Roach metal detector,

[Old California]

May have posted this before on this forum or maybe another, Here are two rare Roach detectors made by Jack Roach. Only about 300 were made, It is one of the first audio-visual target readout detectors made. I believe sometime between 1974-75 can't remember but that rings a bell, A remarkable machine for it's time.

Has both audio and visual ID, What I do is setup the meter for a certain position IDing a quarter at 70 and audio threshold with the lowest setting as possible. Then, With this preset can determine the ID of a quarter, copper penny/dime, zinc pennies and nickels. The only draw back is it's very awkward to swing and actually was designed to use in a forward hunting position kind of like a two box only the user hovers the coil barely above the ground.

Another draw back is for each target response either silent or positive one needs to check the target to see if it's ferrous or conductive, Two smaller coils are used to check the signal so it's a bit time consuming checking each signal. However, If one wanted to discriminate this was the only way to discriminate targets. Still, Target ID was dead one after the preset was made so if one wanted to dig quarters only they would have a field day collecting quarters all day.

Pinpointing was probably the best off all detectors made, Once pinpointing a target you'll smack that coin on the first pass each and everytime with your metal probe that's how good it is on pinpointing...Battery voltage was 15 volts, operated off two 7.5 volt batteries but I modified them to operate on a current battery pack.

Below, Are several pics. Because this detector is a non-motion model was able to take pictures of each coin showing the ID, Now this is how I setup the Roach before a hunt someone else may set the preset so a quarter may ID a bit higher or lower and have their own way of IDing coins.

Thanks for looking,
Paul (Ca)

 

[Old California]

More pics from a Treasure magazine.

 

[HaroldILL.]

That is a cool old detector! I love the older units as it reminds me of the 70's the last great decade!

 

[Old California]

Hi Harold,

Yes those were the days and still to this day these old detectors of yesterday bring allot of joy for us old timers :|

Have a safe and Happy New Years!
Paul (Ca)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

hey paul, thanx for posting! Great pix

 

[Old California]

Thanks Tom,

The Roach detector has always been one of my favorites, When I first seen it from the cover of a used treasure magazine about 18-20 years ago and this was before the computer arrived my only way of finding a detector was by word of mouth, flea markets or yard sales. One day someone from a flea market who was a regular seller usually had a used detector for sale time to time he new I was searching for this Roach detector, Luckily he came across a plumber who had one but it was not for sale the plumber wanted to make a trade for a newer model instead.

Got the address from the flea market fellow and went to this plumbers home, Sure enough the plumber had a Roach detector and indeed wanted to upgrade to a more advanced detector in fact wanted a Fisher model. The plumber was like you Tom very aggressive business like fellow self employed very successful only his trade was the plumbing business, Turned out he new Jack Roach the inventor of the Roach detector and had been a silent partner helping Jack Roach with starting capital ($5000.00) helping get the business off the ground. That is how the plumber had one in fact I believe he said he had three altogether but had sold two of them years earlier, Of course the plumber lost his investment but Jack Roach had given the plumber a few Roach detectors this of course would never cover the 5 grand but at least it was something.

We struck a deal I would get him a current used fisher model of the time for the Roach detector, He new the Roach needed a current battery setup and asked me to convert the battery setup to make sure it worked and of course I agreed that was more than fair. When I switched out the current 15 volt battery setup with a current 12-volt setup called the plumber letting him know I had got the detector going and would drop it off at his home and when I found a used fisher model would make the trade then, He said I trust you hang onto the Roach detector and when you find a good used fisher model come by then with the fisher.

A few weeks later can't remember if I called the plumber to give him an update or read it in the local paper but the plumber had died, Do remember going to the home after hearing this and offering $100 to the plumbers wife to complete the deal and my memory is so shot can't remember if she did accept it or I believe she may have said don't worry my husband trusted you go ahead and keep the detector.

That's how I ended up with the first Roach, picked up the second one a year or two back from eBay. These are the only two I have seen ever and only about 300 were made.

Anyway, Good to see you're still on the forums. Happy new Years Tom!

Paul (Ca)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Paul, great story to go with the "provenance" of such a niche machine. You should print that out, and put it .... folded up.... and tape it to, or inside the machine. Then 100 yrs. from now when vintage md'ing collecting takes off, and by that time it gets REALLY hard to find any vintage machines........ then your great great grandkids will know the story behind this particular one

You know, like how coin-collecting wasn't vogue in the 1950s, so you, at that time, could buy a 1909 s VDB for a few dollars. Or a 1916d merc for a few dollars. Heck, in the 1950s, such things would probably have just been spent, eh? Or how about the original Apple computer from 1976. 15 or 20 yrs. ago you couldn't GIVE them away. But now they're highly collectible and in museums So too is it like that for vintage md collections. Few that think to do it, and for those few that do so, you can still, to-this-day, find the '50s, '60s, '70s stuff easily at flea markets, ebay, etc....

 

[Old California]

Thanks Tom I'll do that and save what little information I have for future reference, As time moves along it's easy to forget the simplest pieces of the past.

Thanks again
Paul (Ca)

 

[John(H)]

...Paul...I was amazed that you found a 2nd one!!....but since they were made in California...it just makes sense that would be the place to find one!!....Joe

 

[Old California]

Hi Joe,

Yeah, Got two of them both work too. Had to convert the battery setup, Do remember the Roach took two 7.5 volt batteries in series making it 15 volts total. It'll work off one 9 volt battery or a 12'volt battery pack.

You take care Joe

Paul (Ca)

 

[SilverFinger]

Can you find time to post some videos of it in action?

 

[Old California]

Wish I could make a video on the Roach, It would be nice for others to see first hand how these operate and see first hand maybe one of the first true ID detectors. To be honest don't know how to post a video about the best I can do is post pictures.

One of these Roach models is going to another collector soon, Maybe he can make a video sometime in the future.

Take care,
Paul (Ca)