Tom,guys and gals How about a recommendation on a water hunting detector

I have been thinking seriously about adding either a CZ 21 or an Excal II to my gear.I think hunting some of these "swimming holes" might be a nearly untapped resource for coins and jewelry.Any pro's and cons on either detector?I might take it to Florida also for a little beach hunting.Thanks Bill,who's thermometer read 17 degrees this morning.

i could use some advice on a water detector purchase also. i would mainly hunt fresh water but would use it in saltwater also.have been thinking about a cz20 or 21 but i also wonder how well a used tigershark or other less expensive detector will do??

If you are certain that your use for a UW detector will spend 80% ...or more... of it's life in/underwater, I'd recommend the 8" coil.

As far as detectors, my choices would be a ML Excal-II ...... or a 'depth-tested/verified' CZ-20 & CZ-21.

Tigershark not bad at all......... but Excal's & CZ's are on the top of the list.

Tom I plan to wade out.I don't think I'll use it underwater much.Thanks.Bill

OK...HERE'S MY GIG...WATER DOG MIKE TO THE RESCUE....

I WILL MAKE THIS EASY FOR YOU (Sorry Tom, I have hunted against all of them using all of them including the JW Fish and here's my scoop):

FRESHWATER ONLY, HANDS DOWN, STOP LOOKING, GET A TESORO TIGER SHARK.
It has salt mode but which still gets chattery w/ high miner/salt...so if u r going to use it for that, bring a bottle of Bayer.

Predominantly Salt Water; Get an M.L. Exc. unless u feel like scooping hair pins and fish hooks, then the cz's are for you.

For depth, ok cz's or a JW Fishcake, i would also recommend these detectors if u r going deep on wrecks and stuff...cause then the iron aint bad, as is these machines depth capabilities are excellent (tiger shark goes deep too, but i would give the depth award to the cz's and jw's)

If you are doing fresh and salt...but mostly fresh, just salt on a few vacations? I would stick w/ the tigershark and put up with the salt water chatter...in the freshwater you'll find the smaller gold for sure against ALL of the competition, a whole lot better on the iron and you got a lifetime wtty...nuff said...OH YEH, 1/2 THE PRICE!!! NOW, NUFF SAID.

-Mike

ps...they have many diff coil for the T.S. too...that's right, i said many, they dont advertise some of them...dont ask me why? Ask them...they have 4 sizes last i called....U NEED TO CALL 'EM TO FIND OUT!!!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2008 01:47AM by PanMan.

Pan Man
How do you normally set up the Tigershark to hunt freshwater lakes and beaches? Just set it to discriminate out out small nails? How is it on coins? Thanks Bill

Yes, if you are 'fresh water only' hunting..... DO INDEED acquire a unit that is NOT locked in the 'salt' mode.... and/or gives you the option.

Tom

Bill:
Where I live, most of the beaches, if not all (until you head up to Minnesota's iron country) have about the same type of ground, and I found balancing the machine is a once a month (tops) thing to do...hence, i found a nickel about 8 inches down in medium sized grained sand, and loudly....hence, the small gold i find following a friends ML 1000, Hence the quiet hunt once i switched out a damaged coil, no matter what beach i hunt.

TIGERS ARE EXCELLENT W/ JEWELRY AND COINS ALIKE!!! A TRUE WINNER!!!

I set the disc at about 2.5 ...I will still pick up the larger iron, but even smaller rusty iron wont give off a bleep like it's counter part detectors...
The T.S. has but one tone, but, many different sounds within that tone...
...Mine gives off pings for coins, pongs fo jewelry and staticky pings or pongs for small iron hair pins...it gives off a small staticky ping for tiny jewelry too...but after a hundred of em' (1 days worth...haha) you will learn the difference...this machine really does talk to you...
I compare it to a flat tire...many times driving down the road you say "I think i got a flat, i think i got a flat...but when u really got one, you know it....it's the same when comparing staticky pings and pongs to small iron vs. tiny jewelry.

You ask of small nails, from let's say deteriorated driftwood pallet parts from a bonfire that made their way to shore after idiots put out the fire by kicking the wood into the lake and the tide pushed them to the swimming area...these are easier then land hunting, because you can fiddle w/ the 90o turn and sweep to get the length, or since it's the water/sand...just scoop it and see....
BUT...THIS IS IMPORTANT...PUT A MAGNET IN YOUR SCOOP, ONE THAT IS SO STRONG THAT IT WONT FALL OUT, ABOUT WHERE THE SOLID STEEL AND MESH STEEL MEET ON THE INSIDE/BOTTOM OF YOUR SCOOP...OR YOU WILL BE SCOOPING NAILS AND PINS FOREVER. ALSO, IF YOU GET A LOT OF BLACK IRON SAND DEPOSITS ALL OVER YOUR MAGNET BY THE END OF THE DAY...I FIND THOSE LAKES I PUT THE DISC ON MAYBE 1.5 INSTEAD OF 2.5, TO HELP A LITTLE WITH BREAKING THE MASKING OF TINY TINY GOLD FROM THE IRON.

Hope this helped a bit...any more questions? Ask on!

oh, ps..get the larger coil if you can...not really for depth purposes, but to cover more ground faster...the tiger will hit a target even just on the outside of it's coil (at least mine does) with no problem, so like i said, go over your sweeps, but larger coils are for covering more ground faster...and the faster you do a lake, the more time you have to hit the next one before the swimmers get there, see you shirtless, and then laugh as they learn why they call you the "Treasure Hippo" (Oh, that's me, never mind).

-Mike



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2008 11:46PM by PanMan.

Mike
Thanks.I'm going to start looking for a T.S. We don't have much water here but there are swimming holes.They might be an untapped resource.Thakns.Bill

Tom
What do you mean locked in the salt mode? Bill

Detecting dirt bottoms suck...u gotta get good with that scoop...takes practice, you'll get good tough...dirt bottom waters stir the dirt, kinda throws you off.

try old bridges where people might have symbolically throwm wedding rings off of too...ask the older people...look for areas of lakes that are weeded over where there were beaches 50 years earlier....ask the elders...remember, water with hardly a tide (lakes and such) have a tiny sink rate...u might find things 100 years old just below the surface...feet, fish swirls and stuff like that (storms etc) cover stuff, but things dont fall as fast and deep as on land.

HH

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2008 05:03AM by PanMan.

Bill,

Most detectors do not function (if at all) on the salt mineral beaches. Electronic salt compensation is a 'must' for proper operation; however, this mode will detune the detector to smaller gold items (unfortunately). Salt compensation is a electronic phase shift angle adjustment. The CZ-20 & 21 compensate for salt very well...... but do not have a switch for regular dirt mode. All other CZ's have a Salt/Normal switch. CZ-3D...it's called Salt/Enhanced switch.