Minelab GP3500

[Anonymous]

How well does this unit disc. out iron [I'm looking at coin hunting applications.] I'm also looking to hunt Arty Shells in a salt area.

 

[joeforthegold]

It should do well on the artillery shells, but as a coin machine the VLF detectors like the Explorer and Sovereign have a much better discriminator. The 3500 will not disc out pull tabs, bottle caps, and such trash. It blanks out on ferrous. The P.I. detectors like the 3500 have a completely different type of discriminator circuitry that is nowhere near the capability of the VLF machines. It's strong point is that it can find targets deep in an environment that is so highly mineralised that the VLF machines won't work. It isn't a problem because most gold is in areas that haven't been contaminated with lots of trash. The gold that is in areas with a lot of trash will probably be there until a gold machine with a really good discriminator is brought to market.
-Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Your reference bottlecaps is aluminum, or steel?

 

[joeforthegold]

Steel.
Aluminum bottle caps fall into the category of the U.S. 1 cent piece in my experience,
-Joe

 

[steve herschbach]

Hi vlad,

See my review and post regarding coin detecting with the GP 3500 farther up the page. The GP 3500 by a combination of different tones and the iron disc circuit allows you to identify more items than is the case with other PI detectors. You cannot eliminate all iron targets, but I have found I am able to reduce my digging of junk to a reasonable degree. The results, frankly, will just depend on your particular area. One thing I can promise you, however, is the GP 3500 will pull up a large number of targets you'll miss with other detectors. That may be worth digging some junk, depending on what you are looking for.

Steve Herschbach