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My Father-in-law has been asking for one of these for a while!
What are your experiences please?
Looking to pick something up - second hand is also fine as I can imagine if he doesn’t strike gold he will abandon the hobby pretty fast [emoji23]
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Bit like watches, you pay anything from £100 to £3/4K, I go most weeks and just like being out in the country side but if I get something with history then it’s all the better.
Permission must be sought for most land in the UK, beaches are fine but you should log your details with the crown estate first.
I would look at the used market and something like a Garrett 250 will be good to start, around £150..
Someone’s been watching ‘Aussie Gold Hunters?’[emoji3]
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Land or beach (wet sand)? Needs different machines or a more expensive one to do both.
Thanks! Familiar with the brand - will take a look at these :DQuote:
Originally Posted by murkeywaters
Maybe something similar - it is some dodgy sh*t on YouTube - they're not Aussie though!Quote:
Originally Posted by dizz
Probably be land only.Quote:
Originally Posted by lew07
Something like this would be ideal - https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-spor...ras/1356635925
As Lew07 says, wet sand is a totally different scenario to land as the salt and other deposits play havoc with the detectors ground balance, I have a Minelab Sovereign for beaches which is known as being one of the best at dealing with wet sand, these too can be found for quite a reasonable cost.
Tell your FIL to watch plenty of videos, it will give him lots of inspiration and show him how to go about the basics right, its not easy and you dig a lot of crap, but every now and again something nice pops up and makes it all worth it.
This family finds some epic history, if you think they are getting a bit too excited then just think this coin is worth about the same as a ceramic Daytona and believe it or not is even more rare!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g10tnOEozlg
As others have already said you can’t really go wrong with a Garrett Ace 250 or 300,they have great residuals and are easy to move on,I’m out most weeks on my own permissions but was out today on an organised dig whereby you pay on the day and get to detect on some new land,plenty of groups on faceberk who sort these out.
Oh don’t tempt me, I had one as a kid and found old money (penny’s, thrupenny bits and bullet casings!) I couldn’t get out as much as I wanted as I was a kid and needed transportation.
So tempted to try it again.
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Best advice I can give is to tell your FIL to get permission on some land before getting the detector, nothing worse than having the gear and no where to use it, as already said the garrets are a good machine but there are also some other good machines at good prices worth looking at such as Rutus and Nokta/Makro , I use a Rutus Alter71 and a Minelab Safari, the Safari as with several other models from Minelab are good for both land and beach use. Membership of NCMD is also worth considering to cover insurance etc most paid for digs will require him to have this. I'ts a great hobby to have and a bonus to actually find something worthwhile.
I did a bit of metal detecting as a kid, many moons ago, and quite fancy jumping back in at the deep end to have another go.
The Minelab Equinox 800 looks the business but costly. Anyone own/used one? Any good for a beginner?
you could start with that but I’d start with something cheaper as it takes a while to dial yourself in to the hobby and the machine,you can then work your way up which is always part of the fun,I started with an Ace 300 and now use an XP Deus,although I’ve had it a couple of years,only recently have I felt that I’m starting to get dialled into it...and as with watches everyone you speak to will have the best advice on which machine finds the most.Quote:
Originally Posted by electorn
I also had one of these when I was a lot younger, in fact not long after it started becoming a recognised hobby. It's a fascinating hobby too, much like fishing I always felt and is a great way to spend some quiet time out in the open. I lived near Rochester then so was always finding Roman coins and odds and ends from every era including a broken bronze age torque.
My most interesting find though was a stunning early bronze age axe head in beautiful condition that now resides in Rochester Museum and apparently was important to them in helping them date bronze age settlements in the region as it was the earliest one that had been found anywhere in the area.. Pots of gold are extremely rare finds but it's amazing what's lurking beneath our feet and metal detecting teaches you a lot about your local history, great fun ! :smug:
The Nox is a very good machine, I have a Deus too but quite fancy getting a Nox, if anything to try it and see what’s different plus it’s far better on the beach.Quote:
Originally Posted by electorn
As said it’s quite advanced so a cheaper used machine would probably be better to start with, again no point have a detector if you have no where to go so get a permission first or find out about local arranged digs.
