Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500
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6 years without trouble sounds like pretty good going and I don't think I'd test my luck by fully submerging the unit although I 'spose it's possible to accidentally drop it in a creek or something.Ramjet said:
Do you mind if I ask where you bought yours from Ramjet?
Only AT-Pro International is sold in Australia, I had one but didn't like the tone spread as it was not compatible with our coins, sold it and got a none International.
AT-Pro is a good unit and as said is waterproof, I use glasses to see the screen when the AT-Pro is used in water with the screen below the surface the screen is of no use be it day time or night time as it can't be seen, also if hunting at night or in shade of trees, there is no screen back light which is needed for set-up and as mentioned no audio volume control except on headphones, but an expensive adapter is available.
All metal is available but not TAM as on AT-Gold so gold prospecting is limited, salt beach work is possible by reducing sensitivity and by notch control, again reduced usage.
I do Not use it in the rain if it's avoidable and I got better detectors for water hunting and diving.
You could ask how many AT-Pro owners seriously use it for water hunting to 1.2m depth, which is only wading; not me!
http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_at_pro_int_tech_specs_en.aspx
http://www.makrodetector.com/teknik-ozellikleri-racer-metal-detector.html
Backlight: Volume control on unit Can use any style of headphones: Full all metal mode for Gold Prospecting: Beach Mode that do not require reduction of sensitivity: Fact all the Racers modes can be used when beach hunting and it's better balanced since the batteries are under the arm.
The Racer Pro package!
way better value for my money!
AT-Pro is a good unit and as said is waterproof, I use glasses to see the screen when the AT-Pro is used in water with the screen below the surface the screen is of no use be it day time or night time as it can't be seen, also if hunting at night or in shade of trees, there is no screen back light which is needed for set-up and as mentioned no audio volume control except on headphones, but an expensive adapter is available.
All metal is available but not TAM as on AT-Gold so gold prospecting is limited, salt beach work is possible by reducing sensitivity and by notch control, again reduced usage.
I do Not use it in the rain if it's avoidable and I got better detectors for water hunting and diving.
You could ask how many AT-Pro owners seriously use it for water hunting to 1.2m depth, which is only wading; not me!
http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_at_pro_int_tech_specs_en.aspx
http://www.makrodetector.com/teknik-ozellikleri-racer-metal-detector.html
Backlight: Volume control on unit Can use any style of headphones: Full all metal mode for Gold Prospecting: Beach Mode that do not require reduction of sensitivity: Fact all the Racers modes can be used when beach hunting and it's better balanced since the batteries are under the arm.
bigfoot said:So if you were only going to have which would you choose?nesral said:Choice: I know which one I would choose if it was me needing my first one.
http://www.garrettaustralia.com.au/at-pro-international/
https://www.cwpsupplies.com.au/product-category/makro/
Incidentally I have one of each that's why I see which one have the best value for me.
The Racer Pro package!
way better value for my money!
bigfoot said:
I have never submerged mine. It is also the American model which I think the tone spread is better as well. Mrs Ramjet and the kids bought it for my birthday. I told her I wanted the Pro but didn't specify the international. She is a bargain hunter and got it online before the ban was in place. In hindsight I would by from an Aussie dealer if I had to do it again. Only issue I have had is t g e faceplate warped from being in a car on a 40 + degree day. My fault really.
A comparison between the two.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=256
At a second look. 8)
This looks a bit short for a Makro Racer Pro Package ? :/
https://www.cwpsupplies.com.au/product/makro-racer-pro-pack/
Wonder about the (Get a Makro pin pointer at $165 at know extra cost with each Makro Racer Purchase.)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This is what an official Racer Pro Package looks like.
https://www.cwpsupplies.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Racer_Brochure_EN.pdf
http://www.makrodedektor.com/files/racer/Racer_Brosur_EN.pdf
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Who can you trust ? :/
This looks a bit short for a Makro Racer Pro Package ? :/
https://www.cwpsupplies.com.au/product/makro-racer-pro-pack/
Wonder about the (Get a Makro pin pointer at $165 at know extra cost with each Makro Racer Purchase.)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This is what an official Racer Pro Package looks like.
https://www.cwpsupplies.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Racer_Brochure_EN.pdf
http://www.makrodedektor.com/files/racer/Racer_Brosur_EN.pdf
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Who can you trust ? :/
I'm 6'4" and I've held an AT Pro and it feels very front heavy to me. Could partly be due to the short upper stem, with the armrest sitting about 5 inches short of where I like it just under in front of the elbow. In waterproof units, I like the looks of the MX Sport over the Garrett, only downer is it needs 8 x AA's, so it won't be light, but should be nicely balanced.
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
If I had an AT Pro, I'd seriously consider a straight shaft setup like the ones from Plugger and Anderson shafts over the S-bend rod design. The Ace is the same, very front end heavy, especially using the larger concentric coil. Just shows why you should check out any prospective purchases in the flesh if possible.
