Andy Sabisch
Active member
Of course every knows that if you want to find more in the field you need to spend more for your equipment right? After all, how could a detector that lists for $599 possibly compete with a detector costing $100's more? Heck if it feels like a toy in terms of its weight how can it possibly be a serious detector for serious detecting?
Well, the Omega 8000 is starting to turn some heads based on the posts on many of the forums with some impressive finds being showcased.
Over the past month or so I have been using the 8000 pretty much exclusively and deliberately took it to sites me and many others have pounded with other machines over the years.
A few things that stand out from using it . . . . . .
Much of the hunting has been in extremely trashy sites that I've searched with other detectors and used smaller coils those other detectors to pull stuff from amongst the trash. One site in particular is a stretch of vacant lots some 40 miles away where mill homes from the 1920's once stood. The houses were leveled a few years back due to squatters taking up residence and impacting the area. Unfortunately the houses were simply bulldozed and much of the debris was spread across the lots.
In the cleaner sections the 11" DD coil was able to pull some items out but when I switched to the 5" DD coil, it was like the area had never been hunted . . . and having heard about it from a few hunters that lived in the area, I knew it had been hit hard both before the homes were torn down as well as since.
With the DISC at 20, sensitivity at 75 and Ground Grab ranging from 65 to 82, I worked a section that was about 30 feet x 200 feet over 5 different trips. Working slow, checking marginal signals from multiple directions and hunting the N-S / E-W directions to ensure masking was not an issue, the goodies came out.
In addition to probably 75 clad coins, several keys, a small brass bell, some buttons, a neat cereal premium ring from the 30's, a sterling silver ring, a silver heart charm with chain and other "what-is-it's", I picked up 33 Wheat cents and 7 silver coins (1 quarter and 6 dimes) and one of the last signals before I headed for home this morning . . . . . a 1945 gold high school ring! Target ID was quite consistent on all the targets and even the deeper ones were audible as the volume dropped off beyond 4" - 5" or so. The deepest keeper was a Mercury dime from just about 7" (faint but consistent audio and a good target ID) which for a 5" coil is pretty darn impressive in any book! The photo shows the 40 keepers that came from searching this one site on the 5 trips.
One has to commend Dave Johnson and his team at First Texas / Teknetics for developing a detector that 1) offers pretty impressive performance, 2) is lightweight and well balanced, 3) is extremely simple to operate, 4) and does all of that at a price that one would immediately think means second rate performance at best.
I can honestly say that the Omega 8000 is fun to use . . . . . and if you can hunt with a detector that does not wear you out after a day in the field, finds the goodies, does not empty your wallet when you buy it and comes from a company that offers first rate service after the sale isn't that what detecting is really about?
Once again, thanks to First Texas for a great detector at a great price that meets the needs of a large segment of treasure hunters!
Andy Sabisch
Well, the Omega 8000 is starting to turn some heads based on the posts on many of the forums with some impressive finds being showcased.
Over the past month or so I have been using the 8000 pretty much exclusively and deliberately took it to sites me and many others have pounded with other machines over the years.
A few things that stand out from using it . . . . . .
- The weight is a breath of fresh air . . . . swinging it for hours is enjoyable
- Battery life???? Opened the box on April 21 and finally had to replace the battery at the end of May . . . . and that is a single 9V battery!
- The 5" coil offers pretty impressive depth and great target separation
- Tuning and adjusting is about as simple as you can get - and all with one finger if desired
Much of the hunting has been in extremely trashy sites that I've searched with other detectors and used smaller coils those other detectors to pull stuff from amongst the trash. One site in particular is a stretch of vacant lots some 40 miles away where mill homes from the 1920's once stood. The houses were leveled a few years back due to squatters taking up residence and impacting the area. Unfortunately the houses were simply bulldozed and much of the debris was spread across the lots.
In the cleaner sections the 11" DD coil was able to pull some items out but when I switched to the 5" DD coil, it was like the area had never been hunted . . . and having heard about it from a few hunters that lived in the area, I knew it had been hit hard both before the homes were torn down as well as since.
With the DISC at 20, sensitivity at 75 and Ground Grab ranging from 65 to 82, I worked a section that was about 30 feet x 200 feet over 5 different trips. Working slow, checking marginal signals from multiple directions and hunting the N-S / E-W directions to ensure masking was not an issue, the goodies came out.
In addition to probably 75 clad coins, several keys, a small brass bell, some buttons, a neat cereal premium ring from the 30's, a sterling silver ring, a silver heart charm with chain and other "what-is-it's", I picked up 33 Wheat cents and 7 silver coins (1 quarter and 6 dimes) and one of the last signals before I headed for home this morning . . . . . a 1945 gold high school ring! Target ID was quite consistent on all the targets and even the deeper ones were audible as the volume dropped off beyond 4" - 5" or so. The deepest keeper was a Mercury dime from just about 7" (faint but consistent audio and a good target ID) which for a 5" coil is pretty darn impressive in any book! The photo shows the 40 keepers that came from searching this one site on the 5 trips.
One has to commend Dave Johnson and his team at First Texas / Teknetics for developing a detector that 1) offers pretty impressive performance, 2) is lightweight and well balanced, 3) is extremely simple to operate, 4) and does all of that at a price that one would immediately think means second rate performance at best.
I can honestly say that the Omega 8000 is fun to use . . . . . and if you can hunt with a detector that does not wear you out after a day in the field, finds the goodies, does not empty your wallet when you buy it and comes from a company that offers first rate service after the sale isn't that what detecting is really about?
Once again, thanks to First Texas for a great detector at a great price that meets the needs of a large segment of treasure hunters!
Andy Sabisch
