Observation Target ID machines All Brands

[Elton]

Having detected for many years, and using many, many detectors I find the latest detectors add a lot to the experience.

I started before ID was on anything ( YOUNG LOL).........Nothing zip Nada..You dug it all.beep and dig.....

Then intensity meters came out ( Whites my first) Wow.you could tell big or small ( Sometimes), or close to coil.

Then the first Metered machines came on the market.Now this was great..not always accurate, but still nice........Most of the time it was good very good.

Then depth was added.Now that was a big improvement..ID, Depth, and all you had to do was dig the classified target..I liked it.

Next was Meter, Depth, and pinpoint all on one machine........Now that's better.much better.................

Today...Meters, Depth, Ground Balance auto, on the fly GB, two numbers on some ( MInelab) ID, Feo readings, Pinpoint ( Accurate)......and Bell tones ( Garrett)....

Detectors have come a long way...Why would anyone want a plain old Beep and dig detector when for a few dollars more you can have the latest tech available...Instant success, ignore junk, still find the good stuff.Oh yea I forgot about the talking Detector ( Garrett GTI 2500) Wow.....Detecting is a great hobby....Utilize the new options, The latest machines, and really enjoy..Just think of all the tabs you can pass over and leave for the guys who do not like change..or just prefer a beep and dig detector....( that was a joke about the change) LOl......But seriously when buying consider all the pros for all the things available..You will not be sorry...[size=x-large]Detectors have come a long way[/size]

It's like the old stick shift cars, fun for a while, but after long hours of driving. Shifting, and shifting, Automatic sure is nice...


Technology is wonderful isn't it.

 

[homefires]

Detectors have come a long way...Why would anyone want a plain old Beep and dig detector when for a few dollars more you can have the latest tech available...Instant success, ignore junk, still find the good stuff.Oh yea I forgot about the talking Detector ( Garrett GTI 2500) Wow.....Detecting is a great hobby....Utilize the new options, The latest machines, and really enjoy..Just think of all the tabs you can pass over and leave for the guys who do not like change..or just prefer a beep and dig detector....( that was a joke about the change) LOl......But seriously when buying consider all the pros for all the things available..You will not be sorry...Detectors have come a long way



Computers Lie!

 

[Hombre]

Seriously EL

If you leave the tab signals behind for us beep and dig guys, you don't want to see what we dig up. Depending on location, passing up the tab signals is a good idea if you are at a tab infested modern location but if you are hunting at an old location, all bets are off. Some of my better finds have been tab signals: a large mans gold ring, cavalry crossed sabre hatpin, cavalry crossed sabre uniform button, deep indian head pennys etc. I use several metered detectors, I only use the meters as a tool, but not as the final decider on what to dig. HH.........Hombre

 

[BarberBill]

I like the bells and whistles of the newer machines, but coming from the beep and dig machines I still listen to the signal, play with the disc. etc. along with the display before deciding to dig. Fairly often that brings up a desirable target that I would have missed if I'd relied on the display only. Bells and whistles not withstanding the coil has to pass over the target and the target dug before one can really be sure. My two bits.
BB

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Elton,I come from the old school the rider should always be smarter than his horse.With you being from the beep and go generation have probably learned the value of having the user input.The price of gold has re changed a lot of our hunting habits.

 

[Elton]

But for me, and a lot of newbies the changes make things a lot better for all in my opinion..Thats all I am saying..tech has made it better for all

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[JB(MS)]

[size=x-large]Sizing technology rocks!!![/size]

I got my first detector in 1969 and went through the same stages as Elton, including having to try the latest, greatest detectors with all the fancy features. Actually I have one now, but I've always went back to non metered detectors for the simple reason that too many goodies are left when using meters and tones to decide what to dig. The photo below isn't very good but it shows most of the gold and silver jewelry I've found in the last several years, and except for five or six rings that ID as zinc pennies and maybe 10 that ID as nickels on metered detectors the rest of the gold jewelry was in the trash range. Although I use non metered detectors at least 98% of the time, like Elton I can't see why everybody else doesn't buy one of the latest computerized detectors with digital meters and tones so they can only dig goodies and leave all the trash for me.

 

[tab-nabit]

I have detectors with and without a display. And detectors with knobs and others with push button pads. I still prefer to hunt mostly by audio so my detectors with no display get the most use. Although I sometimes get in the other mood and will swing a detector with a display. It's just nice to have a choice.
Lately I been liking the real light weight detectors.
I do remember back when I was swinging a couple BFO units, then around mid 80s I nabbed a new Whites (6000 Di Pro). That meter was like Huge! and fancy looking to me. But I have a place for the knobs with no display.
I like the better quality of headphones and digging tools nowadays.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[echostar61]

I agee the technology today is a pleasant change .I still listen carefully to what my
machine tells me , and do my research on a sight before hunting . I really love
the lighter weight of todays detectors , having to trade quantity for quality hunts as
time allows . The lighter weights allow me to stay swinging longer and with the added pin
pointer I find recovery time much faster. All in All , I would not go back to a beep -n-dig unit .

Terri

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hi, el. as you well know, i'm a beep and dig guy from way back. the bells and whistles thing doesn't mean a lot to me, and there are many valid reasons why. i certainly would not allow any more artificial intelligence than necessary to dictate what i should dig up, and i would certainly not pay a premium for that perceived bonus. what we buy today is obsolete tommorow. i have seen with my own eyes the weaknesses of such machines. i have gone behind them and done well. at the end of the day my friend, it's still more about the man or woman operating the machine and their knowledge of it that trumps luck and technology. after nearly thirty years of swinging various machines, that seems to be the one constant distinction above all others.

i am not so foolish as to argue technology; it is as a wave, and eventually we will all go with it or be consumed by it. change is inevitable. i've seen too many times where the poor fella was scratching his head, trying to figure that new machine out, trying to decide which program to use, missing half of his good targets because the machine said they didn't sound just right to be "it", asking me for advice on their machine i knew nothing of, and didn't want to know of, and all the while becoming more frustrated, while i happily swung and got good targets, sometimes where they'd already been. that's a bad way to miss out on a good hunt on good ground. nobody gets it all, and neither does any one machine.

sure, they have a lot of great target id machines out now - if that's your cup of tea. i prefer the more pure and not over - microprocessed machines of our hobby. i've done too well with them not to. besides, i can hardly justify to myself spending a thousand bucks on a machine - it would take a LONG time for it to pay itself off. i went out on a personal limb spending 560 bucks on my new tesoro tejon. but, it well fits my style and hunting choices. yes, metal detectors have come a long way from the old minesweepers and bfo units. but....let us not over - complicate an uncomplicated thing. thanks for reading, and just my humble opinion, sirs and ma'ams. thanks for the can opener, el. hh!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

n/t

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[Elton]

Two varied opinions neither one wrong in my opinion..I like the Whistles, some like the Beep...There is no wrong

 

[slingshot]

I love both. When I only have an hour or two and want to maximize my time, I use the bells and whistles and only dig trash items that are "peculiar"-if you know what I mean. When relaxed and off work, or I'm after gold-out comes my beep-dig. Also, coin spills with several nickels in them will sometimes read trash(tab) if they are close together in a pile. On in-between days I compromise-set the beep-dig at foil. And speaking of technology-the latest "technology" that has rocked the th'ing world is target masking. Now I don't think it's a rampant disease that's overtaking the world, but it can be caused by ANY combination of targets. And then there's the "Christmas tree" effect: now what's the next gift under the tree? It's exciting to see what I may be missing. Geez, this is a FUN hobby.

 

[Nauti]

Great post Elton which has produced a lot of interesting comments.I've enjoyed reading this topic.