I think that your wife will love the GTP 1350. There are no in-depth complicated programs to put together, but 5 common sense modes such as coins, jewelry, relics, zero and custom. To work the beach, all you have to do is pick a mode and turn up the sensitivity until it becomes unstable, then back up a notch. Done! Now go have fun.....
As far as prospecting goes, the GTP 1350 is not affected like other detectors by all the hot rocks. It will respond to small nuggets using a small coil. However, the best machine to use for prospecting is one specifically designed to respond to gold. No detector does it all. So, basically, all your wife has to do is turn on the machine, set it in a selective mode mode and start digging all the "beeps". It's that simple. Garrett has great service too! I have been using the GTP 1350 for less then a month and have found it to be an excellent machine for finding coins and jewelry. Below is a recent reply to someone who wanted some information on the 1GTP 1350 for relic hunting:
"Coop, I have been using the GTP 1350 extensively for the last three weeks. Here is what it has done for me. Using the stock 7 x 10 inch coil, I pulled out the bottom screwcap of a battery at a measured 9 inches. Silver dimes were easily and accurately ID'd as such and found at 6-7 inches. Tiny bits of junk, a cut-in-half 22 shell at over 5 inches. It has found a gold and a silver ring. Over 300 coins have come out with a bunch of silvers included.
Now, how is it for relic hunting? Well, it gets average depth with the stock coil....add some inches if you go to a larger coil. It is very sensitive like the 250, but gets better depth. The profiling option, although a time saver for leaving junk in the ground for us coin hunters, isn't an asset for relic hunters, as relic hunters tend to dig everything! IT also handles areas with rocks with ease. One of my non-Garrett machines can't work in these areas because the hot rocks constantly set it off. Not so with the GTP 1350. It's very smooth. It is also quite stable with a high sensitivity. The coil doesn't false like some other machines.
My suggestion, if at all possible, is to get the 2500, as you can manually ground balance it and tweak it up for selective areas. If that is not an option, go with the GTP 1350, as it should easily hold its own against other makes and models. The optional 10 x 14 DD coils will really punch through some mineralized soil, and give you more added depth.
I think that the GTP 1350 kind of got forgotten with the release of the Yeller Feller (250). The GTP 1350 is a very sensitive machine with a different kind of target sizing the works. The machine lasts forever on a set of batteries. It gets great depth with the stock 7 x 10 inch coil, and I hope to get a larger one later on this year. It is a better machine for relic hunting then the 250, as it is deeper, more sensitive to silver and more accurate with the graphic readouts. Good luck with whatever machine you are going to use. Phone/email Mary at Garrett for more specific questions. She is truly a great resource for information."
