Minelab Metal Detectors?

MetDet71 which minelab would you suggest for a beginner. I have been looking at the exterra vs. excalibur. The unit would have to be water proof. Also what accessories would you suggest.

I have a used Minelab Quattro (less than $400 paid)....the Quattro is the equivalent to the Safari model. It's a multi-frequency machine, which I love. It's super sensitive and super deep....I live in Civil War areas, so I typically have to dig 8-12 inches before I get anything good.

I have used Fisher's, Tesoro's, and Garrett's in the past......none compare to the Minelab. The only complaint I have is the weight of the machine....especially after hours of swinging....sometimes I curse and wish I still had my Tesoro (very lightweight!!)....but as I start to curse, I get that "BEEP" in my ear and the machine no longer feels heavy (funny how that works!!) :)

Thanks for the info. I was leaning towards the excaliber. Hope you had a good camping trip.

LowLife and Nuggethill thanks for the input.

Well I've been doing a ton of research and in my prior post I said the AT Pro is the way to go. Well I'm switching and going with the minelab x terra 705.
Check out big boy hobbies.com the most reasonable prices I've found.

Thanks for your words GR58. My Ace250 is in its way to me. I will remember those words.

Very anxious to post my first findings here.

pawpaw34 where and what you plan to search for can have a lot to do with what detector you should buy.

Fresh water or salt water
Are you going to wade into the shallow water or just hunt the dry and wet sand.

Nugget and relic hunting would mean different suggestions.

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For shallow water hunting.

If price is important the AT pro would be a option.
It has a meter and will work well in shallow water and on the dry sand.
The price is a little under $700. It comes with wading head phones,
the more water proof head phones are a option .. I think around $80.
I have not used it .. but several guys in the local club have them
and say they like it.

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If you don't mind digging deep targets and with little discrimination, you would be digging nails, bobby pins, foil along with ...hopefully rings. Then you might try a Whites dual field PI machine. This would not be a detector a newbie should use, if there is a lot of trash targets, but beaches like Waikiki, Hawaii it works very well. PI machines work very well in salt water, very stable.

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My 30 years of experience have led me to the Fisher CZ21.
It is a very good quality machine with good discrimination.
It will also find deep targets. IMO a machines ability to find deep targets, has to do with the quality of the circuit board and the battery power. The CZ21 has both, it takes four nine volt batteries, and Fishers have always been known to find deep targets.

The tests I have seen, the PI machines go the deepest, followed by the CZ21 and Minelab Excaliber.

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If price is no problem then the Minelab Excaliber II is a good option. Is has something like 17 different frequencies.
Certain targets and ground condition, like different frequencies. Most machines will have only one or two operating frequencies. I would say the reason the Minelabs work so well is because of multiple frequencies.

There use to be a problem with getting Minelabs repaired/serviced. I don't know if that is still the case.

There is a new Minelab water machine, something like a 3030 .. with GPS. The cost is around $2500 .. so I would put that into a very serious hunter group .. not a newbie.
I have only heard of one local guy buying this machine .. and no word yet on how he likes it.

Of course there are other option ... but these machines are the ones I have used ... or hunting buddies use .. so I know they work.

Most modern machines fall into VLF TR machines (Very low frequency/Transmit-receive). VLF/TR detectors transmit and receive at the same time.

PI (pulse Induction). PI detectors - transmit the signal, stops the transmit, then receives the signal. So there is a pulse on and off .. transmit then receive. This type system is very good for salt water use .. but has no or very little discrimination.

It has been many years since I have read on this topic .. but if I remember right .. it is something like this

Metal detectors work on radio signals. They transmit a signal, the metal object reflects the signal and the detectors receives the signal, the circuit board interprets the signal.

Salt .. in salt water .. are crystals ... they will impact the signal. When VLF/TR are constantly sending and receiving a signal the salt water can cause the signal to become unstable .. and cause false target signals. This seems to happen more right at the shore .. where the waves are breaking.

Because PI machines do not transmit and receive at the same time, the salt does not seem to affect the detector/signal. My first experience with this was at the Hawaii beaches, at first I was using a Fisher 1280-X, the effect of the salt water on this machine was so bad, it was .. not fun..
I switched to a Whites Surfmaster PI and it was like night and day... there was no more false signals and it was always very stable.

That was in the early 1980's, I do think newer machines are using multiple frequencies and improved circuits to handle the salt water better.

Also some higher end detectors can have auto tract, which means it will constantly adjust the ground balance of the machine. When you have a turn on and go machine ..like the ACE 250 you will get false signals in the wet sand ...because the wet sand will have a higher concentration of salt .. at least that is my experience