It seems that if anyone is going to offer criticism on the SE, it would be in the weight/balance dept or the screen glare.
I cut my teeth on the old "lunch box" detectors (Garrett ADS master hunter, ADS Ground Hogs etc.) Of course, we started with the 7" coil but were soon using the 10, 12 and sometimes even the 14" coils in some areas. With 6 nine volt batteries powering the ADS Master Hunter series, and heavy coils in use, we learned quickly how to use 'body English' to make sure that our elbow and shoulder joints weren't hamburger by the end of the day. We couldn't 'race' through the site quickly because we had to slow down to physically move those big machines and coils. Guess what? We did better with finding deep, old targets because we took our time....we HAD to!
It was all audio then, with no target ID or depth scale on the meter. Only experience with interpreting the sometimes very faint or scratchy responses from the monotone machine told us whether to dig or not. Personally, like it or not, I think it developed some very good hunting habits!
With the depth offered by my new Minelab, along with all the other features, slowing down to accommodate weight is a trade off that I believe will pay dividends in the long run. Slower speed combined with keeping the coil closer to the ground just might grant me access to that carpet of coins an inch or two deeper in the ground, beyond the reach of other detectors. After I hear the sweet sound of a potentially deep coin, weight and occasional screen glare are soon forgotten.
Knipper
I cut my teeth on the old "lunch box" detectors (Garrett ADS master hunter, ADS Ground Hogs etc.) Of course, we started with the 7" coil but were soon using the 10, 12 and sometimes even the 14" coils in some areas. With 6 nine volt batteries powering the ADS Master Hunter series, and heavy coils in use, we learned quickly how to use 'body English' to make sure that our elbow and shoulder joints weren't hamburger by the end of the day. We couldn't 'race' through the site quickly because we had to slow down to physically move those big machines and coils. Guess what? We did better with finding deep, old targets because we took our time....we HAD to!
It was all audio then, with no target ID or depth scale on the meter. Only experience with interpreting the sometimes very faint or scratchy responses from the monotone machine told us whether to dig or not. Personally, like it or not, I think it developed some very good hunting habits!
With the depth offered by my new Minelab, along with all the other features, slowing down to accommodate weight is a trade off that I believe will pay dividends in the long run. Slower speed combined with keeping the coil closer to the ground just might grant me access to that carpet of coins an inch or two deeper in the ground, beyond the reach of other detectors. After I hear the sweet sound of a potentially deep coin, weight and occasional screen glare are soon forgotten.
Knipper