Metal Detector Retirement Planning

Just remember "Mama" is looking forward to your retirement too---has her HoneyDo list and is checking it twice. Good luck.

this is true!..however,in my particular situation, it's NOT applicable,because i am "dumber than dirt"..so it's not an issue!
in life,you "learn" to protect your own interests!..i'm just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.

" Mike...….. are you 'coins only', relic, partial prospecting, cache hunting, wet-salt???? "

Inland jewelry hunting with a little bit of prospecting, and some occasional old coin hunting. I do a little cache hunting but not the two box detector kind. No wet salt and very little fresh water hunting.

Interesting that most folks don't think of jewelry hunting outside of a water setting.

I was looking hard at the Etrac for the #4 spot but its so prone to EMI and ground effects that I'm not sure about it. Plus Minelab has a habit of expiry dating their units so I'm not sure I could get it fixed 10 years from now. Don't know....

HH
Mike

My Etrac has never gave Me an EMI issue? It runs smooth as silk. But it is an early run Ireland made model.
They are smoother I don't care what anyone says. I have had 6 of the other made ones and none were as smooth as the 2 Ireland made ones I had.

Harold, my Etrac runs smooth in Auto. But when I think the setting is too low and try to add get it up 5 points or so.....no dice. I get a chattery unit. But there are spots that it likes and I can run it as high as I want it. I just compare it to the CZ model and they tend to be more forgiving of EMI. Its not just a Etac thing, though. I've had issues in the same sites with all the FBS units. The F75 was totally unusable here until DST came out.

HH
Mike

I just leave it in Auto +3. I never cared for Manual Sens.
But that's just Me. It seemed like the Explorers could handle Manual Sens. better than the Etrac.

D&P-OR Wrote:
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> That depends on a couple of factors Mike.----How much time do you have to go to retirement?----If it's going to be awhile, you could set up a little "
> fun money account" & do as others have suggested---set back & wait to fill that #4 spot with what you have.-----or----you could fill #4 & #5 with what
> you already have--the ETrac & G2+.------Or--you could fill #4 with an E800.---------Having said all that--your choices would not be my choices!-----
> -Now, if you want to do it the "perfect" way--do l ike I have in our retirement with this list!----CTX, ETrac, F-19, G2+, E800 & Fors Relic.-----
> -Also, I have to buy two of everything as my wife detects also--sometimes three so as to have a "back up" in our travels.---How's that for complicated
> ?---------All joking aside--I ALWAYS tell everyone that will listen---"retire as early as you can"---
> for we know not what tomorrow brings.------My wife & I planned (financially) for years for early retirement & was blessed to be able to retire when I w
> as 58 & she was 54 & have NEVER been sorry in our decision.----I am now 79 (pushing 80) and she is 75----and I can tell yah, those years go FAST!-----
> -Enjoy them in The Lord, some humor & hopefully good health!---------Del

Every financial analyst or subject specific article I've read about retirement planning emphatically states similar points - retire as early as possible, as the one thing no amount of money can buy is TIME. Good on you Del that you're able to retire so early.....had I stayed single, I could've too, but throw in a stay at home mom and new daughter into the equation and it looks like I'll be working until I"m 90!

No seriously thinking about either 59-1/2 when I can start drawing on my retirement investments without penalty, or 62-1/2 when I can supplement retirement investments with social security (that is if it's not all pilfered by then!). Likely looking at another ten work years, unless I find a nice gold coin cache that Tom doesn't get to before I do - lol

Mike, I don't know your age, but for me a lighter weight would need to be the 4th.

Mike, I don't know your age, but for me a lighter weight would need to be the 4th.

Mike...……. I'd recommend the Impact or EQX 800 for your specific application.

Retire. I lasted 9 months. Back to work and happy to have a couple extra pay checks a month.

Ole Harold! <g>

Retire as early as possible. More time to detect. I retired at 55, nine years ago. I have the Multi Kruzer, Nox 800, and DFX w/BigFoot coil (still have a Racer 2 for backup). Got all MY bases covered. Sold off all my extras (except Racer 2) as my three main detectors do everything the others did only better. Yesterday I said goodbye to a Racer, Tiger Shark, and Sovereign GT. Good friends that had performed well over the past few years. I'll probably keep the Racer 2 for awhile just because I liked it so well and it works about everywhere.

Cal_cobra Wrote:
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> .... Likely looking a
> t another ten work years, unless I find a nice go
> ld coin cache that Tom doesn't get to before I do
> - lol


I keep trying to tell you: Liquidate all your collections. Accumulate all your equities. And suffer early withdrawal penalties : You can retire THIS VERY MINUTE. So long as you don't mind living in a double-wide in Arkansas somewhere. I'm sure your wife would love that. And then ... just think, you could spend all your time metal detecting forever more. No more punching the time-clock and solving people's 'puter issues. After all, Arkansas is kind of nice I hear ?

As for the gold coin cache: It's my turn for the next gold coin . Tsk tsk.

