Hello from north of the Golden Gate!

Finally! Found a good forum with the answers. I do not have a detector yet and am getting ready to pounce. Seems like it may be a F2 to start, but maybe an F4. I am a teacher at Marin Country Day School and run a lab called the Makers' Lab. Just got wired into facebook here: www.facebook.com/makerslab . Think a DIY, building, engineering, designing, tinkering mecca for kids...wood, metal, electronics, etc. I love it too! I get to buy tools and be a geek.

Toward the end of the school year at our K-8 school we run a special set of projects for the 8th graders. Each 8th grader can choose from a series of electives. I had 12 sign-up to be with me in a project called Land-Sea-Air. The projects I run are all about designing, prototyping, building and often times failing. I love to throw puzzles and races at the kids. In the Sea portion they must build a boat and sail to find buried treasure via an elaborate story with a treasure map, sight lines, gold lines, and X marking the spot. You can see where this is going can't you? If not, stay with me. So there we are, 12 8th graders, me and another support teacher on a beach in Marin County, CA. 4 boats racing to get map fragments to find buried treasure using compasses etc. etc. I buried the darn thing in the beach. A little chest with some Sees candy chocolate gold coins. Not deep, maybe 6 inches or so.

Well, they could not find it. They left to go back still having had lots of fun, but no buried treasure. I stayed and dug...and dug...and dug...and dug. It was foggy in the morning and I did not have my normal land marks (this is the second year I have done this). No joy. The students had dug up the entire beach and made a real mess of it. It took me an hour at least to put everything back. Thank goodness I kept them to sand. Still, no joy. No chest. I'm going back! This is a great opportunity for me to get a detector. So, I start my research like whenever I am about to buy a tool and land here in this wonderful forum. I may not find the chest with the detector...foil around coins (lots and lots of them) may not do it, but I will end up with a detector...and I think I have the bug with no detector yet!

So if you have some words of wisdom for a detector for a teaching specialist that teachers science and engineering...to other science teachers...please let me have it! I am currently looking at an F2 or F4, Garret Pro Pointer, and a cool digging tool or two. I also plan on taking a long 1/4 steel rod to poke down into the sand to see if that helps me find the chocolate!

Best,
Crush

Hi and welcome to the forum :)

Either the F2 or F4 (or Garrett ACE350 - another one you should look at) would be great choices for your needs.

I will tell you first of all that foil (around the chocolate) buried at 6 inches may be hard to zero in on, unless you have a pretty close idea where you should be looking. Especially if there are other trash targets on the beach, which I expect there would be. What is the chest made of? The problem is that most trash found on a beach come in just like foil - what you are looking for.

It actually takes quite a bit of practice to be able to use a metal detector and understand what it's telling you. It would, in my opinion, be pretty hard for a person with no experience detecting to find such a target. That might prove to be a challenge with a group of people. But it sounds like some great classes and projects that you have planned :)

My best recommendation would be to practice. Your detector choices are good ones. Once you make a choice, bury a similar treasure to the one you are looking for and test it to see what it sounds like. If you have a reasonably good idea where you buried the original chest, you may find it.

If you choose to use the detector as a mechanism to find buried things, I would recommend that you provide them with a fairly specific area in which to search, making sure that you are able to identify it after burying it as well, and that whatever you bury is away from other metal as much as possible.

Hope this helps. :) Welcome to the forum! Too bad there were not classes like that when I was growing up. :crying02:

Thanks Epi-Hunter!

I actually would not bury chocolate like this and find it with a detector as part of a class...I would bury some solid easy to find stuff more shallow. The projects are in fact over for this year and this is what happened! I want to find the mess up! No biggie if I do not find it as I will now get to practice a cool fun hobby! Of course, we'll see if the bug sticks. I think the science around the detectors could be a great intro for some younger students though and it occurs to me this might be a cool thing for students. I wonder how cheap I can go with detectors and have success with either planted finds or actual finds. What do you think?

