Help on picking metal detector

[Cj87]

Hi all newbie here just need some help, i have a fish f4 what i got 3 weeks ago, i took it to the beach 2weeks ago and they only work in dry sand, so i now looking to buy one for wet sand maybe few inches in water, i have been looking at the minelab x-terra 305 what i can pick up for 250 what is all i have to spend, could anyone tell me if these are good for beachs and wet sand ?

[fred]

As far as I am concerned the 300, 500 or 700 series Minelabs are fine machines but non of them are that good on wet sand, although they do work.

[Koala]

Your F4 should be useable if not ideal. http://www.findmall.com/read.php?37,1232201

Depends a lot on your beach.

Most SW beaches seem fine. Here in the NW most are trying without a multi frequency or PI detector. SW Norfolk some are all right others a pain. Not been anywhere else.


3 weeks is a bit early to be giving up. Takes a bit for the brain to tune into the tones so it can ignore slight chatter and home into solid repeatable signals.

[Junior]

Just got a Garrett sea hunter pi for the wet stuff - dry sand ( not best suited for inland work unless u like digging!!!!) So far a plated silver ring and about 27p in 8 visits to a north Norfolk beach where my mrs swims twice weekly so better to detect than get bored watching her. It'll sound like an excuse but at minute wrong type of sand all soft sand has been stripped off the beach and all we have is hard sand so hence if u drop it u see it. It'll pick up re inforcement wire in a small piece of glass. So be prepared to dig plenty of iron / junk. Has sort of dis on it but not tried it on it yet Supp water proof to 200 feet. Control unit seems well made. 3 gripes so far. Joining piece of plastic joining the upper to the mid stem seems under sized so wiggles for England and no optional arm strap on the arm cup as we all aren't going to dive with it. Volume from head phones high due I assume to the diving option sorted by putting more foam in them though u can buy volume adjustable head phones as a option. Don't know what they go for second hand. A Minelab sov gt supp good on wet and dry if u don't mind buying second hand. 2 on gumtree at present in Norfolk junior

[Machinist]

Hi CJ, and welcome to the forum

If you are struggling with the F4 on the wet then you will probably find the Minelab x-terra 305 is the same as it is only a VLF single frequency machine as is the F4. You will need one of the Minelab multi frequency machines, BBS or FBS type, but that is going to take you well above your budget.

Have you tried reducing the sensitivity ? One of the major mistakes new users make is trying to use on full sensitivity on the wet sand thinking it will go deeper but it just makes the detector unstable.

You could always go for a Pulse Induction (PI) machine which ignore the mineralisation of a wet beach but that will mean you digging everything and they are no good on fields due to he amount of iron junk on most land. You can pick up a used C-scope CS4PI for under your budget.

I personally have several machines, Pi for the wet sand and others for the dry sand and fields.

Ray

[lord lovell]

Hi the minelab explorer Se works fine on the wet and you could buy a secondhand one within your budget as said a pi is idea on beaches that are low on iron out in the wet depending on conditions I wouldn't want to use a pi on the dry unless the conditions where right a cscope is prob the only pi in you price range

[Copperballs1]

A second hand Makro Racer...will surprise you on wet sand and great inland...should be able to get one for your budget.