payter
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Post by payter on Sept 23, 2023 11:02:05 GMT
Hey all. Thinking about pulling the trigger and buying a metal detector. I've been interested since I was a kid and remember getting my first toy one back in the 90s and searching around with my friends. I remember digging in their field for nigh on 2 days thinking we had found some big treasure chest or something only to discover a big sheet of tin from a shed buried about a foot down.
Bought a cheap Maplin one years later after taking up a bit of archery for the sole purpose of recovering arrows as they'd get lost in the grass. That one died before I could think to do anything else with it.
I decided it would be a great past time to pick up again but then the milk was soured when I read about all the rules and regulations around it now. I'm not looking to go finding buried treasure or anything like that. Id be happy just getting out in the fresh air and learning a new hobby. I'd be quite happy finding ring pulls and shotgun cartridges to be honest. I love my fishing so it's more about the thrill of the hunt for me. I love technical stuff too so the idea of diving into a new technical hobby does it for me.
I understand that you can't go near monuments or historically significant which is fine by me as I've no interest in doing that and I think that's fair but is it right that everything pre 2000 is classed as archealogical? That seems crazy to me. I understand that law states if you find something of archealogical significance you have 96 hours to report it. So by right, if I found a 20p coin from 1999, regardless of I found it detecting or not, I have to report that? It really does look like a witch hunt. Is there any hope of these regulations being relaxed so people can enjoy the hobby?
I am very conscious of staying on the right side of the law and it's these regulations that are making me nervous and are preventing me from instantly buying a detector.
Detector wise, I am starting off at a beginner level but being technical I would prefer a detector with some bells and whistles that I can learn and tune so I am more inclinded to go for a more advanced model over a simpler one. I see the Minelab Vanquish range is well recommended and the X Terra Pro too. It looks as though the X Terra Pro has a few more bells and whistles but lacks multifrequency which is a shame. I am tempted to jump up a level and go for something like the Equniox 600 or the Nokta Legend but am finding it difficult to decided. I see you can get a nice discount second hand so I would consider that too.
Any help would be welcome. Again, the regulations have made me a bit windy about the whole thing but if I knew I could go out on my own land or a friends land, away from anything historical and just swing away finding harmless bits and pieces without any trouble I'd do it in a heartbeat. Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll be joining the hobby soon.
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Hey
Sept 23, 2023 18:52:59 GMT
Post by doc on Sept 23, 2023 18:52:59 GMT
you cant go wrong with n equinox800. for the sake of the few bob go for that as opposed to the 600.colin reddick is doing a great offer on them at the moment and he is very good with advice too.
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payter
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Hey
Sept 23, 2023 20:22:32 GMT
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Post by payter on Sept 23, 2023 20:22:32 GMT
I've done a bit more looking and the Nokta Legend is jumping out at me. I've heard tales of the Equinoxs breaking and leaking. Is there much between the Legend and the Nox?
The 800 might just be out of my range. I was gonna go with the Xterra but as per usual I've spiralled from my original budget. 🙄
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Hey
Oct 9, 2023 21:31:03 GMT
Post by Paddyspurs on Oct 9, 2023 21:31:03 GMT
Welcome Payter. Don't buy cheap stuff. Always ask the folk here on the forum about any detector you might be thinking of buying. Equinox, Deus, Nokta.....all machines. Second hand units up to 12 yrs old are very good but the recent models in past 5 yrs are lighter and easier to program. Equinox 600 for sale on the forum at a v-good price.
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payter
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Hey
Oct 10, 2023 7:58:44 GMT
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Post by payter on Oct 10, 2023 7:58:44 GMT
Thanks for the advice Paddyspurs. I ended up going for the X Terra Pro in the end. I didn't want to spend a tonne of money before knowing if I like the hobby or not. I've had a few short sessions and am loving it so far.
I decided on the cheaper machine due to decent reviews and the thinking that if I liked the hobby I'd get something a bit better later on. I have my eyes on the XP Deus 2. Something about the machine sings to me. All going well I might pick one up this side of Christmas.
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Hey
Oct 10, 2023 21:00:54 GMT
Post by Paddyspurs on Oct 10, 2023 21:00:54 GMT
Thanks for the advice Paddyspurs. I ended up going for the X Terra Pro in the end. I didn't want to spend a tonne of money before knowing if I like the hobby or not. I've had a few short sessions and am loving it so far. I decided on the cheaper machine due to decent reviews and the thinking that if I liked the hobby I'd get something a bit better later on. I have my eyes on the XP Deus 2. Something about the machine sings to me. All going well I might pick one up this side of Christmas. Glad the X-Terra has caught your attention to the hobby. A weak detector is a huge put-off. There will be dozens of YouTube videos and/or forums giving advice on settings and techniques. Have a look at a few and see how they work out for you. Beach settings are can be very different to what will work well on farmland. Best of luck. |
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Hey
Oct 10, 2023 21:14:48 GMT
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Post by jugins on Oct 10, 2023 21:14:48 GMT
Thanks for the advice Paddyspurs. I ended up going for the X Terra Pro in the end. I didn't want to spend a tonne of money before knowing if I like the hobby or not. I've had a few short sessions and am loving it so far. I decided on the cheaper machine due to decent reviews and the thinking that if I liked the hobby I'd get something a bit better later on. I have my eyes on the XP Deus 2. Something about the machine sings to me. All going well I might pick one up this side of Christmas. If you not so far away from Co.louth can meet some day on beach and explain all settings and tricks on Deus2! 😉 |
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payter
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Hey
Oct 10, 2023 22:31:24 GMT
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Post by payter on Oct 10, 2023 22:31:24 GMT
Thanks for the advice Paddyspurs. I ended up going for the X Terra Pro in the end. I didn't want to spend a tonne of money before knowing if I like the hobby or not. I've had a few short sessions and am loving it so far. I decided on the cheaper machine due to decent reviews and the thinking that if I liked the hobby I'd get something a bit better later on. I have my eyes on the XP Deus 2. Something about the machine sings to me. All going well I might pick one up this side of Christmas. Glad the X-Terra has caught your attention to the hobby. A weak detector is a huge put-off. There will be dozens of YouTube videos and/or forums giving advice on settings and techniques. Have a look at a few and see how they work out for you. Beach settings are can be very different to what will work well on farmland. Best of luck. Thanks for the advice. I would love to give it a go on the beach but I don't get out to the coast much so it's mainly farm land for me. I had a go with it round at my family home in the countryside and it was going crazy with random chatter. Had to turn the sensitivity right down to get any sort of acceptable level. I think the ground is very mineralised though cause out at my mates farm, it was mostly silent even on high sensitivity. A few phantom signals here and there but mostly spot on. I am starting to get to grips with it a bit now and will pull the trigger on the Deus if the interest stays over the next month or two. |
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payter
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Hey
Oct 10, 2023 22:32:31 GMT
via mobile
jugins likes this
Post by payter on Oct 10, 2023 22:32:31 GMT
Thanks for the advice Paddyspurs. I ended up going for the X Terra Pro in the end. I didn't want to spend a tonne of money before knowing if I like the hobby or not. I've had a few short sessions and am loving it so far. I decided on the cheaper machine due to decent reviews and the thinking that if I liked the hobby I'd get something a bit better later on. I have my eyes on the XP Deus 2. Something about the machine sings to me. All going well I might pick one up this side of Christmas. If you not so far away from Co.louth can meet some day on beach and explain all settings and tricks on Deus2! 😉 That would be class. Unfortunately I'm a bit away down in Co. Tipp but I'll definitely keep it in mind if I'm ever up that way. |
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