Safari a good fit?

[High Dezert]

Hello All, I am relatively new to the hobby and need some advice.. I plan on hunting parks and yards and maybe some churches ..also a homestead or 2 ..we are moving to Oregon in 2018 so there will be beaches in my future as well. I would like to find coins and jewelry and whatever else so I plan on digging most signals as I know I will have to looking for jewelry and rings and such. Is the safari and a good all round machine for all of that ... I really like the Etrac too but it's a lot more money.. If I don't care about some of the extra discrimination options and plan on digging most signals will the Safari be a good enough machine and will get similar depth as the Etrac? I dig what I read on the technology and am sold on Minelab, just curious if it will be good for my needs. Also, will it be a good machine to learn on and do you thInk it will really pull things out of heavily hunted areas like what I read? Sorry for so many questions, just confused by so many options ...Any info would help, Thanks

 

[Champ Ferguson]

"Is the safari and a good all round machine..." Yes, unquestionably.

"If I don't care about some of the extra discrimination options and plan on digging most signals..." Well, let me go out on a limb and say that you will stop digging 'most' signals REAL fast. Theres simply too much trash in the ground in most places. Discrimination is important for most types of common metal detecting. I'd wager that if you stay with the hobby, you will crave more information from your machine.

"will the Safari be a good enough machine and will get similar depth as the Etrac?" Yes, probably. Theres a LOT of factors affecting depth, not the least of which is the user. As you get better with any machine, your depth and depth id will improve. At the least, given a same level of user skill, they are very close.

"do you thInk it will really pull things out of heavily hunted areas like what I read?" Yes, but you will have to do your part as the operator. No site is ever hunted completely clean. Many (most?) of the sites that I hunt, I sometimes just wonder how my finds could have been missed by all the hunters that I KNOW preceded me.


Your thought process sounds a lot like what I was thinking when I re-entered the hobby after a couple of decades out of it. I was sold on FBS too but didn't want to commit so much money until I knew more. That's why I got the Safari. If you have been reading the older posts, you will know that it is going to take you some tens of hours with the machine to get a handle on using it well. Most folks say 40-60 hours. I scoffed at that, but it held true for me; sometime about 50 hours in something went clik in my brain and my finds went drastically up and my trash went drastically down. The only insight I can offer to speed that process along is to Trust Your Machine.


Now, what are the downsides of a Safari, a question you should have asked;

- the aforementioned learning curve
- cost
- can drive you crazy with all the symphony of tones it plays. but in all that racket lies Information, and that's what makes finds.
- it isn't waterproof. Do Not use in any depth of water at the beach. I used mine in ankle deep swash zone, dropped it and barely caught it before it went splash. scared the crap out of me and I never went beyond damp sand after that with it. carry a plastic grocery bag with you to the parks/etc in case of a surprise rain shower and you should be ok at that.

Secure a copy of Andy Sabisch's book on the Safari, read it then go back and Study it. It will help a lot.

You didn't ask, but its my opinion that if you want FBS, its either Safari or CTX. No reason except price to get the middle of the tech. If you KNOW you are going to stay with the hobby for years, I'd advise skipping the Safari and going straight to the CTX. (many reasons, but the Target Trace feature [which the eTrac doesn't have] is worth the price). Nothing wrong with an eTrac; just my opinion.
Remember that you will need a good pinpointer too; my fav is the Garrett Carrot fwiw.

Welcome to the Hobby! Ask away on anything you aren't sure of. And after you get 5 posts or something like that, you can PM private messages to individuals as well.

 

[High Dezert]

Wow, thanks you for the info!! Do you think the CTX has a similar learning curve as the safari? Is it too much for a first machine?

 

[Champ Ferguson]

There's going to be a learning curve with any machine, of course. Its just that FBS gives you SO much info in those sounds to learn. Some folks are intimidated and/or frustrated with that. I got my week old CTX from a hunt buddy who is very good with his ATP but wanted more depth. I kept telling him it was going to take time to get used to the CTX, but he just didn't think the machine was for him after he had it for a few hunts.

