What's the best pin-pointer for jewelry ...

Wondering what the general thoughts are on pin-pointers for jewelry..are some better then others...if so why?

Sherlock DTS..

Very sensitive to small items like wire jewelry and ear rings and such..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Most good pin pointers are from the same expensive cookie cutter, I went for the White's TRX because the probe is mostly active on the tip...some buzz all over.
A pin pointer is to pin point not buzz on sides and every angle of dug hole. my 2 cents

ps also can adapt two styles of battery.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2017 04:26AM by guvmore.

I've used a TRX to find small junk about a third or fourth the size of a BB....

I've actually gotten many signals I've chased in the dig pile, then finally given up on...because they're too small to spot/see.
I'll get in in my hand and not be able to spot in, then manage to drop it...find it again and pick it up in a small handful and repeat the process over until it's obviously just not worth it.

mike

Original Merlin pin-pointer.

Jeff (or) Wrote:
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> Original Merlin pin-pointer.

I think the Sherlock that Keith refers to is just a remake of the Merlin...although I could be wrong about that.

A vague question unless it is of course related to 'micro jewellery' but that was not specifically mentioned as such,i would have said that most top of the range brand makes would pick up most jewellery,but if its like micro jewellery like small earrings then something prehaps like a Pulse based pointer like one of the 'Deteknix' pinpointers which could be slightly better not only on depth wise but also on ultra small jewellery.But as a general if you are specifically looking at hunting for micro jewellery on a beach environment then that require a slightly different approach to normal detecting and 'hoping' to find jewellery like in a park or play area.

My everyday probe is the original Garrett PP which does that i require from a pinpointer,also carry a Whites Bullseye as a backup,but prehaps my favourite pinpointer is the Sunray DX-1 inline probe for the MXT/DFX/M6 range of detector but that is alas tethered too just one raange of machine but you hear everything through the headphones rather than external audio and vibration mode that normal probes offer,they do offer the inline probes for other selected brand makes of detector,they are more expensive than normal probes but in my mind offer better features.

The reason for my question is I'm trying to focus on ring hunting in some of the parks this year with my Golden uMax...when detecting nicely manicured parks I want to leave a very very small foot print.
So I'm looking for a pin-pointer that will give me accuracy and the best depth for that type of hunting...I've been told the trx pointer is very accurate with just the tip being live rather then down the sides as well.
Thanks for the response so far...

The Sherlock would get my vote, too. It runs at about 90KHz, so is pretty good on small/low conductivity stuff. Too good, to be honest, I've extensively tinkered with mine, running it at a lower 60KHz was one change. It's a shame it's so cheaply made, and needs a lot of 'attention' to keep it going.
The Merlin is nearly the same as the Sherlock, it just has some different power-on circuitry, so it's push to turn on, and a timer for turn-off. The guts are still the standard Cherry CS209 detector chip..
The CS209 is obsolete now, which is why there is now a "Sherlock 2", I've not seen one in the flesh, I suspect it uses a Telefunken chip that's similar but not identical, in operation.

I do not like the Garrett carrot as much as the garrett pro pointer. The black garrett pinpointer is tuned just right for me the orange one is either to strong or to weak.

My Deteknix X-Pointer is great for mineralised soils and beach work, though not exactly the most sensitive out of the current crop of pinpointers. The TRX is definitely very sensitive, and achieve good depth in clean unmineralised soil. Unfortunately it is a double edged sword being so sensitive (especially on higher settings), as it will drive you nuts with falsing in some areas requiring a drop in the settings - hence loss on depth ability and sensitivity. All depends on what the ground is like is your area, or whether the soil is contaminated with iron, which will have an overly sensitive pinpointer falsing a fair bit.

For me the Garrett AT Propointer is my favourite one of the lot to use, just a good stable all-rounder that is easy to use, and with respectable sensitivity. Mine has been well and truly out through its paces - water, mud, sand, has performed faultlessly. It has no issue pulling out lead shot from plugs, all depends whether you prefer tip only pinpointing (TRX), or along the sides as well (Propointer).

