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Trashy Parks And Schools Detector


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I'm still looking for a detector that can easily sort through pulltabs, foil, and bottlecaps without paying an arm and a leg. It's became painfully obvious I need a small coil to reach in between the bad for the good items, if any. I DO prefer detectors with Target ID however I'm not against looking at detectors without target ID, IF they have good discrimination. That is the whole topic of this, a detector that has very good discrimination but will still grab the goodies. I already have an XP ORX, and the thing I find with it is the coil is too large for this type of hunting. It's a good detector, and I still manage to find coins with it, however it is rough to hunt with in trashy parks and school areas. 

I'm NOT against a Tesoro, even though it seems they have gone kaput. One I am looking at is the Tesoro Outlaw. Has 3 coils with it, no need to go out and pay even more money for extra coils with that one because they are already included.

So here is the checklist of what I'm seeking:

1) Good in trash 2) Allows you to get close to the bleachers, metal park benches, tot lot items. 3)waterproof coils 4)Nothing too heavy. 5) Less than $600.00

What I don't want:

1) A detector that is no good in trashy sites. 2) An Equinox recommendation(already been there and done that)

I appreciate your feedback and insights.

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Hi,

You did not mention what size coil you are using on your ORX. I have the 10X5" HF elliptical coil which separates extremely well. I have the 6" coil for my Equinox which also is outstanding. You could get the little 5" Greek/Gold Bug Pro round elliptical for your Minuteman for less that $50 if you shop carefully. It would make the Minuteman very handy in tight spaces. All three of these detectors do very well around large metal posts, etc. if you turn the sensitivity down to about 1/3 or less of maximum from my experience, while swinging the coil towards the metal object and listening for double beeps or single beeps. The Tesoros are no different in that regard, again from experience.

Since your budget is $600 or less, the two that I would have suggested are out = (Etrac or CTX 3030). Those two give you a lot more on screen information that could help with determining the identification of a target before you dig. They are not anything close to perfect however.  The Outlaw and many other Tesoros are outstanding at separating targets and they have good discrimination. However, just like the ORX and the Equinox, they will not do all the work for you. In fact, most of the Tesoros require a lot more work from the user than the ORX and especially the Equinox. You have to learn what the qualities within the single tone (most Tesoros like the Outlaw, are single tone audio) are telling you and work the discrimination knob a lot. You are up against THE problem here which is too many good targets and too many trash targets create virtually the same response on most detectors under $1000. After hundreds of hours on a Tesoro Silver microMax I was just about able to predict what the target was if it wasn't too deep by the audio response and the position of the discrimination knob. After thousands of hours on the Nox, I am rarely surprised unless the target hits in the 18 to 23 range with numbers that don't jump around. Many nice finds come from that range. After less than three hundred hours on the ORX and Deus combined, I am just beginning to be able to guess.........

As far as I know there is NO detector that can do what you are asking in your price range or really any price range as far as VLFs are concerned. Many manufacturers have detectors with displays that make you believe that you have detected a particular target by having labeled bins or actual words that appear on the screen. To me, those are just gimmicks and in that trashy target range that you are complaining about those "aids" are fairly useless. You have owned (Equinox) and own in the ORX/Deus two of the best detectors ever for doing just what you are asking for in this thread. The Minuteman is also very good and really reminds me of a Tesoro with a screen, target ID, discrimination and multi tone audio.  All three of these treat you like a grown-up and require you to learn and remember from long experience, the target ID numbers and audio responses. That is what it is all about. You have to be the ultimate discriminator of targets.....not the detector. Maybe there will be some kind of x-ray visual imaging detector that we can all afford before too long. That however would take the fun and more importantly the skill and artistry out of detecting in my opinion.

 

good luck,

Jeff

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My ORX has the round 9" HF Coil. The included headphones are HORRIBLE after about 45 minutes. They cut into my ears something fierce when being used. There is an adapter you can get but have yet to buy it. Although if I'm going to keep running the ORX that would be a necessity. It's a really light machine,  swings ultra easy. Wish it had some notching capabilities though on the disc side.

