sgoss66
Well-known member
Hi all, new here.
I bought a used Discovery 3000 (Sharp Shooter II) several years back, to try it out and see how I like it. I was basically new to detecting then (used a very, very old White's that was my grandfathers a few times as a kid, finding a few neat things). Anyway, I have always had interest/curiosity with respect to detecting, and am most interested in finding old silver/gold coins and jewelry (no beach use anticipated, just old homesites, fair grounds, parks, etc.
I have not used the Sharp Shooter II too much, but enough to find that I do like it. I usually have used it in all metals mode (afraid to miss out on any gold in any of the notch/discrimination modes), and just dig everything, but have begun to get pretty tired of all the junk I dig. I have recently begun playing a bit with the notch/discrimination modes, to cut down on the junk a bit. Right now, I've started using notch mode, with the discrimination knob as low as it goes (just filtering out iron nails, etc.) In this mode, I have tested it, and will find very small gold rings, medium to large gold rings, and the coin indicator seems to be very accurate, silver, clad, or zinc pennies -- all three are ID'd very well. However, I still pick up aluminum foil, and pull tabs in this mode -- but I don't think there is any way to filter them out without losing other stuff (some gold rings), correct? When I tested the auto notch mode, it did not see nails, or pull tabs. I could still see my wife's very small gold band, but my larger wedding band was filtered out, along with the pull tabs. So I don't want to do that...
Anyway, I have a question. I have thought about a detector upgrade, as mine is becoming a bit flaky (turns itself off when you set it down/turn it over, and then turns back on -- annoying), and the plastic cover over the push buttons for changing the mode and ground trac is cracking pretty bad. If I do buy one, I would like to upgrade to a "better" unit, though I am pretty pleased with the Sharp Shooter.
So, my question is, I have considered these models -- the Land Star, Land Ranger, Time Ranger, and Pioneer 505. To me, it looks like the Land Star is very similar to the Sharp Shooter II that I have, except it has a depth indicator, and looks to have a manual ground balance. Is the rest of the unit built the same, electronics-wise? In other words, will it work to about the same depth, act pretty much the same way with the same items/coins, that I am used to -- with just the added features I mentioned, or is it "better" in terms of ability to discriminate, depth it will find targets, etc.? In other words, would it be like driving a mustang, and getting very used to how it behaves, and then buying another mustang, but with a CD player and moon roof -- same car, same handling, same "feel," just a few more bells and whistles? Or, would it be like getting a Mustang GT -- better performance of the car itself?
Similar question for the Land Ranger and Time Ranger -- are they very similar, in terms of "behavior" with different targets that I've become used to with my Sharp Shooter -- just with more user features, or will they actually do a better job finding/discriminating?
Finally, I know the Pioneer 505 runs at a different frequency, and supposedly goes deeper. Is it a different/better unit overall? Would this be like going from a Mustang to, say, a Corvette (an upgrade in performance), or simply "different," like, say, a Mustang to a Camaro?
I know this is long-winded (I'm a scientist by trade, so it's in my nature!), but I am trying to make a wise decision. I am guessing that the Land Star, Land Ranger, and Time Ranger all would behave very, very similar to my Sharp Shooter, just with more "bells and whistles" but which would probably not help me find things deeper, or with more ability to discriminate between different targets, which is really what I would be interested in. I'd love to find one of those Time Rangers for cheap (around $150) that I have seen a few folks here refer to, but they seem to be sold out from the stores which were mentioned.
If a few folks can chime in and offer me some help in understanding the different detector models, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Steve
I bought a used Discovery 3000 (Sharp Shooter II) several years back, to try it out and see how I like it. I was basically new to detecting then (used a very, very old White's that was my grandfathers a few times as a kid, finding a few neat things). Anyway, I have always had interest/curiosity with respect to detecting, and am most interested in finding old silver/gold coins and jewelry (no beach use anticipated, just old homesites, fair grounds, parks, etc.
I have not used the Sharp Shooter II too much, but enough to find that I do like it. I usually have used it in all metals mode (afraid to miss out on any gold in any of the notch/discrimination modes), and just dig everything, but have begun to get pretty tired of all the junk I dig. I have recently begun playing a bit with the notch/discrimination modes, to cut down on the junk a bit. Right now, I've started using notch mode, with the discrimination knob as low as it goes (just filtering out iron nails, etc.) In this mode, I have tested it, and will find very small gold rings, medium to large gold rings, and the coin indicator seems to be very accurate, silver, clad, or zinc pennies -- all three are ID'd very well. However, I still pick up aluminum foil, and pull tabs in this mode -- but I don't think there is any way to filter them out without losing other stuff (some gold rings), correct? When I tested the auto notch mode, it did not see nails, or pull tabs. I could still see my wife's very small gold band, but my larger wedding band was filtered out, along with the pull tabs. So I don't want to do that...
Anyway, I have a question. I have thought about a detector upgrade, as mine is becoming a bit flaky (turns itself off when you set it down/turn it over, and then turns back on -- annoying), and the plastic cover over the push buttons for changing the mode and ground trac is cracking pretty bad. If I do buy one, I would like to upgrade to a "better" unit, though I am pretty pleased with the Sharp Shooter.
So, my question is, I have considered these models -- the Land Star, Land Ranger, Time Ranger, and Pioneer 505. To me, it looks like the Land Star is very similar to the Sharp Shooter II that I have, except it has a depth indicator, and looks to have a manual ground balance. Is the rest of the unit built the same, electronics-wise? In other words, will it work to about the same depth, act pretty much the same way with the same items/coins, that I am used to -- with just the added features I mentioned, or is it "better" in terms of ability to discriminate, depth it will find targets, etc.? In other words, would it be like driving a mustang, and getting very used to how it behaves, and then buying another mustang, but with a CD player and moon roof -- same car, same handling, same "feel," just a few more bells and whistles? Or, would it be like getting a Mustang GT -- better performance of the car itself?
Similar question for the Land Ranger and Time Ranger -- are they very similar, in terms of "behavior" with different targets that I've become used to with my Sharp Shooter -- just with more user features, or will they actually do a better job finding/discriminating?
Finally, I know the Pioneer 505 runs at a different frequency, and supposedly goes deeper. Is it a different/better unit overall? Would this be like going from a Mustang to, say, a Corvette (an upgrade in performance), or simply "different," like, say, a Mustang to a Camaro?
I know this is long-winded (I'm a scientist by trade, so it's in my nature!), but I am trying to make a wise decision. I am guessing that the Land Star, Land Ranger, and Time Ranger all would behave very, very similar to my Sharp Shooter, just with more "bells and whistles" but which would probably not help me find things deeper, or with more ability to discriminate between different targets, which is really what I would be interested in. I'd love to find one of those Time Rangers for cheap (around $150) that I have seen a few folks here refer to, but they seem to be sold out from the stores which were mentioned.
If a few folks can chime in and offer me some help in understanding the different detector models, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Steve