I just purchased my first Metal Detector!!! :super:but a have a Question?

[Yaridnac]

[size=medium]Hello, I'm new to the forum and metal detecting. I've been reading a lot from all of you. I was going to buy the Garrett 2500 but I thought it would be too much horse for me. Instead I went for the ACE 250 with the Sniper Coil since everybody says it scans deeper. My question was.
The package includes the : Pro Deluxe Lightweight Hi-Fi Headphones but to tell you the truth, in the pic they look kind of Cheap? Is everybody happy using this or should I buy something better since I really want to take this hobby seriously. I even purchase my Red Book of Coins 2009.
Any help Would be really Appreciated. Thanks![/size]

 

[jackintexas]

Get a good pair of headphones. Then you will be able to block out outside noise and hear the deeper coins. The Ace 250 was a very good choice......Jack

 

[jackintexas]

PS Welcome to the hobby....Jack

 

[Yaridnac]

What headphone names you guys are using and how happy are you with them.

 

[Graw]

n/t

 

[NM5K]

Couldn't tell about the phones. I don't use em much.. But it really doesn't
matter what they are from a sound/electrical point of view. A volume
control is sure handy through. That would be the only thing I would want for
sure. If they are packing it with the ace machines, it probably has one..
Or you would think/hope anyway.. You may have noticed the stock speaker
is a tad LOOOOUUUDD!!! Or to me anyway..
Actually, I do use a phone all the time, but I don't actually wear it on my head..
It's just a single mono earphone, and it's clipped to my arm band.
I use it to greatly reduce the volume. For me, it's about perfect.

About the sniper coil.. It's not that it goes deeper, the good thing
about it is it's small and can weed through trashy ground real well.
You'll be glad you have it the first time you have to detect in "busy"
trashy ground. IE: say you are at a park, and there are a few coins in the
ground, but there are also a bunch of pull tabs, foil, bottle caps,etc.
The bigger coils will see more targets at once naturally, and trying to
decide which hits ID as coins can get to be a pain when the ID scale
is jumping back and forth, and the pinpoint mode shows a lot of stuff
close together. The sniper will let you see fewer targets at once, and
you can pick through the trash and get the goodies much easier
than one of the bigger coils.
It's even a fun coil to use on non trashy ground as it's so fast. You don't
cover ground as quick, but sometimes the goodie count will come out
higher per square foot of tected earth.
Of the three Ace coils, the sniper actually has the least depth, but thats
totally natural being it's the smallest.
But it gets 5-6 inches in good ground, which is real good for a 4.5 inch
coil. Coins hit real hot with it, and usually ID about the same as the stock
coil.
Oh yea, in most cases, divide the depth reading in half when using the
sniper coil. IE: if it reads 4 inches, it may actually be closer to 2..
But.. I hardly look at the depth indicator until I get ready to dig..

 

[Goldburn]

Get a good pair of headphones. Then you will be able to block out outside noise and hear the deeper coins. The Ace 250 was a very good choice......Jack

To each his own I buy the cheapies because on one occasion, I accidentally severed the cord with my digger.

 

[slingshot]

I perceive good headphones for all metal when in an area to find the deepest object possible and then listening for the faintest whisper of a sound. These are rare occasions. Also, they are more for, in my experience, analog type detectors whose deep signals are weak and round than the newer digital type of detectors whose signal is more pointed and sharp. I'm like the previous poster, only I wear them BESIDE my ears because of heat buildup and the fact that I want to know if I may have an unwanted visitor. I've never had a problem with the Ace hearing the signal!

 

[Goldburn]

I agree, in some areas you want to be able to hear your surroundings. The criminal mind would see an opportunity to steal the fancy expensive looking swinging thingie from the guy that can't hear him coming.

I only use my headphones to dull the sound of the Ace's internal blaster.

 

[Cayenne]

I bought a pair on line I think cost me about $14.00 and they serve me well. JUst make sure they have duel volume contol. Control for each ear. Good luck with that ace 250, thats what I have and just started in April.

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Welcome to this forum. Quality headphones make a big difference in distinguishing the tones of the detector.

 

[Uncle Willy]

You made a wise choice. No one new to the hobby should ever try to start out with a 2500. The 250 will find all the goodies you will ever want. I'm not into expensive headphones. As long as they make the right noise that's all that counts. The headphones in question should be sufficient. If not you can always pick up a different pair. I use cheap ones and I find as much as anybody else does and have for the past 44 years.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

By all means!