I see the Racer Pro package price has been slashed, plus the inclusion of the pinpointer makes for a pretty attractive package. Looks like CWP clipped off the rest of the Pro package in their advert, missing the headphones, charger/rechargeables and hat/t-shirt, though you would expect that they are still included.
I see the Racer Pro package price has been slashed, plus the inclusion of the pinpointer makes for a pretty attractive package. Looks like CWP clipped off the rest of the Pro package in their advert, missing the headphones, charger/rechargeables and hat/t-shirt, though you would expect that they are still included.
I need a metal detector that I can use in the local parks and on the beach. It needs to be able to handle wet sand with some success. I really don't want to be spending big bucks as I`m a newbie, so anything under $1,000 would be great. I`m currently leaning towards the Minelabs x-terra range maybe the 305...
Any advice and recommendations would be truly appreciated.
Any advice and recommendations would be truly appreciated.
silver
silver
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Hows that alditecta working out for you bc ?
Take it steady mate and make sure you like detecting before you spend another cent, .... and post up some pictures of your finds so we can appreciate them and give you the proper feedback on it all,... that will help you with a learning curve,... gotta have one of them mate !
Take it steady mate and make sure you like detecting before you spend another cent, .... and post up some pictures of your finds so we can appreciate them and give you the proper feedback on it all,... that will help you with a learning curve,... gotta have one of them mate !
Suggestions of some detectors that will work on our beaches was made here, there was also indication of a few bargins, which can also still be found on eBay at $785.00
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16214
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16214
At Pro is fully waterproof.
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
Best to do some research into what features you would like from a detector, and study as many You Tube clips as you can from experienced operators to see if they perform as expected and on how they operate test in the field. The 305 has been discontinued, and neither that detector or the 505 have a dedicated beach mode (I tried the 305 on wet sand, was not the best). That leaves the 705.
My decision on purchasing a vlf for park detecting mainly came down to recovery speed, weight of the detector, user friendliness, requirement for screen backlighting (night detecting), and overall flexibility for various types of sites. Whilst the detectors below may well not personally suit you, it just gives a bit of an idea on how you might go about shopping for a new detector.
Some detectors I considered before purchasing my current Deus included the AT Pro, though the lack of screen backlighting, questionable wet beach performance and the choice of only the international version in Oz had me looking elsewhere. Either way, it would be beyond your budget by $200.
I never really considered the Minelab X-Terra 705 considering I already have an Etrac, and I'm not too keen on the -8 to 48 ID range, much prefer the larger spread of the tradional 0-99 ID range found on most other vlf detectors. That will be purely a personal choice, as many do own a 705 on forum, and have great success and enjoy using them.
The Teknetics G2+ is a tad over budget at $1099 and ticks a lot of boxes, including screen backlighting, ground grab or manual ground balancing, iron volume, VCO tones in discriminate mode, notch mode, and ability to ground balance to salt for beach work. I already have the basic Teknetics G2 model, and it an extremely easy detector to use and set up, lightweight and has good recovery speeds. The G2+ was not considered due to being too similar to my G2, more of an upgrade with additional features vs an advance in overall performance ( my missus mainly uses the G2).
The Fisher F44 did catch my eye and is a pretty feature laden detector for the money, though there has been little or no feedback from owners in Australia to have the confidence for making a purchase on this detector. It is also more regarded as a budget detector, so I wouldn't expect it to perform as well as something around the $1000 mark. Another minus is that it actually states in the F44 manual that it is not suitable for wet sand detecting.
The Red Makro Racer was considered, though being relatively new to the market at the time, I didn't want to outlay money until all the initial bugs were ironed out (as with many new detectors). The other turn off was the lack of a memory to store user settings, something that has been addressed on the Racer 2.
I never considered the Nokta Fors Core purely through personal preference in not having a separate control box mounted under the armrest, much prefer to have ALL controls at my fingertips. All a bit too old fashioned for me, and something I think Nokta need to improve to compete alongside the the more compact Racer detectors.
Lastly, if I hadn't purchased the Deus, or if my budget didn't stretch that far, I would have been seriously considering the soon to be released Makro Racer 2. Being a second genration detector, all the bugs should be well and truly ironed out by now, and the packed list of features on this detector is pretty hard to ignore for a detector around the $1000 mark.
Things that would tick my boxes include screen backlighting, iron volume, ultra fast recovery speeds, dedicated beach mode, notch ability, deep mode, adjustable ID tones, expanded non-ferrous ID range, optional wireless headphones etc etc.
So I guess the gist of my post is to sit down and list all those features and abilities you wish to have in a detector, and use the process of elimination to narrow down choices within your budget. Study the downloadable manuals for each detector, and have a good read on what they can and can't do. Often product flyers conveniently forget to list detector shortcomings, much as I found out on the Fisher F44 for wet sand.
