Spreadsheets for Newbies... are any available to look at, and if so, where?

[sam-u-al]

I am literally going around in circles as to all the ins n outs of:
1)… detectors (so little seems to be clear on so much of what is on video and written, so is this info in the manuals on each detector ? Or is the manuals a vague avenue of exploration as well, as I note quite a few manufacturers leave a LOT of info out of their promo videos, and only after users use their detectors etc, is the REAL INFO available...)…
2)… coils,… is it true that coils vary so much that one detectors' coils do not fit another detector manufacturer? I do not know! I assume this is so, but is it? (Nokta or Nexus for example, does not fit a ML?) ... And yet, if some DO fit, which coils fit what detector?
3)… concise detailed information; …looking for a spreadsheet somewhere that shows; i)…what coil fits what machine, …not only for coils relative to which machine, but also ii)… spreadsheets for settings relative to different situations and for iv)… different soils, rocks etc of geologic structures... and v)…… a few other spreadsheets I could think of as well...
...
......but am I dreaming here? Is this info in a spreadsheet format somewhere? Or, lol, is that a utopian dream-state I'm living!!! Lol...
...
... Dreaming or not,... I really have no idea, ........
....... as it (looking for data as to the OVERALL current field of info for detecting, etc) is a bit like tossing a box of coloured confetti in the air and trying to group the colours as they fall... durrrrr...
I DO WONDER THAT I may be missing the obvious herein!
All I seem to find is a mass of info with little correlating overlap of detail in many cases... and as said... am I just going around in circles like a dog chasing itself?
What may I be missing here? ………and yet granted,..with every spiral around the block, the understanding is deeper... but I have been looking CONSTANTLY for month now and a lot of vagueness is available, and a lack of precise info is missing on many aspects...
{... as said by some there is a book waiting to be published on this topic, as the very basics of what (all you guys who have been doing detecting for years and decades) is needed to know to make sense of the data... {and no, no detecting shop is close by to drain their brain into mine here}…
...
So, what am I looking for herein to makes some sort of sense to all the info available? I simply do not know... Like swimming in a flood of info in mid-stream and almost drowning along the way... and I want to buy a detector asap.... {ps... do I just go to the shop n buy a $200 detector n see? Again... I hav no idea………)…
...
As, currently I do not own nor have used a detector, and yet ......have looked at least 100 vids {or more} on half a dozen manufacturers varied kinds, of 30+ detectors, and multiply that same number with coils...
...
So, please,...what are the base-line guidelines, you know,... the common features that makes sense of the data...ie,... detector speed, depths re coils and power factors, bounce back to original settings, filtering of noise-ground-feros-background tones-etc... or is the info, ....just like weaving thru a crowded information set and one HAS TO to get a device in ones cool little fist to make sense of the above data?
...
But then, the situation is a Catch 22 hey!
With no detector, the data makes little sense until used, and yet without (a good) sense of the data, one does not know what to buy!!!
It is interesting...
...
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for you advise if you so choose to share it..
May yr detector hit the spot...
Cheers

 

[Teemore]

You're overcomplicating/overthinking the whole thing, and don't really say whether you're intending to chase gold or relics.
As you've watched quite a few videos you'll know that for gold the preferences based on what you can afford would be Gold Monster, SDC, GPX pre 6000, GPX6000 and GPZ7000 .... and you don't immediately need extra coils, the supplied coils are excellent, as you will have seen some will swear by brand x, someone else brand Y YET some do really well with the basic ML coil ..... It's how and where you use them that's important.
For relics, sorry haven't used any (except Xterra) but the NQX range seem to be the go, get what you can afford.
The non Minelab brands all have their followers both for relics and gold.
Best options may be to decide what your targets will be, then, try hiring a machine or 2, do a training day or 2 and/or join a club or one of the PMAV branches that go on outings ...... all will be only too willing to share their knowledge.

 

[Moneybox]

Sam-u-al, Do yourself a favour and go out and buy the best detector you can from your research so far. All those detectors Teemore has listed will find you gold if they pass over it and if you are like the rest of us you'll learn as you go along if you need accessories. You can't make all these decisions on research alone. You need experience in the field.

 

[user 4386]

Definitely over-thinking it. Buy a detector and have some fun (you will)

 

[RM Outback]

Set yourself a goal with respect to the machine that you really want and get on with achieving your goal. It won't make you a millions, none of them will. If you want to make millions in this game you're in it for the wrong reasons. As Teemore and Moneybox have said in general keep it simple.