On the Garrett line, I was looking at all of those and am kind of shying away due to the inability for use in shallow water...actually...the 250 seems to be ok, but not the 350. Any good comparison articles for me to look at? I read the one on F2 vs. 250.

Anyways, thanks for the welcome!
Crush

I think that any of the entry level detectors would be a good fit. F2, F4, ACE250, ACE350. My own experience in that area is with the Garrett so that is my preference. They are light and easy to use, and they lock in on targets well.

I am not aware of any difference in water resistance between the 250 and 350 (others please chime in here if I'm missing something big, but I don't think so). Most detectors have waterproof coils (except those built for water detecting, which are generally fully waterproof). You would be okay in shallow water (but if in an area where water could get into the control box, it will fry the unit). What you may have heard is that some of the entry level detectors don't necessarily do well on wet saltwater sand. That is because you can't ground balance them (or adjust the detector for conductivity coming from the ground itself). So you may get some false signals from the ground itself.

By the way, you might want to contact Lowjiber directly (via personal message on the forum here) as I'm sure he could provide more information as well. He wrote the article you referred to (F2 vs ACE250)

hello Crush and welcome to the forum .
i know first hand that younger kids respond well to metal detecting and the items you show that you would find from using one . i have given detector presentations and colonial relic presentations to my Daughters classes when they were pretty young , it was very fun and exciting for the students and my kids said they had a lot of fun. as Angie said almost all machines have waterproof coils and some preform better at the beach than others due to the salts and mineralized sand. the entry level machines are probably the best suited or easyist to use for very new young people . sounds like you have some great classes with a lot of fun and adventure .

Dan

Welcome from Mississippi. Welcome to the forum. My first machine after re entry to the hobby was a Fisher F4. I love it. IMHO a great entry to mid range machine. The most important thing, like everyone has said, is to learn the machine. What ever kind you get. Learn what it's telling you. &quot:beerbuddy:ecome one with the machine, and the force will be with you. Good luck and HH.

Thanks Del and Cody! I think I will be purchasing the F4 today along with a Garrett pro pointer. It seems having a pointer makes things much easier and quicker after you have pulled a plug and are down to final bits of soil.

On another note, We have a summer camp pilot starting in a few weeks called Wonderlab and we will have 16 students from various economic/social backgrounds...all rising 4th graders. We have a few geological elements planned, along with many other areas (art, building, electricity, systems), and I think I am going to experiment with an entry level detector while we explore different areas of science. I am all about having so much fun you don't even realize the science and art is happening. I also think I will be able to find some areas of campus (35 acres on the bay) that are rich in artifacts!

So my question is this, with 4th graders in mind, me hiding some coins and them finding other stuff, can one of the cheap detectors (read sub $100 or there abouts) be a sufficient educational tool for a 4th grader? I would need to buy a few. Alternatively, maybe the 150 is a better choice for just a bit more? The more I research this, the more I think this is a great way to motivate students to find treasure...that guess what...also immerses them in electronics, electricity, geology, history, teamwork, the outdoors, etc. etc. etc. This could tie in nicely with the stuff I do with geocaching as well.

In my opinion there will be a pretty big difference between the sub-$100 detectors and the ACE 150. My daughter, who is in 5th grade now but who has been detecting (off and on) for a few years, loves the ACE 250 (not much different than the 150). I haven't personally used any of the sub-$100 detectors, but from what I heard there is a significant difference. I know that price makes a huge difference too though.

You might see what kind of price you would get if you are going to buy multiple units of the 150. You could check with Andrew (New England Detectors - forum sponsor here - he carries Garrett). I don't know if you would be able to get a deal on several or not. Might be worth asking.

Welcome to the forum! This is a funny story you share lol

You have some wonderfully knowlegable people guiding you to a good detector- good luck finding the treasure chest!

