Are newer machines the key to older coins ?

[jazdo]

Hi all.. I have been detectin since the mid 80s,and have wanted a new detector since the mid 90s,but have always
put it on the backburner due to various reasons. My first machine which I still use some is a INCA,followed by a
Golden Sabre II in 93 I think LOL..

My ? is are the newer machines with Target ID and all the bells and whistles really worth it ? I mean I have
found 1880 coins on top of ground and memorial cents at 6 inches so why all the depth issues?

The deepest old coin I have dug was a Barber Half at almost 7 inches other than that its 4-6 for the most part.
Maybe I am missing alot huh..

Soil condition probably has some to do with machines and depths,but no 2 machines are really the same
anyhow.

I am thinking a Tejon mainly because of reviews and the dual disc. followed by depth capabilities. Plus I
really wouldnt think of changin brands.I dont think Tesoro is topped by anyone.

So lets hear some responses.First hand accounts from people that have newer machines,and input
from THers like me who have used old school machines forever LOL

 

[slingshot]

First, location, location-or RESEARCH. Then the fact that discrimination loses more coins than depth. Then the fact that below 3" the detection beam narrows to the size of a dime. Then, knowing your machine-what's the best sweep speed, sensitivity setting, and does it have preset ground balance, and what's the best coil for the job? I have found that the reason a new machine finds more finds whenever new is because the operator doesn't know the machine well enough and is more careful in searching and then after getting accustomed to the machine, becomes lax and forgets all that got him there. That being said, a new machine MIGHT help because of the slight advances in technology.

 

[jazdo]

Good info slingshot !

 

[Ism]

Jasdo,

In a nutshell....NO. I doubt you will be impressed with the Tesoro TID.
If you strictly follow the TID and not your ears, you will miss many targets that are out of range of the TID but not the audio.
So you will end up using your ears anyhow for the deep coins. It also lacks the depth and sensitivity of the Vaquero.


.

 

[rmptr]

Possibly good points made by slingshot, yet I would need to take exception to a blunt statement that target area is limited to a dime-sized zone at a depth of 3".

Such has not been my personal experience.

Without benefit of extensive laboratory testing, I would believe the effective zone of detection to be closer to a bowl shape.
Furthermore, I experience consistent results at six inches in depth using the Sabre models in my areas soil.
All at what I feel to be an optimal sweep speed. Slower, or faster, has not produced more, or deeper finds.

Occasionally I dig targets to 8" and rarely at 10 inches.
I have never dug a coin sized target deeper than 10".

I would be willing to believe discrimination function and TID may be effectively dimished in more or less a cone pattern, as targets become deeper.

My discrimination is almost always set to avoid bits of foil. I do recover some foil, as I feel if more discrimination was applied smaller gold rings could easily be missed.

In my opinion, if an operator is not retrieving a considerable amount of scrap, they are missing smaller gold targets.

I do have a Pantera, which I consider to be more powerful than the Sabres. Use of it over the same areas produces no additional, or deeper targets.

In addition, I have a Fisher CZ which is sensitive to the point of being tedious.
It is a very powerful machine, second to none I have personally seen.
It identifies more targets, smaller, and deeper than the Tesoro machines I own, yet has never located a target of quality in an area I have searched previously with my Tesoro machines.

In response to the OP, I would think the newest machines are superior to the older offerings.
They are much lighter, and the circuitry is superior.

A lighter machine creates less fatigue, allowing the operator to mechanically present a superior swing over the length of a session.

Improved circuitry offers increased battery life, and improved fine tuning by the controls, in the least.

A post above is absolutely correct in declaring an operator could do best with a shiny new machine !
They will be more attentive, positive minded, and striving for success.

All that, and luck of the draw... !

Best,
rmptr

 

[slingshot]

Hey RMPTR! Glad to see another of your posts. In good soil, I can approximate a bowl shaped cone, but in East Texas have a lot of moderate mineralization-and at depths beyond 3-4" you have to have tight search patterns. I forget this after spending some time in the tot lots and nicer areas-found a couple of pennies at 7" with the Silver in a tot lot-but when I got on the playground, had to overlap-almost missed a couple dimes and that woke me up.

 

[BarberBill]

If you really know the ins and outs of your older machine and use good hunting techniques, I doubt if you'd do much better on average with most of the newer hotshots TId can be helpful on deciding to dig, especially in well manicured lawns, but doesn't really find any more than a good beep and dig machine and can make you tend to pass signals that might have been worthwhile. But hey, it's always fun to learn a new machine so if you run into a deal that suits you, go for it. As to the statement that the detection area below 3" is as small as a dime, I don't think it's that small with standard and larger coils. However, it is smaller as it goes deeper, no argument.
HH
BB

 

[Furious T]

I think mptr's post covers most aspects. One point he made which is always important to me when I'm considering a new machine is the weight factor. Some of the newer machines are super light as compared with the older (and some newer) ones. I find as age creeps up behind me I can enjoy detecting for longer with a lighter machine, and the depths achieved seem to cover the range of depth of enough coins to keep me happy. Sometimes it simply becomes a matter of personal choice. Good luck and HH. Sapper.

 

[jazdo]

I think mptr's post covers most aspects. One point he made which is always important to me when I'm considering a new machine is the weight factor. Some of the newer machines are super light as compared with the older (and some newer) ones. I find as age creeps up behind me I can enjoy detecting for longer with a lighter machine, and the depths achieved seem to cover the range of depth of enough coins to keep me happy. Sometimes it simply becomes a matter of personal choice. Good luck and HH. Sapper.

That's one reason I enjoy using the Golden Sabre II it can be hip mounted so all you are swingin is the pole,and Coil.
And yes its really a matter of choice for the individual.

 

[slingshot]

I'm only sending this to further explain what I meant about coins below 3-4". Today, while I had my detector in notch, I got a short quick "coin" tone and it was about the size of a dime as far as the signal "sounded" It was a quarter at 1"! After retrieving the coin, I went back over the hole and sure enough the iron icon was there. And yes, in good conditions maybe you guys are right-but this happens so often-and when we're on the subject of older coins I still stand for the tight overlap.

 

[Willee - Texas]

Well, the manufactures certainly hope you think so.
Would a reputable company like Tesoro produce a new detector unless they thought it was better than what they currently offered?
In other words ... repackaging the same old electronics with a new paint job to produce new sales.

NO ... I do not believe so.
Every machine Tesoro has ever offered was an improvement in some aspect beyond what they offered before.
Their new detectors do offer more stability, depth, sensitivity, and versatility.

So the answer to you question is that the newer machines do offer more options and improvements but if the old coins are not there they cant find them.
If you find a virgin area to search you will find old coins with any detector.
Once you have picked out the trash and easy coins, the newer machines will help find the deeper ones that you older detector could not detect or nulled out.