As mentioned, pinpointers are not necessarily made with depth in mind, more so for either locating targets close to surface, or for target position within an excavation. Most pinpointers should have no issues picking up rings, maybe a few inches down from surface, nothing more than that. You should be able to get a pretty accurate initial pinpoint from your detector anyway to narrow down the area that requires digging.

I think will find that if a pinpointer were to be able to hit items at depth, you also be picking up on every other junk item in the ground as well, making pinpointing near on impossible.

Pimento Wrote:
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> The Sherlock would get my vote, too. It runs at ab
> out 90KHz, so is pretty good on small/low conducti
> vity stuff. Too good, to be honest, I've extensive
> ly tinkered with mine, running it at a lower 60KHz
> was one change. It's a shame it's so cheaply made,
> and needs a lot of 'attention' to keep it going.
> The Merlin is nearly the same as the Sherlock, it
> just has some different power-on circuitry, so it'
> s push to turn on, and a timer for turn-off. The g
> uts are still the standard Cherry CS209 detector c
> hip..
> The CS209 is obsolete now, which is why there is n
> ow a "Sherlock 2", I've not seen one in the flesh,
> I suspect it uses a Telefunken chip that's similar
> but not identical, in operation.


The Original Merlin and the Merlin SXL Pro ran at 50 KHz, and for some reason I thought the Sherlock did also.
I think that the fact the Merlin runs at 50KHz, is why it performs so well at locating even micro jewelry.

The Whites TRX was the one I picked for the job. Any higher frequency and I wouldn't be able to quieten my ground mineral responses without deadening the probe to much.

HH
Mike

@Jeff: I've never measured the operating freq of a Merlin, I had one in for repair once, and general observation made me see it was fundamentally the same as the Sherlock. It could quite easily be 50KHz, it's really down to how many turns of wire they stick on the ferrite rod. But 30 - 50 K is a decent practical choice for small but not very small targets. There's not much point having a pinpointer finding things your main detector cannot.
It's one of my 'spare time projects' to get a ProPointer and hack it to 30KHz.

Jeff (or) Wrote:
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> Original Merlin pin-pointer.

I also think they rebadged it as a Scanmaster probe here in the UK,i bought one over 10 years ago,must admit it looked a bit 'Heath Robinson' but it did work rather well,then bought a Whites Bullseye and the old probe was put in the garage,if some electronics boffin in the UK wants it for free and try and get it working again its here.

Yes, it was re-badged as a Scanmaster. Lazy bunch, just change the label, don't bother trying to re-design it so it's not so shoddy. There's just so many things that could be better, and I've implemented a fair few in my hack one.
But as the innards will be handy for spares, or some crazy experiment, sure, if you can find it, that would be good.

Here's one plus feature of the Sherlock etc, for you:
I was using mine on the Thames foreshore late one evening, and left it it behind on the gravel as the tide was rising. When I realised, the tide had come up, and it was 'gone'. I made a mental note of the location, and went back at low tide 5 AM the next morning, walked straight to that location, and there it was, exactly how I left it. So much for 'strong currents' etc. So I picked it up, removed the battery and shook out some water. A couple of days later, I had the time to fiddle with it. Minor corrosion on the electronics, no problem. The power switch was replaced, as it was full of water. The coil/ferrite rod was the problem, water was inside the plastic tube housing. I dismantled that, and left it to dry in the sun. Et Voila, it worked after that. There's something to be said for simplicity, and leaded (not surface-mount) components.

Thanks to those who have responded.....guess I'll have to decide on what to get..my soil is mildly mineralized so I shouldn't have a falsing problem with a pin-pointer.
I presently have a Garrett AT Propointer..but I'm looking for a tighter pattern...maybe the TRX would be the ticket with just the pointer end being loaded.

Cheers,

HH