I need a detector caddy :stars:

[Mike Hillis]

You would think that you could buy one unit that would be really good for most of your treasure hunting but you really can't. I'm a inland jewelry hunter, so my sites are turf parks, athletic fields and school yards, wood chip and sand play grounds. I currently have three detectors and neither of them is the best for all of those site types, considering my mineralization levels. Giving me a headache. When I hit my sites I want to know that I really did my best to pull what was there out.

The woodchips are covered. Of the three detectors I own now, the F5 is the best one for that. Surprisingly, the DFX sucks in woodchips, and the ATPro doesn't have the right feature set. The F5 has the right features and performance to hunt close around metal and rebar enforces curbing, and deep buried iron.

The turf is covered. The DFX is giving me exactly what I want in the turf. I wanted a good visual to go with audio flagging, and the DFX is working really good, and has the right accessory coil for the open areas. The F5 is good for a lot of turf hunting but there are places where I want more visual information, or more focused audio flagging that the DFX can give me. The ATPro's strong suit is iron, and I'm hunting more in aluminum trash filled sites than iron so its not really helping me, even with the higher frequency, which causes me to use it very little.

I'm not happy with any of my current detector's performance in my sand. Too much granite and all three of my current ones struggle with it. Looking back, the only detectors that I actually liked their performance in my sand conditions were the CoinStrike, T2 and F75. I don't want to swing the CoinStrike, so that leaves the T2 or F75. Thinking hard about trading the ATPro off for another F75. Probably will.

Brings me back to my original statement. I need a detector caddy so I can always have the best detector for the site I'm hunting. Offered to pay my wife a dollar to caddy for me but she turned her nose up at that. I may wind up pulling a golf cart full of detectors and accessories around with me in order to always have the right rig for the site. . Anybody doing that?

Season is starting back up.

HH
Mike

 

[Elton]

Mike:

Sounds like the F75 can eliminate at least one of the detectors you now use......... So maybe you can use the F75 and the one your happy with in the turf.... another way to view the F75 is it's a T2 with extras..So that is two in one sorta.. You will have to figure out where the disc on the F75 equals the 40 setting on T2..........for iron elimination.

Or buy more and HIRE A Caddy ..

 

[Schultzie]

I have my DFX (my first detector), F-75, Explorer II, V3i, and the 1280X for water hunting. They all have their own little "niche" for what I am hunting so I keep them. I don't think it's possible to cover all the bases with one unit. Good luck with the caddy thing though!

 

[rob]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

I think I just need to get into the habit of taking more than one machine with me. I plan my hunt and take the machine and coil I plan to use, but sometimes that site doesn't work out for what ever reason (it is full of people, the sprinklers are going, etc) and then I have to move on to the next place. Only the next place might not really match my equipment.

Recently took the F5 with the 5x10 DD coil to turf spot, but didn't do to well because I really needed to be using the stock coil. Of course I didn't have it with me. That was one of the very few hunts where I didn't like the F5 performance and it was directly related to using the wrong coil and not having the right coil with me. The site conditions were soggy, 2- 3" of turf planted on top of gravel and skree, and the 5x10 DD coil couldn't give me very good discrimination information. My trash tolerance evaporated in short order and the squealing of my Uniprobes telling me my battery was dying everytime I used the probe further compounded my exasperation. I knew that battery was dying but I was trying to get a little more life out of it. Should have changed it sooner.

So I moved on to another location, but by then I'd already fried my ears and my patients and had to quit.

Moral of the story, always bring your coils and change your equipment's batteries when they tell you to.

HH
Mike

 

[bugg]

I know your not crazy about minelabs though. On the beaches the BBS and FBS units are hard to beat.

 

[tvr]

On the beaches the BBS and FBS units are hard to beat.

If you tried a F75 version with boost mode, running motion all-metal and kept it properly ground balanced, you may be surprised at what it can do on the beaches. Not saying it is my go to beach detector, but I have packed it frequently.
tvr

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

n/t

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Gee what are wives or girlfriends for?....just kidding of course as my wife would hurt me bad...
Never could figure this one out as hunted for 30 years plus with a 300 Savage and a Remington pump but lost count of the detectors I have had over the last 20 years plus. Go figger...

 

[Steve O]

My guess Dan is, the shotguns did different kinds of hunting with different kinds of ammo. You can hunt deer, small game hunt and use it as protection at the house. Didn't have to buy a another gun, just different ammo. I only had two shotguns, one old bolt action Stevens and one rattle trap 12 gauge.
I only have two detectors but I haven't detected as long as you, so there could be more in the future.

 

[Lakota]

Mike, I usually have two machines with me when I head out to a new spot. My std 75 and the cutlass usually. Though as sensitive as the Stingray is to small chains it is a nice asset when tot lot hunting, very little escapes that machine. Haven't found a need for a caddy just yet but then I don't walk 3 miles to any of the totlots I hunt.

And the wife wouldn't except $1 to caddy for you? Bah kids these days I swear

 

[zeekeys]

Mike you better watch out, it sounds like you are getting ready to buy another machine.........Z

 

[Mike Hillis]

Zeekeys, you must be the son of a prophet cause I just bought a Whites TDI.

Anybody want to buy a mint condition ATPro? Shoot me a email.

HH
Mike

 

[GoVidGo]

I was just buzzing around and I had a F2, loved it for what it was worth, and thinking about another Fisher. I also had a T2 for a week, similar to the F75 and it was fun too.

I agree with having multiple detectors for different niche.

I currently am running an ETrac and a AT Pro as my back up. sunny day? Etrac. chance of rain? AT Pro. wide open beach? Etrac. in the surf? AT Pro. 2 hour foundation hunt? Etrac. 5-6 hours detecting all day? AT Pro (lighter weight).

What coil you using on your AT Pro? just an FYI... the 5x8 is a BEAST in parks!

that F5 has always looked like a fun machine for someone who loves fiddling with controls too!