*Video Added* Using a PI machine for the first time.

Rather than start a new post, I wanted to share a 12 minute video. Please understand I am NEW to the PI type hunting and I am using a 10+ year old machine. (Simply as a starter unit) I have MUCH to learn in this arena. But had a bunch of fun.

[www.youtube.com]

I have not posted for a bit but finally a breather to try out my (used) Pulse Induction machine.

I love it! Yes-I am finding plenty of nails and other sorted med/high density items. However-Using my new system (thanks to a certain DVD on beach hunting)
I am going in more educated and having a blast. (*This is just a small step in pulse units as I am very serious about obtaining a good unit (Foster ASII or similar)
sometime next year when I get the fundamentals of this type of detecting down*)

First thing I noticed was how you can almost "shape" the item below. If I could get a repeat signal, but it would not repeat in the same spot or swing each time,
I could almost figure a non-ferrous item like a nail or can slaw. (I may be wrong on that particular point-But I am having fun thinking I can!) A coin seems to give a better/cleaner
repeatability.

I have just started hitting a baseball diamond that is slated for demo later this winter. What is interesting, at about the 4 inch level, is a 2.5" layer of black iron
sand/clay combo that renders all other machines useless... Ahhh... But the PI loves it and in about 45 minutes of detecting, picked up several Wheats with a range of 30's to 50's.

If anybody is interested, I will post more info when I get back to this site including photo's and details.

Happy Christmas to all!




Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2010 05:09AM by SilverPeter.

What unit are you swinging?

We are most certainly interested SilverPeter...post away!

YES!!!! Please-more info!!!!

Silver,

The Eric Foster units are great. I have the land version of the Aquasearch, the Goldquest. Are you thinking of the Aquasearch due to it being waterproof ?

Reason I ask is, if you are seriously thinking of using a PI for a lot of land hunting, the Whites TDI is a great unit for that because it has a ground balance feature that when used in conjunction with the conductivity switch, can act as a discriminator and you can coin hunt with it and not pick up iron ( but you will sacrifice nickels and gold because you would discriminate out low conductive targets). There are several articles and videos on the Net you can search that give examples of how the TDI can coin hunt.

I have one and use the small coil on it for silver/copper coin hunting. The TDI also has a good selection of coils too. The only thing is, it's not waterproof, so I can only use it for wet sanding. I take my water proof PI"s out when I want to get in the water or when it's raining. I beach hunt more than anything and have 4 PI units I use a lot and even though there are some days when there is a ton of iron or trash, I still use them for a bit to learn more and tune my ear.

If you want to learn more about PI units in general, Clive James Clynick has a good book called Pulsepower - Finding Gold at the Shore with a PI, that gives a lot of information on how pulse units work and how signals can be assertained ( spelling ?) when hunting.

Good luck with your unit and have fun.

JC

Hello go-rebels... Using an older Foster designed (built by Garrett) Sea Hunter 500XL
I certainly want to maximize my time in the field... However this is a interum step to a more powerful machine.
I hunt in highly minerlized pockets of land and beach-So perfect for me.

Ok ozzie and TNdirtdigger... Will do!

Hello therover61-I'm jealous of that GQ you got... Nice I bet! Yes-Interested in both land and river/beach detecting...
However-When I am ready to "upgrade" my PI, if there was anything available by Foster (AQII or GQ) I would be happy with either.

Thanks for the info on the TDI. I hear the new version of that (the TDI Plus?) is supposed to be pretty good. If I run onto a road block later next year
with a Foster unit, I certainly would give that some thought. I may also pick up a Surf Pro Dual as another interum step if I need a bump from the Sea Hunter.
High quality finds will certainly push my timeline closer, if I can "fund my detecting bank"!
Thanks to for the info on Clive Clynick. I think that would be right up my alley. On the Amazon for that!

Thanks again and all and I will post my info later this weekend.

SilverPeter,

For the Eric Foster models, check out Surfscanner.com. Talk to Bill Crabtree. He is the sole distributor of them, and I believe the Aquasearch's are back in stock. But since they are hand made and not mass produced, he probably only has 1 or 2 of them.

Last time I checked the site he had removed the Out of Stock message. The Aquasearchs are now at version 2, while the Goldquest are at version 3...the upgrade being the Gain feature added. My GQ V2 does not have a Gain knob.

There is also the GoldScan, which some of the features on the TDI, like the conductivity switch, was modeled after.

If I were you and were going to hunt beach and water areas, a waterproof unit would be the ticket.

You can also check out the Garrett Infinium ( I have one of those also). It has tone ID as well, but the tone ID is constantly active and targets will either hit hi/lo or lo/hi. Most copper/silver coins hit as a lo/hi tone, so the unit can, for arguments sake, coin hunt. They make an 8 inch mono coil for it that works very well for that application.It comes standard with a DD coil,but I ended up getting a 10x14 mono for beach hunting that is probably the best coil, in my opinion, for the Infinium. One other note...the stock shaft configuration is brutal so you have to invest in a straight shaft.

I find that I am using my Infinium more than my other detectors since it's waterproof and I have been getting lucky with it and finding some really good stuff. Sometimes ya gotta ride the hot detector !

JC

Whites TDI is a twist on the Gold Scan 5 with the help of Eric Foster and Whites teamed up .
If your site is slated for demo and ONLY IF nobody would be troubled by it , a small shovel might help.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2010 08:26PM by gman.

it will be night and day in performance... I used to use one of those you have in the video...They are a non motion machine also but the depth you will find really struggles compared to the newer P.I.'s with ground balance...

there's a few option's on the market..

TDI
Infinium
gold scan
Minelab's

I like the infinium for relic hunting when comparing it against a TDI..the Infinium is hotter on button's in my red clay....I have dug cuff size button's with the infinium at 13-14 inches...the TDI will do it also but the TDI seems a little hotter on Bullet's not alot but alittle and the infinium is a tad hotter on button's

the P.I. you have will dig the fool out of Nail's and I never could figure out how to I.D. them with it..

but it is a great machine to get started with...

I commend you on the video...till you do one you cant understand the difficulty in filming and detecting...

I am looking into a helmet type cam ...So I can strap it to my head and do some infield video's....Our Sony Camera is to costly for taking into the field..And my wife would kill me Ha-Ha..


Good hunt!!

Keith

The Intellectual Property electronics in the White's TDI is exclusively Eric Foster design. It is only the housing/packaging that is White's. Then..... White's assembly-line production.

Thanks all for the great replys...

Lot's more rain on the way... So should get that ground good and soft for my New Years Day Detecting.

Happy New Year Folks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2010 03:54AM by SilverPeter.