I'm no expert, and hopefully others will weigh in on this, but I think theres going to be a significant learning curve regardless of what a new detectorist gets. Let me ask a few questions (PM if you want) to help in my answer:

-You call yourself 'relatively new to the hobby'- may I ask what machines if any that you have used and how much? Not trying to run you down, everyone has to start with Zero experience. also, if you haven't beach hunted, you may find that is The Best kind of detecting (well, in my opinion. others strangely disagree!). if that's the case, its CTX over Safari for sure (all other factors allowing).
- what area of the country are you now located? (asking this to see if theres any good dealer near you)?
- how much does money enter into your purchase decision?
- how much time do you see yourself spending metal detecting on a, say, monthly basis?
- are you the kind of person who changes hobbies/interests often or do you tend to stick with one to the exclusion of others?

But short answer in this day of the Internet is No, its not too much of a machine to start with if you are relatively intelligent, willing to learn, and put the time in.

 

[High Dezert]

I have a G2 now and have used it some...I got an amazing deal on one that I couldn't pass up on..it's ok I guess, its really chatty and its hard to ground balance in a lot of places, I'm in Albuquerque and I can hunt with it for for a few digs (in a given day) and then I will set it down and it will just lose it and won't shut up after that or re-ground balance ....I just really am attracted to a lot of the options that come on a nicer machine (that help with stability) and I won't be gold prospecting so eventually I will sell this one and upgrade to a better machine, I plan on this being a life long hobby and am very excited to beach hunt after we move to Oregon... I see using it 2 or 3 days a week for a few hours a week plus some weekend trips to homesteads...I just want a stable high end machine that I can use (comfortably) and practice on... Price isn't too much of an issue I just need to get rid of my G2 first then I can trade up and it sounds like a used CTX is what I should probably get...the wife is understanding of the need th get different but thinks one at a time would be better...will I have to pay more than 2k for a used one?

 

[Champ Ferguson]

Sounds to my like the CTX would better serve you than an eTrac or Safari. While I love my Safari, if I knew then what I know now, my first detector upon re-entry into the hobby would have been a CTX.

I haven't checked the market in a while, but it used to be you could buy a new one tricked out for 2000-2100, and a lightly used one with a bit of warranty remaining for around 1700. Less warranty from there = slightly lower price. Realize that there is an upgrade on the battery seal and arm cuff when considering a used one. Of course, be VERY sure of the seller; there are Chinese counterfeits. I'd check the serial # with Minelab before purchasing used and walk away from any deal if a private seller balked at that.

 

[High Dezert]

You're a fountain of knowledge brother and I appreciate your time and responses! I am saving up now and looks like the CTX will work now and in the future... I haven't been on this forum long enough to list my detector but if you know anybody who wants a teknetics G2 mint condition I will let it go for cheap compared to the brand new price, haven't had it very long either. Thanks again

 

[Champ Ferguson]

I've been likened to a fountain often before, but never in a complimentary way. Thank you and you are most welcome. I am very grateful for these forums and the folks on them who so unselfishly shared their knowledge and experience with me when I was getting back into the hobby and try to pass what I can along.

I see used detectors of all sorts on craigslist a lot locally. You might want to try that when you are ready to sell your G2.

Be sure to get Andy Sabisch's book when you get the CTX. It will explain what the manual wont and then some. Check the Minelab site for the manual download while youre waiting on your machine. And keep an eye on the Classifieds to get a feel for current market prices while you are saving up.

When you get your CTX, PM me your email and I'll send you the programs/settings I like. I've been to Andy's CTX Boot Camp school and it helped me get more out of my machine than I was getting.

 

[oldmoney]

I was out of the detecting hobby for about 30 years, even early on I only did it a few times with an old whites. I always wanted to get back into it. so when I finally decided to try it again I did a bit of research and found a lot of people saying how much they loved the Safari with its turn it on and go find treasure capabilities. So I hunted around for a few months and finally found a used Safari with no warranty, but it came with a pin pointer, pouch, head phones and a small shovel. With virtually no knowledge of how it worked, or how to use it I was off and running. On my very first hunt I found about $6 in clad,. Within my first week I had found three rings and a bunch of clad and one silver dime. Needless to say , I found the Safari very easy to use right out of the box. Of course i have been playing around the settings to get better depth, and honed my skills on reading what is actually in the ground. I recommend this machine to everyone that I know that wants to get into metal detecting. By the way I now own two of them. I showed my 67 year old dad how to use one the other day and now he is hooked . Good luck and happy hunting

 

[Rob in (Ca)]

The Safari also does very well at a salt water Beach, runs stable and Deep