beach detector

[Pav]

In my opinion CS 4PI .. No chance. What u dig I'd what you dig. But simple, deep and works everywhere on the beach.
My Minelab Sov replaced my CS4PI. I enjoy it more as no longer dig tent pegs! Maybe u can avoid tin foil, but not ring pulls. I think someone better than me can predict better what they are digging, but am still learning. Works on the wet sand to.

Most the guys who find the good stuff seem to dig every signal as you could miss the goodies! The PI guys get some really good stuff, just browse the posts to see.

There is an old post of mine that shows everything I dug with the PI, and then shows how my finds changed as I moved onto the Sov up until my first ring.

2nd hand mds seem to hold the money. Not sure if I would gamble on ebay, but there are a few reputable dealers of mds if u search.

Hope that helps.
Waiting for tide to drop then going out to hit the beach tonight.

[lord lovell]

stick with a pi and dig everything

[Blackadder43]

Instead of concentrating on how many holes you might dig i think you should look at the bigger picture.
A pulse induction machine on wet sand will out perform (depth wise) any other machine on the market.
They were designed specifically for wet sand.
So, with that in mind you need to think about the sorts of things you are hunting for on the Beach
Gold and silver mainly.
So, with a standard detector you have discrimination, which when on the beach some people use. This will no doubt lose you targets.
With a PI machine you dont have discrimination, but the upside is you wont miss targets, and you have gained a massive depth advantage

Some people say their ears become trained to slight deviations in the signal response, crackly, spitty or belting
With experience you could tame a PI machine
With dedication and a bit of digging you will find stuff that will buy your machine twice over

It really does come down to what you want out of the hobby, there are no magic bits of advise.
Most manufacturers state that their machines will detect on the beach, whilst this is true they will not perform to the standard of a PI machine that was built for the Beach......

I would imagine the ratio of trash to good finds on the beach is high, but in my opinion a PI machine will increase your chances of finding the good stuff, although as you rightly point out you will have to dig more targets.

[lord lovell]

i own a pi and i wouldnt use anything else its amazing what stuff you will find i never knew the beach was full of hair grips till i used a pi

[jimbotrucker]

I am not sure I should comment as one of the cs4 detectors for sale is mine, but they are designed to do a job and they do it really well. I think if you whent to a beach with loads of garbage on it it would drive you daft very quickly, but if you work out which parts of the beach is most likely to have the good stuff in a PI will find it

[lord lovell]

your be fine with a pi im a couple of years older and can dig for 8 hours easy with my pi mate

[lord lovell]

you dont go deep in water mate you can detect in shallow water yes but dont get control box in water there are a few good pi machines i allway stick with a eric foster model but the pi scope will be ok or a whites pi or the sand shark by tesoro

[Blackadder43]

Eric Foster is a god in the PI detecting world......

[Sportsman]

Is there Anymore budget machines on the market good for the beach !

[lord lovell]

Eric Foster is a god in the PI detecting world......

YOU DONT GET BETTER THAN A ERIC FOSTER DETECTOR

[Sportsman]

There quite expensive i think..

[lord lovell]

you can get a scope pi for around £190 on ebay a foster machine is gold dust these dayss mate

[Mega B]

Not really sure how long you have been detecting but gut feeling tells me not very long,you mention that you would like to do beach detecting which is not a problem but what you dont mention is are you planning on doing just the odd day on the beach or as some members on this forum do it all the time.

Most single freq VLF machines will work on the dry sand and they do work reasonably well,but its the wet sand that is the problem and the only VLF machines that work are usually multi freq machines say like DFX,Sovereigns,Etracs those types of makes,these machines offer not only discrimination but can be used inland as well.But these machines are at the upper end of the spectrum and of course are not cheap.

Then we get onto the Pulse machine,these are a specialized machine but they are often seen as the best machine for the job but of course they are a dig all machine,but with time you do learn to understand the subtle tones so that you can reduce the odds of digging iron.

Going by your budget it does sound limited,so basically you have to go back and re-think do i want to just to do the odd days on the beach or do i do it all the time,if your doing the 1st option then just get a VLF machine reduce the settings down and you should be able to do most of the beach but it will struggle and false on the wet stuff.

If you plan on doing beach detecting alot you then have to up your financial budget to allow machines like the good old ultra reliable Sovereign or get a dedicated Pulse machine,the entry level C-Scope is the weapon that most people choose because mainly is a bargain price for a Pulse machine,as some other have mention a a name 'Eric Foster' so who is this guy you ask,he is often seen as the Guru and pioneer of the Pulse Induction machines as we understand it today,he built his own brand of machines that are often seen as the Rolls Royce of beach machine.But these machines i feel are way over your budget as they are at the premium end of the spectrum.

So what option do you choose,well you can go down the route of the reliable Sovereign which works good on both wet and dry sand or a Pulse machine,i am lucky that i can use either my DFX which is dual freq or a big Pulse on the beach,the final choice is of course yours.

A few things worth thinking about,time you plan on detecting on the beach,your budget and your experiance these will help you choose the best machine.

[Thor]

Hi , for the money , the CS4PI is a gem .True , you need to be prepared to dig , but as a budget /entry level machine its a great place to start. Its rugged , easy to use and has a good battery life. You will soon learn the subtle sound variances ,consider them clues in your search . When you read a beach , learn the hot spots the gullies and black sand , the junk / target ratio will then improve. Good luck with whichever machine you choose

[lord lovell]

eric foster is the main inventor of the pi and the patient for it if you have the money look out for a eric foster machine i use a beachscan and believe me it goes deep other foster machine include the sandpiper goldscan and deepstar all top machines that find gold