No amount of investment is a guaranteed return. Knowledge is gained from experience, not literature or what ever is written on any forum. Even those who show decent finds aren't necessarily experts, not many are truth be known (I definitely fit this category) When it comes to literature that's worthy of your time after procurement, it's what you research that helps. Research with respect to places of interest doesn't offer any guarantee either, but it gives you a guide. All the best with your adventures what ever it is

 

[sam-u-al]

Gee guys... with deep respect... thank you...
One of my brothers has said he will go halves in a good detector... so a Garrett Axiom is the choice... which squeezes my budget a tad... but also make a lot of sense...
Again thanks for the shove of common sense you share...
Cheers...

 

[user 22230]

A Garrett Axiom ??? I'd like to see a bit more time to prove itself in the field myself. The big one I'm not keen on is the built in battery set up. Regardless get out and enjoy and good luck

 

[Nuggetbuster]

I agree: over-thinking it.

For a gold machine on a budget, can’t go wrong with a used Minelab GPX 4500 or GPX 5000.

 

[Mackka]

Is Sam u l banned ?

 

[Solid Luck]

Looks like it

 

[Flash Jack]

Is Sam u l banned ?

..and yet he can still post? Or has he just called himself that?

 

[Simmo]

Is Sam u l banned ?

He has exceeded his warning points. An automatic temporary ban goes into place.

 

[gulliver]

I am literally going around in circles as to all the ins n outs of:
1)… detectors (so little seems to be clear on so much of what is on video and written, so is this info in the manuals on each detector ? Or is the manuals a vague avenue of exploration as well, as I note quite a few manufacturers leave a LOT of info out of their promo videos, and only after users use their detectors etc, is the REAL INFO available...)…
2)… coils,… is it true that coils vary so much that one detectors' coils do not fit another detector manufacturer? I do not know! I assume this is so, but is it? (Nokta or Nexus for example, does not fit a ML?) ... And yet, if some DO fit, which coils fit what detector?
3)… concise detailed information; …looking for a spreadsheet somewhere that shows; i)…what coil fits what machine, …not only for coils relative to which machine, but also ii)… spreadsheets for settings relative to different situations and for iv)… different soils, rocks etc of geologic structures... and v)…… a few other spreadsheets I could think of as well...
...
......but am I dreaming here? Is this info in a spreadsheet format somewhere? Or, lol, is that a utopian dream-state I'm living!!! Lol...
...
... Dreaming or not,... I really have no idea, ........
....... as it (looking for data as to the OVERALL current field of info for detecting, etc) is a bit like tossing a box of coloured confetti in the air and trying to group the colours as they fall... durrrrr...
I DO WONDER THAT I may be missing the obvious herein!
All I seem to find is a mass of info with little correlating overlap of detail in many cases... and as said... am I just going around in circles like a dog chasing itself?
What may I be missing here? ………and yet granted,..with every spiral around the block, the understanding is deeper... but I have been looking CONSTANTLY for month now and a lot of vagueness is available, and a lack of precise info is missing on many aspects...
{... as said by some there is a book waiting to be published on this topic, as the very basics of what (all you guys who have been doing detecting for years and decades) is needed to know to make sense of the data... {and no, no detecting shop is close by to drain their brain into mine here}…
...
So, what am I looking for herein to makes some sort of sense to all the info available? I simply do not know... Like swimming in a flood of info in mid-stream and almost drowning along the way... and I want to buy a detector asap.... {ps... do I just go to the shop n buy a $200 detector n see? Again... I hav no idea………)…
...
As, currently I do not own nor have used a detector, and yet ......have looked at least 100 vids {or more} on half a dozen manufacturers varied kinds, of 30+ detectors, and multiply that same number with coils...
...
So, please,...what are the base-line guidelines, you know,... the common features that makes sense of the data...ie,... detector speed, depths re coils and power factors, bounce back to original settings, filtering of noise-ground-feros-background tones-etc... or is the info, ....just like weaving thru a crowded information set and one HAS TO to get a device in ones cool little fist to make sense of the above data?
...
But then, the situation is a Catch 22 hey!
With no detector, the data makes little sense until used, and yet without (a good) sense of the data, one does not know what to buy!!!
It is interesting...
...
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for you advise if you so choose to share it..
May yr detector hit the spot...
Cheers

There are 3 things to consider
1. Charcteriatics of ground
2. Search target - gold, coins, metal artefacts
3. Personal physical characteristics e.g., hand holding strength, whether carrying backpack or camp/vehicle nearby

Give your answers to this to a dealer and ask what they have at different price points

Or borrow/hire and let the results guide you

A spreadsheet will give you an average result not a practical recommendation.