Newbie in Fl, advice anyone?

[tram]

I've always wanted to treasure hunt, but want to research this before I spend.
I live in SW Florida, so beaches would be my turf - probably just the sand, not in the water.
I've heard that the public beaches will sometimes ask you to leave. Does anyone have information about SW Florida?
Does anyone have ideas about hardware - your reviews would mean more to me than reading the ads. I want something I can use for a few years - not too heavy but can find items. What else do I need to know before beginning.
Thanks for any input!

 

[n5pip]

Hi Tram,
I don't know who told you that you might be asked to leave public beaches but they are mistaken. The only reason I can possibly think of is if that person was leaving their holes open & discarding their trash finds on the surface and was asked to leave because of "littering". In the state of Florida the beaches are open to the public and you can hunt anywhere up to the dune line. Generally, private property starts at about that point. Anywhere down to the water and in the water is fair game.
As for equipment. Just about any detector will do quite well in the dry sand. It is only in the wet sand/water that you will find that the need for a more specialized/higher priced detector becomes apparent. In general, I will discriminate out iron and dig all other signals. Yes you will find a ton of pull tabs but remember that pull tabs are electrically similar to gold signals. And that is what we are all hoping to find, right?
I use an Excalibur or CZ-20 when I go into the water, and a Sovereign GT or Whites DFX anywhere else. I have friends that use Garrett's Ace 250's or similar machines, and they do quite well in the dry sand.
Remember to thoroughly cover the areas that people frequent (the "towel line", for example) and take your time. Don't try to cover the whole beach in one go. No matter what detector that you use, you won't find the good stuff if you don't sweep over it.

HH,
Stirling, N5PIP

 

[tram]

Thanks n5pip!
You're right about the gold - change is good, old coins are better but gold is the real treasure. I read more about "hunting" on this website and I may want to go into water too. Are you satisfied with the Excalibur and CZ-20?
Can you recommend any reference material? Books, mags, websites, etc. This website is a great resource.
Thanks for your help!!