Water detector

[DCNSC]

I looking to buy a water detector an I have looked at a Minelab Xcal or a Tesoro Tiger Shark. Have any of you compared these machines and what do you recommend?

 

[bob.oz]

Post in the Beach and Water forum, You will get more responses........ besides that, they don't like questions in the today's find page, so your post will be either deleted or moved.
* Xcal gets my vote

 

[DCNSC]

-- moved topic --

 

[John (Ma)]

Tiger if only fresh water. I had a lot of luck with mine. I also had an excel and it was good for salt and fresh water. I just found the tiger more enjoyable and sensitive to smaller items than the excal in the fresh water.

 

[adamBomb]

I looking to buy a water detector an I have looked at a Minelab Xcal or a Tesoro Tiger Shark. Have any of you compared these machines and what do you recommend?

Fresh water - tiger shark

Salt water - Xcal

Both - Xcal. the tiger wont work in salt.

 

[Ruslan]

for salt uniquely - Minelab XCAL

 

[Waterdog]

Excalibur for all my water hunting

 

[rottonr]

I have only used the x-cal but have had no problems at the Gulf of Mexico, Daytona beach or a couple of dozen fresh water lakes in my area.

 

[pasttom]

I think I see a pattern... Adam, I read your comment, "Both - Xcal. the tiger wont work in salt." too fast and thought it said "Both the Xcal and the Tiger won't work in salt" and almost spit coffee all over my screen! Please remember old guys with glasses and people lacking sleep read these posts and be very clear and careful. If I was eating instead of drinking I could have choked!

 

[John (Ma)]

I've got a new Tiger Shark on the way, so I guess I'm backing up my earlier post

 

[finnfoto]

my 3 picks. excal. cz,20, and BH300

 

[scott.f]

I echo what John (Ma) said. I have owned both and that is spot on.

 

[riveraiders60]

I made an aqua Ace out of a Garrett Ace 150. I use it for everything. I just turn the sensitivity down to the second notch and go slower in salt water. I have found everything there is to find, rings, watches, phones, keys coins. It's cheaper to replace if I kill it but so far it's three years old I haven't killed it yet.

 

[lasergod]

How did you make the aqua ace? Any good specifics? Like box. Connectors?

 

[riveraiders60]

I went to YouTube and found Robb's homemade life $10 waterproof metal detector controls for the Ace 250. That $10 turned out to be more around 20 plus the hardware. That box I got at Amazon it's called Lock & Lock rectangular food container. The model number is hpl 313. If you Google b0017 vja GQ, it will show you where you can buy it. We made some improvements over how Robb did it. I took a body plug from the floorboard of my 88 Toyota motorhome and cut an X in it to put it in the bottom of the container instead of those homemade things Robb used and I combined the cables to go through one hole. Be sure to leave enough length so that you can open the lid and change the batteries and do not kink the main cable. I just gobbed it really good with silicone on both sides did not attach the head until it was all set up and I waited two days for it to dry real well. I used tie wraps and velcro to attach it to the switch plate thingy that you put on the handle those holes line up perfectly with that plate. I got it at a hardware store for like $0.50. But I put industrial strength Velcro ( not waterproof so be aware) on it and the box so that it is velcroed together and then I tie wrapped it makes it really stable. Its been down as far as 4 ft underwater and holds. However it wants to float. Have to hold her down. I also added a stretchy hair tie as extra insurance over the little clip handles so that I don't catch them on my wetsuit and pop them up. That's the way the whole thing stays dry, that lid has to be secure. No connectors, just run the cables straight though the hole. Just to be clear the only holes in that container is the one at the bottom, bolts attach the metal connector to the handle but they do not go through the box. The box is velcroed to the surface of the metal bracket thingy ,I don't know the name of it sorry.

 

[riveraiders60]

n/t

 

[Richnlin]

Just tried out my new Sand Shark on vacation to Orlando. The Shark worked fine and a short learning curve. Next year I plan to buya CTX in order to eliminate all the wires and for land use as well.

 

[lasergod]

Do use this in the ocean? How stable is in the after?

 

[riveraiders60]

I don't go in the ocean. I hunt low tide, wet sand. I don't want to be shark bait. You have to turn the sensitivity down to the second Notch and swing slow to not false in the puddles of saltwater. If I went underwater with it I'm sure it would stay dry,water is water and its fine in the lakes. As long as it's sealed up. It has a short rebound on wet sand.

 

[Oldguy]

Here's my opinion about beach metal detecting. I use a Tesoro Tiger Shark, it is a great machine for fresh water. It will also ground balance in wet salt sand but, in wet salt sand the ground balance changes dramatically in very short distances, like less than a single sweep. Any manual ground balance machine, including the Tiger Shark, can't keep up with the changing mineralization. PI machines ignore the mineralization but they have no discrimination, you will dig iron and more iron at crazy deep depths. Your best bet for salt sand is a multi frequency machine with automatic tracking made for salt beaches. Expensive, but worth it if you hunt salt water beaches regularly.