Bill

 

[treasurefiend]

I bought a $25 pair of head phones, the 1st one died on the 5th hunt, then I got a free replacement from my local MD shop. They died a few weeks ago. I pulled the earpiece apart, I found a wire that broke free of its solder, I re soldered it and it work good for a few weeks. Now its acting up again. I am just gonna buy a good set of head phones and not have to worry about it. I will be hunting, then 1 ear will go out. I tap the ear cup and it works again. Then after doing that for a few hours they totally die on me. I don't remember the brand, but they are some China special. I should of just paid for better head phones to start with, but money was tight, now I have to spend more in the long run...

 

[Yaridnac]

[size=medium][/size] Thank you for all off your opinions!

 

[cwilk]

I have not read any of the other posts in this thread so I may repeat what has been posted.

You made a great choice. I don't find the 2500 all that more complicated than the Ace 250 but I had been using an Ace 250 for about 4 months when I upgraded. You might be interested to know in 4 months with my 250 I found over $700.00 worth of swag. If you like the Ace 250 you can upgrade someday without much trouble.

The sniper coil will not detect deeper but the larger coil will. I suspect if you bougt a package you are getting the big coil. Start out with the stock coil. The Ace 250 takes a lot of practice at first. About 10 hours is what it took me. That is almost all learning how to pinpoint. After you can pinpoint with some accuracy try out the big coil. There is a pinpointing and detuning video made by Khouse that is superb. Search the forum for it. John in Edmonton has a handy instruction for pinpointing diagram too. You Must view both. They might cut that 10 hours down to 5.

If you did get the 4.5" sniper wise choice. It is a lot of fun in trashy areas or areas near metal fences and poles. You will find a lot with it and I use mine more than I do my larger coil.

Don't worry about depth to start. Most of my keeper targets don't exceed 4 inches in depth. There are exceptions but that can wait until you become proficient. Take my word for it, you do not want to start out digging big deep holes only to find an old beer can.

I still don't use headphones. They are hot. They drown out what is going on around me. It is just another cord wrapped around my neck. The only time I do is when somebody is mowing or working nearby or when it is really windy and cold out. When I do use headphones I find the pair that came with my 2500 to be of good quality. Cheapies work fine too.

Get a set of rechargeable batteries (good ones, 2200-2500 maH) and a 15 minute charger with a car adapter. The energizer one is about 30 bucks at Walmart or Target. I went a long time before I took this advice and it has saved me a lot of money and trips to the store for batteries.

The Red Book is a must have. There are other better coin books out there but I still go to my Red Book 90 percent of the time. Look for the coupon in your copy. There is normally a good freebie to mail off for. In 2007 it was a set of Nickels. Last year it was a great book. I think I got 3 Sac dollars once too.

Good luck. Search the forums for posts about starting out with the Ace 250. Go back about 6 months and you'll have plenty to read.

Chris

If nobody else said it. Start in the coin mode not the all metal mode. Move up to jewelry or relic when you feel proficient. I hunt in jewelry mode 90 percent of the time.

 

[cwilk]

And stay away from my sites! (Just kidding!)

Chris

 

[Yaridnac]

Hi, Yaridnac is for Yarid Norberto Acosta. It is a bit shorter, I left another last name out too. Thank you very much for the tips cwilk. I just bought one of those I believe it has 40 AA batteries from Costco. They go a long way. I will see how that works before I get some rechargeable batteries.
I saw a lot of people happy with the sniper coil, that is why I order that tiny disk. I believe the Ace will only come with the stock coil. I will try your settings first and see how it goes. Sucks I have to wait till Tuesday for it. Reading all of the stories and looking at the pics it just makes me more impatient and excited at the same time. Have a great weekend hunting!!!!

 

[cwilk]

Reading posts on this forum really motivates me. If somebody finds a gold ring I go out and look for one of my own. If someone finds a nice merc I have to have one too. If somebody finds a pile of cruddy old zinc cents I must even go out and find some of those old clunkers.

Good job on selecting the sniper coil for all the reasons I mentioned in my original post.

It took me almost a year to follow the advice about getting rechargeables. I sure wish I had followed it earlier. Uncle Willy, Awhitster, John in Edmonton, and some others all told me more than once a piece to get them.

Using headphones will improve your battery life. I got about 14-16 hours on a set of batteries with my Ace 250 without headphones. I never let the meter get very low and some users run it right down to 1 bar.

Stay patient. Tuesday is right around the corner.

Chris