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You've probably heard it a hundred time....

R

RookieSean

New member
Hi all.. I have never gone metal-detecting, and I had a few questions I was hoping someone could help me out with... You've probably all heard the story a thousand times, but I lost my wedding band in the garden a couple weeks ago, and I've always wanted to try metal detecting... so I can justify buying a cheap detector to find my ring, and the bonus is, I might get to play with it.

My first question, is that I know nothing about the cheapie detector I got and wondered if anyone could tell me what kind it is, and if it will be useful (at all).. here is a pic (which is all I have for now):

f6_1.JPG



I live about 30 minutes from Virginia beach, and about 45 minutes from the Outer Banks NC.... From what I've read, I'm pretty close to good search grounds in either direction. What I wondered, as I look at everyones finds on the other messageboards, is how long does it take to find things (of value)? I mean I assume there are good days and bad, but are finding coins / jewelery on a regular basis the exception or rule?

Is there somewhere you could recommend for learning the basics?

Thanks very much!
~Sean
 
With a cheapie detector, you're pretty much limited to whatever is within the top 5" of the soil's surface. Now that can be both good and bad, depending on what it is you're going to be searching for, and how heavily the areas you're going to be searching have been hunted.

I have a cheapie Discovery 1100 detector at the moment ($30 at Rat Shack), and I've found plenty of coins with it, but the majority are new. The oldest US coin I've found was a 1927 wheat penny I dug at about 4". I've also found an 1826 Spanish Colonial Quarto coin from the Phillippines dated 1826, but it was right on the surface and no digging was required.

If you're going to be relic hunting, your best bet would be to find something that searches deeper, since a lot of the stuff that hasn't been found yet will be below 6", though there are still times that you'll be able to find stuff that's been overlooked at shallower depths, but probably not too often.

I bought the Discovery 1100 about a week ago, and I'm so hooked on MD that I've already ordered a Tesoro Vaquero simply to find the deeper stuff (i.e. the more valuable stuff). I'm up over $5.50 in clad after a few days hunting, but I've also found tons more garbage than I have coinage.

Just keep in mind that for every coin you find, you'll probably find and dig 5 pieces of garbage that your detector thinks is a coin.

This is one severely addictive hobby, because it's not only relaxing (well, unless you're digging in hard ground), but it's different every time you go out.

Welcome to the club! :)
 
I hate to say it but the old saying is true, you get what you pay for. With the cheap detector you will get minimum depth, poor discrimination, limited TID capabilities and most do not perform well on the beach at all. There are entry level detectors out there starting in the $200.00 to $500.00 range from well known long time players in the industry like the Whites(Prizm series 4 different models starting from $199.00 to $499.00 retail) the Garrett(Ace series 2 different models at $179.00 and $249.00 retail) and others that you would be way better of with in the long run. Most all detectors sell for around 15% to 20% less than retail. The ones listed are great little detectors with good solid factory warranties maid in the good old USA. If one can afford a little more money going into the hobby they will be way better of in the long run.

Good Luck,
Bill G
 
Thanks for the info... I agree that you generally get what you pay for..... I'm really curious about the hobby... it seems like something I'd enjoy... but I don't anything about it... Since I lost my ring, I could justify buying one...

What does everyone do with their findings? Do they become trophies? Or sold for profit? I see a lot of class rings trying to find owners... which is awesome... Is there enough to be found to actually fund a new detector?.
.
Thanks again... ~Sean
 
The guys that hunt Virginia Beach (in the Beach and Water Detecting Forum) have probably found enough gold and coins to easily buy four or five of their current detectors ($1,000+ Minelabs).

bdahunter, who lives in Bermuda, found a Bentley wristwatch buried in the sand (at the towel line) that's worth over $7,000.

The key, however, is to buy the detector first, make the investment, then find enough stuff to pay itself back... trying to save up for a new detector by finding coins with a cheapie will take you forever, unless you find a place where there's consistently a lot of change being lost.

Your best bet is to get the detector that will find the valuable stuff down deep, since the shallow stuff isn't usually very valuable (though there are exceptions to the rule).
 
