Jump to content

cudamark

Full Member
  • Posts

    390
  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Forums

Detector Prospector Home

Detector Database

Downloads

Everything posted by cudamark

  1. The old warranty may no longer apply since the business has gone through several owners. I guess it will be up to Chuck if he will honor repairs/replacements on sales he didn't even make.
  2. I heard rumors that Chuck is going to start making Stealth scoops again. Hope it's true as I've had no success in contacting the outfit in Ca that was the last manufacturer of them.
  3. I guess I'm the oddball exception here. I LOVE the 900 over the 800. To me, every feature is an improvement with the 900. I find the expanded (enhanced?) TID scale a benefit in separating known targets. I can tell a nickel over a pull tab much easier in most cases. Sure, just the tail of a pull tab will fool you still, but, that's no different than with the 800. Most of the modern tabs I find these days (not counting completely corroded ones) read in the 30's. Nickels NEVER do. They're usually a solid 27 unless corroded where they read less. As for that comparison chart, I don't agree with it's accuracy. For instance, a 29 (clad U.S. quarter) on an 800 is a 89 on a 900.....but, if it now reads 83 or 93 on a 900, are you going to pass it up just because it's an odd number? Not me! I love the "non-coin" numbers. I've found some of my most interesting relics and jewelry with those.
  4. Yeah, use some of the gold to buy some less labor intensive equipment! At least get some gloves and a face mask!
  5. I look at it as more of a reward for all the junk crap you have to sift through to get that gold! 😀👍
  6. If you're not supposed to peel that sticker, what is the purpose if it and the holes underneath it?
  7. Yuk...give me the popcorn! I've had food poisoning twice at KFC. I can't even walk into the place without gagging now....
  8. Those long range detectors are all great at finding lots of gold.....for the sellers....😀👍
  9. When you say that "different targets decay at different rates" I assume this is based on the size of the target more than what metal the target is made of? If not, it seems to me that with some creative electronics and programming , you could come up with a discriminating PI. You also stated that Minelab came up with the dual channel PI. I always thought that White's did that. Interesting.
  10. Hi all, I had a curious problem with my 900 on a recent vacation. Before leaving home, my 900 worked flawlessly. When I arrived at my first vacation hunt, it wouldn't fire up! Figures, huh? The green light would just flash once and not stay on steady like a normal start up. After playing with it a bit, sometimes it would start after a few presses of the power button, other times it might take a hundred presses to finally get a solid green light and start up procedure. Once it actually did start properly, it would stay on, no problem. The next day, same issue. It got so bad that I didn't think it would ever start up. Then I got the idea that maybe it would help to try with the battery charger (or in this case, my portable reserve battery booster/charger) hooked up, even though the battery had received a full charge all night long. Voila! Started right up! Humm, what's the deal here.....Over the next few days, that's what I had to do to get it fired up, and once started, it worked fine, although I noticed that the battery seemed to run down faster each day. The last day, the battery only lasted a couple of hours after a full charge from the night before, so, I figured the battery itself was the startup problem. When I got back home, I checked with the warranty info and found that the battery only comes with a 6 month guarantee....seems a bit short, but, ok, get another one. $30 and a few days later, replacement battery in hand, I put a new one in and problem solved. I had previously replace the battery in my 800, so, thinking it was the same procedure (I even thought it might be the same battery, but, no), I felt confident in replacing this one too. It is slightly different as I discovered. It isn't all that different, but, here's what I found. Pull the handle off the shaft as normal, then the battery compartment cap just pulls out....no retaining screw. It just has an "O" ring sealing the cap to the handle/housing. Inside, the battery just pulls out easily, unplugs like the 800, and just slides back in, with a foam bumper holding it in place. In re-installing the cap and "O" ring assembly (it would have been nice it Minelab included a new one with the battery) I noticed that it fit tight enough that the external speaker would flex outward when pushing the cap in place. Not wanting to damage it, I tried installing it very slowly to allow the air inside the handle to escape without flexing the speaker. No dice. I had rubbed a bit of silicone grease on the "O" ring and housing making that sealing surface air tight. Ok, plan B......there was a small round sticker on the cap that peels up easily to reveal some air holes. That did the trick! Just carefully roll the edge of that sticker back enough to expose the holes, then install the cap all the way, and then press that sticker back over the hole(s) again. There again, it would have been nice if Minelab had included a new one with the battery, but, it looks like it will still work fine. I have one question for all of you though... what happens if the speaker cone breaks? Will water flood into the battery compartment and damage something? Is the battery compartment isolated from the electronics in the pod? The battery connection doesn't have a waterproof connector on it, so, if water (especially salt water) got in there, wouldn't it short out the battery? Maybe I'm missing something, but, that looks like a potential problem down the road when dunking this thing in the ocean.
  11. Agreed, using a PI or SMF VLF is dependent on conditions and depth of targets. Digging everything is fine, if you have the time, physical endurance, and mental stability to do so. If you want to dig every signal and are willing to recover bobby pins and fire ring nails/staples from 18" down, have I got the beach for you! It would only take you a few years to cover it, so, come see me......please! Some of us weren't trying to convert him or talk the OP out of using a PI, just that with today's modern SMF machines, that in his situation, he might not need a PI as badly as he thinks. His decision, we just wanted to point out other options in case he wasn't aware of them.
  12. I've had both the Nox900 and the D2 underwater with no problems. Depending on how deep you plan to go, some are better than others. The Nox 900, maybe 10-15 feet, the D2, 25 feet. Excalibur and CZ21 100 feet no problem. I haven't played with the Legend, but, from others I hear it's fine at least to 15 feet too. I have a friend that got one of the waterproof boxes for the Nox 800 from some outfit in Europe and he's had no problem with it either diving to 25 feet. I wouldn't try it without one on the 600/800.
