I have heard a little about the 1500 over on some of the beach hunting forums. The concensus seems to be that it works in wet salt sand, but is mediocre, somewhere between okay and not well. I don't own one yet, and rarely visit the marine beach, so the body of this post will be more about information, and hopefully enlightenment, than my own subjective experience. Read part two of this for some hints on using it in the wet sand and salt water.
Part One
In general, SALT ELIMINATION modes make me suspicious. You cannot eliminate the salt in sea water, and to suggest you can should set off some sort of alarm in your mind. Many makers have tried to make salt water mono-freq VLF machines, and always with limited success. In the end they, they try to "shift" or offset the DISC band, accepting salt as a part of the matrix. Even then, you must have a way to balance the new offset either in software or manually. Which is why you dont want to wander from dry to wet salt unless you can effectively shift the offset between the two. Thats the net effect, as I understand it.
But it always seems to be merely a compromise and ends up sort of gimmicky. The fact remains that the reflective salt tends to blind VLF detectors with their emitted field/phase-shift operating mode. Only PI's, which have a transmit/receive operation are able overcome this problem and ignore the salt, but they do it at a price. They have little ability to DISC out iron targets and they detect to China. They love bobby pins at 12" as well as gold rings at 4" and can wear you out with digging.
But there is hope. There is a non-PI unit that seems to have it all, both depth of detection and iron DISC. That is the multi frequency unit. Minelab, Fisher and Garrett make multi-freq's that work in the wet salt sand as well as out of it. They go deep enough to make a difference in the shifting sand at the shore, and they are all pretty sensitive... meanwhile discriminating the curse of the seashore detectorist - IRON.
They are all a tad heavy and awkward in my esteem, too, since they must be constructed to meet the demanding marine environment head-on. They are really at their best in the water, as opposed to out of it. Yet, they are really the only game in town down at the waterline.
For most people, it is hard on the pocketbook to have dedicated detectors for each hunt environment they may encounter. Unless you go to the beach often, the dedicated salt water machines are money spent on equipment you merely STORE, and not use much. The multi-freq's begin to fill the bill, but cost over a thousand dollars a copy, so the costs end up the same. That's inescapable. And to date, no one has been able to put any of these multi units in a truly compact package.
To ensure you have the best chance of success, you need the right equipment. That's easy to do for dirt digging and there are some amazingly compact and feature laden models to choose from. But in the water and especially at the salt shore, it becomes a challenge. In the extreme, we want an instrument that does it all, under the most extreme conditions possible...while costing next to nothing. That's a tall order, a Catch-22 situation. And like all such cases, something has to give when you do that.
Part Two
So, what do I do? I have several detectors! I visit the seashore infrequently at best, so it makes little sense to have a dedicated salt water machine. I have Garretts and Tesoros for the dirt and a Tesoro Tiger Shark for fresh water hunting. I also know that I have NO detector that is truly worthy down at the salt shore.
When I go to the salt beach, I leave all but my Tesoro Tiger Shark behind. This is NOT because I have faith in it's "Salt Water" mode down at the water line. It has been proven by me and others to be flawed and easily oversome by the salt, in fact.
No, I take it only becuase it is water PROOF. The seashore is a treacherous place for the unwary. The waves and sand, wind and sun all conspire to against the unwary nimrod unaccustomed to the seashore environment. There you are, focused on a target or some bikini babe jiggling by, when a rogue wave comes in or the sand sinks underfoot. BAMM! ...you're caught off guard. Having your precious 1500 doused in salt water is not going to be fun.
It may be, though, that you have only that 1500 to take along. What to do?
First, seal it from the splashing water and blowing sand with plastic wrap and bags. But remember, that's a compromise at best, with a unit that isnt designed for the salt water.
Second, research before you go and learn the best places to hunt away from the actual wave line - there are a surprising number of them.
Third, learn to watch the beachgoers and ask around for the places the largest number of people congregate:
Volleyball tourneys, barfront verandas and stairwells, funnel points leading to and from the beach and just where the "Towel Line" has been in the last week or so.
Fourth, take care of yourself. Wear a BIG hat, loose cotton clothes that cover your tender skin, lots of SPF35 sunscreen and good wraparound, UV protecting, polarized sunglasses. Roland Martin fishing glasses from WalMart are nice.
Drink plenty of water and snack on high enery foods. Take your vitamins, nap in the heat of mid-day and eat well at night. The seashore will get you if you are otherwise pre-occupied. So watch out!
And should you venture down to the waterline to hunt, NEVER, I repeat NEVER, raise the wet coil above the level of the control housing. The salt water will run down the connecting shafts and go where you least want it - right into the connector and housing.
Truth is, I know little about wet salt beach hunting, which is a unique hunt regime and requires a specialitsts knowledge. So, I stick to what I know and what Im equipped for. As always, your mileage may vary
