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I am looking for a recommendation

A

Anonymous

Guest
I primarly hunt for coins, rings in yards and on beaches.
I am using a Garrett GTI 2500 and am thinking of purchasing a Minelab, They seem to be a good choice.
I really am not deep into programming a metal detector.....So..What is your recommendation in a Minelab???
 
Since you're not into programming, the Sovereign Elite is an excellent detector for your needs, as it is a top-notch detector for both land and beach hunts. It is a tone ID, turn on and go detector that gets better than average depth, especially on gold jewelry and other low-conductivity items. The mineralization at saltwater beaches is virtually ignored with no adjustments needed even when going from bone-dry to saltwater saturated sand.
Many successful beach hunters use the Sovereign or Excalibur, which is essentially a submersible version of the Sovereign.
There are many wet sand hunters who don't wish to spend "big bucks" for a waterproof detector--or like to use different sized coils-- so they buy a Sovereign and chestmount the control box to keep it away form splashing waves.
An added benefit of the Sovereign is that it's equipped with a removable meter, which many land hunters like and there are a number of different coils available from Sunray, Coiltek and Minelab.
Though I have other brands of detectors, the Sovereign is a favorite.
Until December 30th, there is a Minelab "Christmas Special" deal which add an extended warranty and a carrying bag for free.
There is a Beach and Water Forum at:
http://www.findmall.com/cgi-bin/forums/beach_hunting/water_hunting.pl
Below is a link to the Sovereign/Excalibur forum.
Hope this info helps and have fun hunting!
 
If you want the top of the line Minelab FBS technology with ease of use then maybe the Quattro is for you. I've recently gotten one and have been real happy with it's performance so far. I assume that you're not interested in the Explorer for the reason you meantioned, though many would say that you can also do the "turn-on-and-go" thing with them too.
I have a Sovereign Elite that is simple to use and excellent for what you want too. But any of the machines mentioned are a far cry from the Garrett you're using now. I think you would love the Quattro. But to be sure, maybe you need to see if you can visit somebody who can let you swing a Minelab a little. Or at least get a deal where if it isn't right for you, you can trade up. Or down. If you have any specific questions I guess you could ask them. I can help with the Quattro or the Elite, others can asnswer for the Explorer.
 
I am also looking at a White, but If I decide on ML I will be taking you up on the offer.
I will need to research the difference between the Quattro and the Sovereign.
Roy
 
Thank you very much!! <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
You have been a big help, indeed!
 
I really feel both Kathy and Mike have some good recommendations and you would do good with either.Might want to visit your Minelab dealer to help you make a choice...Again I feel an Explorer is only as hard or easy as you want it to be and may be another option...
 
Well, the difference between the Quattro and the Sovereign is pretty much the tech of it. The Sovereign is a BBS machine...Broad Band Spectrum, which means 17 frequencies. And it's quite the machine. Multiple tones, iron masking, deep seeking...awesome beach machine. The only visual is a meter that gives you a conductivity reading realative to your target to go along with the tone...it's 0 to 550 and a quarter would be at the top of that scale. They are killer beach machines too and great on land as well. There are no "programs", just Disc and Notch control and sensitivity. Like the Quattro, it's a threshold machine, meaning it hunts with a slight background hum that breaks when you hit a target and the target tone takes over. It's a very capable machine. I've found many gold rings with mine at the beach and a lot of silver coins, bullets, buttons, etc. on the land. A new Sovereign Elite will set you back about $600.
The Quattro is a different animal...more hi tech than the Elite, it has a digital screen, is a Full Band Spectrum (FBS) machine with 28 frequencies, like the Explorer is. It has 4 preset programs...Coin, Coin/Jewelry, Relic, and All Metal. The program you choose determines how far down the scale you want to go as far as pulltabs, foil, and other non-coin items...which would include your gold rings. It's a very powerful machine and has great depth and sensitivity to small items. Either one would be a great choice. Either one is easy to learn and use, truth told the Quattro is probably a little easier and more fun. So if money isn't an object, go for that one. Hope that helps.
 
Yes, Dan, I totally agree...I feel that if Roy can get a look and a hand on these machines he'll be better able to choose. And I don't think he'll go wrong with any of them.
 
i understand what you are going thru. i didnt want to hassle with programming. i just wanted to turn on the machine and go. after a lot of thought and hours reading the posts on as many forums i could find, i decided to get the explorer II and use it as a turn on and go machine until i learned how to get the most out of the machine. believe me, i am nowhere near getting the max out of the machine yet but i am very happy with the detector. i didn't want to put out a ton of money for a detector thinking that i didn't have the best. i think that would have driven me crazy in the long run. this was before minelab came out with the quattro, i don't know anything about that particular machine but i am quite certain that minelab knew what they were doing when they designed it. i used a white dfx before i got the explorer and can tell you that the explorer is a better detector. i guess it all comes down to what you can afford and how often you will use the machine to get your moneys worth. just my thoughts on the subject and i hope you are as happy with your new detector as i am with mine.
 
I have an Explorer XS and when I first got it I used the preset modes, then I ordered a DVD and a book on mastering the Explorer. The programs are not that difficult to learn and the rewards are well worth the time invested, I have recovered more coins and jewerly with my Explorer XS than all of my other metal detectors combined.
You can use the preset programs, modify the preset programs or create your own, and the DVD's and books that are available, along with the internet forums are a great help in the learning curve.
Last weekend I only had a few hours to hunt at a local park, the park is only two years old so I knew there would not be any old coins. I loaded a jewerly program that I had programed the night before and walked away with a nice 14K gold ring. At a different site that was infested with trash I recovered alot of coins dating from 1896 to 1922.
This is just one more opinion, the best thing to do is gather information and maybe find a dealer that can demonstrate different models. Good Luck, TB
 
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