Pin Pointer or Headphones ?

[bula]

Not having the opportunity to hunt with others I am at a dis advantage when it comes to seeing other gear in operation. I have a set of whites headphones & use a bounty hunter pin pointer. If only the bounty had more range I would be very happy with it, I probe with a screw driver & if I can't find the target I probe with the pin pointer. It works good because of the pointed end, but will only hit a dime at about 3/4 of an inch.

The headphones work OK but I hear all of the talk about hearing those whispers with the better headphones.

I have been thinking about getting either a set of pro golds, or a new pin pointer, I like the depth of the pistol probe but think I will brake it the way I use them, the Garrett pro pointer is smaller yet I understand gets less distance than the pistol.

I do not dig plugs in lawns so that is why I need a a strong pointer, the question which is more important ? the headphones or the probe. I know it is like which came first the chicken or the egg.

 

[Hombre]

Hey Bula

You can have the best of both worlds with the UniProbe by DetectorPro, no I don't work for them. The UniProbe is a set of headphones with a built in pulse probe that will go deeep. All of the electronics is in the headphones and operates with a 9 vlt. battery, I have had mine for 6 yrs. with no problem. I feel naked without them and have been known to backtrack home to get them.

Randy

 

[Monte]

Top quality headphones that I trust are the SunRay Pro Gold and Killer B 'Wasp' models. Same manufacturer and similar performance and top quality. take your pick. They both feel the same and stay out on your head. No flopping, no loose fit, limits a lot of outside noise.

An in-line pinpointing probe, like the one from SunRay, is well liked, but I have several detectors and don't want one on each unit, plus I don't want the added weight. I've found the Garrett Pro Pointer to be the best hand-held pinpointer ... available right now ... and it is handy, rugged, and works quite well.

My personal opinion is that top-quality headphones should be the #1 accessory (tied with a good smaller-size search coil), and then the 3rd accessory would be a decent pinpointer.

If you have a good smaller coil, good headphones, and a good pinpointing tool, you're just about ready for any adventure, as long as you're using a good quality detector.

Monte

 

[bula]

Hombre I have thought about that one but like I said I have no idea how it works, do u have two sets of phones or does it serve as your primary set, How big around is it, can I use it as a probe?

Monte, The sun ray is to big in diameter, can't use it as a probe but I like what I read about it. Like I said I probe with a screwdriver & then if I cant hit it I use the pinpointer to find it. As for coils I have the 10"dd, 6x10 dd & the 4x6 dd coils Im set, If I could find a used pistol probe I think I could modify it to serve my needs but I don't want to spend $170 & find out it wont work. I think the way I use them the pistol would break at the union where the probe fits into the handle.

 

[usafaviator]

I have SunRay Pro Golds and the Pro Pointer...love em both! Get them both as able and you will not be disappointed,

 

[Monte]

Just a few quick comments about the subject of pinpointing. As I am sure you know, this is one of the most important duties a detectorist should learn to master, and not all metal detectors do it well, and search coil selection can also make it easier or more difficult. If we master the art of target isolation and pinpointing, we can recover most coins and other small targets more quickly and with less ground disturbance (mess).

On occasion, if I am hunting a well manicured lawn such as at a park or school or private yard, I might have to cut a clean plug for target recovery. Years grew to decades and this skill can be accomplished with very little disturbance or obvious appearance, depending upon the ground conditions. Still, I only do this about 10% of the time, as needed. Probably 90% of my target recoveries from grassy sites is accomplished using my rounded-off screwdriver.

Monte, The sun ray is to big in diameter, can't use it as a probe but I like what I read about it.

Inserting the pinpointing device into a tiny slit or hole can sometimes help wit target location, but it you're doing that with the one you have, it is not a very sensitivity pinpointer and you need to almost touch the object. Yes, the SunRay in-like pinpointing probe is a little fatter than most, but proper plugging can be taken care of with little ground disturbance, and a good pinpointer will find a target quicker because they do have more depth than many simpler pinpointers.

