A question for the Old Timers

[robert roy]

Many of you have probably been MDing for years. I notice some of the metal detectors out there have no pinpoint mechanism; one has to X the target.
Were all the older detectors like this? When did they start adding a pinpoint button? Does it really add that much more to the cost of a machine to do so?
RR

 

[Uncle Willy]

The old machines not only were minus a pinpoint - they had no discrimination, no ID, no depth meter, no nothing. It was a real crapshoot back then. Here's a pic of one of the old bread boxes we had to use. This was a 1967 model.

Bill

 

[Da Yooper]

I have an old Whites coinmaster 5000 that still gets used every now an then by the kids.I also have an old Jetco Treasure Hawk that nobody will use.Thank God for the GTI 2500 or should I say thank Mr. Garrett

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah I remember those old clubs. We've come a long way since then.

Bill

 

[camel]

I started out with a bfo,it had an on and off switch and a volume control knob.You dug everything,but believe it or not i found a lot of stuff with it.Then one day i saw an ad for a transistor receiver metal detector kit.I ordered it and received a broom stick with a crude coil attached.I had two four ft lead wires coming out of the coil.Well you had to wire it up to a transistor radio.tape the radio to the broom handle and set the dial between stations where there was no signal.Then if you heard static you were over metal.It had a depth of about one inch and would not work if you were within a mile of power lines.I used it two times and threw it in the trash.As a result of me losing that twenty dollars for that thing ,i really check things out before i order any thing through the mail.that thing has probably saved me a lot of money through the years.

 

[robert roy]

So, does it cost all that much more to add a pinpoint function to metal detectors?
I think MOST detectors nowadays have them but I notice some cheapo models don't.
RR

 

[robert roy]

Hummmm. Interesting.
I asked because a couple people have told me it took them forever to get the Xing down to recover the target.
Both indicated three to four weeks of constantly MDing and Xing. That seems a bit long to me so I have to wonder if thats the learning curve for most people
useing a Detector without pinpoint for the first time.
RR

 

[NM5K]

Well, if you consider the difference in price between the ace 150 and the ace 250,
it couldn't cost too awful much. Course, the 250 also has the difference of more
ID notches too. So the price difference is not totally pinpoint mode.
Myself, I wanted the pinpoint mode for sure, so I went with the 250. Glad I did really.
I can't see much point in using a machine without a pinpoint mode these days
being the price difference is not large.
The 150 is a good machine for those that don't require a pinpoint mode,
but when people ask about a good starter unit, I always recommend the
250. I never bring up the 150...
I feel most would prefer paying the extra to get the pinpoint mode once they
tried both. Myself, I feel I would not be near as precise pinpointing without it.
Bigger holes even with my handheld pinpointer.. If I had a 150, I'd be prone to
using the sniper most of the time just to make pinpointing quicker..

 

[Uncle Willy]

On the old BFO's the detector hummed like a motorboat all the time. You knew you were over a target when the sound increased. Trying to pinpoint with that was quite a chore, getting the right increase in sound over the right spot.

Bill.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah I remember those. Course back in the early days anybody who had spare space in their garage was manufacturing detectors of all kinds. At one time there must have been a 100 different outfits peddling detecors. Every once in awhile I post a page or two of many of the old clubs for sale back then, some for as little as $18.95. Many of the things offered as detectors were not much more than a toy.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Back then pinpointing didn't exist on detectors. I wouldn't buy one without it today. Don't know how much more it costs.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

The 150 would be a good beach machine where one wouldn't have to worry about big holes.

Bill