My decision on purchasing a vlf for park detecting mainly came down to recovery speed, weight of the detector, user friendliness, requirement for screen backlighting (night detecting), and overall flexibility for various types of sites. Whilst the detectors below may well not personally suit you, it just gives a bit of an idea on how you might go about shopping for a new detector.
Some detectors I considered before purchasing my current Deus included the AT Pro, though the lack of screen backlighting, questionable wet beach performance and the choice of only the international version in Oz had me looking elsewhere. Either way, it would be beyond your budget by $200.
I never really considered the Minelab X-Terra 705 considering I already have an Etrac, and I'm not too keen on the -8 to 48 ID range, much prefer the larger spread of the tradional 0-99 ID range found on most other vlf detectors. That will be purely a personal choice, as many do own a 705 on forum, and have great success and enjoy using them.
The Teknetics G2+ is a tad over budget at $1099 and ticks a lot of boxes, including screen backlighting, ground grab or manual ground balancing, iron volume, VCO tones in discriminate mode, notch mode, and ability to ground balance to salt for beach work. I already have the basic Teknetics G2 model, and it an extremely easy detector to use and set up, lightweight and has good recovery speeds. The G2+ was not considered due to being too similar to my G2, more of an upgrade with additional features vs an advance in overall performance ( my missus mainly uses the G2).
The Fisher F44 did catch my eye and is a pretty feature laden detector for the money, though there has been little or no feedback from owners in Australia to have the confidence for making a purchase on this detector. It is also more regarded as a budget detector, so I wouldn't expect it to perform as well as something around the $1000 mark. Another minus is that it actually states in the F44 manual that it is not suitable for wet sand detecting.
The Red Makro Racer was considered, though being relatively new to the market at the time, I didn't want to outlay money until all the initial bugs were ironed out (as with many new detectors). The other turn off was the lack of a memory to store user settings, something that has been addressed on the Racer 2.
I never considered the Nokta Fors Core purely through personal preference in not having a separate control box mounted under the armrest, much prefer to have ALL controls at my fingertips. All a bit too old fashioned for me, and something I think Nokta need to improve to compete alongside the the more compact Racer detectors.
Lastly, if I hadn't purchased the Deus, or if my budget didn't stretch that far, I would have been seriously considering the soon to be released Makro Racer 2. Being a second genration detector, all the bugs should be well and truly ironed out by now, and the packed list of features on this detector is pretty hard to ignore for a detector around the $1000 mark.
Things that would tick my boxes include screen backlighting, iron volume, ultra fast recovery speeds, dedicated beach mode, notch ability, deep mode, adjustable ID tones, expanded non-ferrous ID range, optional wireless headphones etc etc.
So I guess the gist of my post is to sit down and list all those features and abilities you wish to have in a detector, and use the process of elimination to narrow down choices within your budget. Study the downloadable manuals for each detector, and have a good read on what they can and can't do. Often product flyers conveniently forget to list detector shortcomings, much as I found out on the Fisher F44 for wet sand.
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I suggest secondhand 705, or the racer, which is starting to hit the secondhand market.
Hi I'm looking at getting a detector. I have about $1000 to spend and don't mind second hand but if advice says so I will save more and getting something better. I have been looking at the garrett AT gold. Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.
How often do you plan on getting out there to detect?
Assuming your more after gold than coins/relics I'd be more inclined to recommend hiring a SDC or GPX from Central West Prospecting Supplies in Mudgee if your trips are going to be infrequent or until you can afford a PI.
Most people go home with at least a subgrammer or two with the SDC out there.
I've tried a couple of VLF's (both Whites machines) out there & had no luck. Both played up in areas. I do know of others that have used a VLF out there & got some gold though.
Assuming your more after gold than coins/relics I'd be more inclined to recommend hiring a SDC or GPX from Central West Prospecting Supplies in Mudgee if your trips are going to be infrequent or until you can afford a PI.
Most people go home with at least a subgrammer or two with the SDC out there.
I've tried a couple of VLF's (both Whites machines) out there & had no luck. Both played up in areas. I do know of others that have used a VLF out there & got some gold though.
You'd have to give Lucinda a call. I haven't been in there for awhile & they had only just started to hire machines out again so there was no pricing up + I didn't ask.
They did say at that stage they had SDC2300, GPX4500 (& chasing up a 5000) & GPZ7000 for hire but the GPZ had to be hired in conjunction with hiring a trainer for the day i.e. you couldn't take it out by yourself.
They did say at that stage they had SDC2300, GPX4500 (& chasing up a 5000) & GPZ7000 for hire but the GPZ had to be hired in conjunction with hiring a trainer for the day i.e. you couldn't take it out by yourself.
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