The only time I use my pinpointer is if I determine the target is shallow, like within an inch or two, or when I have an open plug and can isolate the target quickly for less disturbance of the soil and sod.

Like I said I probe with a screwdriver & then if I cant hit it I use the pinpointer to find it.

As I stated, I recover at least 90% of my coins from manicured lawns using a screwdriver. Part of the skill is using good search coils to make pinpointing quicker and more accurate. We can not always hit on a coin on the first probe of the screwdriver into the ground and there are three reasons. One is that we just didn't do the best job on our end of pinpointing. Another reason is that we're suing a search coil that is a little more challenging to get a good target isolation with. The third reason is that the located target is of an odd shape, or, if it is a coin, it is not laying in a 'flat' position to the search coil. If it is on edge or canted very much, a coin will easily pinpoint off from the coil's center axis.

If we open up a very small hole to insert a pinpointing device, then odds are if it is a lower-powered pinpointer we might be able to get the tip close to a coin/target that we already opened a hole very close to. I never insert a pinpointer into a small hole. If I can't nail a target with the screwdriver, then a plug is needed. Plugging isn't all that difficult to do, either, with practice.

I have seen many people fail to pass the basic 'test' of pinpointing with a screwdriver-type device. They can wiggle it and pry it and just make an ugly mess, only using a screwdriver. I'm sure than anyone who learns proper pinpointing with a detector and then learns proper and efficient target recovery with a screwdriver knows that it is possible to make an ugly mess with a screwdriver, until the technique is mastered. Once mastered, it is quite simple and clean.

Well, the same is true of plugging properly. Once mastered, a decent and efficient plug can speed recovery and be done so as not to leave a mess.

As for coils I have the 10"dd, 6x10 dd & the 4x6 dd coils Im set,

I have owned all three of these, and more than just one each, and have evaluated them a lot on a White's DFX, M6, MXT and Spectra V3. Like all search coils, they can serve a purpose, and like all hobbyists and detectorists, we can each settle on one or two coils that we like for our style of hunting. There are times that I do like some Double-D search coils. There are more times, however, when, if given a choice, I prefer a good concentric coil to a DD coil, and here's why.

The Double-D designs, while improved and used on very good modern detectors, still do not Discriminate as well as a concentric coil of similar size. A DD coil does not usually detect quite as deeply as a similar-sized concentric design.

Often, due to their overlapping configuration, a DD coil can have more errant audio response if a target is too close to the search coil, and they can also pose a little more problem with accurate pinpointing compared with a similar-size concentric coil. When I use the 4" concentric on a White's Classic model, or a 5" DD on a Teknetics model or a 5" Excelerator on an M6 or MXT, I am able to do a very good job of pinpointing a target.

When the search coil size gets larger, there are more challenges that we face when trying to pinpoint with a DD design. The only time I like to use a larger DD coil is if I am detecting with an FBS series Minelab or a Teknetics T2 or G2, and that is because they are designed with a larger DD coil, plus the do not make a concentric designed coil for these models (except for the G2). By far I have better discrimination, better depth and easier, more accurate pinpointing when I use a concentric coil, especially a round-shaped design.

My #1 favorite search coil for probably 95% of my detecting with an M6 or any MXT is the 5.3 Eclipse. This coil is about 6

 

[Nancy-IL]

You know where I stand on this. SunRay Pro Gold & the SunRay DX-1 Pinpointer. You do what's best for you and HH, Nancy

 

[bula]

Monte that is good info, as for probing I hit the target most of the time but there are those occasions where I am putting the probe through a ring & use the pin pointer to locate it or a coin is on edge & u miss it. As for coils I had a 12" concentric coil & did not like it at all. It was hard to pin point with & did not get the depth I get from a 6x10 dd. The 10" dd is easy to pin point with as are both of the dd coils I use. I have never seen the 5.3 in use as there are no other hunters in my area that use a whites. There are no clubs within 150 miles where I live so I have to buy it to try it.

I agree with your assesment of the pistol probe & that is why I haven't bought one. As for now I am leaning towards the pro gold phones & stick with the bounty hunter pin pointer.