:usaflag: Help!! Looking For a Detector That Ignores Nails!!

[Cupajo]

When I started the hobby of metal detecting, I bought what at that time was one of the finest detectors available the Whites 6000DI. I found my first gold ring using it and after many hours of searching had lots of silver, but no more gold.

I learned about water hunting and built a waterproof Plexiglas case so that I could use the detector as a water machine. That

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Hello Cupajo, done a lot of testing and the only one that REALLY hates iron is the Excal. I have used it in nail beds and still pulled some gold outa there, but you gotta go REALLY slow, when it is like that. The 8" is better for those areas too. 10" can get kinda bogged down in the nail beds, with nulling. Good luck!

 

[Cupajo]

Hey Thanks Gulf Hunter,

My Infinium is fine for in the water, but dry land is another story.

Here the water has had enough traffic from fellow hunters that I catch a bit of scrap metal, but have no real problems with that.

There have always been nails on the beach in front of the cottages to slow someone that is using a machine that can't ignore them well.

This is dry sand hunting and also I have dozens of very old yards to search where odd pieces of scrap metal and nails are always a problem.

Is this the kind of hunting you are talking about?

These days I can't afford to waste time or money searching for the perfect machine for this application and I want to be sure I completely understand what you're telling me.

Thanks again Friend,

CJ

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Hey Thanks Gulf Hunter,

My Infinium is fine for in the water, but dry land is another story.

Here the water has had enough traffic from fellow hunters that I catch a bit of scrap metal, but have no real problems with that.

There have always been nails on the beach in front of the cottages to slow someone that is using a machine that can't ignore them well.

This is dry sand hunting and also I have dozens of very old yards to search where odd pieces of scrap metal and nails are always a problem.

Is this the kind of hunting you are talking about?

These days I can't afford to waste time or money searching for the perfect machine for this application and I want to be sure I completely understand what you're telling me.

Thanks again Friend,

CJ

No, not really. I do not hunt any dry ground or away from the surf at homesteads. The principle shoud work the same though. I just know there are some areas, where the nails are thick(shallows and wetsand), and the Excal is able to null on the iron. If you are sweeping slowly in those areas, it will still pickup a non-ferrous target in close proximity to iron. Like I said, the 8" is better in the nail infested areas, as it is able to separate MUCH better than the 10". Hope this helps.

 

[Cupajo]

Thanks GH,

I prefer salt water myself, but there are times when the water conditions don't co-operate and I would like to have a choice.

FYI---Lots of folks feel the way you do about ML machines!

I may go for something less expensive though.

Still looking!

CJ

 

[landman]

I would take a look at the Etrac.

 

[tvr]

Cupajo,

Would think most any detector with a discriminator would help you around that iron.

Lately I have been grabbing my Tesoro's for nearly all the land hunting. I have taken the Tesoro's to the beach and done well on the dry sand just discriminating out iron. Over the wet / dry sand area on the salt water beaches I need to run the discriminator near foil to cut down on some of the falsing in the crossover area, and that will also discriminate out the really small chains. The CZ's I have (6a and 20) do well and aren't bothered by the wet salt to dry sand change over but they miss the real fine chains ... unless there is a good sized clasp on it.

Both the Tesoro's and the CZ's can be fooled by iron. Bigger pieces can sound like good targets, but by pinpointing to size the target you get a good idea. Chrome plated or zinc plated small pieces of iron frequently sound like good targets. Discriminators and target ID's aren't perfect but over land I think they make it better than digging every little nail and the other tiny pieces of iron.
tvr

 

[Cupajo]

Lots of good info Friend.

Thanks,

CJ

 

[UK Brian]

I wouldn't. Best machine for your needs is a Sovereign. If a rainstorm springs up you can use it under a coat as there's no meter to worry about. They are dirt cheap secondhand. You will have improved performance over the Excaliber as you can use better third party headphones and with the money you will save over buying even a secondhand Excaliber you can also afford and have the option of a whole range of coils.

Carry on with your Garrett when you need/want to enter the water.

The Sovereign will also handle inland conditions better than the Excaliber if you do spot an inland site you fancy working.

 

[Cupajo]

Ahh Brian,

Thanks for the excellent insight!

Now I'm torn in another direction, just when I was considering Radio Shack!

GL&HH Friend,

CJ

 

[Bling]

n/t

 

[Cupajo]

Hi Bling,

Hit the beach a couple of hours today trying out the second hand Excal. I bought.

Worked dry sand for nearly all that time and Wow, no nails.

Must be a Minlab thing!!

Thanks for your reply Friend,

CJ

 

[Bling]

n/t