I see where you are coming from here on this response. I do enjoy metal detecting a lot and have off and on for many years. It's true what you say, it takes time and practice to learn a machine. The point here on my end is that I'm trying to assemble a "work crew" with the detectors. No one detector can do everything, regardless of sales hype and marketing. This is understood.  One particular brand/model might be tops with one aspect (trash) where another is better for depth (cleaner sites).

It's tough to pick a detector today and with all the videos, marketing hype, etc. it can be very confusing for people just getting into the hobby, even people who have done it for years.

By the way, I've not ruled out the Teknetics T2 Special Limited Edition with the two coils. Looking at it pretty hard actually. Price is right on that one at $599. It seems to be a very capable versatile machine and I'm sure it would take a while to learn it and tinker with it. The thing can pretty much do it all, and is a proven unit to hear most sites and people talk. It is old technology, it is single frequency. And that in itself seems to be a taboo thing these days.

If I was going to entertain an Equinox again, would get an Equinox 800. But that would still put me in hock and needing the little coil again. In a way I DO regret getting rid of my Equinox 600, but like many others I did "wonder what I was missing" by NOT getting the 800. The Equinox was a decent machine for me but the tone pitches really wreaked havoc on my ears and for some reason I had a lot of difficulty with it. The ID was very tight also, not giving you much room and mine did struggle at an iron infested site.

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Hi Rob,

thanks for letting me know which coil you have. I think the HF round coil is a great coil. It is definitely a little deeper than the elliptical coil and covers a little more area too which is why it may appear to not separate targets as well as the elliptical. If I was a relic/coin/jewelry hunter only, I would definitely use the coil you have.

The ORX back phones were uncomfortable on my really big head until I realized that I could unhinge the back of the head part and fold it down on my neck. I also bent the plastic by hand around the ear pieces so they would not rub on my ears as much. I think they are starting to feel better especially if I put them on first and then put on my sunglasses.

I had a T2 for awhile. Due to its susceptibility to EMI no matter how I set it up,  it was a no go for me.

Jeff

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I use the Tesoro Tejon for trashy areas with the 9" concentric coil but the Rx is fairly small so I can snipe out targets easily.

Fisher F75 has a good reputation and with a small coil would do well. Same with the AT Max, Pro or Gold if used with the smaller coil.

Key to trashy areas is to have a smaller detection area (where the dd Tx and Rx overlap) Depth is not critical as it probably is not a good idea to dig 12"+ deep or wide holes in a park. Majority of finds will be under 6" unless it's an old park and your looking beyond the typical trash line.

Though many squawk over Garretts, the new AT Max goes incredibly deep, approx. 16"+ with stock coil. Garretts audio may not have the finesse of other machines out there but are really good performers. I use my AT Pro in bad weather conditions and just kick up my discrim to cut out much of the chatter and work it a little slower in trashy areas.

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I  ordered the Teknetics T2 Special Edition. Also ordered coil covers for both coils, as the package does NOT come with the covers.

Should be good to go now with the XP ORX and T2 SE combo. Teknetics Minuteman as a spare/loaner

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I wouldn't recommend a Tesoro for the simple reason currently they seem to be out of business and there is no one out at this time that I know of that can do repairs.

Congrats on the T2. Usually the stock coils shipped on most machines are fine for parks and moderate trash areas 8-11" dd's.  Unless the Rx is small on the concentric coil 3" approx on the one I use, pinpointing will be difficult. Garretts Concentric for example have a very large Rx and are limited in areas they are useful for.

Like to see how it works out for ya best of luck!

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3 hours ago, RobNC said:

I  ordered the Teknetics T2 Special Edition.

Sounds like you may have shot your entire budget but if there is anything left over you may want to look at aftermarket coils from NEL/CORS.

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  • 2 weeks later...

99.9% of detectors with a small coil and operator with good hearing can do that. 

I tested out a Tesoro Compadre for a year in downtown Sacramento, CA small parks and pulled jewelry out left and right and more than a few silver here and there, especially near the meters and irrigation components. Crocker Park parking meter base got a silver @ 2-3 inches and by the time I was done the hole was 25" deep, 15 silver coins and another handful of clad.

 

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