PI detectors...

If you are saltwater/wet sand/dry sand beach detecting, what would be a good PI machine that will cancel out iron?

If you're going to dig everything, why not us a PI instead of disc. machine?

Are there PI machines that will vary the pitch according to what it has detected, variable or set steps?

If you use a PI, which one have you found that works for you?


Thanks...

My buddy showed me his older Surfmaster PI about 3 years ago. I remember it was instant LOVE! My buddy had no intention of selling but when he saw my reaction he told me the next day that it was for sale. I Coinstarred my coins and bought it. And the love affair has never diminished...only gotten deeper with time.

There is, of course, one strong negative and that is the insensitivity to small gold. My first gold ring (found with a VLF machine) is just 1.2 grams and I was stunned when the PI would not even acknowledge it even sitting on the coil. After 2+ grams it's not too bad and I have found a bundle of gold rings with it.

It shines on silver and coins and depth is amazing.

Small iron nails can be found at foot+ depths too ... but when you become accustomed to the tone (double blip) it can become easy to ignore those as well as bobby pins. It's unfortunate however that coins on edge and rings on edge also give that double blip signal.

I use it mainly on wet sand and shallow water on Southern California beaches. Occasionally I also do the dry sand when I'm too lazy to go back to the car for my VLF machine.

I'm saving up now for a mod/tuneup to make it more sensitive to small gold. I watch the newer machines with interest .. the Dual Field and others but I don't think I'll part with my oldie.

My opinion: if you are doing water related detecting a PI machine is a must.

Regards, Joe

Desperatly wanting to get into the water here in Florida and not so desperate to dig deep into my pocket I went with the Tesoro Sand Shark. I love it. Be prepared to dig though. It finds everything big and small. A turn on and go machine with adjustable threshold and LIFETIME warrantee. If you surf the web you will see they have one of not the best service group and honor the warranty to a fault. At a set price of $577.18 you cant go wrong. I'm thinking of getting a second one for my wife.

I tend to dig everything, I always wanted to try a PI machine but didn't want to dig all the iron on our Maine beaches, I have a lot of beaches up here where they built ships for years and are loaded with iron, is there a PI machine that has different tones for iron to non iron, it might be my next machine

Beware of PI's that Disc iron..........................as this Disc also discriminates 'some' of the non-ferrous window. A fatal/show-stopper fault in my eyes.

Tom: Like Caretaker, not so much as discriminate out iron as to have a different sound so it could be identified. I'm getting the point, finally, that on the beach, if you want gold, you dig everything with the possible exception of iron. If there is no PI machine that can give the operator some kind of indication that it's seeing iron, I can see why many prefer a good multi-freq. disc. detector, such as the CZ's, Excallibur and such.

Stan524: The Sand Shark has caught my attention before for a PI machine. Don't suppose iron is distinguishable on yours is it?

On a side note... the trick of holding a coin next to a garret pinpointer and sliding it closer to the end and back to increase detection... anyone heard of trying something like that with a detector? If it would do anything at all, it seems it would only work with a PI detector or one set for all metal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2011 01:32PM by connortn.

I have noticed where people are putting pieces of metal on their garrett pin pointers and allegedly gives greater pin pointing depth. Why would that work? If it does work.... would it work on a PI machine? Even on disc machines you can get more depth when the signal isnt being processed.... such as pinpoint. Some of the whites machines can do this... but like PI machines since the signal isnt processed the only thing the machine has to do it tell you something is there... bare bone basics of a detector.

Dew

Nope, no discrimination, but for me it's not a deal killer, becuase I dont mind digging everything and since most targtets are under a foot in sand its not a lot of work to dig. The plan is to find enough gold jewelery to by an excal or some other more expensive discriminating machine. For now my finds go from hey another silver ring! to crap another bobby pin. Its all good.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2011 12:42PM by stan524.

Thats a great point Stan. Spent less money on a PI and make enough to buy your other needed machine. Then you have the best of both worlds. You have the right idea especially for those of us on a budget.

Dew