Metal Detector (1 Viewer)

[davejen]

Hi, thinking of starting metal detecting as a hobby, any advice on equipment welcome, not too expensive to start with, anybody got one for sale?
TIA'
Cheers, Dave

 

[jockaneezer]

The Garret Ace range gets good reviews as an entry level device, avoid anything from Maplins or the Sunday supplements.
Detectorist.co.uk. is a good site to visit, lots of advice on offer and maybe something in their classifieds.
Not sure you'll find anything decent around KF, I used to detect around Rigg and only found shotgun caps, the locals are too tight to loose anything

 

[pappajohn]

Wish i had one a couple of weeks ago when our dog f@@ked off with my £400 glasses and lost them in the long grass.

Found two days later chewed beyond repair.

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[Tootles]

£400 glasses and lost them in the long grass

£400 on glasses?? 30 bob at Tesco's.

 

[Alan]

If you get in touch with brimo they joined the forum recently, they run a detector forum and detect in. Spain and Europe.theyknow lots of contacts and will give you information on detectors
Alan
I use a whites dfx which I find good but don't get out as often as I should
Alan

 

[davejen]

Thanks for your replies, went to Maplins today, but not impressed, however they do some decent ones online, but probably a bit expensive to begin with. Seen a few Garrett on ebay, but prices approaching "new" offers.
Cheers, Dave

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[Hollyberry]

If you plan to use a metal detector in Europe check the individual country's law. There was a lot of discussion when I lived in France about the use of metal detectors being illegal.
Can't remember the details but worth checking. We don't wNt to have to organise a Fun whip round to bail you out!

 

[Chockswahay]

My wife quite fancied this. You do need a licence around UK shores (free) which you can get on line. Sorry don't know where from but Google will know!

Edit: Just found it here....Broken Link Removed

 

[magicsurfbus]

I had one for a short while when I was 18 - I found so many jam jar lids and foil-lined fag packets that I thought 'sod this for a lark' and tried archaeology instead. Then I started finding skeletons, flint tools, decorated pottery etc.

That said, I've seen them put to good use on archaeological excavations where they get local detectorist clubs in to scan the spoil heap for stuff the archaeologists have missed, and they come up with all sorts.

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[Jaws]

Hi @davejen
Only just spotted this thread
I have been a detectorist for several years ( when even a crappy detector was a weeks wages ! ). My current weapon in a Minelab Safari.. Had many interesting finds but sad to say never scored any Roman coinage .. Number one son has been at it for about 18 months and has a coin collection that fills up 3 display cabinets !!

I recently bought Woman a Fisher F2 ( pretty much the same as an Ace.. just a badge job )
Cost me £225 .. Woman decided it was not for her though.. So it is up for sale Looking for £175 for it and it really is 'as new' having been used in total for less than an hour

Here is a review written by by one of the better known detectorists in the UK:

Technical Spec:
VLF induction balance
Frequency:
5.9 kHz
Search Coil:
8” round concentric
Weight:
2.6 lb 1.2 kg
Warranty:
1 year
This month I’m looking at three Fisher models I’ve never considered using. Before this field test I’d assumed them as ‘list fillers’ in the centrefold adverts of hobby magazines like The Searcher. So what are these detectors like, and who are they aimed at?
Fisher F2
This is the most affordable of the three machines. The F2 is what I would classify as a beginners ‘first’ detector. It works on a four-tone audio discrimination system, backed up with a target ID displayed in the centre of the screen.
The controls are very simple. An On/Off button powers up the detector, and the plus and minus buttons on the left adjust the sensitivity setting. If you need to adjust the Discrimination, you can do this using the plus and minus buttons on the right hand side of the control panel. These
are used to accept or reject any of the eight-segment range, allowing users to even NOTCH in or out specific targets in the lower Discrimination scale.
The final button in easy reach of your thumb is the Pinpoint. Press and hold this button to enter the all-metal pinpoint. In this mode a depth meter reading is displayed of the likely depth of a milled-coin sized object.
The F2 is very simple to use and the performance has been designed as an easy entrance into the hobby.
Test Bed
On the test bed I played with the settings and settled on just one segment of discrimination, removing the majority of iron targets. Sensitivity was set to maximum to give the best performance. The F2 managed to give clear repeatable responses to milled coin targets to a depth of 6”. It detected a hammered penny at 5”, and a small Roman coin at 4”.
Shallow milled coins gave repeatable high pitch responses, whereas deeper coins gave lower. So I would recommend users dig all repeatable targets. The Pinpoint and Depth meter readings were surprisingly accurate.
Field test
I took the F2 to a good Roman field, which hadn’t yet been ploughed. Because the coil was relatively small, it pushed well through the rotting stubble. I worked an area close to the hedge and soon started to amass the normal rogues gallery of shotty ends and other non-ferrous rubbish. The first decent find nearly blew my ears off, and on digging the target I was rewarded with a Georgian half penny.
The first Roman was found as I reached the corner of the field. The signal was high pitch and very short, indicating it was probably at depth. Digging down around 7” I recovered a rather distressed dupondis, probably dating to the 1st century. I then moved into the centre of the field where the later Roman coins are usually found. Sure enough I started finding a few grots, before finding a beautiful coin of Constans A.D. 337-350.
All in all a successful search and I was impressed at how well this detector handled the difficult mineralisation and iron contamination.
Conclusion
All in all I was very happy with the F2’s performance. I think this is an ideal detector for someone new to the hobby. The overall feel of this detector is a bit bulky, so very young users should try swinging the detector before buying one. I lent this detector to a friend’s nine-year-old son, and he loved it!

 

[dabhand]

John, you need a new anorak mate, glad you can still push through the "rotting stubble" though, nevertheless an altogether interesting post if your after a few "grots" keep it up!

 

[madmick1945]

suggest you look at metaldetecting forum lots of advice on there I have been detecting 20 years with many finds including celtic and roman and hammered . Many people start with the garrett ace which is a good machine . all the best whatever you choose

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[gus-lopez]

Broken Link Removed


http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Spain.html

 

[old-mo]

I bought one of these when we lived in Lincolnshire (Chapel St Leonards) and used to go over the beach after the Holiday makers had gone home.... paid for itself after a year or so...

Didn`t know that you had to have a license from the "crown"..

Must get it out and have a play..

http://www.tesoro.com/product/detectors/vaquero/

.

 

[Jaws]

I have run out of land locally to go on.
Gonna have to joing a club just to get somewhere new to go I think

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[Janine]

I've got an XP Goldmaxx.

First time I went out detecting, with a borrowed machine, I found a gold Celtic quarter stater which paid for my own detector

 

[davejen]

Hi, Jaws, thanks for your interesting reply, I have been looking at the Garret Ace which looks a decent machine, but at the moment it's on the back-burner due to mega expense recently!!
When things are better I will contact you to see if you still have the Fisher, a friend also has a Fisher, not sure which model, 5 I think and he rates it a lot.
Cheers, Dave

 

[Jaws]

Will almost certainly still have it as it will not be advertised at all Dave..

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