Best MD for detecting buried caches

[visio]

Hello fellow thunters,

I am somewhat new to treasure hunting and have spent the past year searching with a couple of friends. One friend
has a chinese version of a minelab ?? that uses a beeping box with a pvc search coil. It detects metal very well but
is cheaply made and somewhat unreliable. I don't know if it can detect gold.

We are looking for buried gold and silver bars buried anywhere from 5 - 15 ft deep. The areas where we have been searching
is comprised of somewhat sandy soil and alot of volcanic rock. I have seen some fancy 3d software MD's that are very pricey
but don't have any positive testimonials. I don't want to waste money on false claims.

thanks,
randy

[ODM]

Just a brief thought: Portable relatively cheap detector for finding things several m deep? I'd guess "two box" detectors could find such, but they will only respond to rather large deposits. Large, as in a barrel at 9ft or a small car at 18ft. (ref. http://whiteselectronics.com/tm-808-metal-detector.html )

A "two box" detector should not be difficult to construct if you have personal experience in electronics or an experienced friend (and necessary tools). There are some DIY articles in the geotech archives ( http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/page...e=projects.dat )

Not an expert; but sandy and volcanic soil shouldn't be comparably problematic. ( ref. http://www.gichd.org/fileadmin/pdf/L...Bloodworth.pdf )

[visio]

Hello ODM,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I am not a DIY'er so building my own unit would be a stretch. I am a few years from retirement so I don't mind investing in a good detector that is well designed/built and would serve me well in the future.

[Funfinder]

check out this and forget about this cheap 2 box stuff - what finds do you think you can aspect if those coils are already over a half meter above the ground while searching?

For caches the Jeohunters medium large coil has already the perfect size and the radiation and ground balance circuit is powerful enough to handle very well large deep objects located in high mineralized soil. And for the large very deep caches the 1m coil is unbeatable. Good luck.

[ODM]

It also pays to do a bit of background checking, and if possible, a field test on your terms. If you have dealers nearby, you're in luck - try and arrange for a test of the product before investing a large sum in one. If they agree, and demonstrate in a positive manner (a clear target indication) that the product works, it's a safe buy even for less technically savvy people. There are individuals who are quite eager to sell a particular brand of detector, but a bit of background reading usually gives a more complete picture.

Various geophysics papers about electromagnetic survey methods will probably give hints about potentially useful detector configurations, as well as information about error sources and hints. Going several m deep is more in the territory of prospecting gear than the usual "minesweepers". For bare basics, the geotech1 info articles are a good starting point. ( http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/page...&file=info.dat )

[visio]

check out this and forget about this cheap 2 box stuff - what finds do you think you can aspect if those coils are already over a half meter above the ground while searching?

For caches the Jeohunters medium large coil has already the perfect size and the radiation and ground balance circuit is powerful enough to handle very well large deep objects located in high mineralized soil. And for the large very deep caches the 1m coil is unbeatable. Good luck.

Hello Funfinder,

I have been following your post on the Jeohunter and was very interested until I saw the post from Marius. I was hoping he would reply with an update on the problems he encountered with his Jeohunter. Were they caused by operator error or problems with the unit that were fixed by Makro. I will try to contact him for an update. It is still rather cold here so I've got several months to decide on a detector.

thanks for your reply!

[visio]

It also pays to do a bit of background checking, and if possible, a field test on your terms. If you have dealers nearby, you're in luck - try and arrange for a test of the product before investing a large sum in one. If they agree, and demonstrate in a positive manner (a clear target indication) that the product works, it's a safe buy even for less technically savvy people. There are individuals who are quite eager to sell a particular brand of detector, but a bit of background reading usually gives a more complete picture.

Various geophysics papers about electromagnetic survey methods will probably give hints about potentially useful detector configurations, as well as information about error sources and hints. Going several m deep is more in the territory of prospecting gear than the usual "minesweepers". For bare basics, the geotech1 info articles are a good starting point. ( http://www.geotech1.com/cgi-bin/page...&file=info.dat )

Very good advice ODM,

I plan on calling some diff. distributors here in the US and compile a list of the top 5 recommended. Then, locate a dist. in my state and hopefully demo the top 5. Thanks for the quick links! Valuable info.