Tom_in_CA Wrote:
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> Cal_cobra Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > .... Likely looking a
> > t another ten work years, unless I find a nice gold coin cache that Tom doesn't get to before I do - lol
>
>
> I keep trying to tell you: Liquidate all your collections. Accumulate all your equities. And suffer early withdrawal penalties : You can retire THIS VERY MINUTE. So long as you don't mind living in a double-wide in Arkansas somewhere. I'm sure your wife would love that. And then ... just think, you could spend all your time metal detecting forever more. No more punching the time-clock and solving people's 'puter issues. After all, Arkansas is kind of nice I hear ?
>
> As for the gold coin cache: It's my turn for the next gold coin . Tsk tsk.

Tom I want some of whatever your smoking these days BTW No time-clock here, I've been a salaried employee for over 30 years, so they pretty much own me haha

BTW I could do better the Arkansas (no offense to fellow Arkansas residents), at least a triple wide in Nevada....after all there's better detecting there

I decided on an Garrett AT Pro for the #4 spot. I'll be ordering it today or tomorrow (thanks Craig).

My last hunt was in a light misty drizzle with the V3 and although I had it wrapped in a bag to protect it from the water it made me realize I needed a wet machine. I looked hard at all the existing waterproof models and decided the ATPro would be the best fit.

So today....my retirement lineup looks like this.

F75LTD
V3i
Etrac
ATPro.
Cleansweep coil with something attached to it.


I am kind of stoked to be getting another ATPro. I've had two others in the past, one when they first came out and and a second about a 1-1/2 years later. They are EMI resistant, stable, and sensitive to a wide range of targets.

HH
Mike

Retire as early as possible.
I retired at 41, and enjoy all my free time detecting and doing other things.

Mike, you've written in the past about the type of jewelry hunting you do on your detecting route, so you are probably going to want a larger coil. But...

The 5X8 coil on the AT Pro is a much tighter and for me a better coil the majority of the time than the larger stock coil. It's also much superior ergonomically, a plus for us retired and almost retirement age folks. The stock coil makes the Pro nose heavy.

Downside of the 5X8 is losing an inch of depth and slower ground coverage compared to a larger coil.

Hmm...an ATP is so similar in a lot of ways to the F75, not sure that you'll really find much advantage, aside from waterproof. The F75LTD is much deeper, but the ATP is a little better in iron. IMO, for about the same price, an EQ600 or Multi-Kruzer would've been a superior choice, but to each their own I suppose.

BTW speaking of fun money. A few years ago my credit union offered the option to start one of those "round up" accounts. Basically for each purchase you make with your bank card (debit Visa type card), whatever change is left over, they move to your round up savings account. In just a couple of years I see it's over $400. Not a ton of money, but I'm just letting it ride, heck I even find myself when gassing up my vehicles putting in $50.01 just to kick in that extra 99 cents to the round up account - lol It's such an insignificant amount of pocket change, you never notice it, but it (slowly) adds up. By the time I retire, it should be large enough to purchase the next generation or two of the Equinox or whatever's the best machine going at that time (perhaps by then FTP will have a new fangled premier land machine).

Hi Marcomo, I getting the new bare bones Sport option which comes with the 5x8 coil so that's the coil I'll start out with. I like that coil for all the reasons you mention. Found a bunch of earrings with it in the past. I'll get the normal stock coil later.

Brian, what really pushed me toward the ATPro over all the others was the coils. Those squared toed Garrett AT coils just have better footprints than the normal DD coils. That ultimately pushed me away from the Equinox.

David - I'm watching the money. When it gets to where I need it, then I'm retired.

HH
Mike

If your a heavy turf jewelry hunter, it’s hard to argue against owning the V3i.
An Equinox 800 would be all you would need for all your other hunting, including jewelry..

The F75 and AT Pro seem like ancient technology now.
Especially if you have tough ground conditions.

Bryan

If you are going to do any water hunting than you need the Equinox.

I also agree you should have a Lobo St and mod the ground balance. This detector is a true relic hunter.

Rick

Go new and light weight. Anfibio or Equinox. Both can hunt in the slop as well. They will find anything you want to hunt any place.you want to hunt.

anfibio!..anfibio!..where art thou!..anfibio?..ehe! he! he!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

I think there is a little too much emotional attachment to the Turkish models on this board based upon my very short experience with the Impact. However I found the Rutus Alter 71 to be a pretty decent metal detector. Give it some more time for aftermarket coil development/deployment/availability stateside and I'd be willing to get another one of those. It is very adaptable to my ground conditions.

Nope...AT Pro is a go for me.

HH
Mike

Hey Mike,
I have two new Rutus coils on the way from merry old England, Mars Sniper, and Rutus 4.75" round.
I will be interested to see how they work out.
I am enjoying the Alter 71.
Cheers,
Drew.

Thanks Drew. Looking forward to hearing how they work on it.

HH
Mike