I have a Garret Ace 400, a Minelab Etrac and a Nox 800. My buddy has the Garret 300 and finds fewer coins than I do with either of my machines. The Nox gets most use these as it is light weight, has a good battery life, wireless headphones and finds things although I suspect the etrac is better at hammered coins.
As someone else said, they are like watches and price doesn’t always indicate quality but there is a general rule of getting what you pay for and not expecting one machine to do everything.
Metal detecting has always fascinated me, when I was 13 or 14ish, for a few years I walked past a second hand ‘junk’ shop that had one in the window for £30 and I always wanted to save up and get it, I never did but wished I had, I wouldn’t mind having a look into it again, I guess there would probably be a local club I could go along to.
Nothing to add re purchasing but just wanted to mention "The Detectorists" Superb TV show revolving around a metal detecting club. Beautiful cinematography and great humour. Highly recommended watching if you're not familiar with it!!
https://youtu.be/NgN7z0SD8v8
Quote:
Originally Posted by thorpey69
Thanks for the reply guys. I have sporadically seen what I assume to be a club out and about near me. The next time I see them I am going to pop over for a chat.Quote:
Originally Posted by murkeywaters
I have access to a few fields and there is a forest near me, I was going to have a crack in there. I believe I have found a new winter passtime!
Not a bad place to start. https://www.ncmd.co.uk/
Finding somewhere to detect and getting the land owner’s permission is your next challenge. I personally avoid local club type digs as they tend to attract people who are only interested in “treasure”. I am only interested in the historical angle (living near the sites of Roman, Civil War and Monmouth Rebellion activity) and have coordinated my activities with a local historian, the local museum and Finds Liaison Officer and most recently an author who is writing an account of the Monmouth Rebellion. He is now changing his views on troop and rebel movements due to recent evidence of military equipment finds. Quite interesting stuff.
You can’t believe how real a lot of the situations and conversations that are in the program are real life with detecting clubs, some of it you couldn’t make up!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean Learner
A list of things you’ll find in no particular order...
Buttons
lead...lots of lead.
Buttons
toasted Georgian copper coins
Buttons
bottle tops
Buttons
ring pulls
Buttons
musket balls
Buttons
buckles
Buttons
bullets
Buttons
shotgun cartridge ends
Buttons
and sometimes something silver and if you’re lucky gold,although I only found my 1st bit of gold last week,I love finding hammered silver coins as they fascinate me and anything else that requires research...and even some buttons can tell a really interesting tale😄
I have this on sell your detector. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4132...n=group_dialog
Garrett EuroAce £150 posted.
pm for details.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...8Q4IjSd-&ifg=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...8Q4IjSd-&ifg=1
Some regional variances in my area:Quote:
Originally Posted by thorpey69
Mastitis tubes
Buttons
Random pieces of lead
Buckles
Buttons
Mastitis tubes
Musket balls
Buttons
Buckles
Random pieces of brass sheet
Random pieces of bronze casting
Broken buckles
Buttons
Mastitis tubes
Buttons
Yes, once in a while a hammered silver coin or a jetton/trade token and that always makes my day.
Cant beat a hammered, something so exciting and satisfying seeing that thin grey edge in the clod, I love em!
I just bought a hand held underwater detector after chatting to a couple of chaps on Swanage Pier.
For £75 it seems pretty decent (although the water resistance doesn't look too reliable, the blokes I spoke to were full of enthusiasm for theirs and had used them to 20M or more), but I've not had a chance to try it out yet.
I have used bigger underwater detectors before though.
http://www.thesaxbys.co.uk/dsp18_3.jpg
M
Love Swanage and the pier!..the problem you'll have with the underwater detectors which i'm sure you'll already know judging from the picture is the lack of discrimination,i assume you dive from there then?...on the information board on the pier they show quite a few interesting finds found from the wrecks around the area,bet you'll have great fun with it!Quote:
Originally Posted by snowman
Sometimes dive from Swanage, but that photo is off Chesil Beach.
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If you find a Suunto Mosquito with a useless velcro strap bleeping away off Chesil ( doubtful after 10 years ) it might be mine!Quote:
Originally Posted by snowman
Budget of around £150 to start me off...