You might even find some other neat stuff while you're at it... you'll find an old coin pre-1900's and be hooked for life :clapping:

My first neat find was an 1833 Large Cent at an old homestead and I haven't stopped swingin' since thumbsup01

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Originally Posted by Epi-hunter link=topic=10223.msg113379#msg113379 date=1338747223

You might see what kind of price you would get if you are going to buy multiple units of the 150. You could check with Andrew (New England Detectors - forum sponsor here - he carries Garrett). I don't know if you would be able to get a deal on several or not. Might be worth asking.

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Thanks Epi-Hunter! I will contact him and see what he is able to do. Maybe me being a non-profit and school will make a difference.
thanks,
Crush

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Originally Posted by tanacat link=topic=10223.msg113384#msg113384 date=1338753649

you'll find an old coin pre-1900's and be hooked for life :clapping:

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Just reading and viewing the pictures has me wanting more and to be in the field! Chest or no chest, the journey is epic!
thanks for the warm welcome!
Crush

Welcome to the forum Crush from SE Wisconsin. You have already gotten some good advice on an entry level detector so I will not make a comment. I just wanted to thank you for what you do with young people. If everyone did there part our world would be a different place. Good luck and Happy hunting. Do not forget to post your finds and definetly ask questions if you have any.

Welcome to the group Crush. It's great you found us. :clapping:

I do like the Fisher series as well as Garrett that has been mentioned. Sounds like either will suit your needs.

Looking forward to your posts. :->

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Originally Posted by Crush link=topic=10223.msg113336#msg113336 date=1338696559

Finally! Found a good forum with the answers.

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Thanks for the kind words. :)

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Originally Posted by Fire Fighter 43 link=topic=10223.msg113420#msg113420 date=1338772616

... Do not forget to post your finds and definetly ask questions if you have any.

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Thanks Fire Fighter 43! As soon as I get my hands on a detector I will share my exploits, good and bad, enthusiastically! When someone can share their passion of a hobby, history, technique etc. they feel productive and part of a bigger whole. When they share their failures they have started down the path of teaching, whether they know it or not. Success is great, but sharing of failures, rapid failing, gives us rapid learning. We have a lot of teachers here at this forum...I didn't have to look long to realize that! Funny thing is, when you are having fun and learning the failure blurs into success and you hardly realize it.

I must say, I did not intend to write this much to you, but I must share that a chord was struck with me when I started reading about not just finding stuff, but trying to return stuff to their rightful owners, repairing holes made, packing out trash that you find and more. I feel very lucky, and with only fleeting glimpses thus far, to have entered into a realm that is so rewarding and warm. Thanks! Ok, gushy part over...I need my detector to get here quick so I can search my backyard...literally!
Crush

Welcome to your new obsession and the forum from southern Nevada. |:cheering:

I used to live in the mountains just south of Los Gatos.

I've already enjoyed your adventures teaching the science classes. Your perspective must surely keep them interested.

Your new F4 should work out well. For beach digs, you might want to invest in a good scoop. You might want to attend a monthly meeting of the Treasure Hunters Society of Santa Clara County. (http://waipahuhaole1.tripod.com/treasurehunters.html) It's a very large, friendly club that would certainly enjoy your company...and vice versa.

One minor thing to remember about the beaches where you live...they're very highly minerialized (high iron content). Lower the Discrimination Threshold (Fisher's term) if the detector seems to sound off when you just bump the sand.

BTW: If you start finding chocolate with the F4, we'll all have one tomorrow. |:cheering:

Welcome and glad you found us. Those classes of yours sure make me wish I had something like that growing up. Hope the F4 finds the chest(chocolate). Looking forward to your future posts and finds

Welcome from Illinois! Very glad you found us here, Crush! It does my heart good to see someone with a passion for teaching. (And learning!)

Please keep us posted with your progress. Best of luck!

Hey Crush, I teach middle school as well. One of my students bought a 250 after seeing some of my finds and is enjoying it. I used the 350 before the T2 and wouldn't advise it for students. It is very front heavy. The Garrett line does seem the most durable though. So maybe the 250 (smaller stock coil than 350) would be perfect. Welcome, and have a good summer!