Whether you can pay for the equipment you buy has a lot of obvious variables. Since you have yet to try metal detecting, if there is a nearby detector club that you can go to and learn from them may give you some answers. I would say not to go into this with the thought that you can pay for the equipment, it will cause unnecessary pressure. Think of all the sports and hobbies that people get involved in and most never think they will "pay for the hobby" by using it. For instance, golfclubs, rod and reels, bassboats, 4 wheeldrives,4 wheelers, radio controlled airplanes, photography. Just about any sport or hobby nowadays is expensive and many of them are more expensive than metal detecting. My advise is to start out with a good mid-priced unit after you have done the research on which one that would fit your needs, if you find out that you like detecting, then you can get a more expensive one. Good luck.
 
Oh, I totally agree... but my main point was that it'll be much easier to discover more valuable finds with a better detector... trying to buy a cheapie, then use that to find enough to pay for a new detector is just short of impossible.

For instance, in the past week I've found about $6.00 in clad, so it would take approximately 6-8 months before I'd get to the bottom-end of the mid-range detectors using my current cheapie.

However, initially purchasing a detector that will double or triple that weekly amount will make it much easier to pay back the initial investment, but I wouldn't make that my primary focus... the enjoyment of seeking 'buried treasure' is the fun part... the value of the things you find is just icing on the cake.
 
Oops... I stand corrected... it was The Bulgarian down in Florida that found the watch, not bdahunter.

Here's the thread: http://www.findmall.com/read.php?26,356999,357164
 
Your ring shouldn't be deep so you should find it.

What I wondered, as I look at everyones finds on the other messageboards, is how long does it take to find things (of value)? I mean I assume there are good days and bad, but are finding coins / jewelery on a regular basis the exception or rule?

It depends were you hunt. Jewelry and rings will be found at the beach but you will need a detector that can handle the beach. You will need a waterproof unit if you want to go in the water.

I hunt the land no beaches where I live. I've found 3500 coins this year but only 2 gold rings an 2 gold crosses. Where I hunt people don't lose jewelry like at the beach. Rob
 
I started on a Bounty Hunter from Radio Shack,it was good enough to let me know I wanted something better...got a White's XLT and love it.A higher end machine normally does real well in the resale dept. if you decide you don't like it.Finding goodies is adicting...so be careful.To let you know my best ring was found with the B.H. but I'm hooked on my xlt now.Good luck in your choices! P.S. I would say 90% of the time when the xlt says I have a coin ...I do.
 
I'm in the same boat... I bought a Bounty Hunter Discovery 1100 a week ago today, and I've already got a Tesoro Vaquero on the way.

I'm already tired of my finds being within the top 4" of soil... it makes it easy to dig, but my earliest date so far is 1927 (a wheat cent) at 4". Plus there's too many things that fool the detector into thinking it's a coin, when in fact it's a rusty nail or some other aluminum trash.

I'm taking it down to Monterey, CA this weekend to give it a trial run in dry sand beach hunting, so we'll see how it works out... the BH only cost me $30 on clearance, so I'm not out much cash... I've already found about $8.50 in clad with it, so I'm really only out about $22.

You're right that treasure hunting is addicting... I'm already looking into the possibility of doing some nugget hunting.
 
Sean,I have owned and used about every brand of metal detector.You do get what you pay for,and with that said the BH 1100 isn't too bad. Most hunter's will tell you the same thing get the best detector you can afford.Used Fisher CZs are at bargain prices its a unit you won't out grow.If the used Fisher doesn't workout you could probably get your money back on a resale. Ron
 
I appreciate all the advice! Well, I had already ordered the cheapo... still don't know much about it other than it was cheap.. :) I suspect I'm going to end up loving it... and imagine upgrading in a very short time... just need a catalyst....

~S
 
I'm not sure to tell you the truth... All I have is a pic of it (in the original post).... it's being shipped now.... here is the description of it incase anyone might know what it is exactly:

"This user-friendly metal detector is comfortable and easy to handle during long searches, thanks to its exclusive "Perfect Balance" design. An LCD panel tells whether a target is ferrous (containing iron or steel) or non-ferrous (any other metal). After each detection session, it automatically resets for best sensitivity and performance, or you can set it manually
 
I agree 100%... but at this time, my only goal was to find my ring..... so my research consisted of... finds metal?? okay - I'll take it... and if it finds my ring... it's paid for itself.... it was like $45... not a purchase to persue the hobby... but maybe be a catalyst into the hobby, then if I like it, get into something better....
 
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