do you detect per month? How many hours are generally in a session?
How long have you been doing this?

I average about 4 days per month for 6-10 hours actually detecting each session. I've
had this detector since September, been detecting regularly with it since October. So
5 months with 4 6 hour sessions per month = roughly 120 hours on this detector (on
the low end). Doesn't have to be exact. We aren't getting a detecting diploma or anything.
But useful to make some general estimates if you don't have a counter to track usage.

 

[markinmichigan]

I'm surprised that other manufacturers haven't implemented an hourglass, time the machine has been turned on. It's a useful tool to find out how much an hour you're making!!! Glad I'm not into this for the money!!!

Mark in Michigan

 

[oldkoot]

I'm surprised that other manufacturers haven't implemented an hourglass, time the machine has been turned on. It's a useful tool to find out how much an hour you're making!!! Glad I'm not into this for the money!!!

Mark in Michigan

Yeah me also, if any of us Detectorist were in it for the monetary gain I think you would see a bunch of broken detectorist in bankruptcy LOL