Underwater Metal Detectors

[Dad31]

Has Anyone tried a Garrett sea hunter mark 2... ????

 

[captainfizz]

I'm poor also. It just depends on what type of hunting you do the most. Beach or dive. The Pulse 8X works for both, but being a pulse it hits on the smallest of targets. I spent 15 minutes once tracking down a piece of rusty fish hook. That says a lot in more ways than one. I have recovered a lot, but the first big bite goes to the State or Country where you work. The second big bite goes to Lawyers, and the third big bite goes to backers. Whats left belongs to us doing the work. I'm not saying I haven't made money, but I have spent 90% of it on Wine, Women, and Song. The rest I squandered. If your serious, find a way. One good coin will pay for your machine. I recently sold a Gold coin for $15,500.00 also an artifact for $28,500.00 both found with Pulse units. I made mention of likeing a meter best. When I was learning the business, and was diving with Johnny Berrier. I swam across a deep hole. Stuck my metal detcetor head in it. Nothing. Later on the boat I ask Johnny did he dig that hole. Yes he did, and found two nice 1732 Pillar dollars. Worth a lot of money. I mentioned how deep the hole was. He said "I had to imagine that needle moved". I think about that every time I dive. You think about it. Thats learning from the old timers. I will be happy to answer any questions. Fizz

 

[Zerovis]

hmm... what about us poor people?

With regard to you poor people,you buy cheep, you buy twice.
If you are going to get a detector for underwater get a good one do the research and pay for quality. Having said that i did research my last detector and it lasted all of one dive to 5 m.So I have learned to do allot of research.
So far I haven't found anything bad about Ebinger, I have had one report that they are in about the top 5 manufacturers in the world. It is an extremely hard company to find reviews on the web probably because they are mainly used by the military.
one advantage they seem to have is weight the 722T weights in at .9kg this is important when going abroad.
Also they are very compact.
the decision will be between the 8X and the Ebinger 722T.

 

[wreckvalle]

If you want a good basic machine. Try the fisher 1280 X. Its affordable and works well.

Safe Diving
Capt. Dan
www.aquaexplorers.com

 

[DennisS]

A good place to price shop is Kellyco

Metal Detector Super Store - Kellyco Metal Detectors


I don't know why they carry items like this

http://www.kellycodetectors.com/anderson/anderson.htm

 

[Afishianado]

I did some research on this subject too and getting a useful device that does not break the bank is difficult. I do have some input for you though. A little back story first...While horseplaying out on the dock on the Intercoastal waterway in NC, my wife's wedding and engagement rings ended up in the water. This is fairly high current and low vis water about 15 feet deep at high tide. The only piece of gear I had handy was a mask, all of other gear was at home, 2.5 hours away. So I put on the mask and went looking, after about 10 trips to the bottom I did find the wedding ring. These rings were custom made by my mother who is a jewler so I really wanted these back, getting replacements was never an option. I ran up to the local dive shop and rented some gear, two of us searched for over an hour but did not find the engagement ring. The current had gotten much quicker as the tide turned and it was difficult to remain in place, any attempt at holding position involved digging in with feet and hands and kicking up sand and silt, surely burying the ring. SO, I researched the underwater metal detectors like you must be doing. I even bought one, and of brand and paid too much for the hunk of junk which never worked. I was able to return it for a full refund. Meanwhile, 14 months went by. me knowin the ring was there but without an underwater metal detector I knew the search was futile. I was browsing craigslist and found someone selling 2 treasure products vibra-tector 730 pulse induction metal detectors, new used only once and both for just over $200. I bought them, they are handheld units and are spec'd as good to 30 feet or about 10 meters but I think they can go deeper if you seal it up well. I found the ring using this detector, buried about 5 inches in the sand. I also found several other items such as nails, hardware, and a 1950's era chrome plated brass lighter. I would recommend these highly for anyone interested in trying out underwater metal detecting without a huge upfront investment. Good to have even if you move on to bigger detectors, different detectors for different purposes as mentioned earlier in this thread. I can't recommend anything for deeper use as I just haven't done it yet....

I tied to post links to the detector and to pictures of the ring but because I am new to the forum it won't let me....yet anyway you can find the detector at treasureproducts.com/vibratector price is $170 USD each.

 

[Renegade Ranch]

My husband used a Garrett-Infinium LS (Land & Sea) this summer in a couple rivers in Northern California.

These cost about $1,200.

See the results in his online Prospecting show: Adventures in Prospecting
ProspectingChannel.com

 

[Sean222]

Dan I couldn't agree more. I use to own the Pulse 8X. After spending a day
on land with it and hunting with Ed Slater and Mark Welzel and watching them dig
one great find after another while I dug nothing but Nails, I sold it and bought an
Excalibur. I couldn;t be happier. While it is no where near as robust as the Pulse 8x,
the other attributes more than make up for it. From spanish silver coins underwater
to a very rare Massachusetts 1662 Oak Tree II pence, it has earned it's keep!

I would suggest the minelab excaliber. Great multi frequency machine and very hot on Gold.
Check out
Metal Detecting and Treasure Hunting

Safe Diving
Capt. Dan
www.aquaexplorers.com

 

[padiscubapro]

One reason I like the Pulse 8X is because of the meter. I don't use any type audio. No head phones, no bone phone. I concentrate just on the meter, and how far I move the head each pass. I have see people looking around while using headphones. They believe they are not missing anything because they will hear it so the head does not stay on the bottom because you are not looking at you machine. The area covered on your swing should be half the measurement of the diameter of the head. In other words if the head is 8 inches your pass'es should be only 4 inches not 8, and when your concentrating on the meter your also concentrating on your swing. There are other reasons why I have come down to this machine. It would take an hour or so to explain it, but lets just say that I have recovered thousands of coins and artifacts, and when I dive a site its with the pulse 8X. It can be set up for beach use, and I have done it, its just that underwater I find it hard to beat. If I were going to do a lot of beach hunting I would research the machines my friends use and try them. In any case if I had to have two machines one for diving, and one for beaching I would have two machines. I know there is more expense, but it only takes one nice coin to pay for a good machine. I've done it many times. Why use only one that may work OK in both places when you can have two that work a lot better in their respective places. D.L. Chaney told me a long time ago, "If Your Going To Be Serious About This You Need The Best" Good Hunting, Fizz

When you have to keep a close watch on where you are going an audible signal is a must.. Diving in limited viz and missing just a simple waypoint can mean you are screwed with getting back to the boat..

 

[captainfizz]

I am poor. Being good with a metal detector dosen't mean being smart about money. In 1980 I paid $4,000.00 cash for a metal detector a friend of mine made in his garage. People told me I was crazy. They were right, but I bought it anyway. First dive with it I brought back 175 coins. All 8 Real and 4 Real pieces. Thats when I knew that the better the machine the better your chances. Capt. Fizz