Hi Jim,
I suspect the chain you found is quite thin. If that is the case, then it is quite possible that the Beachscan couldn't pick it up. I have a PI designed quite similar to the Beachscan and hopefully will have a Beachscan soon. My similar designed unit will not see extremely thin or fine gold either.
Let me say before going any farther that I am by no means an expert on PI's. I have just begun to do some serious experimenting from a technical standpoint.
However, I feel I am quite knowledgeable on VLF's like the CZ.
VLF's do have their advantages and one of those advantages is the ability to pick up smaller gold. The CZ series are great machines, but there are other VLF's that will do a better job even on smaller gold. Most of them are designed for nugget hunting.
Does that make a VLF better than a PI? Not necessarily, since each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
One should realize that there are places where a PI will work so much better than a VLF including the CZ. I suspect that if you tried the CZ on the wet part of a salt water beach it would give you problems.
I also know what would happen in areas where there is a lot of magnetic black sand. In such places, the PI would excel over the CZ and most other VLF's.
The Beachscan is a medium priced machine as as such doesn't have the capabilities of some of the more expensive units. So in answer to your question, are there better units that are more sensitive to smaller gold, the answer would have to be yes.
Can you buy a more expensive PI and still not be able to pick up a very thin gold bracelet? Again, the answer would have to be yes. PI's are designed with certain capabilities in mind. Some are for finding large deep objects, others for finding typical jewelery, and still others for finding smaller gold. Also, from what I have read, PI's do a much better job in salt water than do VLF's.
I have no experience with Eric Foster's more expensive PI's but the raves continue on this forum and I would suspect that his Aquastar and Deepstar would probably see the chain.
I have experimented with changing the pulse delay and know that it makes a real big difference on a PI's ability to see really small gold. That is why I think the Aquastar for sure would probably see the bracelet.
There are a couple of things to remember when evaluating any machine, including the Beachscan, one is to try to determine the general purpose of the machine and how does it compare to comparable machines within the same price range, and two, where does one machine excel over the other. Finally, regardless of price, there will always be some condition where one detector will appear to work much better than another.
Reg
