What makes your metal detector good? How to become a better detectorist? Do you care?

[jmaryt]

I am not very popular either for my posts. I keep saying, and have said over and over and over if you buy say an Equinox or Deus, and use it as a beep and dig detector it's not a whole lot better than say a AT PRO or any upper mid level machine. When i say beep and dig, i am talking about peeps coming from turn on and go machines who want to do the same thing with top end machines, and yes they are better even used like that, but when you learn the true power of say a Dues or NOX your good finds will skyrocket! I get so much flak from users when I tell them the magic is when you learn how to sniff out the iffy signals, and that is where my Deus and NOX have served me so well. I recently dug 6 nails from a plug using my Nox 800 with stock coil before i found the wheat penny in the hole. There is no way My ctx, etrac, f75, at pro, T2, v3i, or any other machine i own would have found that penny. My Deus maybe, but it's the only one i would say might have alerted me to the coin. I wish i were more of a video guy, but i just want to hunt and not mess with cameras! Research is KEY, but I can still go to my local spots that have been pounded and pull targets with my Deus and Nox when i do not have a researched out spot to hunt, which means i am productive all the time where ever i have the time to go hunt.

this is ''dead nuts" true, and it also applies to the "vanquish" best "sleeper"
for "short money" I've ever used! "phenomenal" right outta the gate!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

Location is a good spot to start but you really have to know what your detector is telling you either by sound most reliable and ID..
I only have a equinox now I use to run a Deus also I consider myself pretty good with the nox and I take my time and cover an area very slowly and I’m amazed sometimes how there are still some very nice coins to be found I just pulled a 1917 walker my oldest walker to date it was8”-9” down in a school yard along the edge by a old path that went through a stonewall..,
I seriously doubt many would have dug the signal it was not good at all but I know better I had just dug a ring just before that was sterling which was a 25 on the nox which I thought was a dime ...
When in doubt dug it you may surprise yourself I know I’ve been surprised a lot!
Mark

what makes "multi-iq" so damn good is that the signal may sound like sh*t,but the "number" will tip ya off
every time, and make ya want to dig with usually a pleasant surprise.the "difference" can be 'huge!" doesn't matter, vanquish,or
equinox. I'm just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

 

[UtahRich]

Why do people buy $1000 detectors (or $6k or $9k) and don't really learn how to use them? Social media pressure / Social pressure.

Videos, like those on YouTube, demonstrate how great certain detectors perform in the hands of a skilled detectorist and we've learned from an early age that if we want to be successful, mimic those who are successful and our success will follow.

Yet how does one mimic the internal incentive or drive that pushes oneself to spend hundreds of hours tweaking settings in a test garden and while hunting 'for real' to learn how a detector responds in an infinite variety of situations? Some have that drive. Others don't and will sit back and wait for somebody else to answer those questions for them.

Here's a hard question; If you're doing everybody's homework for them, will they ever put forth the effort to learn the material themselves? I've often thought about that when others ask me what settings I was using and why. I am grateful when others have pointed me in the right direction, but I don't feel comfortable not understanding the why's and wherefore. Am I doing somebody a disservice by leading them directly to the answer I've found? Would it be better to steer them in a direction and let them discover for themselves?

That's a hard thought. There are some that will take inspiration from videos like yours. For others it's like using cliffsnotes instead of reading the book. The deeper experience of actually reading the book is missed, but there is some general understanding of the overall story.

Some interesting thoughts here. I'm an experimenter. I tweak and compare when I'm over targets. Others consider it a waste of time and rarely make adjustments once set. Different types of folks.

Lots of kids buy Michael Jordan shoes cuz they want to be like Mike. Not everybody will put in the work that Mike did.


UtahRich

 

[Mark kus]

what makes "multi-iq" so damn good is that the signal may sound like sh*t,but the "number" will tip ya off
every time, and make ya want to dig with usually a pleasant surprise.the "difference" can be 'huge!" doesn't matter, vanquish,or
equinox. I'm just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Exactly watch some of calabash digger videos !ive never used a vanquish I know they use multi . I can’t tell you how many times including this weekend I had two very faint high tones but I knew to dig them they were two 1964 Washington’s a foot apart just a faint squeak the equinox continues to amaze me I just had another Saturday with a nice handful of silver !
Mark

 

[pulltabfelix]

One thing you have to be aware of is getting lulled into thinking you really know your machine and a lot of about metal detecting. I was at that stage 6 years ago with my AT Pro. Loved the machine and it produced for me, But I could have known it much better. The AT Pro is an easy machine to learn. But you really don't know what you are missing especially if you hunt alone which a lot of us do.

Next 3 years later I bought the Equinox 800. Boy did that detector show up the many holes in my metal detecting education. You better be on your A game to use an 800. Three years of experience on the 800 taught me a lot. If you have a modern metal detector, one created in the last 5 or even 10 years, you better take the time to master it. You will be rewarded and you will have more fun with this hobby.

One last example. An experienced hunter with an ace 400 will outhunt a person who does not know how to properly set up and use a Nox 800. just my opinion.