Newbie? Well, Not Really

[Route 66]

Hi guys. I first got into detecting way, way back in high school. I had a D-Tex Deluxe (that shows you how old I am ) and I was obsessed with searching every place I could think of. After a while the D-Tex stopped working and I never had it repaired. I got involved in other things and put detecting on the back burner. Now after all these years, I'd like to get back into the hobby.

I don't have a detector yet and I realize they've come a long way since then. I'm open to suggestions as to which unit to buy. I don't really want to buy an entry level detector because I think after a few months, I'd want something better, so I might as well get a decent one now.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[Tony Two-Cent]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Glad you have decided to take up metal detecting again, it is a very rewarding hobby.

What kind of hunting are you going to be doing primarily? Coinshooting in parks and at old homesteads? Cellar hole hunting in the woods? Beach hunting? Relic hunting in farm fields? All of the above? The answer to that question can help us steer you toward some recommended machines. (What part of the country are you in, if you don't mind me asking?)

My situation was similar to yours. I detected a lot back in the 1980s but took a long break from the hobby when my Fisher 1260-X quit working. When I decided to get back into the hobby in early 2011, I didn't want to get an entry level machine either because I knew that my needs would quickly outgrow it. After evaluating my needs and my budget I decided on the Minelab E-Trac, but there are several other detectors that I also considered.

Glad to have you here and we are looking forward to your participation on the forum! |

[aloldstuff]

Welcome from western MA. Glad to see that you're interested in the hobby again. You have alot of choices as to what type of detector you should get. Nice that have already decided to not get the entry level machine.

Tony asked all the questions that you need to answer. Hopefully you will be able to make your choice after reading and watching videos on the various detectors. I myself am a Whites man but that Etrac sure is a great machine. Whatever your choice is I wish you great success and am looking forward to your future posts.

Al

[Route 66]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Tony, your story really is very similar to mine.

I think I'll mainly be searching in the parks around here and occasionally at the beaches too. Unfortunately, I don't have many Civil War battle fields to comb through over here lol, so my options are somewhat limited.

I'm located in Southern California, namely, Burbank.

[Tony Two-Cent]

I do almost all of my detecting in parks, so most of my experience is with those types of machines. I never do any beach hunting so I'm afraid that I'm not very qualified to give you a recommendation in that area. It is my understanding that the best machines for coinshooting in parks aren't really optimal for hunting salt water beaches, and vice versa.

I don't know what your budget is, but you basically can't go wrong with any of the mid/upper level machines from Whites, Minelab or Garrett for park hunting. I love my Minelab E-Trac and have enjoyed many successful hunts with it. On this forum you will also find many fans of Whites V3i, MXT and M6 machines. Many people also speak highly of Garrett's AT Pro. Of course, both Fisher and Tesoro have their dedicated fans too, but I am less familiar with those machines.

I will leave recommendations for beach hunting up to someone who has more experience in that area.

[Route 66]

Actually Tony, I probably wouldn't make it out to the beach very often because it's a bit a drive for me. Judging by what you say, I'd be best off concentrating on a detector that would work better in parks. As for my budget, I don't mind splurging on a nice unit to begin with because it'll only hurt for a little while. Now if I can just convince my wife of that. :hysterical:

I guess I need to spend some time researching the detectors you've mentioned and see what I can come up with.

Steve

[Skamaniac]

Welcome from another left coaster, uphill in Washington. I'm like you; did some detecting in the 80's, then got back into it last summer. I just bought a Garret AT Pro but I'm still learning with it so it's too early to give you an informed opinion.

[Lowjiber]

Welcome from southern Nevada.

If you had a BFO, you're certainly not a newbie to the hobby. I had one of those way-back-when. I like to tell folks that after two hours of tuning it, I found my Oldsmobile parked in the driveway.

Seriously, I'm not familiar with the soil in the Burbank area, but have hunted a lot sites from Monterey northward. I found the soil very mineralized, but most of the popular machines can be ground balanced and have good auto-tracking abilities.

[Route 66]

Welcome from southern Nevada.

If you had a BFO, you're certainly not a newbie to the hobby. I had one of those way-back-when. I like to tell folks that after two hours of tuning it, I found my Oldsmobile parked in the driveway.

Seriously, I'm not familiar with the soil in the Burbank area, but have hunted a lot sites from Monterey northward. I found the soil very mineralized, but most of the popular machines can be ground balanced and have good auto-tracking abilities.

Thanks for the feedback. I have a couple of questions for you though.

What does BFO mean and also, what are auto-tracking abilities?

I guess I'm much more of a newbie to the hobby than I thought. The D-Tex Deluxe that I had was way back in high school...in 1970!

[Abog]

My greetings from snowy Russia.

[CODY]

Welcome aboard from Mississippi. Like my Fisher F75. Lot of great detectors out there. Looking forward to your post and finds.

[Fire Fighter 43]

Welcome back to the hobby and forum from SE Wisconsin. There a lot of good machines out there it just depends on your budget and what you like to hunt. Good luck and happy hunting.

[del]

Hello and welcome to the forum Route 66 , i would only suggest to do a lot of reading about the machines your interested in and when you've narrowed them down ask the members here their opinions about their features and comparisons. glad you join up and best of luck.

Dan

[OxShoeDrew]

Good luck with your decision and welcome to the group

[Mudder]

Hi and welcome for south Mississippi. Selecting a new detector is a chore to say the very least. If you get the chance to try a couple it may help you make a decision. I wish you luck and happy hunting.

[Wisconsin Lockman]

Welcome from West Central Wisconsin. I'm a Whites man but what ever your budget says and what your happy with. There is a lot of good machines out there. Whites V3i, Fisher F75, Minelab ETrac, Technetics, Tesoro just to name a few.

[SeabeeRon]

Welcome from another California guy, although I am up in Santa Cruz.