  13. With the great SMF machines available today, there's very little need for a PI in the water IMO. Extreme depth in black sand is the only thing I can think of.
  14. Has anyone got some hours in on the 18" Cointek coil on a salt water beach? Are you using it on the 800? 900? How has it been working for you? More depth than the 15"? Are you still getting tiny gold earrings and small link chains? What's the weight and noseheavyness like? Thanks.
  15. I've swapped the 12 X 15" Minelab coil to and from the 800 and 900 with no problem.....in the water and out.
  16. Or get a custom rod by SteveG.......Steve's Detecting Rods.
  17. Agreed, the process takes way too long. As for "buying" your finds....It usually only applies to gold (at least in the past that was mostly true) and it's the agreement we have with the land owner that they get half the value of the item. So, you get to keep the item by giving the land owner his half. I suppose it could work the other way around if you wanted the money and let the land owner keep the item, but, I've never heard of that being done. Sometimes other items deemed "treasure" fall under those same agreements. The price we pay to get permission to hunt those fields. Personally, I have no problem with that system. Where else am I going to find Roman, Celtic, Saxon, early English, etc. items? As for your gold specimen, did you find it on public land open to prospecting? Did you have a mining claim you had to pay for? Private land with an agreement with the land owner? It's not always free here either.
  18. Yeah, items deemed treasure take forever to get evaluated, valued, and funded. Covid slowed everything to a standstill. It's now starting to get going again. I have a couple of items over there that the museums want. One has been completed as I just donated it instead of getting it's value. The other has been valued and awaiting funding. A buddy of mine is still waiting for his gold item to be valued, and it was found before my two finds by at least a year.
  19. I travel often and just pack my 800/900 in my checked bag. I pad everything carefully and put a hood over the control pod so the machine doesn't accidentally turn on in route. The 900 is easier to collapse, but, the 800 comes apart just fine too. As mentioned, carry whatever tools you need. I also carry spares of all sorts of things, like extra coil bolts, washers, zip ties, electrical tape, etc. I use an old Stealth 920ix scoop and a SteveG travel carbon fiber shaft. It fits in my suitcase too. I doubt the airline would allow you to take it in your carry-on anyway, but, I haven't actually tried. I haven't been able to contact Sunspot lately (who makes the Stealth scoops), so, I'd go with Extreme scoops for something that works good and is heavy duty. They make a titanium version too if weight is a factor. If that isn't in the budget, a simple two part aluminum one will work, but, the baskets are generally pretty small, harder to push into wet sand, and the aluminum shaft will make your hands black unless you wrap the shaft with tape or similar. Also, coat the joint between upper and lower shaft section with some anti-seize compound so the two sections don't corrode together. I've never had an issue with public Hawaii beaches, although some locals can get a bit territorial at times (like Waikiki and some others). Some resorts have their own lagoon and adjoining beach. They make their own rules there, so, you'd have to check with them. If you're staying at one, I'd check first. If you have a car, you can always travel to a different beach however. If you're going into the water, I'd wear booties (I like a hard sole to make it easier on my foot pushing the scoop into the sand, and for walking in coral, broken shells, rocks, etc.), a UV long sleeve shirt, a hat, sunscreen, water finds pouch, drinking water, and gloves. I don't take anything in the water with me except for my door key, which I put in my finds pouch. I do tether my pin pointer to my belt to keep it from popping out and getting lost. I don't tether my scoop or detector to me for safety reasons. I just hold on to them firmly. Another no-no IMO is wearing waders in the surf. Those can be very dangerous if you get knocked over and those things fill with water. No treasure is worth drowning for. Have fun!
  20. In it's day, the 5900 was a very good detector. It still is to a certain point. In today's world, it's rather depth limited compared with a modern detector, it's heavy, not quite as ergonomic, not waterproof (the box, not the coil, which is), very poor in salt water and wet salt water sand, not great at detecting tiny items like stud earrings and such, relatively very slow processor which affects recovery speed and target separation, and even though they're very good at target I.D, it's just a needle moving on a gauge. On the plus side, I always liked the trigger pin point switch, the accuracy of the target I.D., the rugged construction, and the center hole in the search coil. The coil by the way is a very good all-around coil for it's day. It was also used on more models than what Steve's list shows. My 6000/DI Pro, Eagle 2 SL, and Spectrum also used that coil. Hopefully, the battery pack is the only problem with yours, and it's the alkaline one. They also had a rechargeable, but, not sure if those are available anymore. You wouldn't want to spend a lot getting one anyway until you know the detector works. If it needs more than just some new batteries, I wouldn't recommend fixing it. For the money, you'd be better off getting a new detector that has more features, better depth and separation, lighter, waterproof, etc. Good Luck!
  21. Welcome aboard! The only added advice that I would give you is: spend the extra $150 and get the 900 instead. I have both the 800 and 900, love them both, but, no way I would get the 800 when the 900 is just a bit more money. The extra money gets you so much more than what the 800 offers that it's a no-brainer for me. Just the added coil makes it a better deal, not to mention the better waterproofing, expanded target I.D, added sensitivity, fully adjustable carbon fiber shaft, sturdier and more adjustable arm rest, red back light, flashlight, quicker pairing and startup, etc. Good Luck.
  22. Al least the men in white coats will be coming after you before they try to get me! I only have 17....I think......🤔
  23. That's a problem many of us have.......not knowing where our hard-earned money goes, and what it buys. With some consumer goods, we have little or no choice, but, when we do, think about who is getting that money, and what are they doing with it. Damn if I want to support our enemies by funding their military to point weapons to me, my family, and my friends.
×
×
  • Create New...