Upgrade ???

[Zincky]

Hi all, Been on Kellyco. Looking at BH upgrade from my BH Treasure Hunter and have 3 in mind.

The Time Ranger, the Pioneer 505, and the Landstar


This has most likely been asked a million times, does anyone have any input on the pros and con's of each and which would be the best bang for the buck?
I have read the review of each on Kellyco and I am looking for additional info.
I have been MDing for about 2-3 years and still consider myself a newbie to the hobby. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[bountyhunter1972]

I can only comment on the 505 as that is all that I have in your list. I like it ok enough, I just got it and I still have to learn it. It is very different from my Tracker IV. I have found that it is very good on clad that is no deeper than 4 inches, it is a monster, I have found more clad with it than the Tracker IV. I have not however found any silver with it yet, could be that I just haven't put the coil over any silver or it is to deep for the machine. I have had many hits with it that say 8" deep and have made it repeat the tone several times before loosing it. I don't know if I am doing something wrong or not. But for the money I think it is a fairly good machine. I think that if I had a choice between the 505 and the Ace 250, sorry BH fans but I would go with the Ace 250, of which I will be mailing out a check tomorrow for. I found one listed on craigslist for $100.00 I couldn't let it pass me by. It is to good of a deal to let go. No extras other than a pair of headphones, wish he had a few extra coils with it, but I can buy those with all the silver coins I am going to find with it. LOL hope this helps out some, I'm sure that someone else will chime in with more info than me.

 

[teleman2525]

ive got a505 many nice silver finds 1877 seated quater 1942 rosie quater 15 mercury dimes 1917 up candian quater to old to read date stopped making in 1901 also candian dime of same era candian siver 5 cent piece 1902 real small 1906 barber dime 4 indian heads 1900 1900 1900 1901 1912 v nickle two buffalos 1942 10k class ring returned to ower several other gold and silver rings and bracelets just started this spring yes i like the 505 all these find are posted as found in this forum under teleman named after my guitar of choice just my input also one of my mercurys found 9 inches down just edge sticking out from under rock good luck good hunting

 

[GoGoGopher]

Each machine has it's pros and cons...
Starting in order...The 505 is a quarter and Dime magnet...it seems to like these coins best...That is good, you can get a lot of Silver that way...The cons is it has a preset ground balance, and tends to false a lot in harsh ground...The LandStar is a step up with a manual ground balance, a more stable machine and still loves the Silver...It has ample indications to let you have an educated guess at what is under the coil...both the 505 and the LandStar have 3 tone ID (low for iron, medium for junk and gold, and high for the coins and silver). The Time Ranger is a fully digital machine...No knobs...all push buttons...it has a SNIFF mode that allows you to zero in on one particular type of metal, and also a rejection mode that allows you to block out certain metals...It hunts slightly deeper than the other two, and if you have the needed funds, this is the one you want to get...

Happy Hunting,

 

[drummerman]

I think it depends on how much your going to use it, how much you are willing to spend, and the features you want to have in the MT.
When I bought my MT, I went on the Internet and searched for reviews on quite a few MT's. For me, Bounty Hunter was in my price range, and I wanted versatility. After searching for the user manuals for the MT's I was interested in. The Time Ranger was the one I wanted.
I am glad I bought that one. But I like lots of whistles and bells also.
If for some reason, I needed to buy another MT, I would buy the Time Ranger again.

Good luck. Hope you find the one the you want.

 

[Zincky]

Thanks for the information. I was leaning toward the 505 or the Time Ranger. Next question? Is it better to have a lower or higher freq or does it matter? ie: 6.4MHz - 6.7MHz

 

[GoGoGopher]

The general rule is the lower the frequency, the higher the conductance the machine will like (Coins and Silver)...The Higher the frequency, the lower conductors will be liked (Iron and Gold)...This is why machines like the Bounty Hunters and Early White's at 6.69kHz, were not too keen on finding small gold, but the Tesoro and Minelab machines at 12-14+kHz were...

HH,

 

[Zincky]

Thanks was not sure how that worked. It seem I read something, some where about that, but just couldn't remember for sure. That's what happens when old farts disease sets in.
Thanks for all the information.

 

[woodwizard]

another thing to consider it may not be your machine but your area -if there is nothing there to find ya can't find it.seen many old homesites and other places that looked as if they would be producers but didn't find alot.a new machine may brighten your day and give ya hope but if its not been lost ya can;t find it.wait on the purchase -do some research of sites ya hunt -ask locals- go to totlots -places that ya know will have something dropped -reset your sens and disc-see if that improves your finds.then get a new machine if ya still think that will help.Ive got several detectors a BH202 and aFisher F5-made by the same co.plus a detector pro wader for the water/beach hunts and still there are times ya don't find anything simply cause its not there.just saying don't jump in head first till ya tested the water.